Book of Common Prayer

4 The Spirit of God says very plainly that in later times some people will stop believing. They will listen to other spirits that fool them, and to the teaching of bad spirits.

² Men will tell lies and make people believe they are something when they are not. These men will have made their hearts so hard that they will not know they are doing wrong.

³ They will teach people that they should not marry. They will teach them not to eat some kinds of food. God made the food and he wanted people to take it and thank him for it. Those who believe and know what is true do this.

⁴ Everything that God has made for food is good. It is all right to eat it if people thank God for it.

⁵ God's word and asking him to bless the food makes it good for people to eat.

⁶ Tell the Christian brothers and sisters these things and you will do the work of Christ Jesus well. Your own heart will be fed by the things you have believed and the good teaching you have followed.

⁷ Have nothing to do with foolish stories. Make yourself strong in the things that please God.

⁸ `To make the body strong helps a little, but the things of God help us in all ways. The things of God promise us life now and life in heaven.'

⁹ These are true words and everyone should believe them.

¹⁰ That is why we work hard and put up with troubles. We trust in the living God who came to save all people. He makes a way for those who believe in him.

¹¹ Tell people these things and teach them to do them.

¹² Do not let anyone despise you because you are a young man. Show those who believe how they should live. Show them by the way you talk. Show them by the way you live. Show them by the way you love. Show them how to believe by the way you believe. Show them how to live a clean life by the way you live a clean life.

¹³ Until I come, read the holy writings to people. Talk to them and teach them.

¹⁴ Use the gift you have. It was given to you when the church leaders put their hands on your head and gave you a message from God.

¹⁵ Take time to think about these things. Then everybody will see how well you are going ahead in your work.

¹⁶ Take care of yourself and what you teach. Keep on doing this. If you do, you will save yourself and those who listen to you.

¹³ They sent some Pharisees and some of Herod's people to Jesus. They planned how to make Jesus say something wrong.

¹⁴ They came and said to him, `Teacher, we know that you are true. You do not fear any person or care how great he is. But you teach the true way of God. Tell us, is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or is it not?

¹⁵ Should we pay taxes or not?' Jesus knew they were trying to get him into trouble. So he said to them, `Why are you trying to get me to do wrong? Bring me a piece of money. Let me look at it.'

¹⁶ They brought one to him. He asked, `Whose picture and name is this?' They answered, `Caesar's.'

¹⁷ So he said, `Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and give to God what belongs to God.' The Pharisees and Herod's people were much surprised at Jesus.

¹⁸ Some of the Sadducees came to Jesus. They say that people do not rise from death. They asked Jesus a question.

¹⁹ `Teacher,' they said, `Moses gave us this law: if a man dies and leaves a wife but no children, then his brother must marry the wife and raise a family for his brother.

²⁰ There were seven brothers. The first one married. He died and left no child.

²¹ e second brother married the wife. He also died and left no child. It was the same with the third one.

²² All seven brothers married her. They all had no children. Last of all the woman died also.

²³ Now then when people rise from death, whose wife will she be? All seven of them had married her.'

²⁴ Jesus said to them, `You are wrong! You do not know what the holy writings say. And you do not know what power God has.

²⁵ When people rise from death, men and women do not marry. But they are like angels in heaven.

²⁶ People do rise from death! Have you never read what Moses wrote? It is in the place where we read about the small tree which burned. Moses tells how God said to him, "I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob."

²⁷ He is not the God of dead people, but of living people. The way you look at things is wrong altogether.'