Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

4 I am a prisoner who belongs to the Lord. I beg you, live the way people should live who have been called by God.

² Do not be proud at all. Be very humble. Love one another and be patient with each other.

³ The Spirit has made you all one. Try to stay like that. May you be at peace with one another.

⁴ There is one body of Christ and one Spirit. When God called you, there was one hope before you in your calling.

⁵ There is one Lord, one way to believe, and one baptism.

⁶ There is one God and Father of us all. He is over all. He works through all. And he is living in us all.

⁷ But each one of us has received a blessing, whatever amount Christ has given to each one.

⁸ So then, the holy writings say, `When Christ went up to heaven he took those he had won with him. And he gave gifts to men.'

⁹ Now, what does `he went up' mean? Does it not mean that he also came down to the earth below?

¹⁰ The one who came down is the same one who went up higher than all the heavens. He did this so that he would be everywhere.

¹¹ The gifts he gave are these: some are to be apostles; some prophets; some evangelists; some pastors and teachers.

¹² These gifts are to make God's people better able to do their work for him and to make the body of Christ become stronger.

¹³ The gifts are given so that we will all believe the one way and all know the Son of God. They are given so that we will be really grown-up Christians, like Christ himself.

¹⁴ The body of Christ must grow so that we will no longer be like children. We are like children when we are pushed this way and that way. We change our minds every time people bring a different teaching. Some teachers teach the lies of men and fool people so that they believe wrong things.

¹⁵ We must say what is true and say it with love. In that way we will grow up in all things to be like Christ, who is the head of this body.

¹⁶ The whole body is joined and held together by every joint that it has. It is from Christ that the whole body grows as each different part does its work. It grows so that it becomes stronger in love.

²⁴ The next day the people saw that Jesus and his disciples were not there. Then they went to Capernaum in boats to look for Jesus.

²⁵ When they found Jesus on the other side of the lake, they said, `Teacher, when did you get here?'

²⁶ Jesus said, `I tell you the truth. You do not want me because you saw the big works I did, but you want me because you ate all the bread you wanted.

²⁷ Do not work for the food that spoils, but work for the food that will never spoil, the food that will give you life for ever. The Son of Man will give you that food. God my Father has chosen him to do that.'

²⁸ They asked him, `What works does God ask us to do?'

²⁹ Jesus answered them, `The work that God asks you to do is to believe in the one whom he has sent.'

³⁰ They said, `What big work will you do? We want to see it and believe you. What work are you are going to do?

^31-32 ur fathers ate bread in the wilderness. The holy writings say, "He gave them bread from heaven to eat." ' Jesus said to them, `I tell you the truth. It was not Moses who gave you that bread from heaven. But my Father gives you true bread from heaven.

³³ He who comes down from heaven is the bread that God gives. He is the one who gives life to the world.'

³⁴ They said to him, `Lord, give us this bread always!'

³⁵ Jesus said, `I am the bread that gives life. Anyone who comes to me will never be hungry. Anyone who believes in me will never be thirsty.