Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

So Be Walking In Christ And Established In The Faith You Were Taught

⁶ As then you received Christ Jesus the^[a] Lord, be walking in Him— ⁷ having been rooted, and being built-up in Him, and being established in the^[b] faith just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.

Don’t Be Taken Captive By Human Thinking, Because All God’s Fullness Is In Christ

⁸ Be watching-out that there will not be anyone taking you captive through philosophy and empty deception according-to^[c] the tradition of humans, according to the elemental things^[d] of the world, and not according to Christ, ⁹ because in Him dwells all the fullness of the Deity^[e] bodily^[f].

You Are Complete In Christ, With Whom You Have Been Buried And Raised Up

¹⁰ And in Him you are complete^[g], Who is the head of all rule^[h] and authority, ¹¹ in Whom you also were circumcised with a circumcision not-done-by-human-hands, in^[i] the taking-off ^[j] of the body^[k] of the flesh in the circumcision of ^[l] Christ— ¹² having been buried-with Him in baptism, in which^[m] you also were raised-with Him through faith in the working of God, the One having raised Him from the dead.

Indeed, God Made Us Alive With Christ, Having Forgiven All Our Trespasses

¹³ Indeed, you being dead in the trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh— He made you alive-together with Him, having forgiven us all the trespasses, ¹⁴ having wiped-out^[n] the written-document^[o] against us with^[p] its decrees, which was opposed to us. Indeed, He has taken it out of the middle, having nailed it to the cross! ¹⁵ Having stripped^[q] the rulers and the authorities, He exposed them in public, having celebrated-a-triumph-over^[r] them in Him^[s]!

Let No One Judge Your Behavior By False Standards

¹⁶ Therefore let no one judge you in eating and in drinking, or in respect to a feast or new-moon or Sabbath, ¹⁷ which are a shadow of the coming things, but the body^[a] is Christ’s. ¹⁸ Let no one decide-against you while delighting^[b] in humility^[c] and worship of ^[d] angels, dwelling-upon^[e] things which he has seen, being puffed-up in-vain by the mind of ^[f] his flesh, ¹⁹ and not holding-on-to^[g] the head— from Whom the whole body, being supplied^[h] and held-together by the joints and ligaments, is growing the growth of ^[i] God.

Jesus Teaches His Disciples To Pray

11 And it came about during His being in a certain place praying, that when He ceased, a certain one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John also taught his disciples”. ² And He said to them, “Whenever you pray, say, ‘Father— let^[a] Your name be treated-as-holy. Let Your kingdom come. ³ Be giving us each day our daily bread. ⁴ And forgive us our sins, for we also are forgiving everyone being indebted to us. And do not bring us into a temptation^[b]’”.

Keep Asking And You Will Receive

⁵ And He said to them, “Which of you will have a friend, and will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves-of-bread, ⁶ because my friend came to me from a journey and I do not have what I will set-before him’; ⁷ and that one, having responded from inside says ‘Do not be causing me troubles. The door has already been locked, and my children are with me in bed. I am not able, having arisen, to give it to you’? ⁸ I say to you: even though he will not, having arisen, give to him because of being his friend, yet because of his shamelessness^[c] he will, having been raised^[d], give to him as much as he needs. ⁹ And I say to you: be asking, and it will be given to you. Be seeking, and you will find. Be knocking, and it will be opened to you. ¹⁰ For everyone asking receives. And the one seeking finds. And to the one knocking, it will be opened.

God Knows How To Give Good Answers To Your Prayers

¹¹ “And what father from-among you will his son ask-for a fish, and he will give him a snake^[e] instead of a fish? ¹² Or indeed he will ask-for an egg— will he give him a scorpion? ¹³ Therefore if you, being evil, know-how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father from heaven give the Holy Spirit to the ones asking Him!”