To all in the Taliaferro Zone
who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace and peace to you from God
our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your
faith is being reported all over Atlanta. (Romans 1:7-8) I
always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. For in him you have been enriched in every
way--in all your speaking and in all your knowledge. (1st Corinthians 1:4-5) Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual
blessing in Christ. (Ephesians 1:3) To all of you, my true brothers
and sisters in our common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and
Christ Jesus our Savior. (Titus 1:4)
Dear friends, although I was very
eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and
urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the
saints. (Jude 1:3) Though you
already know all this, I want to remind you that the Lord delivered his people
out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not believe. (Jude 1:5) But, dear friends, remember what the
apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. (Jude 1:17) Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait
for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life. (Jude
1:21) Therefore, the promise comes
by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham's
offspring--not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of
the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. (Romans 4:16) Not
that I lord it over your faith, but I work with you for your joy,
because it is by faith you stand firm. (1st Corinthians 1:24) For in the gospel a righteousness from God
is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is
written: "The righteous will live by faith.” (Romans 1:17) I pray that you may be active in sharing
your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we
have in Christ. (Philemon 1:6)
I ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters,
and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love every
one of you has for each other is increasing. Therefore, among God's churches I boast about your
perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring. (2nd
Thessalonians 1:3-4) Consider it
pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many
kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.
Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not
lacking anything. (James 1:2-4) You need to persevere so that when you
have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. For in just a very little while, He who is
coming will come and will not delay. (Hebrews 10:36-37) Do you not know that in a race all the
runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the
prize. (1st Corinthians 9:24)
Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if
you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers. (1st
Timothy 4:16)
The Word became flesh and made his
dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who
came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14) From the fullness of his grace we have
all received one blessing after another. (John 1:16) "Now I commit you to God and to the
word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all
those who are sanctified. (Acts 20:32)
Surely you have heard about the
administration of God's grace that was given to me for you, (Ephesians 3:2) for it is by grace you have been
saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- not
by works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9) But to each one of us grace has been given as
Christ apportioned it. (Ephesians 4:7) Though grace is shown to the
wicked, they do not learn righteousness; even in a land of uprightness they go
on doing evil and regard not the majesty of the LORD. (Isaiah 26:10) However, I consider my life worth
nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord
Jesus has given me--the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace. (Acts
20:24) It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have
you in my heart; for whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the
gospel, all of you share in God's grace with me. (Philippians 1:7) May
our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace
gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and
strengthen you in every good deed and word.(2nd Thessalonians
2:16-17) Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be
theirs. (Jonah 2:8) As obedient
children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in
ignorance. (1st Peter 1:14)
Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without
holiness no one will see the Lord. See
to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to
cause trouble and defile many. (Hebrews 12:14-15) Since
the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of
you be found to have fallen short of it. (Hebrews 4:1) But grow in the
grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both
now and forever! Amen. (1st
Peter 3:18)
"Will a man rob God? Yet you
rob me. "But you ask, `How do we rob you?' "In tithes and
offerings. You are under a curse--the
whole nation of you--because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food
in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I
will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that
you will not have room enough for it. (Malachi
3:8-10) When you make a vow to God,
do not delay in fulfilling it. He has
no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow. (Ecclesiastes 5:4) Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will
also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap
generously. Each man should give what
he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for
God loves a cheerful giver. (2nd
Corinthians 9:6-7) If you want to
be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have
treasure in heaven. (Matthew 19:21)
If any of you has a dispute with
another, dare he take it before the ungodly for judgment instead of before the
saints? (1st Corinthians 6:1) Don't
have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they
produce quarrels. And the Lord's
servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach,
not resentful. (2nd Timothy 2:23-24) Avoid foolish controversies and
genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are
unprofitable and useless. Warn a
divisive person once, and then warn him a second time. After that, have nothing
to do with him. (Titus 3:9-10) Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may
become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and
depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold
out the word of life. (Philippians 2:14-16)
My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this:
Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for
man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. (James
1:19-20) Brothers, I could not
address you as spiritual but as worldly--mere infants in Christ. You are still
worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not
worldly? (1st Corinthians 3:1,3)
Now the Taliaferro Zone is
of more noble character than the others, for you received the
message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if
what Ben and Mike said was true.
(Acts 17:11) You devoted yourselves to the
apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
(Acts 2:42) Take the helmet of
salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (Ephesians
6:17) And I also thank God
continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from
us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of
God, which is at work in you who believe. For you, brothers and sisters,
became imitators of God's churches in LA and Boston, which are in Christ
Jesus (1st Thessalonians 2:13-14) Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to words of
knowledge. (Proverbs 23:12) To
the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the
sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to
the one who pleases God. (Ecclesiastes 2:26) So I say to you: Ask and it
will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened
to you. (Luke 11:9)
Devote yourselves to the apostles' teaching and to the
fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. (Acts 2:42) And when you pray, do not be like the
hypocrites, for they love to pray kneeling in the churches and on
the television to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have
received their reward in full. But when
you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is
unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward
you. And when you pray, do not keep on
babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many
words. (Matthew 6:5-7)
We do not know what we ought to
pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words
cannot express. (Romans 8:26) This, then, is how you should pray:
"Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will
be done on earth as it is in heaven. (Matthew 6:9-13) Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us
our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not
into temptation.” (Luke 11:3-4) Since
this is your heart's desire and you have not asked for wealth, riches or honor,
…but for wisdom and knowledge therefore wisdom and knowledge will be given you.
(2nd Chronicles 1:11-12) As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD
by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and
right. But be sure to fear the LORD and
serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has
done for you. (1st Samuel
12:23-24) Finally, brothers and
sisters, pray for me that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly
and be honored. (2nd
Thessalonians 3:1)
I hear that some among you are idle. They are not busy; they
are busybodies. Such people I command
and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the bread they
eat. (2nd Thessalonians
3:11-12) Lazy hands make a man
poor, but diligent hands bring wealth. (Proverbs 10:4) A sluggard does not plow in season; so at
harvest time he looks but finds nothing. (Proverbs 20:4) And I urge you, brothers and
sisters, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be
patient with everyone. (1st Thessalonians 5:14)
Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the
name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to
obey everything. (Matthew 28:19-20)
Do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you
will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of
your Father speaking through you. (Matthew 10:19-20) For I did not speak
of my own accord, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and how
to say it. (John 12:49) For
prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as
they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. (2nd Peter 1:21) Now, Lord, …enable your servants to speak
your word with great boldness. (Acts 4:29) Never be lacking
in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. (Romans
12:11) Be merciful to those who
doubt; snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed
with fear--hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh. (Jude
1:23) Remember this: Whoever
turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover
over a multitude of sins. (James 5:20) We are … Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his
appeal through us. (2nd Corinthians 5:20). For the Son
of Man came to seek and to save what was lost. (Luke 19:10)
I am astonished that you are so
quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning
to a different gospel--which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people
are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of
Christ. (Galatians 1:6-7) I have heard that some went out …
without .. authorization and disturbed you, troubling your minds by what they
said. (Acts 15:24) There
will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive
heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them--bringing swift
destruction on themselves. (2nd Peter 2:1) But these men blaspheme in matters they do
not understand. (2nd Peter 2:12) The prophets are prophesying lies. They are prophesying to you
false visions, divinations, idolatries and the delusions of their own minds. (Jeremiah
14:14) But do not do what they do,
for they do not practice what they preach. (Matthew 23:3) For such men are false apostles,
deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. (2nd
Corinthians 11:13) But even if I or an angel from heaven should
preach a gospel other than the one that was preached to you, let him be
eternally condemned! (Galatians 1:8)
Wives, submit to your husbands, as
is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with
them. (Colossians 3:18-19) You
must be blameless, the husband of but one wife, a man whose children believe
and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. (Titus
1:6) At the beginning of
creation God `made them male and female.'
`For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to
his wife, and the two will become one flesh.' So they are no longer two, but
one. (Mark 10:6-8) Marriage
should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge
the adulterer and all the sexually immoral. (Hebrews 13:4) It is good for a man not to marry. But since
there is so much immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman
her own husband. The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and
likewise the wife to her husband. The
wife's body does not belong to her alone but also to her husband. In the same
way, the husband's body does not belong to him alone but also to his wife. Do not deprive each other except by mutual
consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come
together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of
self-control. I say this as a
concession, not as a command. (1st Corinthians 7:1-6) If any brother has a wife who is not a
believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her. And if a
woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her,
she must not divorce him. For the
unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving
wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children
would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.
(1st Corinthians 7:12-14)
For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the
church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to
Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. Husbands,
love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her (Ephesians
5:23-25)
Now about brotherly love I
do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love
each other. And in fact, you do love
all the brothers and sisters throughout the Taliaferro Zone. Yet I
urge you, brothers and sisters, to do so more and more. (1st
Thessalonians 4:9-10) Remember, (Revelation
3:3) Jesus said, (Matthew 4:19) "A new command I give you: Love
one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my
disciples, if you love one another." (John 13:34-35) Be devoted to one another in brotherly love.
Honor one another above yourselves. (Romans 12:10) Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the
fulfillment of the law. (Romans
13:10)
I appeal to you, brothers and
sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with
one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be
perfectly united in mind and thought. (1st Corinthians 1:10) Nobody should seek his own good, but the
good of others. (1st Corinthian 10:24)
I have much to write you, but I do
not want to do so with pen and ink. I hope to see you soon, and we will talk
face to face. Peace to you. (3rd John 1:13-14)
Now may the Lord of peace himself
give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you. I, Mac, write this greeting in my own
hand, which is the distinguishing mark in all my letters. This is how I write. (2nd
Thessalonians 3:16-17) The grace of
the Lord Jesus be with God's people. Amen. (Revelation 2:21)