Bible verses about "wholeness" | Twentieth_Century

¹⁷ Moreover these signs shall attend those who believe. In my Name they shall drive out demons; they shall speak with 'tongues'; ¹⁸ They shall take up serpents in their hands; and, if they drink any poison, it shall not hurt them; they will place their hands on sick people and they shall recover."

¹ Shortly afterwards, Jesus went on a journey through the towns and villages, proclaiming the Good News of the Kingdom of God. With him went the Twelve, ² As well as some women who had been cured of wicked spirits and of infirmities. They were Mary, known as Mary of Magdala (from whom seven demons had been expelled), ³ And Joanna (the wife of Herod's steward, Chuza), and Susannah, and many others--all of whom ministered to Jesus and his Apostles out of their means. ⁴ Once, when a great crowd was collecting, and, when the people of town after town were flocking to Jesus, he spoke to them in the form of a parable: ⁵ "The sower went out to sow his seed; and, as he was sowing, some of the seed fell along the path and was trodden upon; and the wild birds ate it up. ⁶ Other seed fell upon rock, and, as soon as it began to grow, having no moisture, withered away. ⁷ Other seed fell in the middle of brambles, but the brambles grew up with it and choked it entirely. ⁸ Other seed fell into rich soil, and grew, and gave a hundred-fold return." After saying this, Jesus cried aloud: "Let him who has ears to hear with hear." ⁹ His disciples asked Jesus the meaning of this parable. ¹⁰ "To you," he said, "the knowledge of the hidden truths of the Kingdom of God has been imparted, but to others in parables only, that 'though they have eyes they may not see, and though they have ears, they may not understand.' ¹¹ This is the parable--The seed is God's Message. ¹² By the seed which fell along the path are meant those who hear the Message; but then comes the Devil and carries away the Message from their minds, to prevent their believing it and being saved. ¹³ By the seed which fell upon the rock are meant those who, as soon as they hear the Message, welcome it joyfully; but they have no root, and believe it only for a time, and, when the time of temptation comes, they draw back. ¹⁴ By that which fell among the brambles are meant those who hear the Message, but who, as they go on their way, are completely choked by this world's cares and wealth and pleasures, and bring nothing to perfection. ¹⁵ But by that in the good ground are meant those who, having heard the Message, keep it in the good, rich soil of their hearts, and patiently yield a return. ¹⁶ No man sets light to a lamp and then covers it with a bowl or puts it underneath a couch, but he puts it on a lamp-stand, so that anyone who comes in may see the light. ¹⁷ Nothing is hidden which will not be brought into the light of day, not ever kept hidden which will not some day become known and come into the light of day. ¹⁸ Take care, then, how you listen. For, to all those who have, more will be given; while, from all those who have nothing, even what they seem to have will be taken away." ¹⁹ Presently Jesus' mother and brothers came where he was, but they were not able to join him on account of the crowd. ²⁰ So word was brought to him--'Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you.' ²¹ His reply, spoken to them all, was: "My mother and my brothers are those who listen to God's teaching and do what it bids." ²² One day about that time, Jesus got into a boat with his disciples and said to them: "Let us go across the lake." ²³ So they put off. While they were sailing, Jesus fell asleep. A squall swept down upon the lake, and their boat was filling and they were in danger. ²⁴ So the disciples came and roused him. "Sir, Sir," they cried, "we are lost!" Jesus rose and rebuked the wind and the rushing waves, and they fell, and a calm followed. ²⁵ "Where is your faith?" he exclaimed. But in great awe and amazement they said to one another: "Who can this be, that he commands even the winds and the waves, and they obey him?" ²⁶ And they reached the country of the Gerasenes, which is on the opposite side to Galilee; ²⁷ And, on getting ashore, Jesus met a man, who had demons in him, coming out of the town. For a long time this man had worn no clothing, and he had not lived in a house, but in the tombs. ²⁸ Catching sight of Jesus, he shrieked out and threw himself down before him, and in a loud voice exclaimed: "What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beseech you not to torment me." ²⁹ For Jesus was commanding the foul spirit to come out from the man. On many occasions it had seized him, and, even when secured with chains and fetters, and watched, he would break through anything that bound him, and be driven by the demon into the Wilds. ³⁰ "What is your name?" Jesus asked. "Legion," he answered (for many demons had taken possession of him); ³¹ And the demons begged Jesus not to order them away into the bottomless pit. ³² There was a drove of many pigs close by feeding upon the hill- side; and the demons begged Jesus to give them leave to enter into them. Jesus gave them leave. ³³ They came out from the man and took possession of the pigs; and the drove rushed down the steep slope into the lake and were drowned. ³⁴ When the men who tended them saw what had happened, they ran away, and carried the news to the town, and to the country round. ³⁵ The people went out to see what had happened, and, when they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting, clothed and in his right mind, at Jesus' feet; and they were awe-struck. ³⁶ Those who had seen it told them how the possessed man had been delivered; ³⁷ Upon which all the people in the neighborhood of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them, for they were terrified. Jesus got into a boat and returned. ³⁸ The man from whom the demons had gone out begged Jesus to let him be with him; but Jesus sent him away. ³⁹ "Go back to your home," he said, "and relate the story of all that God has done for you." So the man went through the whole town and proclaimed, as he went, all that Jesus had done for him. ⁴⁰ On his return, Jesus was welcomed by the people; for everyone was looking out for him. ⁴¹ And a man named Jaeirus, who was a President of the Synagogue, came to Jesus, and threw himself at Jesus' feet, with entreaties that he would come to his house, ⁴² Because his only daughter, who was about twelve years old, was dying. As Jesus was going, the people were pressing closely round him. ⁴³ And a woman, who had suffered from hemorrhage for twelve years, and whom no one could cure, ⁴⁴ Came up behind and touched the tassel of his cloak. Instantly the hemorrhage ceased. ⁴⁵ "Who was it that touched me?" Jesus asked; and, while everyone was denying having done so, Peter exclaimed: "Why, Sir, the people are crowding round you and pressing upon you!" ⁴⁶ "Somebody touched me," said Jesus; "for I felt that power had gone out from me." ⁴⁷ Then the woman, when she saw that she was discovered, came forward trembling, and threw herself down before him; and, in the presence of all the people, she told him her reason for touching him, and that she had been cured instantly. ⁴⁸ "Daughter," he said, "your faith has delivered you. Go, and peace be with you." ⁴⁹ Before he had finished speaking, some one came from the house of the President of the Synagogue and said: "Your daughter is dead! Do not trouble the Teacher further." ⁵⁰ But Jesus, hearing this, spoke to the President: "Do not be afraid; only have faith, and she shall yet be delivered." ⁵¹ When he reached the house, he did not allow any one to go in with him, except Peter, John, and James, and the child's father and mother. ⁵² And every one was weeping and mourning for her. "Do not weep," Jesus said, "she is not dead; she is asleep." ⁵³ They began to laugh at him, for they knew that she was dead. ⁵⁴ But, taking her by the hand, Jesus said in a loud voice: "Child, rise!" ⁵⁵ The child's spirit returned to her, and she instantly stood up; and Jesus ordered them to give her something to eat. ⁵⁶ Her parents were amazed, but Jesus impressed on them that they were not to tell any one what had happened.

³ Recalling continually before our God and Father the efforts that have resulted from your faith, the toil prompted by your love, and the patient endurance sustained by your hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁴ Brothers, whom God loves, we know that he has chosen you, ⁵ Because the Good News that we brought came home to you, not merely as so many words, but with a power and a fulness of conviction due to the Holy Spirit. For you know the life that we lived among you for your good. ⁶ And you yourselves began to follow, not only our example, but the Master's also; and, in spite of much suffering, you welcomed the Message with a joy inspired by the Holy Spirit, ⁷ And so became a pattern to all who believed in Christ throughout Macedonia and Greece. ⁸ For it was from you that the Lord's Message resounded throughout Macedonia and Greece; and, more than that, your faith in God has become known far and wide; so that there is no need for us to say another word. ⁹ Indeed, in speaking about us, the people themselves tell of the reception you gave us, and how, turning to God from your idols, you became servants of the true and living God,

¹ Then I saw new heavens and a new earth. The former heavens and the former earth had passed away; and the sea has ceased to be. ² And I saw the Holy City, Jerusalem, descending new out of Heaven from God, like a bride adorned in readiness for her husband. ³ And I heard a loud voice from the throne, which said-- 'See! the Tabernacle of God is set up among men. God will dwell among them, and they will be his Peoples, and God himself will be among them, ⁴ and he will wipe away all tears from their eyes. There will be no more death, nor will there be any more grief or crying or pain. The old order has passed away.' ⁵ And he who was seated on the throne said-- 'See, I make all things new!' And he said-- 'Write this, for these words may be trusted and are true.' ⁶ And he said to me-- 'They are fulfilled. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who thirsts I will give of the spring of the Water of Life, freely. ⁷ He who conquers shall enter into possession of these things, and I will be his God, and he shall be my Son. ⁸ But as for cowards, unbelievers, the degraded, murderers, the impure, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars--their place will be in the burning lake of fire and sulphur. That is the Second Death.' ⁹ Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls, and were laden with the seven last Curses, came and spoke to me. 'Come here,' he said, 'and I will show you the Bride, the Wife of the Lamb.' ¹⁰ He carried me away in a trance to a great high mountain, and showed me Jerusalem, the Holy City, descending out of Heaven from God, filled with the glory of God. ¹¹ Its brilliance was like that of some very precious stone, like a jasper, transparent as crystal. ¹² It had a great high wall, in which were twelve gates; and at these gates there were twelve angels, and there were names inscribed on the gates, the names of the twelve tribes of the Israelites. ¹³ 'There were three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west.' ¹⁴ The wall of the City had twelve foundation stones, on which were the twelve names of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb. ¹⁵ And the angel who was speaking to me had as a measure a gold rod, with which to measure the City and its gates and its wall. ¹⁶ The City is square; the length and the breadth are the same. The angel measured with his rod; it was twelve hundred miles; its length, and breadth, and height are equal. ¹⁷ Then he measured the wall; it was two hundred and eighty-eight feet, as men measure, that is as the angel measured. ¹⁸ The material of the wall of the City was jasper, and the City was built of pure gold, which shone like clear glass. ¹⁹ The foundations of the wall of the City were ornamented with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation stone was a jasper; the second a sapphire; the third a chalcedony; the fourth an emerald; ²⁰ the fifth a sardonyx; the sixth a carnelian; the seventh a chrysolite; the eighth a beryl; the ninth a topaz; the tenth a chrysoprase; the eleventh a hyacinth; and the twelfth an amethyst. ²¹ The twelve gates were made of twelve pearls, each gate of one pearl. The street of the City was of pure gold, transparent as glass. ²² And I saw no Temple there, for the Lord, our God, the Almighty, and the Lamb are its Temple. ²³ The City has no need of 'the sun or the moon to shine upon it, for the Glory of God illuminated it,' and its Lamp was the Lamb. ²⁴ 'The nations walk by the light of it; and the kings of the earth bring their glory into it. ²⁵ Its gates will never be shut by day,' and there will be no night there. ²⁶ And men will bring the glory and honour of the nations into it. ²⁷ 'Never shall any unhallowed thing enter it,' nor he whose life is shameful and false, but only 'those whose names have been written in the Lamb's Book of Life.'

¹ And the angel showed me 'a river of the Water of Life,' as clear as crystal, issuing from the throne of God and of the Lamb, ² in the middle of the street of the City. On each side of the river was a Tree of Life which bore twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. ³ 'Every thing that is accursed will cease to be.' The throne of God and of the Lamb will be within it, and his servants will worship him; ⁴ they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. ⁵ Night will cease to be. They have no need of the light of a lamp, nor have they the light of the sun; for the 'Lord God will be their light, and they will reign for ever and ever.' ⁶ Then the angel said to me-- 'These words may be trusted and are true. The Lord, the God that inspires the Prophets, sent his angel to show his servants what must quickly take place; ⁷ and he said "I will come quickly." Blessed will he be who lays to heart the words of the prophecy contained in this book.' ⁸ It was I, John, who heard and saw these things; and, when I heard and saw them, I prostrated myself in worship at the feet of the angel that showed them to me. ⁹ But he said to me-- 'Forbear; I am your fellow-servant, and the fellow-servant of your Brothers, the Prophets, and of all who lay to heart the words in this book. Worship God.' ¹⁰ Then the angel said to me-- 'Do not keep secret the words of the prophecy contained in this book; for The Time is near. ¹¹ Let the wrong-doer continue to do wrong; the filthy-minded man continue to be filthy; the righteous man continue to act righteously; and the holy-minded man continue to be holy.' ¹² ('I will come quickly. I bring my rewards with me, to give to each man what his actions deserve. ¹³ I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.') ¹⁴ Blessed will they be who wash their robes, that they may have the right to approach the Tree of Life, and may enter the City by the gates. ¹⁵ Outside will be the filthy, the sorcerers, the impure, the murderers, the idolaters, and all who love the false and live it.' ¹⁶ 'I, Jesus, sent my angel to bear testimony to you about these things before the Churches. I am the Scion and the Offspring of David, the bright Star of the Morning.' ¹⁷ 'Come,' say the Spirit and the Bride; and let him who hears say 'Come.' Let him who thirsts come; let him who will take the Water of Life freely. ¹⁸ I declare to all who hear the words of the prophecy contained in this book-- 'If anyone adds to it, God will add to his troubles the Curses described in this book; ¹⁹ and if any one takes away any of the words in the book containing this prophecy, God will take away his share in the Tree of Life, and in the Holy City--as described in this book.' ²⁰ He whose testimony this is says-- 'Assuredly I will come quickly.' 'Amen, come, Lord Jesus.' ²¹ May the blessing of the Lord Jesus Christ, be with his People.

¹ Calling his twelve Disciples to him, Jesus gave them authority over foul spirits, so that they could drive them out, as well as the power of curing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness.

¹² In truth I tell you, he who believes in me will himself do the work that I am doing; and he will do greater work still, because I am going to the Father.

¹⁷ All has been created through him and for him. He was before all things, and all things unite in him;

¹⁰ God, from whom all help comes, and who called you, by your union with Christ, into his eternal glory, will, when you have suffered for a little while, himself perfect, establish, strengthen you.

²⁵ He who loves his life loses it; while he who hates his life in the present world shall preserve it for Immortal Life.

¹ I entreat you, then, Brothers, by the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, for this is your rational worship.

¹³ I can do everything in the strength of him who makes me strong!

⁹ For in Christ the Godhead in all its fulness dwells incarnate; ¹⁰ And, by your union with him, you also are filled with it. He is the Head of all Archangels and Powers of Heaven.

¹³ Yet when he--The Spirit of Truth--comes, he will guide you into all Truth; for he will not speak on his own authority, but he will speak of all that he hears; and he will tell you of the things that are to come.

¹⁷ Every good thing given us, and every perfect gift, is from above, and comes down to us from the Maker of the Lights in the heavens, who is himself never subject to change or to eclipse.

¹⁰ The thief comes only to steal, to kill, and to destroy; I have come that they may have Life, and may have it in greater fullness.

¹ James, a Servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, greets The Twelve Tribes that are living abroad. ² My Brothers, whatever may be the temptations that beset you from time to time, always regard them as a reason for rejoicing, ³ Knowing, as you do, that the testing of your faith develops endurance. ⁴ And let endurance do its work perfectly, so that you may be altogether perfect, and in no respect deficient. ⁵ If one of you is deficient in wisdom, let him ask wisdom from the God who gives freely to every one without reproaches, and it will be given to him. ⁶ But let him ask with confidence, never doubting; for the man who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven hither and thither at the mercy of the wind-- ⁷ Such a man must not expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, ⁸ Vacillating as he is, irresolute at every turn. ⁹ Let a Brother in humble circumstances be proud of his exalted position, but a rich Brother of his humiliation; ¹⁰ For the rich man will pass away 'like the flower of the grass.' ¹¹ As the sun rises, and the hot wind blows, 'the grass withers, its flower fades,' and all its beauty is gone. So is it with the rich man. In the midst of his pursuits he will come to an untimely end. ¹² Blessed is the man who remains firm under temptation, for, when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of Life, which the Lord has promised to those who love him. ¹³ Let no one say, when he is tempted, "It is God who is tempting me!" For God, who cannot be tempted to do wrong, does not himself tempt any one. ¹⁴ A man is in every case tempted by his own passions--allured and enticed by them. ¹⁵ Then Passion conceives and gives birth to Sin, and Sin, on reaching maturity, brings forth Death. ¹⁶ Do not be deceived, my dear Brothers. ¹⁷ Every good thing given us, and every perfect gift, is from above, and comes down to us from the Maker of the Lights in the heavens, who is himself never subject to change or to eclipse. ¹⁸ Because he so willed, he gave us Life, through the Message of the Truth, so that we should be, as it were, an earnest of still further creations. ¹⁹ Mark this, my dear Brothers--Let every one be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry; ²⁰ For the anger of man does not forward the righteous purpose of God. ²¹ Therefore, have done with all filthiness and whatever wickedness still remains, and in a humble spirit receive that Message which has been planted in your hearts and is able to save your souls. ²² Put that Message into practice, and do not merely listen to it--deceiving yourselves. ²³ For, when any one listens to it and does not practice it, he is like a man looking at his own face in a mirror. ²⁴ He looks at himself, then goes on his way, ²⁵ But he who looks carefully into the perfect Law, the Law of Freedom, and continues to do so, not listening to it and then forgetting it, but putting it into practice--that man will be blessed in what he does. ²⁶ When a man appears to be religious, yet does not bridle his tongue, but imposes upon his own conscience, that man's religious observances are valueless. ²⁷ That religious observance which is pure and spotless in the eyes of God our Father is this--to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself uncontaminated by the world.