Bible verses about "cooperation" | Williams

³ Then four men came bringing to Him a paralyzed man.

⁷ And He called the Twelve to Him and sent them out two by two, and gave them power over the foul spirits.

¹² Then they returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, which is near Jerusalem, only half a mile away. ¹³ When they reached the city, they went to the room upstairs where they had been staying; they were: Peter and John, James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alpheus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James. ¹⁴ With one mind they were all continuing to devote themselves to prayer, with the women and Mary and His brothers.

²⁰ "I make this petition, not for them only, but for all who ever come to believe in me through their message, ²¹ for them all to be one, just as you, Father, are in union with me and I in union with you, for them to be in union with us, so that the world may be convinced that you have sent me.

¹ Some people came down from Judea and began to teach the brothers, "Unless you are circumcised in accordance with the custom that Moses handed down, you cannot be saved." ² So, as a dire disturbance and a serious discussion had been created between Paul and Barnabas and them, they decided that Paul and Barnabas and some others from their number should go up to Jerusalem to confer with the apostles and elders about this question. ³ So they were endorsed and sent on by the church, and as they passed through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told of the conversion of the heathen and brought great rejoicing to all the brothers. ⁴ When they arrived at Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church, the apostles, and the elders, and they reported what God had done through them as instruments. ⁵ But some members of the Pharisaic party, who had become believers, arose and said that such converts must be circumcised and told to keep the law of Moses. ⁶ Now the apostles and elders met to consider this matter. ⁷ After a lengthy discussion Peter got up and said to them, "Brothers, you know that in the early days God chose among you that through me the heathen should hear the message of the good news and believe it. ⁸ And God who knows men's hearts testifies for them by giving them the Holy Spirit, as He did us, ⁹ and in this way He put no difference between us and them, because He cleansed their hearts by faith. ¹⁰ Then why do you now try to test God by putting on these disciples' necks a yoke which neither our forefathers nor we could bear? ¹¹ In fact, we believe that it is through the favor of the Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are." ¹² By this he quieted the whole congregation, and they listened to Barnabas and Paul tell of the signs and wonders which God had done through them among the heathen. ¹³ When they finished, James responded as follows: "Brothers, listen to me. ¹⁴ Symeon has told how God at first graciously visited the heathen to take from among them a people to bear His name. ¹⁵ The words of the prophets are in accord with this, as it is written: ¹⁶ 'After this I will return and rebuild David's fallen dwelling; I will rebuild its ruins and set it up again, ¹⁷ So that the rest of mankind may earnestly seek the Lord, Yes, all the heathen who are called by my name, says the Lord, ¹⁸ who has been making this known from ages past.' ¹⁹ So I give it as my opinion, we ought not to put difficulties in the way of the heathen who turn to God, ²⁰ but we should write them to abstain from everything that is contaminated by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals, and from tasting blood. ²¹ For Moses from the ancient generations has had his preachers in every town, and on every sabbath has been read aloud in the synagogues." ²² Then the apostles and elders in cooperation with the whole church passed a resolution to select and send some men of their number with Paul and Barnabas to Antioch. These were Judas, who was called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brothers. ²³ They sent this letter by them: "The apostles and elders as brothers send greeting to the brothers from among the heathen in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia. ²⁴ As we have heard that some of our number have disturbed you by their teaching, by continuing to unsettle your minds, ²⁵ we have passed a unanimous resolution to select and send messengers to you with our beloved brothers Barnabas and Paul, ²⁶ who have risked their lives for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁷ So we send Judas and Silas to you, to bring you the same message by word of mouth. ²⁸ For the Holy Spirit and we have decided not to lay upon you any burden but these essential requirements, ²⁹ that you abstain from everything that is offered to idols, from tasting blood, from the meat of animals that have been strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves free from these things, you will prosper. Good-by." ³⁰ So the messengers were sent out, and they went down to Antioch, called a meeting of the congregation, and delivered the letter. ³¹ When they had read it, they were delighted with the encouragement it brought them. ³² Now Judas and Silas, as they were prophets themselves, in a lengthy talk encouraged and strengthened the brothers. ³³ After spending some time there, they were sent back with a greeting to those who sent them. ³⁴ Omitted Text. ³⁵ But Paul and Barnabas stayed on at Antioch, and with many others continued to teach the Lord's message and to tell the good news. ³⁶ Some days after this Paul said to Barnabas, "Let us go back and visit the brothers in every town where we preached the Lord's message, to see how they are." ³⁷ But Barnabas persisted in wanting to take along John who was called Mark. ³⁸ Paul, however, did not consider such a man fit to take along with them, the man who deserted them in Pamphylia and did not go on with them to the work. ³⁹ The disagreement was so sharp that they separated, and Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus. ⁴⁰ But Paul selected Silas and set out, after the brothers had committed him to the favor of the Lord. ⁴¹ He journeyed on through Syria and Cilicia and continued to strengthen the churches.

¹ Paul, a slave of Jesus Christ, called as an apostle, set apart to preach God's good news, ² which long ago He promised through His prophets in the holy Scriptures, ³ about His Son, who on the physical side became a descendant of David, and on the holy, spiritual side ⁴ proved to be God's Son in power by the resurrection from the dead -- I mean, Jesus Christ, our Lord, ⁵ through whom we have received God's favor and a commission as an apostle in His name to urge upon all the heathen obedience inspired by faith, ⁶ among whom you too as called ones belong to Jesus Christ -- ⁷ to all those in Rome who are God's loved ones, called to be His people: spiritual blessing and peace be yours from God our Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁸ First, through Jesus Christ I thank my God for you all, because the report of your faith is spreading all over the world. ⁹ Indeed, my witness is God, whom I serve in my spirit by telling the good news about His Son, that I never fail to mention you every time I pray, ¹⁰ always entreating God that somehow by His will I may some day at last succeed in getting to see you. ¹¹ For I am longing to see you, to impart to you some spiritual gift, that you may be strengthened; ¹² in other words, that we may be mutually encouraged, while I am with you, by one another's faith, yours and mine. ¹³ Furthermore, I want you to know, brothers, that I have often planned to come to see you (though until now I have been prevented), in order that I may gather some fruit among you too, as I have among the rest of the heathen. ¹⁴ To Greeks and to all the other nations, to cultured and to uncultured people alike, I owe a duty. ¹⁵ So, as far as I can, I am eager to preach the good news to you at Rome, too. ¹⁶ For I am not ashamed of the good news, for it is God's power for the salvation of everyone who trusts, of the Jew first and then of the Greek. ¹⁷ For in the good news God's Way of man's right standing with Him is uncovered, the Way of faith that leads to greater faith, just as the Scripture says, "The upright man must live by faith." ¹⁸ For God's anger from heaven is being uncovered against all the impiety and wickedness of the men who in their wickedness are suppressing the truth; ¹⁹ because what can be known of God is clear to their inner moral sense; for in this way God Himself has shown it to them. ²⁰ Forever since the creation of the world, His invisible characteristics -- His eternal power and divine nature -- have been made intelligible and clearly visible by His works. So they are without excuse, ²¹ because, although they once knew God, they did not honor Him as God, or give Him thanks, but became silly in their senseless speculations, and so their insensible hearts have been shrouded in darkness. ²² Though claiming to be wise, they made fools of themselves, ²³ and have transformed the splendor of the immortal God into images in the form of mortal man, birds, beasts, and reptiles. ²⁴ So God has given them up to sexual impurity, in the evil trend of their heart's desires, so that they degrade their own bodies with one another, ²⁵ for they had utterly transformed the reality of God into what was unreal, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. ²⁶ This is why God has given them up to degrading passions. For their females have exchanged their natural function for one that is unnatural, ²⁷ and males too have forsaken the natural function of females and been consumed by flaming passion for one another, males practicing shameful vice with other males, and continuing to suffer in their persons the inevitable penalty for doing what is improper. ²⁸ And so, as they did not approve of fully recognizing God any longer, God gave them up to minds that He did not approve, to practices that were improper; ²⁹ because they overflow with every sort of evil-doing, wickedness, greed, and malice; they are full of envy, murder, quarreling, deceit, ill-will; ³⁰ they are secret backbiters, open slanderers, hateful to God, insolent, haughty, boastful; inventors of new forms of evil, undutiful to parents, ³¹ conscienceless, treacherous, with no human love or pity. ³² Although they know full well God's sentence that those who practice such things deserve to die, yet they not only practice them but even applaud others who do them.

⁴⁰ Everything must always be done in a proper and orderly way.

³ continuing with eager earnestness to maintain the unity of the Spirit through the tie of peace.

¹ So, if there is any appeal in our union with Christ, if there is any persuasive power in love, if we have any common share in the Spirit, if you have any tenderheartedness and sympathy, ² fill up my cup of joy by living in harmony, by fostering the same disposition of love, your hearts beating in unison, your minds set on one purpose. ³ Stop acting from motives of selfish strife or petty ambition, but in humility practice treating one another as your superiors. ⁴ Stop looking after your own interests only but practice looking out for the interests of others too. ⁵ Keep on fostering the same disposition that Christ Jesus had. ⁶ Though He was existing in the nature of God, He did not think His being on an equality with God a thing to be selfishly grasped, ⁷ but He laid it aside as He took on the nature of a slave and became like other men. ⁸ Because He was recognized as a man, in reality as well as in outward form, He finally humiliated Himself in obedience so as to die, even to die on a cross. ⁹ This is why God has highly exalted Him, and given Him the name that is above every other name, ¹⁰ so that in the name of Jesus everyone should kneel, in heaven, on earth, and in the underworld, ¹¹ and everyone should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the praise of God the Father. ¹² So, my dearly loved friends, as you have always been obedient, so now with reverence and awe keep on working clear down to the finishing point of your salvation not only as though I were with you but much more because I am away; ¹³ for it is God Himself who is at work in you to help you desire it as well as do it. ¹⁴ Practice doing everything without grumbling and disputing, ¹⁵ so that you may prove to be blameless and spotless, faultless children of God in a crooked and perverted age, in which you shine as light-bearers in the world as you continue ¹⁶ to hold up the message of life. That will give me ground for boasting on the day of Christ, because neither my career nor my labor has been a failure. ¹⁷ Yes, even if I am pouring out my life as a libation on the sacrifice and service your faith is rendering, I am glad to do so and congratulate you upon it; ¹⁸ you too must do likewise, be glad of it, and congratulate me. ¹⁹ I hope, with the approval of the Lord Jesus, soon to send Timothy to you, so that I too may be cheered on getting the news about you. ²⁰ For I have no one else with a heart like his who would take such genuine interest in you, ²¹ for most people are looking out for their own interests, not for the interests of Jesus Christ. ²² But you know his tested character, how like a son in fellowship with his father he has toiled with me like a slave in preaching the good news. ²³ So I hope to send him to you just as soon as I can see how my case is going to turn out. ²⁴ Really, I am trusting that by the help of the Lord I soon shall come myself. ²⁵ But I think it proper now to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow-laborer, and fellow-soldier, but your messenger to minister to my needs, ²⁶ for he has been longing to see you and has been homesick because you have heard that he was sick. ²⁷ For he was so sick that he was on the point of dying, but God took pity on him, and not only on him but on me too, to keep me from having one sorrow after another. ²⁸ I very eagerly send him, so that when you see him you may be glad of it, and I may be less sorrowful. ²⁹ So give him a hearty Christian welcome and hold in honor men like him, ³⁰ because he came near dying for the sake of the Lord's work and risked his life to make up for your lack of opportunity to minister to me.