This letter is to all of you in Rome. God loves you, and he has chosen you to be his holy people. Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Greetings from Paul, Silas, and Timothy. To the church of those in Thessalonica, who are in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace and peace be yours.
The Father has loved us so much! This shows how much he loved us: We are called children of God. And we really are his children. But the people in the world don’t understand that we are God’s children, because they have not known him.
Every time we pray to God our Father, we thank him for all that you have done because of your faith. And we thank him for the work you have done because of your love. And we thank him that you continue to be strong because of your hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
God has chosen you and made you his holy people. He loves you. So your new life should be like this: Show mercy to others. Be kind, humble, gentle, and patient.
As the Scriptures say in the book of Hosea, “The people who are not mine— I will say they are my people. And the people I did not love— I will say they are the people I love.” Hosea 2:23
The group sent the letter with these men. The letter said: From the apostles and elders, your brothers, To all the non-Jewish brothers in the city of Antioch and in the countries of Syria and Cilicia. Dear Brothers:
“Write this to the angel of the church in Ephesus: “Here is a message from the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands.
Jesus said to her, “You don’t need to hold on to me! I have not yet gone back up to the Father. But go to my followers and tell them this: ‘I am going back to my Father and your Father. I am going back to my God and your God.’”
Moses said this about Benjamin: “Benjamin is loved by the Lord and lives close to him in safety. The Lord protects him all the time like a child at rest on its mother’s back.”
“Write this to the angel of the church in Laodicea: “Here is a message from the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of all that God has made.
“Write this to the angel of the church in Philadelphia: “Here is a message from the one who is holy and true, the one who holds the key of David. When he opens something, it cannot be closed. And when he closes something, it cannot be opened.
“Write this to the angel of the church in Thyatira: “Here is a message from the Son of God, the one who has eyes that blaze like fire and feet like shining brass.
“Write this to the angel of the church in Smyrna: “Here is a message from the one who is the First and the Last, the one who died and came to life again.
Some slaves have masters who are believers, so they are brothers. Does this mean they should show their masters any less respect? No, they should serve them even better, because they are helping believers, people they should love. This is what you must teach and tell everyone to do.
My darling my bride, I have entered my garden. I have gathered my myrrh and spice. I have eaten my honey and honeycomb. I have drunk my wine and milk. Dearest friends, eat, drink! Be drunk with love!