“Before I made you in your mother’s body,\par I knew you.\par Before you were born,\par I chose you for a special work.\par I chose you to be a prophet to the nations.”\par
John 3:27 - Easy To Read Version John answered, “A man can get only what God gives him. Tuilleadh leaganachaKing James Version (Oxford) 1769 John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven. Amplified Bible - Classic Edition John answered, A man can receive nothing [he can claim nothing, he can take unto himself nothing] except as it has been granted to him from heaven. [A man must be content to receive the gift which is given him from heaven; there is no other source.] American Standard Version (1901) John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it have been given him from heaven. Common English Bible John replied, “No one can receive anything unless it is given from heaven. Catholic Public Domain Version John responded and said: "A man is not able to receive anything, unless it has been given to him from heaven. Douay-Rheims version of The Bible - 1752 version John answered, and said: A man cannot receive any thing, unless it be given him from heaven. |
“Before I made you in your mother’s body,\par I knew you.\par Before you were born,\par I chose you for a special work.\par I chose you to be a prophet to the nations.”\par
Lord, I did not run away from you.\par I followed you.\par I became the shepherd {\cf2\super [140]} you wanted.\par I did not want the terrible day to come.\par Lord, you know the things I said.\par You see all that is happening.\par
\{I was a shepherd\} and the Lord took me from following the sheep. The Lord said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’
I will choose one man to be the true priest. You will know which man I choose because his walking stick will begin to grow new leaves. In this way, I will stop the people from always complaining against you and me.”
Tell me: When John baptized {\cf2\super [295]} people, did that come from God or was it only from other people?”
He decided how much each servant would be able to care for. The man gave one servant five bags of money. {\cf2\super [387]} He gave another servant two bags of money. And he gave a third servant one bag of money. Then that man left.
This is like a man that goes on a trip and leaves his house. The man lets his servants take care of the house. He gives each servant a special job to do. One servant has the work of guarding the door. The man tells this servant to always be ready. This is the same as I am now telling you.
and many people came to him. The people said, “John never did a miracle. {\cf2\super [174]} But everything John said about this man (Jesus) is true.”
Jesus said, “That is why I said, ‘If the Father does not let a person come to me, then that person cannot come.’”
Through Christ, God gave me the special work of an apostle. {\cf2\super [7]} God gave me this work to lead people of all nations to believe and obey God. And I do this work for Christ.
We all have different gifts. Each gift came because of the grace (kindness) that God gave us. If a person has the gift of prophecy, {\cf2\super [131]} then that person should use that gift with the faith he has.
Greetings from Paul. I was called (chosen) to be an apostle {\cf2\super [1]} of Christ Jesus. I was called because that is what God wanted.
One Spirit, the same Spirit, does all these things. The Spirit decides what to give each person.
But, because of God’s grace (gift), that is what I am. And his grace that he gave me was not wasted. I worked harder than all the other apostles. (But I was not really the one working. It was God’s grace that was with me.)
Is Apollos important? No! Is Paul important? No! We are only servants of God who helped you believe. Each one of us did the work God gave us to do.
Who says that you are better than other people? Everything you have was given to you. So, if everything you have was given to you, then why do you boast like you got those things by your own power?
Greetings from Paul, an apostle. {\cf2\super [1]} I was chosen to be an apostle, but not by any group of people. My authority did not come from other people. No! It was Jesus Christ and God the Father who made me an apostle. God is the One who raised Jesus from death.
Greetings from Paul, an apostle {\cf2\super [1]} of Christ Jesus. I am an apostle because that is what God wanted.
That is why I was chosen to tell the Good News. {\cf2\super [6]} That is why I was chosen to be an apostle. {\cf2\super [7]} (I am telling the truth. I am not lying.) I was chosen to be a teacher of the non-Jewish people. I teach them to believe and know the truth.
Everything good comes from God. And every perfect gift is from God. These good gifts come down from the Father who made all the lights in the sky (sun, moon, stars). But God never changes \{like those lights\}. He is always the same.