Read the Bible

Rank in the Kingdom

^1 (C1)At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "^(C2)Who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" ^(VR1)2 He called a little child and set him before them,³ and said, "I assure you and most solemnly say to you, unless you repent that is, change your inner self—your old way of thinking, live changed lives and ^(C1)become like children trusting, humble, and forgiving, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.⁴ "Therefore, whoever ^(F1)humbles himself like this child is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.⁵ "Whoever receives and welcomes one ^(F1)child like this in My name receives Me;⁶ but ^(C1)whoever ^(C2)causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble and sin by leading him away from My teaching, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone as large as one turned by a donkey hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea. ^(VR1)

Stumbling Blocks

⁷ "Woe (judgment is coming) to the world because of stumbling blocks and temptations to sin! ^(C1)It is inevitable that stumbling blocks come; but woe to the person on whose account or through whom the stumbling block comes! ^(VR1)

⁸ "^(C1)If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble and sin, cut it off and throw it away from you that is, remove yourself from the source of temptation; it is better for you to enter life crippled or lame, than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into everlasting fire.⁹ "^(C1)If your eye causes you to stumble and sin, pluck it out and throw it away from you that is, remove yourself from the source of temptation; it is better for you to enter life with only one eye, than to have two eyes and be thrown into the ^(C2)fiery hell.

¹⁰ "See that you do not despise or think less of one of these little ones, for I say to you that ^(C1)their angels in heaven are in the presence of and continually look upon the face of My Father who is in heaven. ^(VR1)11 "^(F1)[^(C1)For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.]

Ninety-nine Plus One

¹² "What do you think? ^(C1)If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them gets lost, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountain and go in search of the one that is lost? ^(VR1)13 "And if it turns out that he finds it, I assure you and most solemnly say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that did not get lost.¹⁴ "So it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones be lost.

Discipline and Prayer

¹⁵ "^(C1)If your brother sins^(F1), go and show him his fault in private; if he listens and pays attention to you, you have won back your brother.¹⁶ "But if he does not listen, take along with you one or two others, so that ^(C1)EVERY WORD MAY BE CONFIRMED BY THE TESTIMONY OF TWO OR THREE WITNESSES.¹⁷ "If he pays no attention to them refusing to listen and obey, ^(C1)tell it to the ^(F1)church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, ^(C2)let him be to you as a Gentile (unbeliever) and a tax collector. ^(VR1)18 "I assure you and most solemnly say to you, ^(C1)whatever you bind forbid, declare to be improper and unlawful on earth ^(F1)shall have already been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose permit, declare lawful on earth ^(F1)shall have already been loosed in heaven. ^(VR1)

¹⁹ "Again I say to you, that if two ^(F1)believers on earth agree that is, are of one mind, in harmony about anything that they ask within the will of God, ^(C1)it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. ^(VR1)20 "For where two or three are gathered in My name meeting together as My followers, ^(C1)I am there among them." ^(VR1)

Forgiveness

²¹ Then Peter came to Him and asked, "Lord, ^(C1)how many times will my brother sin against me and I forgive him and let it go? Up to ^(C2)seven times?"²² Jesus answered him, "I say to you, not up to seven times, but ^(C1)seventy times seven.

²³ "Therefore ^(C1)the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wished to ^(C2)settle accounts with his slaves.²⁴ "When he began the accounting, one who owed him 10,000 ^(F1)talents was brought to him.²⁵ "But because he ^(C1)could not repay, his master ordered him ^(C2)to be sold, with his wife and his children and everything that he possessed, and payment to be made.²⁶ "So the slave ^(C1)fell on his knees and begged him, saying, 'Have patience with me and I will repay you everything.'²⁷ "And his master's heart was moved with compassion and he released him and ^(C1)forgave him canceling the debt.²⁸ "But that same slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him ^(F1)a hundred denarii; and he seized him and began choking him, saying, 'Pay what you owe!'²⁹ "So his fellow slave fell on his knees and begged him earnestly, 'Have patience with me and I will repay you.'³⁰ "But he was unwilling and he went and had him thrown in prison until he paid back the debt.³¹ "When his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were deeply grieved and they went and reported to their master with clarity and in detail everything that had taken place.³² "Then his master called him and said to him, 'You wicked and contemptible slave, I forgave all that great debt of yours because you begged me.³³ '^(C1)Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave who owed you little by comparison, as I had mercy on you?'³⁴ "And in wrath his master turned him over to the torturers (jailers) until he paid all that he owed.³⁵ "^(C1)My heavenly Father will also do the same to every one of you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart."