The purpose of this enlightenment is that ¹  through the church the multifaceted wisdom ²  of God should now be disclosed to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly realms.

so that he ¹  may present the church to himself as glorious – not having a stain or wrinkle, or any such blemish, but holy and blameless. ² 

If a believing woman ¹  has widows in her family, ²  let her help them. The church should not be burdened, so that it may help the widows who are truly in need. ³ 

For in the first place, when you come together as a church I hear there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it.

And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades ¹  will not overpower it.

and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. ¹  So ²  for a whole year Barnabas and Saul ³  met with the church and taught a significant number of people. ⁴  Now it was in Antioch ⁵  that the disciples were first called Christians. ⁶ 

Then the apostles and elders, with the whole church, decided ¹  to send men chosen from among them, Judas called Barsabbas and Silas, ²  leaders among the brothers, to Antioch ³  with Paul and Barnabas.

The church ¹  in Babylon, ²  chosen together with you, ³  greets you, and so does Mark, my son.

And Saul agreed completely with killing ¹  him.Now on that day a great ²  persecution began ³  against the church in Jerusalem, ⁴  and all ⁵  except the apostles were forced to scatter throughout the regions ⁶  of Judea and Samaria.

Then ¹  the church throughout Judea, Galilee, ²  and Samaria experienced ³  peace and thus was strengthened. ⁴  Living ⁵  in the fear of the Lord and in the encouragement of the Holy Spirit, the church ⁶  increased in numbers.

When they arrived and gathered the church together, they reported ¹  all the things God ²  had done with them, and that he had opened a door ³  of faith for the Gentiles.

When they arrived in Jerusalem, they were received ¹  by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they reported ²  all the things God had done with them. ³ 

And as you Philippians know, at the beginning of my gospel ministry, when I left Macedonia, no church shared with me in this matter of giving and receiving except you alone.

He is the head of the body, the church, as well as the beginning, the firstborn ¹  from among the dead, so that he himself may become first in all things. ² 

Now I rejoice in my sufferings for you, and I fill up in my physical body – for the sake of his body, the church – what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ.

in case I am delayed, to let you know how people ought to conduct themselves ¹  in the household of God, because it is ²  the church of the living God, the support and bulwark of the truth.

“To the angel of the church in Ephesus, ¹  write the following: ²  “This is the solemn pronouncement of ³  the one who has a firm grasp on ⁴  the seven stars in his right hand ⁵  – the one who walks among the seven golden ⁶  lampstands:

“To ¹  the angel of the church in Thyatira write the following: ²  “This is the solemn pronouncement of ³  the Son of God, the one who has eyes like a fiery flame ⁴  and whose feet are like polished bronze: ⁵ 

“To ¹  the angel of the church in Philadelphia write the following: ²  “This is the solemn pronouncement of ³  the Holy One, the True One, who holds the key of David, who opens doors ⁴  no one can shut, and shuts doors ⁵  no one can open:

“To ¹  the angel of the church in Laodicea write the following: ²  “This is the solemn pronouncement of ³  the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the originator ⁴  of God’s creation: