Bible verses about "gatekeepers" | Goodspeed

¹ I appeal therefore to those who are elders among you; I am their brother-elder and a witness to what the Christ suffered, and I am to share in the glory that is to be revealed— ² be shepherds of the flock of God that is among you, not as though it were forced upon you but of your own free will, and not from base love of gain but freely, ³ and not as tyrannizing over those in your charge but proving models for the flock; ⁴ and when the chief shepherd appears, you will receive the glorious wreath that will never fade. ⁵ You younger men must show deference to the elders. And you must all clothe yourselves in humility toward one another, for God opposes the proud, but shows mercy to the humble. ⁶ Submit humbly, therefore, to God's mighty hand, so that he may in due time raise you up. ⁷ Throw all your anxiety upon him, for he cares for you. ⁸ Be calm and watchful. Your opponent the devil is prowling about like a roaring lion, wanting to devour you. ⁹ Resist him and be strong in the faith, for you know that your brotherhood all over the world is having the same experience of suffering. ¹⁰ And God, the giver of all mercy, who through your union with Christ has called you to his eternal glory, after you have suffered a little while will himself make you perfect, steadfast, and strong. ¹¹ His be the dominion forever. Amen. ¹² By Silvanus, our faithful brother, as I think him, I have written you this short letter to encourage you and bear my testimony that this is what the true mercy of God means. Stand fast in it. ¹³ Your sister-church in Babylon, chosen like you, and Mark my son wish to be remembered to you. ¹⁴ Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace to all of you that are in union with Christ.

¹ Come now, you rich people! weep aloud and howl over the miseries that are going to overtake you! ² Your wealth has rotted, your clothes are moth-eaten, ³ your gold and silver are rusted, and their rust will testify against you and eat into your very flesh, for you have stored up fire for the last days. ⁴ Why, the wages you have withheld from the laborers who have reaped your harvests cry aloud, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of Hosts. ⁵ You have lived luxuriously and voluptuously here on earth; you have fattened your hearts for the day of slaughter. ⁶ You have condemned and murdered the upright. Will he make no resistance? ⁷ So be patient, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer has to wait for the precious crop from the ground, and be patient with it, until it gets the early and the late rains. ⁸ You must have patience too; you must keep up your courage, for the coming of the Lord is close at hand. ⁹ Do not complain of one another, brothers, or you will be judged. The judge is standing right at the door! ¹⁰ As an example, brothers, of ill-treatment patiently endured, take the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord. ¹¹ Why, we call those who showed such endurance happy! You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen what the Lord brought out of it, for the Lord is very kind and merciful. ¹² Above all, my brothers, do not swear an oath, either by heaven or by the earth, or by anything else; let your "Yes" be a plain Yes, and your "No" a plain No, or you will fall under condemnation. ¹³ If any one of you is in trouble, he should pray. If any one is in good spirits, he should sing a hymn. ¹⁴ If any one is sick, he should call in the elders of the church and have them pray over him, and pour oil on him in the name of the Lord, ¹⁵ and the prayer offered in faith will save the sick man; the Lord will restore him to health, and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. ¹⁶ So confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be cured. An upright man can do a great deal by prayer when he tries. ¹⁷ Elijah was a man like us, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain, and for three years and six months there was no rain in the land. ¹⁸ Then he prayed again, and the heavens yielded rain and the earth produced crops. ¹⁹ My brothers, if any one of you is led astray from the truth, and someone brings him back, ²⁰ you may be sure that whoever brings a sinner back from his misguided way will save the man's soul from death, and cover up a host of sins.

¹ First of all, then, I urge that entreaties, prayers, petitions, and thanksgivings be offered for all men, ² for emperors and all who are in authority, so that we may live tranquil, quiet lives, with perfect piety and probity. ³ It is right to do this, and it pleases God our Savior, ⁴ who wants all men to be saved and to come to know the truth. ⁵ For there is but one God, and one intermediary between God and men—the man Christ Jesus, ⁶ who gave himself as a ransom for all men. This is what was testified to at the proper times, ⁷ and I was appointed a herald and apostle of it—I am telling the truth, I am not lying—to teach the heathen faith and truth. ⁸ I want the men everywhere to offer prayer, lifting to heaven hands that are holy, without any angry disputes. ⁹ Women for their part are to dress modestly and sensibly in proper clothes, not adorning themselves by braiding their hair or with gold or pearls or expensive clothing, ¹⁰ but, as is appropriate for women who profess to be religious, with good actions. ¹¹ Women must listen quietly in church and be perfectly submissive. ¹² I do not allow women to teach or to domineer over men; they must keep quiet. ¹³ For Adam was formed first, and then Eve; ¹⁴ and it was not Adam who was deceived, it was the woman who was deluded and fell into sin. ¹⁵ But they will be saved through motherhood, if they continue to have faith and to be loving and holy, and sensible as well.