Scripture: Romans 1:17; 2:4; Luke 5:32; 7:48, 50; 10:25-28; 11:23; Ephesians 4:1-3; Luke 18:1-43; Ephesians 4:7-16

Romans 1:17b … The righteous will live by faith.

Romans 2:4b … God's kindness is intended to lead you to repentance…

Luke 7:48a Then He said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."… 50b … "Your faith has saved you…

Luke 10:25 Just then an expert in the law stood up to test Him, saying, "Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" 26 "What is written in the law?" He asked him. "How do you read it?" 27 He answered: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself. 28 "You've answered correctly," He told him. "Do this and you will live."

Luke 11:23 Anyone who is not with Me is against Me, and anyone who does not gather with Me scatters…

Ephesians 4:1 Therefore I, the prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk worthy of the calling you have received, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, accepting one another in love, 3 diligently keeping the unity of the Spirit with the peace that binds us.

Luke 18:1 He then told them a parable on the need for them to pray always and not become discouraged: … 9 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and looked down on everyone else: 10 "Two men went up to the temple complex to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee took his stand and was praying like this: 'God, I thank You that I'm not like other people-- greedy, unrighteous, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of everything I get.' 13 "But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even raise his eyes to heaven but kept striking his chest and saying, 'God, turn Your wrath from me-- a sinner! ' 14 I tell you, this one went down to his house justified rather than the other; because everyone who exalts (justifies) himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted (justified)."… 17 I assure you: Whoever does not welcome the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." 18 A ruler asked Him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" 19 "Why do you call Me good?" Jesus asked him. "No one is good but One-- God. 20 You know the commandments: Do not commit adultery; do not murder; do not steal; do not bear false witness; honor your father and mother." 21 "I have kept all these from my youth," he said. 22 When Jesus heard this, He told him, "You still lack one thing: Sell all that you have and distribute it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me." 23 After he heard this, he became extremely sad, because he was very rich. 24 Seeing that he became sad, Jesus said, "How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! 25 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God." 26 Those who heard this asked, "Then who can be saved?" 27 He replied, "What is impossible with men is possible with God." 28 Then Peter said, "Look, we have left what we had and followed You." 29 So He said to them, "I assure you: There is no one who has left a house, wife or brothers, parents or children because of the kingdom of God, 30 who will not receive many times more at this time, and eternal life in the age to come." 31 Then He took the Twelve aside and told them, "Listen! We are going up to Jerusalem. Everything that is written through the prophets about the Son of Man will be accomplished. 32 For He will be handed over to the Gentiles, and He will be mocked, insulted, spit on; 33 and after they flog Him, they will kill Him, and He will rise on the third day." 34 They understood none of these things. This saying was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said. 35 As He drew near Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the road begging. 36 Hearing a crowd passing by, he inquired what this meant. 37 "Jesus the Nazarene is passing by," they told him. 38 So he called out, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" 39 Then those in front told him to keep quiet, but he kept crying out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" 40 Jesus stopped and commanded that he be brought to Him. When he drew near, He asked him, 41 "What do you want Me to do for you?" "Lord," he said, "I want to see!" 42 "Receive your sight!" Jesus told him. "Your faith has healed you." 43 Instantly he could see, and he began to follow Him, glorifying God. All the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.

Ephesians 4:7 Now grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of the Messiah's gift… 11 And He personally gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, 12 for the training of the saints (God’s children – believers) in the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ, 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God's Son, growing into a mature man with a stature measured by Christ's fullness. 14 Then we will no longer be little children, tossed by the waves and blown around by every wind of teaching, by human cunning with cleverness in the techniques of deceit. 15 But speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into Him who is the head-- Christ. 16 From Him the whole body, fitted and knit together by every supporting ligament, promotes the growth of the body for building up itself in love by the proper working of each individual part.