Romans 12:1-8 (Contemporary English Version)
Christ Brings New Life
1 Dear friends, God is good. So I beg you to offer your bodies to him as a living sacrifice, pure and pleasing. That's the most sensible way to serve God. 2 Don't be like the people of this world, but let God change the way you think. Then you will know how to do everything that is good and pleasing to him.
3 I realize how kind God has been to me, and so I tell each of you not to think you are better than you really are. Use good sense and measure yourself by the amount of faith that God has given you. 4 A body is made up of many parts, and each of them has its own use. 5 That's how it is with us. There are many of us, but we each are part of the body of Christ, as well as part of one another.
6 God has also given each of us different gifts to use. If we can prophesy, we should do it according to the amount of faith we have. 7 If we can serve others, we should serve. If we can teach, we should teach. 8 If we can encourage others, we should encourage them. If we can give, we should be generous. If we are leaders, we should do our best. If we are good to others, we should do it cheerfully.
Matthew 16:13-20 (Contemporary English Version)
Who Is Jesus?
13 When Jesus and his disciples were near the town of Caesarea Philippi, he asked them, "What do people say about the Son of Man?" 14 The disciples answered, "Some people say you are John the Baptist or maybe Elijah or Jeremiah or some other prophet." 15 Then Jesus asked them, "But who do you say I am?" 16 Simon Peter spoke up, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God."
17 Jesus told him: Simon, son of Jonah, you are blessed! You didn't discover this on your own. It was shown to you by my Father in heaven. 18 So I will call you Peter, which means "a rock." On this rock I will build my church, and death itself will not have any power over it. 19 I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven, and God in heaven will allow whatever you allow on earth. But he will not allow anything that you don't allow.
20 Jesus told his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.
