B I B L E V E R S E S T O L I V E B Y B I B L E V E R S E S T O L I V E B Y : A Topical Concordance for Followers of The Way We dedicate this book to you – the reader. “My child, listen to me and do as I say and you will have a long, good life... Take hold of my instructions; don’t let them go! Guard them, for they are the key to life.” Proverbs 4: 10,13 (NLT) x i The Books of The New Testament and the abbreviations used in the text. Matthew Matt. Mark Mk. Luke Lk. John John Acts Acts Romans Rom. 1 Corinthians 1 Cor. 2 Corinthians 2 Cor. Galatians Gal. Ephesians Eph. Philippians Phil. Colossians Col. 1 Thessalonians 1 Thess. 2 Thessalonians 2 Thess. 1 Timothy 1 Tim. 2 Timothy 2 Tim. Titus Titus Philemon Philemon Hebrews Heb. James James 1 Peter 1 Pet. 2 Peter 2 Pet. 1 John 1 John 2 John 2 John 3 John 3 John Jude Jude Revelation Rev. x i i i CONTENTS Foreword xvii Acknowledgements xix A Note to the Reader xxi Baptism 1 Church: 1. Who the Church are 6 2. Spiritual Gifts to the Church 10 3. Instructions to Elders 14 4. How to conduct meetings 19 5. Harmony in the Church 23 6. Love for Brethren 27 7. Mutual Aid 31 8. Conduct: do’s and don’t’s 37 Commands 51 Commissioning 56 Communion 59 x i v Contents Discipleship: 1. Right Attitude 63 2. Right Behavior 70 3. Right Action 80 Discipline under God 87 Elders and Deacons: Qualities Required 89 Evangelism: Sharing the Good News 93 False prophets 102 False teachers 105 Holiness 110 Judgement 116 Loyalty and Allegiance 121 Marriage and children 126 Obedience 130 Perseverance 134 Prayer 143 Promises 149 The Rapture 152 Salvation: God’s Rescue Plan 162 Scripture 171 x v Contents Temptation 176 Vigilance 180 Warnings 183 Wealth and Possessions 191 Wisdom 196 Afterword 201 x v i i FOREWORD In the New Testament, God has given us commandments to be obeyed, and instructions to be followed, through Jesus Christ – his Son. Clearly, God intends that we should obey and follow, as directed. But unfortunately, “obeying” and “following” have been side-lined in favor of “just believe”. This book aims to re-direct our thinking towards what God requires of those who call themselves Christian, and it aims to do so entirely through his words to us in the New Testament. It is our sincere hope and prayer that this book will reach you, and be a blessing to you on your spiritual journey. Because of its potential use as a pocket-reference, we have taken great pains to make this book as complete and accurate as possible, but apologize for any shortcomings it possesses. God bless you! Followers of The Way. x i x ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This concordance is based on the New Living Translation (NLT) of the Holy Bible, published by Tyndale. Other works consulted which have been instructive are: • The New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible. • The Amplified New Testament (AMP), by the Lockman Foundation. • The Holy Bible from The Peshitta , by George M Lamsa. • Zondervan’s NIV Exhaustive Concordance (NIVEC), 2 nd Ed. by Edward W Goodrick and John R Kohlenberger III.