The right thing to do is to keep from eating meat, drinking wine, or doing anything else that will make other believers fall.

He was then almost one hundred years old; but his faith did not weaken when he thought of his body, which was already practically dead, or of the fact that Sarah could not have children.

We who are strong in the faith ought to help the weak to carry their burdens. We should not please ourselves.

Accept one another, then, for the glory of God, as Christ has accepted you.

You have taught many people and given strength to feeble hands.

Give strength to hands that are tired and to knees that tremble with weakness.

Tell everyone who is discouraged, "Be strong and don't be afraid! God is coming to your rescue, coming to punish your enemies."

He will take care of his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs together and carry them in his arms; he will gently lead their mothers.

He will not break off a bent reed nor put out a flickering lamp. He will bring lasting justice to all.

You have not taken care of the weak ones, healed the ones that are sick, bandaged the ones that are hurt, brought back the ones that wandered off, or looked for the ones that were lost. Instead, you treated them cruelly.

"I will look for those that are lost, bring back those that wander off, bandage those that are hurt, and heal those that are sick; but those that are fat and strong I will destroy, because I am a shepherd who does what is right.

I have put a shepherd in charge of my flock, but he does not help the sheep that are threatened by destruction; nor does he look for the lost, or heal those that are hurt, or feed the healthy. Instead, he eats the meat of the fattest sheep and tears off their hoofs.

He will not break off a bent reed, nor put out a flickering lamp. He will persist until he causes justice to triumph,

At once Jesus reached out and grabbed hold of him and said, "What little faith you have! Why did you doubt?"

"If anyone should cause one of these little ones to lose his faith in me, it would be better for that person to have a large millstone tied around his neck and be drowned in the deep sea.

"See that you don't despise any of these little ones. Their angels in heaven, I tell you, are always in the presence of my Father in heaven.

It would be better for him if a large millstone were tied around his neck and he were thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin.

As a matter of fact, my friends, I could not talk to you as I talk to people who have the Spirit; I had to talk to you as though you belonged to this world, as children in the Christian faith.

I had to feed you milk, not solid food, because you were not ready for it. And even now you are not ready for it,

But not everyone knows this truth. Some people have been so used to idols that to this day when they eat such food they still think of it as food that belongs to an idol; their conscience is weak, and they feel they are defiled by the food.

Be careful, however, not to let your freedom of action make those who are weak in the faith fall into sin.

And so this weak person, your brother for whom Christ died, will perish because of your "knowledge"!

So then, if food makes a believer sin, I will never eat meat again, so as not to make a believer fall into sin.

Among the weak in faith I become weak like one of them, in order to win them. So I become all things to all people, that I may save some of them by whatever means are possible.

Accept one another, then, for the glory of God, as Christ has accepted you.

"Whoever welcomes you welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.

You can be sure that whoever gives even a drink of cold water to one of the least of these my followers because he is my follower, will certainly receive a reward."

And whoever welcomes in my name one such child as this, welcomes me.

I am telling you the truth: whoever receives anyone I send receives me also; and whoever receives me receives him who sent me."

Receive him, then, with joy, as a believer in the Lord. Show respect to all such people as he,

So then, if some come to you who do not bring this teaching, do not welcome them in your homes; do not even say, "Peace be with you."

We Christians, then, must help these people, so that we may share in their work for the truth.

When I come, then, I will bring up everything he has done: the terrible things he says about us and the lies he tells! But that is not enough for him; he will not receive the Christians when they come, and even stops those who want to receive them and tries to drive them out of the church!