Thursday, April 16, 2026

^2:38Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are far off, even as many as the Lord our God will call to himself.” ⁴⁰With many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation!” ⁴¹Then those who gladly received his word were baptized. There were added that day about three thousand souls. ⁴²They continued steadfastly in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and prayer. ⁴³Fear came on every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.

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^3:1Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. ²He came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do, unless God is with him.” ³Jesus answered him, “Most certainly I tell you, unless one is born anew, he can’t see God’s Kingdom.” ⁴Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” ⁵Jesus answered, “Most certainly I tell you, unless one is born of water and Spirit, he can’t enter into God’s Kingdom. ⁶That which is born of the flesh is flesh. That which is born of the Spirit is spirit. ⁷Don’t marvel that I said to you, ‘You must all be born anew.’ ⁸The wind blows where it wants to, and you hear its sound, but don’t know where it comes from and where it is going. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” ⁹Nicodemus answered him, “How can these things be?” ¹⁰Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and don’t understand these things? ¹¹Most certainly I tell you, we speak that which we know and testify of that which we have seen, and you don’t receive our witness. ¹²If I told you earthly things and you don’t believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? ¹³No one has ascended into heaven but he who descended out of heaven, the Son of Man, who is in heaven. ¹⁴As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, ¹⁵that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

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