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Live like God wants
1 Remember that Jesus Christ got trouble while he lived on earth. Well, you will get trouble too, so get ready for it and don’t get upset about it. If you get trouble because you belong to Jesus, that shows that you want to live God’s way and don’t do bad things any more.
2 It shows that you want to do the things that God wants. So whenever you want to do something bad, you have to turn away from it and live God’s way.
3 In the past you did lots of wrong things. You lived like people that didn’t know God. You just did whatever bad things you wanted to do. You slept with people that you were not married to, and you did with them what a husband and wife do together. You got drunk. You went to wild parties. You showed respect for statues that people made. That was really bad. But you don’t do those bad things now.
4 Some of your friends keep on doing lots of bad things, and they don’t care about it. But you say, “No,” and you don’t do those bad things with them. So they are surprised, and they rubbish you.
5 But they will have to face God. He is ready to be their judge. He will judge everyone, people that are still living and people that are dead. He will ask them about the bad things they did, and they will have to answer him.
6 That is the reason why we told the good news about Jesus to people that are dead now. We told them the good news, then later their bodies died, like all people have to die because they did bad things. But we wanted them to trust in Jesus, so that at the time when God judges everyone, he will make them alive again, and they will live with him for ever.
Do good things for each other
7 You know, God will finish up everything soon. So now you have to think clearly, and be careful about everything you do, so that you can talk to God properly when you pray.
8 And this is the most important thing you’ve got to do, you’ve got to keep on loving each other very much. Even if somebody does something bad to you, you have to love them, and be good to them anyway, and don’t do payback to them.
9 If there are other Christians that need food or a place to stay, then share your home with them and don’t complain to anyone about it.
10 God has given each one of you different ways to do good for each other. He has given you the power to do them, so you have to do them properly.
11 If you can tell stories to people, then tell them God’s story, and tell it clearly. If you can help other people, then let God make you strong so you can help them properly. Do everything properly so that when people see it, they might say that God is really great. If they know that you follow Jesus, they might thank God for sending Jesus to us. Jesus has really great power now, and he will have that power for ever. That’s true.
We all get troubles
12 My friends, you are following Jesus, and from that you are getting trouble. Don’t be surprised about it. God lets you get that trouble to show that you really trust Jesus.
13 You are getting trouble just like Jesus got trouble, so be happy. Don’t be sad. Then on the day that Jesus comes back and shows everyone that he is really great, you will be very happy.
14 Maybe people are making fun of you because you follow Jesus. But don’t worry, it shows that God is happy with you, and that God’s spirit is with you. His spirit is great and has a lot of power.
15 You know that people that do wrong things get trouble. Don’t be like them. Don’t kill another person. Don’t steal things. Don’t make trouble for other people. Don’t do wrong things like that.
16 But if people give you trouble because you follow Jesus, don’t feel shame. No. Just thank God that you belong to Jesus.
17 It is time now for God to start judging everybody. He will be good to some people, and he will give trouble to other people. He will judge his own people first. They might get some trouble now, but it will not last for ever. But later, he will judge the people that didn’t want to listen to his good story. He will be really hard on them, he will give them lots of trouble.
18 God says this in his book,
“People that live right will get some troubles,
but God will save them.
But what about those people that do bad things
and never listen to God?
God will not save them.
He will punish them.”
19 So if God lets you Christians get trouble, keep on trusting him, and keep on doing whatever is right. He made you, and he promised to save you, and he does everything that he promises to do, so you can trust him to do that.