When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, are you more devoted to me than these others are?" Peter said to him, "Yes, Master, you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Then feed my lambs!"

So the church all over Judea, Galilee, and Samaria was at peace and became established. It lived in reverence for the Lord and, stimulated by the holy Spirit, it grew steadily in numbers.

When he reached there and saw the favor God had shown them, he was delighted, and encouraged them all to be resolute and steadfast in their devotion to the Lord,

reassuring the disciples and encouraging them to stand by the faith and reminding them that we have to undergo many hardships to get into the Kingdom of God.

Take care of yourselves and of the whole flock, of which the holy Spirit has made you guardians, and be shepherds of the church of God, which he got at the cost of his own life.

For my part, as far as you are concerned, my brothers, I am convinced that you are already full of goodness of heart, endowed with perfect knowledge, and well qualified to instruct one another.

Each one is given his spiritual illumination for the common good.

So since we have promises like these, dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves of everything that can defile body or spirit, and by reverence for God make our consecration complete.

I am convinced of this, and so I know that I shall stay on and serve you all, to help you to develop and to be glad in your faith.

Not that I have secured it yet, or already reached perfection, but I am pressing on to see if I can capture it, because I have been captured by Jesus Christ.

And in spreading the news of him, we warn everyone and teach everyone all our wisdom, in order to bring everyone to Christian perfection.

Therefore encourage one another and strengthen one another, just as you are doing.

Let us therefore leave elementary Christian teaching alone and advance toward maturity. We must not be always relaying foundations, of repentance for wrong-doing, and of faith in God,

Obey your leaders and give way to them, for they are keeping watch in defense of your souls, as men accountable for the trust. Make their work a joy and not a grief, for that would be the worse for you.

The work

But my life does not matter, if I can only finish my race and do the service intrusted to me by the Lord Jesus, of declaring the good news of God's favor.

or of practical service, differing in the field of service, or the teacher who exercises his gift in teaching,

The right way for a man to think of us is as Christ's servants, and managers authorized to distribute the secret truths of God.

why should not the religion of the Spirit be attended with much greater splendor?

So since by the mercy of God I am engaged in this service, I never lose heart.

All this comes from God, who through Christ has reconciled me to himself, and has commissioned me to proclaim this reconciliation??19 how God through Christ reconciled the world to himself, refusing to count men's offenses against them, and intrusted me with the message of reconciliation.

I put no obstacles in anyone's path, so that no fault may be found with my work.

And tell Archippus, "See that you perform the Christian service you have been assigned."

I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has given me the strength for it, for thinking me trustworthy and putting me into his service,

But you must always be composed; do not shrink from hardship; do your work as a missionary, and your whole duty as a minister.

The edifying

For it is under his control that the whole system, adjusted and united by each ligament of its equipment, develops in proportion to the functioning of each particular part, and so builds itself up through love.

Let us, therefore, keep before us whatever will contribute to peace and the development of one another.

Everyone of us must try to please his neighbor, to do him good, and help in his development.

Anyone who speaks ecstatically does himself good, but the inspired preacher does a congregation good.

Have you been supposing all along that it is before you I have been defending myself? It is in the sight of God and as a follower of Christ that I have been speaking. But it is all to do you good, dear friends,

Therefore encourage one another and strengthen one another, just as you are doing.

The body

There is but one body and one Spirit, just as there is but one hope that belongs to the summons you received.

which is his body, filled by him who fills everything everywhere.

At present I am glad to be suffering in your interest, and I am making up in my own person what is lacking in Christ's sufferings for the church, which is his body.

General references

But they will never follow a stranger but will run away from him, because they do not know the voices of strangers."

Each one is given his spiritual illumination for the common good.

Do not disregard the utterances it inspires,