15 Bible Verses about Ministers

You are the light of the world. A town on the top of a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do men light a lamp to put it under a bowl; they put it on a stand and it shines for all in the house. So your light is to shine before men, that they may see the good you do and glorify your Father in heaven.

that their eyes may be opened and that they may turn from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to God, to get remission of their sins and an inheritance among those who are consecrated by faith in me.'

People tell us of their own accord about the visit we paid to you, and how you turned to God from idols, to serve a living and a real God

O Timotheus, keep the securities of the faith intact: avoid the profane jargon and contradictions of what is falsely called 'Knowledge.'

and studying myths and interminable genealogies; such studies bear upon speculations rather than on the divine order which belongs to faith.

Now in this matter of stewards your first requirement is that they must be trustworthy.

and transmit the instructions I gave you in presence of many witnesses to trustworthy men, that they may be competent to teach others.

You are the light of the world. A town on the top of a hill cannot be hidden.

he was a burning and a shining lamp, and you chose to rejoice for a while in his light.

hold them in special esteem and affection, for the sake of their work. Be at peace among yourselves.

Hence, as I hold this ministry by God's mercy to me, I never lose heart in it;

Such is the gospel which I was called to serve by the endowment of God's grace which was vouchsafed me, by the energy of his power;

and he has further qualified me to be the minister of a new covenant ??a covenant not of written law but of spirit; for the written law kills but the Spirit makes alive.

Of that gospel I have been appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher,

(for this was why the gospel was preached to the dead as well, that while they are judged in the flesh as men, they may live as God lives in the spirit).

he preached the Reign of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ quite openly and unmolested.

while they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word by the miracles that endorsed it. (b) But they gave Peter and his companions a brief account of all these injunctions. And, after that, Jesus himself sent out by means of them from east to west the sacred and imperishable message of eternal salvation.

In those days John the Baptist came on the scene, preaching in the desert of Judaea,

Then I saw another angel flying in mid-heaven with an eternal gospel for the inhabitants of the earth, for every nation and tribe and tongue and people;

My wealth of visions might have puffed me up, so I was given a thorn in the flesh, an angel of Satan to rack me and keep me from being puffed up;

To this very hour we hunger and thirst, we are ill-clad and knocked about, we are waifs,

by lashes, by imprisonment; mobbed, toiling, sleepless, starving;

Ministers of Christ? yes perhaps, but not as much as I am (I am mad to talk like this!), with all my labours, with all my lashes, with all my time in prison ??a record longer far than theirs. I have been often at the point of death;

So be on the alert, remember how for three whole years I never ceased night and day to watch over each one of you with tears.

So my letter was written to you, not on account of the offender nor for the sake of the injured party, but in order to let you realize before God how seriously you do care for me.

And then there is the pressing business of each day, the care of all the churches.

For I am afraid I may perhaps come and find you are not what I could wish, while you may find I am not what you could wish; I am afraid of finding quarrels, jealousy, temper, rivalry, slanders, gossiping, arrogance, and disorder ??21 afraid that when I come back to you, my God may humiliate me before you, and I may have to mourn for many who sinned some time ago and yet have never repented of the impurity, the sexual vice, and the sensuality which they have practised.

Why, you make me afraid I may have spent my labour on you for nothing!

who were annoyed at them teaching the people and proclaiming Jesus as an instance of resurrection from the dead.

Philip travelled down to a town in Samaria, where he preached Christ to the people.

Then Philip opened his lips, and starting from this scripture preached the gospel of Jesus to him.

He lost no time in preaching throughout the synagogues that Jesus was the Son of God ??21 to the amazement of all his hearers, who said, "Is this not the man who in Jerusalem harried those who invoke this Name, the man who came here for the express purpose of carrying them all in chains to the high priests?"

You know the message he sent to the sons of Israel when he preached the gospel of peace by Jesus Christ (who is Lord of all);

who were annoyed at them teaching the people and proclaiming Jesus as an instance of resurrection from the dead.

Philip travelled down to a town in Samaria, where he preached Christ to the people.

Then Philip opened his lips, and starting from this scripture preached the gospel of Jesus to him.

He lost no time in preaching throughout the synagogues that Jesus was the Son of God ??21 to the amazement of all his hearers, who said, "Is this not the man who in Jerusalem harried those who invoke this Name, the man who came here for the express purpose of carrying them all in chains to the high priests?"

You know the message he sent to the sons of Israel when he preached the gospel of peace by Jesus Christ (who is Lord of all);

these men they presented to the apostles, who, after prayer, laid their hands upon them.

You have a gift that came to you transmitted by the prophets, when the presbytery laid their hands upon you; do not neglect that gift.

Never be in a hurry to ordain a presbyter; do not make yourself responsible for the sins of another man ??keep your own life pure.

Hence I would remind you to rekindle the divine gift which you received when my hands were laid upon you;

God is not unfair; he will not forget what you have done, or the love you have shown for his sake in ministering, as you still do, to the saints.

Well then, my beloved brothers, hold your ground, immovable; abound in work for the Lord at all times, for you may be sure that in the Lord your labour is never thrown away.

Whereas he who gazes into the faultless law of freedom and remains in that position, proving himself to be no forgetful listener but an active agent, he will be blessed in his activity.

Whoever gives you a cup of water because you belong to Christ, I tell you truly, he shall not miss his reward.

And he said to them, "Go to all the world and preach the gospel to every creature:

what I tell you in the dark, you must utter in the open, what you hear in a whisper you must proclaim on the housetop.

And preach as you go, tell men, 'The Reign of heaven is near.'

I adjure you to preach the word; keep at it in season and out of season, refuting, checking, and exhorting men; never lose patience with them, and never give up your teaching,

Jesus said to him, "Leave the dead to bury their own dead; you go and spread the news of the Reign of God."

And he said to them, "Go to all the world and preach the gospel to every creature:

what I tell you in the dark, you must utter in the open, what you hear in a whisper you must proclaim on the housetop.

And preach as you go, tell men, 'The Reign of heaven is near.'

I adjure you to preach the word; keep at it in season and out of season, refuting, checking, and exhorting men; never lose patience with them, and never give up your teaching,

Jesus said to him, "Leave the dead to bury their own dead; you go and spread the news of the Reign of God."

Scripture says, You must not muzzle an ox when he is treading the grain, and A workman deserves his wages.

nor a wallet for the road, nor two shirts, nor sandals, nor stick ??the workman deserves his rations.

so the Lord's instructions were that those who proclaim the gospel are to get their living by the gospel?

Those who are taught must share all the blessings of life with those who teach them the Word.

But you were kind enough to take your share in my trouble.

Scripture says, You must not muzzle an ox when he is treading the grain, and A workman deserves his wages.

nor a wallet for the road, nor two shirts, nor sandals, nor stick ??the workman deserves his rations.

so the Lord's instructions were that those who proclaim the gospel are to get their living by the gospel?

Those who are taught must share all the blessings of life with those who teach them the Word.

But you were kind enough to take your share in my trouble.

she must have a reputation for good service, as a woman who has brought up children, shown hospitality, washed the feet of the saints, relieved distress, and interested herself in all good works.

Well, for the office of a bishop a man must be above reproach; he must be only married once, he must be temperate, master of himself, unruffled, hospitable, a skilled teacher,

contribute to needy saints, make a practice of hospitality.

he must be hospitable, a lover of goodness, master of himself, a just man, a religious man, and abstemious;

Never forget to be hospitable, for by hospitality some have entertained angels unawares.

Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock of which the holy Spirit has appointed you guardians; shepherd the church of the Lord which he has purchased with his own blood.

For the third time he asked him, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Now Peter was vexed at being asked a third time, "Do you love me?" So he replied; "Lord, you know everything, you can see I love you." Jesus said, "Then feed my sheep.

Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock of which the holy Spirit has appointed you guardians; shepherd the church of the Lord which he has purchased with his own blood.

For the third time he asked him, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Now Peter was vexed at being asked a third time, "Do you love me?" So he replied; "Lord, you know everything, you can see I love you." Jesus said, "Then feed my sheep.

I am, for I am not like most, adulterating the word of God; like a man of sincerity, like a man of God, I speak the word in Christ before the very presence of God.

We never resorted to flattery (you know that), nor to any pretext for self-seeking (God is witness to that);

I disown those practices which very shame conceals from view; I do not go about it craftily; I do not falsify the word of God; I state the truth openly and so commend myself to every man's conscience before God.

For the appeal we make does not spring from any delusion or from impure motives ??it does not work by cunning;

and teach them to obey all the commands I have laid on you. And I will be with you all the time, to the very end of the world."

Well, for the office of a bishop a man must be above reproach; he must be only married once, he must be temperate, master of himself, unruffled, hospitable, a skilled teacher,

Those who have Christian believers as their masters must not take liberties with them because they are brothers; they must be all the better servants because those who get the good of their service are believers and beloved. This is what you are to teach and preach.

Give these orders and teach these lessons.

he must be gentle in his admonitions to the opposition ??God may perhaps let them change their mind and admit the Truth;

and teach them to obey all the commands I have laid on you. And I will be with you all the time, to the very end of the world."

Well, for the office of a bishop a man must be above reproach; he must be only married once, he must be temperate, master of himself, unruffled, hospitable, a skilled teacher,

Those who have Christian believers as their masters must not take liberties with them because they are brothers; they must be all the better servants because those who get the good of their service are believers and beloved. This is what you are to teach and preach.

Give these orders and teach these lessons.

he must be gentle in his admonitions to the opposition ??God may perhaps let them change their mind and admit the Truth;

Obey your leaders, submit to them; for they are alive to the interests of your souls, as men who will have to account for their trust. Let their work be a joy to them and not a grief ??which would be a loss to yourselves.

to the one a deadly fragrance that makes for death, to the other a vital fragrance that makes for life. And who is qualified for this career?

My brothers, do not swell the ranks of the teachers; remember, we teachers will be judged with special strictness.

Then you will receive the unfading crown of glory, when the chief Shepherd makes his appearance.

If the structure raised by any man survives, he will be rewarded;

I tell you truly, he will set him over all his property.

I get a reward if I do it of my own accord, whereas to do it otherwise is no more than for a steward to discharge his trust. And my reward? This, that I can preach the gospel free of charge, that I can refrain from insisting on all my rights as a preacher of the gospel.

Give him a welcome in the Lord, then, with your hearts full of joy. Value men like that,

Presbyters who are efficient presidents are to be considered worthy of ample remuneration, particularly those who have the task of preaching and teaching:

Remember your leaders, the men who spoke the word of God to you; look back upon the close of their career, and copy their faith.

hold them in special esteem and affection, for the sake of their work. Be at peace among yourselves.

Copy me, brothers, one and all of you, and notice those who live by the example you get from me.

Not that we have no right to such support; it was simply to give you a pattern to copy.

Let no one slight you because you are a youth, but set the believers an example of speech, behaviour, love, faith, and purity.

not by way of lording it over your charges but proving a pattern to the flock.

Let me have your cooperation in prayer, so that many a soul may render thanks to him on my behalf for the boon which many have been the means of him bestowing on myself.

Pray for me, for I am sure I have a clean conscience; my desire is in every way to lead an honest life.

and on my behalf also, that I may be allowed to speak and open my lips in order to expound fully and freely that open secret of the gospel

Brothers, I beg of you, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love that the Spirit inspires, rally round me by praying to God for me;

fain, in our yearning affection for you, to impart not only the gospel of God to you but our very souls as well ??you had so won our love.

It is only natural for me to be thinking of you all in this way, for alike in my prison and as I defend and vindicate the gospel, I bear in mind how you all share with me in the grace divine.

how (as you know) we treated each of you as a father treats his children, beseeching you, encouraging you, and charging you

Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel. And to preach it with no fine rhetoric, lest the cross of Christ should lose its power!

what I said, what I preached, did not rest on the plausible arguments of 'wisdom' but on the proof supplied by the Spirit and its power,

Thus when I came to you, my brothers, I did not come to proclaim to you God's secret purpose with any elaborate words or wisdom.

Obey your leaders, submit to them; for they are alive to the interests of your souls, as men who will have to account for their trust. Let their work be a joy to them and not a grief ??which would be a loss to yourselves.

I thank my God for all your remembrance of me;

I always thank my God for the grace of God that has been bestowed on you in Christ Jesus;

How can I render thanks enough to God for you, for all the joy you make me feel in the presence of our God?

Give him a welcome in the Lord, then, with your hearts full of joy. Value men like that,

Presbyters who are efficient presidents are to be considered worthy of ample remuneration, particularly those who have the task of preaching and teaching:

hold them in special esteem and affection, for the sake of their work. Be at peace among yourselves.

Those who are taught must share all the blessings of life with those who teach them the Word.

Does a soldier provide his own supplies? Does a man plant a vineyard without eating its produce? Does a shepherd get no drink from the milk of the flock? Human arguments, you say? But does not Scripture urge the very same? It is written in the law of Moses, You must not muzzle an ox when he is treading the grain. Is God thinking here about cattle? read more.
Or is he speaking purely for our sakes? Assuredly for our sakes. This word was written for us, because the ploughman needs to plough in hope, and the thresher to thresh in the hope of getting a share in the crop. If we sowed you the seeds of spiritual good, is it a great matter if we reap your worldly goods?

be shepherds to your flock of God; take charge of them willingly instead of being pressed to it, not to make a base profit from it but freely,

Deacons in turn are to be serious men; they are not to be tale-bearers or addicted to drink or pilfering;

Silver, gold, or apparel I never coveted;

not a drunkard or violent, but lenient and conciliatory, not a lover of money,

Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock of which the holy Spirit has appointed you guardians; shepherd the church of the Lord which he has purchased with his own blood.

be shepherds to your flock of God; take charge of them willingly instead of being pressed to it, not to make a base profit from it but freely,

Then after breakfast Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than the others do?" "Why, Lord," he said, "you know I love you." "Then feed my lambs," said Jesus. Again he asked him, for the second time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" "Why, Lord," he said, "you know I love you." "Then be a shepherd to my sheep," said Jesus. For the third time he asked him, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Now Peter was vexed at being asked a third time, "Do you love me?" So he replied; "Lord, you know everything, you can see I love you." Jesus said, "Then feed my sheep.

For who is our hope, our joy, our crown of pride (who but you?) in the presence of our Lord Jesus on his arrival?

But when Timotheus reached me a moment ago, on his return from you, bringing me the good news of your faith and love and of how you always remember me kindly, longing to see me as I long to see you, then, amid all my own distress and trouble, I was cheered ??this faith of yours encouraged me. It is life to me now, if you stand firm in the Lord. read more.
How can I render thanks enough to God for you, for all the joy you make me feel in the presence of our God?

what I tell you in the dark, you must utter in the open, what you hear in a whisper you must proclaim on the housetop. Have no fear of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul: rather fear Him who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.

I put no obstacle in the path of any, so that my ministry may not be discredited;

Put no stumbling-block in the way of Jews or Greeks or the church of God. Such is my own rule, to satisfy all men in all points, aiming not at my own advantage but at the advantage of the greater number ??at their salvation.

Here am I all ready to pay you my third visit. And I will not be a burden to you; I want yourselves and not your money. Children have not to put money by for their parents; that is what parents do for their children.

we never sought honour from men, from you or from anybody else, though as apostles of Christ we had the power of claiming to be men of weight;

Brothers, you recollect our hard labour and toil, how we worked at our trade night and day, when we preached the gospel to you, so as not to be a burden to any of you.

And my reward? This, that I can preach the gospel free of charge, that I can refrain from insisting on all my rights as a preacher of the gospel.

he must be hospitable, a lover of goodness, master of himself, a just man, a religious man, and abstemious;

Even supposing I were to boast somewhat freely of my authority (and the Lord gave it to me for building you up, not for demolishing you), I would feel quite justified.

I am writing thus to you in absence, so that when I do come I may not have to deal sharply with you; I have the Lord's authority for that, but he gave it to me for building you up, not for demolishing you.

Even supposing I were to boast somewhat freely of my authority (and the Lord gave it to me for building you up, not for demolishing you), I would feel quite justified.

I am writing thus to you in absence, so that when I do come I may not have to deal sharply with you; I have the Lord's authority for that, but he gave it to me for building you up, not for demolishing you.

Now then, you are to the front in everything, in faith, in utterance, in knowledge, in all zeal, and in love for us ??do come to the front in this gracious enterprise as well.

But when Timotheus reached me a moment ago, on his return from you, bringing me the good news of your faith and love and of how you always remember me kindly, longing to see me as I long to see you,

Philip travelled down to a town in Samaria, where he preached Christ to the people.

Then Philip opened his lips, and starting from this scripture preached the gospel of Jesus to him.

I determined among you to be ignorant of everything except Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ the crucified.

But by God's grace I am what I am. The grace he showed me did not go for nothing; no, I have done far more work than all of them ??though it was not I but God's grace at my side.

So neither planter nor waterer counts, but God alone who makes the seed grow.

as you have partly understood the meaning of my life, namely that I am your source of pride (as you are mine) on the Day of our Lord Jesus.

So the very reason I wrote was that I might not come only to be pained by those who ought to give me joy; I relied on you all, I felt sure that my joy would be a joy for everyone of you.

on every side I am harried but not hemmed in, perplexed but not despairing,

grieved but always glad, a 'pauper', but the means of wealth to many, without a penny but possessed of all.

Copy me, brothers, one and all of you, and notice those who live by the example you get from me.

Copy me, as I copy Christ.

for the equipment of the saints, for the business of the ministry, for the upbuilding of the Body of Christ,

You think all this time I am defending myself to you? No, I am speaking in Christ before the presence of God, and speaking every word, beloved, in order to build you up.

Now is that 'appealing to the interests of men' or of God? Trying to 'satisfy men'? Why, if I still tried to give satisfaction to human masters, I would be no servant of Christ.

no, God has attested our fitness to be entrusted with the gospel, and so we tell the gospel not to satisfy men but to satisfy the God who tests our hearts.

And the Lord's servant must not be a man of strife; he must be kind to everybody, a skilled teacher, a man who will not resent injuries;

no, we behaved gently when we were among you, like a nursing mother cherishing her own children,

Obey your leaders, submit to them; for they are alive to the interests of your souls, as men who will have to account for their trust. Let their work be a joy to them and not a grief ??which would be a loss to yourselves.

Well, I want you to put yourselves under people like that, under everyone who sets his hand to the work.

and though my flesh was a trial to you, you did not scoff at me nor spurn me, you welcomed me like an angel of God, like Christ Jesus. You congratulated yourselves.

This is how you are to look upon us, as servants of Christ and stewards of God's secret truths.

I never shrank from letting you know the entire purpose of God.

how I never shrank from letting you know anything for your good, or from teaching you alike in public and from house to house,

"Go and stand in the temple, telling the people all about this Life."

I prove myself at all points a true minister of God, by great endurance, by suffering, by troubles, by calamities,

And the Lord's servant must not be a man of strife; he must be kind to everybody, a skilled teacher, a man who will not resent injuries;

It is not that I am personally qualified to form any judgment by myself; my qualifications come from God, and he has further qualified me to be the minister of a new covenant ??a covenant not of written law but of spirit; for the written law kills but the Spirit makes alive.

But if the bad servant says to himself, 'My lord and master is long of coming,' and if he starts to beat his fellow-servants and to eat and drink with drunkards, that servant's lord and master will arrive on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour which he does not know; read more.
he will cut him in two and assign him the fate of the impious. There men will wail and gnash their teeth.

Lay this before the brotherhood, and you will be an excellent minister of Christ Jesus, brought up on the truths of the faith and on the lessons of the good doctrine you have already followed.

but the former proclaim Christ for their own ends, with mixed motives, intending to annoy me as I lie in prison.

But then, I set no value on my own life as compared with the joy of finishing my course and fulfilling the commission I received from the Lord Jesus to attest the gospel of the grace of God.

As life means Christ to me, so death means gain.

For this reason, then, I kneel before the Father

in all my prayers for you all I always pray with a sense of joy

For there are plenty of insubordinate creatures who impose on people with their empty arguments, particularly those who have come over from Judaism; they must be silenced, for they are undermining whole families by teaching objectionable doctrine for the base end of making money.

he who believes and is baptized shall be saved, but he who will not believe shall be condemned.

Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel. And to preach it with no fine rhetoric, lest the cross of Christ should lose its power!

Attend to your Scripture-reading, your preaching, and your teaching, till I come.

Attend to these duties, let them absorb you, so that all men may note your progress.

I have fought in the good fight; I have run my course; I have kept the faith.

I transmit these instructions to you, Timotheus my son, in accordance with what the prophets said who first directed me to you; fight the good fight on these lines,

able to manage his own household properly and keep his children submissive and perfectly respectful

Deacons are only to be married once, and they must manage their children and households properly.

Well, for the office of a bishop a man must be above reproach; he must be only married once, he must be temperate, master of himself, unruffled, hospitable, a skilled teacher,

And the Lord's servant must not be a man of strife; he must be kind to everybody, a skilled teacher, a man who will not resent injuries;

And you, my true comrade, lend a hand to these women, I beg of you; they have fought at my side in the active service of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my fellow-workers, whose names are in the book of life.

Salute Urbanus, our fellow-worker in Christ, and my beloved Stachys.

Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind, and if one blind man leads another, both of them will fall into a pit."

they must maintain the divine truth of the faith with a pure conscience.

He who listens to you listens to me, he who rejects you rejects me, and he who rejects me rejects him who sent me."

Let no one slight you because you are a youth, but set the believers an example of speech, behaviour, love, faith, and purity.

so do whatever they tell you, obey them, but do not do as they do. They talk but they do not act.

Hence, from the day we heard of it, we have never ceased to pray for you, asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and insight,

he must be hospitable, a lover of goodness, master of himself, a just man, a religious man, and abstemious;

No soldier gets entangled in civil pursuits; his aim is to satisfy his commander.

Jesus said to him, "Leave the dead to bury their own dead; you go and spread the news of the Reign of God."

[For a bishop must be above reproach ??he is a steward of God's house ??he must not be presumptuous or hot-tempered or a drunkard or violent or addicted to pilfering;

not a drunkard or violent, but lenient and conciliatory, not a lover of money,

[For a bishop must be above reproach ??he is a steward of God's house ??he must not be presumptuous or hot-tempered or a drunkard or violent or addicted to pilfering;

Well, for the office of a bishop a man must be above reproach; he must be only married once, he must be temperate, master of himself, unruffled, hospitable, a skilled teacher,

Well, for the office of a bishop a man must be above reproach; he must be only married once, he must be temperate, master of himself, unruffled, hospitable, a skilled teacher,

he must be hospitable, a lover of goodness, master of himself, a just man, a religious man, and abstemious;

[For a bishop must be above reproach ??he is a steward of God's house ??he must not be presumptuous or hot-tempered or a drunkard or violent or addicted to pilfering;

not a drunkard or violent, but lenient and conciliatory, not a lover of money,

Also, it is an office which no one elects to take for himself; he is called to it by God, just as Aaron was.

in their lust they will exploit you with cunning arguments ??men whose doom comes apace from of old, and destruction is awake upon their trail.

but we will continue to devote ourselves to prayer and the ministry of the word."

I adjure you to preach the word; keep at it in season and out of season, refuting, checking, and exhorting men; never lose patience with them, and never give up your teaching,

be shepherds to your flock of God; take charge of them willingly instead of being pressed to it, not to make a base profit from it but freely,

strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to hold by the faith, and telling them that "we have to get into the Realm of God through many a trouble."

but I have prayed that your own faith may not fail. And you in turn must be a strength to your brothers."

That is a true statement. So deal sharply with them, to have them sound in the faith

Tell them all this, exhort and reprove, with full authority; let no one slight you.

By the good faith of God, my word to you was not 'yes and no'; for the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was proclaimed among you by us (by myself and Silvanus and Timotheus) was not 'yes and no' ??the divine 'yes' has at last sounded in him,

he must hold by the sure truths of doctrine so as to be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and refute objections raised by any.]

Tell them all this, exhort and reprove, with full authority; let no one slight you.

while they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word by the miracles that endorsed it. (b) But they gave Peter and his companions a brief account of all these injunctions. And, after that, Jesus himself sent out by means of them from east to west the sacred and imperishable message of eternal salvation.

Now those who were scattered went through the land preaching the gospel.

As they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the holy Spirit said, "Come! set me apart Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them."

Sent out thus by the holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia and from there they sailed to Cyprus.

Some of them, it is true, are actually preaching Christ from envy and rivalry, others from goodwill; the latter do it from love to me, knowing that I am set here to defend the gospel, but the former proclaim Christ for their own ends, with mixed motives, intending to annoy me as I lie in prison.

fain, in our yearning affection for you, to impart not only the gospel of God to you but our very souls as well ??you had so won our love.

who comforts me in all my distress, so that I am able to comfort people who are in any distress by the comfort with which I myself am comforted by God. For as the sufferings of Christ are abundant in my case, so my comfort is also abundant through Christ. If I am in distress, it is in the interests of your comfort and salvation; if I am comforted, it is in the interests of your comfort, which is effective as it nerves you to endure the same sufferings as I suffer myself.

Such is my own rule, to satisfy all men in all points, aiming not at my own advantage but at the advantage of the greater number ??at their salvation.

no, God has attested our fitness to be entrusted with the gospel, and so we tell the gospel not to satisfy men but to satisfy the God who tests our hearts.

Such being my hope then, I am quite frank and open ??13 not like Moses, who used to hang a veil over his face to keep the children of Israel from gazing at the last rays of a fading glory.

So I am an envoy for Christ, God appealing by me, as it were ??be reconciled to God, I entreat you on behalf of Christ.

What I am proud of is not the mere preaching of the gospel; that I am constrained to do. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!

he rescued me from so terrible a death, he rescues still, and I rely upon him for the hope that he will continue to rescue me.

I disown those practices which very shame conceals from view; I do not go about it craftily; I do not falsify the word of God; I state the truth openly and so commend myself to every man's conscience before God.

I prove myself at all points a true minister of God, by great endurance, by suffering, by troubles, by calamities,

(It is Christ Jesus as Lord, not myself, that I proclaim; I am simply a servant of yours for Jesus' sake.)

I have absolute confidence in you, I am indeed proud of you, you are a perfect comfort to me, I am overflowing with delight, for all the trouble I have to bear.

I disown those practices which very shame conceals from view; I do not go about it craftily; I do not falsify the word of God; I state the truth openly and so commend myself to every man's conscience before God.

(It is Christ Jesus as Lord, not myself, that I proclaim; I am simply a servant of yours for Jesus' sake.)

This is how you are to look upon us, as servants of Christ and stewards of God's secret truths.

This is how you are to look upon us, as servants of Christ and stewards of God's secret truths.

But I possess this treasure in a frail vessel of earth, to show that the transcending power belongs to God, not to myself;

Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the hill where Jesus had arranged to meet them. When they saw him they worshipped him, though some were in doubt. Then Jesus came forward to them and said, "Full authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth; read more.
go and make disciples of all nations, baptize them in the name of the Father and the Son and the holy Spirit,

As for Epaphroditus, however, my brother, my fellow-worker, my fellow-soldier, and your messenger to meet my wants, I think it necessary to send you him at once,

But you know how he has stood the test, how he has served with me in the gospel, like a son helping his father.

It is only natural for me to be thinking of you all in this way, for alike in my prison and as I defend and vindicate the gospel, I bear in mind how you all share with me in the grace divine.

Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is rich, but the labourers are few; so pray the Lord of the harvest to send labourers to gather his harvest."

Watch yourself and watch your teaching; stick to your work; if you do that, you will save your hearers as well as yourself.

In the presence of God and the Lord Jesus Christ and the elect angels, I adjure you to be unprejudiced in carrying out these orders; be absolutely impartial.

Join the ranks of those who bear suffering, like a loyal soldier of Christ Jesus.

Obey your leaders, submit to them; for they are alive to the interests of your souls, as men who will have to account for their trust. Let their work be a joy to them and not a grief ??which would be a loss to yourselves.