Obey your leaders and follow their orders. They watch over your souls without resting, since they must give to God an account of their service. If you obey them, they will do their work gladly; if not, they will do it with sadness, and that would be of no help to you.

Give our greetings to all your leaders and to all God's people. The believers from Italy send you their greetings.

"Who, then, is a faithful and wise servant? It is the one that his master has placed in charge of the other servants to give them their food at the proper time.

The Lord answered, "Who, then, is the faithful and wise servant? He is the one that his master will put in charge, to run the household and give the other servants their share of the food at the proper time.

In each church they appointed elders, and with prayers and fasting they commended them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust.

We beg you, our friends, to pay proper respect to those who work among you, who guide and instruct you in the Christian life.

Treat them with the greatest respect and love because of the work they do. Be at peace among yourselves.

For if a man does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of the church of God?

"This is what the parable means: the seed is the word of God.

When they finished praying, the place where they were meeting was shaken. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to proclaim God's message with boldness.

But Paul and Barnabas spoke out even more boldly: "It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken first to you. But since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we will leave you and go to the Gentiles.

So then, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message comes through preaching Christ.

And there is another reason why we always give thanks to God. When we brought you God's message, you heard it and accepted it, not as a message from human beings but as God's message, which indeed it is. For God is at work in you who believe.

I am John, your brother, and as a follower of Jesus I am your partner in patiently enduring the suffering that comes to those who belong to his Kingdom. I was put on the island of Patmos because I had proclaimed God's word and the truth that Jesus revealed.

Then the Lamb broke open the fifth seal. I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been killed because they had proclaimed God's word and had been faithful in their witnessing.

Then I saw thrones, and those who sat on them were given the power to judge. I also saw the souls of those who had been executed because they had proclaimed the truth that Jesus revealed and the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or its image, nor had they received the mark of the beast on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and ruled as kings with Christ for a thousand years.

We do not want you to become lazy, but to be like those who believe and are patient, and so receive what God has promised.

Don't you know the place, loveliest of women? Go and follow the flock; find pasture for your goats near the tents of the shepherds.

I beg you, then, to follow my example.

Imitate me, then, just as I imitate Christ.

Keep on imitating me, my friends. Pay attention to those who follow the right example that we have set for you.

You imitated us and the Lord; and even though you suffered much, you received the message with the joy that comes from the Holy Spirit.

You yourselves know very well that you should do just what we did. We were not lazy when we were with you.

We did this, not because we do not have the right to demand our support; we did it to be an example for you to follow.

But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw God's glory and Jesus standing at the right side of God.

With a loud cry the Council members covered their ears with their hands. Then they all rushed at him at once,

They kept on stoning Stephen as he called out to the Lord, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!"

Every test that you have experienced is the kind that normally comes to people. But God keeps his promise, and he will not allow you to be tested beyond your power to remain firm; at the time you are put to the test, he will give you the strength to endure it, and so provide you with a way out.