So he said to his disciples, "The harvest is large, but there are few workers to gather it in.

Pray to the owner of the harvest that he will send out workers to gather in his harvest."

You have a saying, 'Four more months and then the harvest.' But I tell you, take a good look at the fields; the crops are now ripe and ready to be harvested!

For the saying is true, 'Someone plants, someone else reaps.'

I planted the seed, Apollos watered the plant, but it was God who made the plant grow.

There is no difference between the one who plants and the one who waters; God will reward each one according to the work each has done.

"The Kingdom of heaven is like this. Once there was a man who went out early in the morning to hire some men to work in his vineyard.

It will be like a man who goes away from home on a trip and leaves his servants in charge, after giving to each one his own work to do and after telling the doorkeeper to keep watch.

But by God's grace I am what I am, and the grace that he gave me was not without effect. On the contrary, I have worked harder than any of the other apostles, although it was not really my own doing, but God's grace working with me.

In our work together with God, then, we beg you who have received God's grace not to let it be wasted.

I have thought it necessary to send to you our brother Epaphroditus, who has worked and fought by my side and who has served as your messenger in helping me.

because he risked his life and nearly died for the sake of the work of Christ, in order to give me the help that you yourselves could not give.

To get this done I toil and struggle, using the mighty strength which Christ supplies and which is at work in me.

Greetings from Epaphras, another member of your group and a servant of Christ Jesus. He always prays fervently for you, asking God to make you stand firm, as mature and fully convinced Christians, in complete obedience to God's will.

Surely you remember, our friends, how we worked and toiled! We worked day and night so that we would not be any trouble to you as we preached to you the Good News from God.

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

We struggle and work hard, because we have placed our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all and especially of those who believe.

Practice these things and devote yourself to them, in order that your progress may be seen by all.

Watch yourself and watch your teaching. Keep on doing these things, because if you do, you will save both yourself and those who hear you.

The elders who do good work as leaders should be considered worthy of receiving double pay, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching.

For the scripture says, "Do not muzzle an ox when you are using it to thresh grain" and "Workers should be given their pay."

Take your part in suffering, as a loyal soldier of Christ Jesus.

An athlete who runs in a race cannot win the prize unless he obeys the rules.

But you must keep control of yourself in all circumstances; endure suffering, do the work of a preacher of the Good News, and perform your whole duty as a servant of God.

From Paul, a prisoner for the sake of Christ Jesus, and from our brother Timothy--- To our friend and fellow worker Philemon,

Then Elijah said, "I am the only prophet of the LORD still left, but there are 450 prophets of Baal.

So Ahab called in the prophets, about four hundred of them, and asked them, "Should I go and attack Ramoth, or not?" "Attack it," they answered. "The Lord will give you victory."

Ahab answered, "There is one more, Micaiah son of Imlah. But I hate him because he never prophesies anything good for me; it's always something bad." "You shouldn't say that!" Jehoshaphat replied.

The LORD has told the foreign nations to come like wild animals and devour his people.

They are like greedy dogs that never get enough. These leaders have no understanding. They each do as they please and seek their own advantage.

"Mortal man," he said, "denounce the rulers of Israel. Prophesy to them, and tell them what I, the Sovereign LORD, say to them: You are doomed, you shepherds of Israel! You take care of yourselves, but never tend the sheep.

You have not taken care of the weak ones, healed the ones that are sick, bandaged the ones that are hurt, brought back the ones that wandered off, or looked for the ones that were lost. Instead, you treated them cruelly.

So my sheep wandered over the high hills and the mountains. They were scattered over the face of the earth, and no one looked for them or tried to find them.

Their owners kill them and go unpunished. They sell the meat and say, 'Praise the LORD! We are rich!' Even their own shepherds have no pity on them."

That worthless shepherd is doomed! He has abandoned his flock. War will totally destroy his power. His arm will wither, and his right eye will go blind."

As he saw the crowds, his heart was filled with pity for them, because they were worried and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

That night Paul had a vision in which he saw a Macedonian standing and begging him, "Come over to Macedonia and help us!"

As soon as Paul had this vision, we got ready to leave for Macedonia, because we decided that God had called us to preach the Good News to the people there.

Everyone else is concerned only with their own affairs, not with the cause of Jesus Christ.

But do not measure the outer courts, because they have been given to the heathen, who will trample on the Holy City for forty-two months.

I will send my two witnesses dressed in sackcloth, and they will proclaim God's message during those 1, 260 days."

Finally, our friends, pray for us that the Lord's message may continue to spread rapidly and be received with honor, just as it was among you.

Jesus called the twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases.

I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take some of the spirit I have given you and give it to them. Then they can help you bear the responsibility for these people, and you will not have to bear it alone.

Moses answered, "Are you concerned about my interests? I wish that the LORD would give his spirit to all his people and make all of them shout like prophets!"

The Lord gave the command, and many women carried the news:

I will give you rulers who obey me, and they will rule you with wisdom and understanding.

He said to them, "Go throughout the whole world and preach the gospel to all people.

The disciples went and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and proved that their preaching was true by the miracles that were performed.]

The believers who were scattered went everywhere, preaching the message.

Some of the believers who were scattered by the persecution which took place when Stephen was killed went as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, telling the message to Jews only.

While they were serving the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said to them, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul, to do the work to which I have called them."

Having been sent by the Holy Spirit, Barnabas and Saul went to Seleucia and sailed from there to the island of Cyprus.

So keep watch over yourselves and over all the flock which the Holy Spirit has placed in your care. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he made his own through the blood of his Son.

'Go,' the Lord said to me, 'for I will send you far away to the Gentiles.' "

'Who are you, Lord?' I asked. And the Lord answered, 'I am Jesus, whom you persecute.

I will rescue you from the people of Israel and from the Gentiles to whom I will send you.

In the church God has put all in place: in the first place apostles, in the second place prophets, and in the third place teachers; then those who perform miracles, followed by those who are given the power to heal or to help others or to direct them or to speak in strange tongues.

Each one of us has received a special gift in proportion to what Christ has given.

Now, what does "he went up" mean? It means that first he came down to the lowest depths of the earth.

It was he who "gave gifts to people"; he appointed some to be apostles, others to be prophets, others to be evangelists, others to be pastors and teachers.

I give thanks to Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength for my work. I thank him for considering me worthy and appointing me to serve him,

And our Lord poured out his abundant grace on me and gave me the faith and love which are ours in union with Christ Jesus.

But Christ is faithful as the Son in charge of God's house. We are his house if we keep up our courage and our confidence in what we hope for.

"To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: "This is the message from the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand and who walks among the seven gold lampstands.