We ourselves, then, will give our full time to prayer and the work of preaching."

At the mountain the LORD appointed the men of the tribe of Levi to be in charge of the Covenant Box, to serve him as priests, and to pronounce blessings in his name. And these are still their duties.

Then Elkanah went back home to Ramah, but the boy Samuel stayed in Shiloh and served the LORD under the priest Eli.

David appointed some of the Levites to lead the worship of the LORD, the God of Israel, in front of the Covenant Box, by singing and praising him.

King David put Asaph and the other Levites in permanent charge of the worship that was held at the place where the Covenant Box was kept. They were to perform their duties there day by day.

Zadok the priest and his fellow priests, however, were in charge of the worship of the LORD at the place of worship in Gibeon.

There with them were Heman and Jeduthun and the others who were specifically chosen to sing praises to the LORD for his eternal love.

Then everyone went home, and David went home to spend some time with his family.

of being a servant of Christ Jesus to work for the Gentiles. I serve like a priest in preaching the Good News from God, in order that the Gentiles may be an offering acceptable to God, dedicated to him by the Holy Spirit.

And tell Archippus, "Be sure to finish the task you were given in the Lord's service."

God has appointed me as an apostle and teacher to proclaim the Good News,

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.

Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he can help me in the work.

They fasted and prayed, placed their hands on them, and sent them off.

Cornelius said, "It was about this time three days ago that I was praying in my house at three o'clock in the afternoon. Suddenly a man dressed in shining clothes stood in front of me

And I prayed earnestly to the Lord God, pleading with him, fasting, wearing sackcloth, and sitting in ashes.

"And when you fast, do not put on a sad face as the hypocrites do. They neglect their appearance so that everyone will see that they are fasting. I assure you, they have already been paid in full.

Then the followers of John the Baptist came to Jesus, asking, "Why is it that we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples don't fast at all?"

Jesus answered, "Do you expect the guests at a wedding party to be sad as long as the bridegroom is with them? Of course not! But the day will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.

(SEE 2:36)

Do not deny yourselves to each other, unless you first agree to do so for a while in order to spend your time in prayer; but then resume normal marital relations. In this way you will be kept from giving in to Satan's temptation because of your lack of self-control.

We have been beaten, jailed, and mobbed; we have been overworked and have gone without sleep or food.

There has been work and toil; often I have gone without sleep; I have been hungry and thirsty; I have often been without enough food, shelter, or clothing.

Peter was still trying to understand what the vision meant, when the Spirit said, "Listen! Three men are here looking for you.

They traveled through the region of Phrygia and Galatia because the Holy Spirit did not let them preach the message in the province of Asia.

When they reached the border of Mysia, they tried to go into the province of Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them.

But it is one and the same Spirit who does all this; as he wishes, he gives a different gift to each person.

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

and then Aaron shall dedicate the Levites to me as a special gift from the Israelites, so that they may do my work.

"Dedicate the Levites as a special gift to me, and put Aaron and his sons in charge of them.

From Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus and an apostle chosen and called by God to preach his Good News.

And how can the message be proclaimed if the messengers are not sent out? As the scripture says, "How wonderful is the coming of messengers who bring good news!"

But God in his grace chose me even before I was born, and called me to serve him. And when he decided

For by God's power I was made an apostle to the Gentiles, just as Peter was made an apostle to the Jews.

James, Peter, and John, who seemed to be the leaders, recognized that God had given me this special task; so they shook hands with Barnabas and me, as a sign that we were all partners. We agreed that Barnabas and I would work among the Gentiles and they among the Jews.

Take the teachings that you heard me proclaim in the presence of many witnesses, and entrust them to reliable people, who will be able to teach others also.

The Lord said to him, "Go, because I have chosen him to serve me, to make my name known to Gentiles and kings and to the people of Israel.

and from there they sailed back to Antioch, the place where they had been commended to the care of God's grace for the work they had now completed.

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

After this the Lord chose another seventy-two men and sent them out two by two, to go ahead of him to every town and place where he himself was about to go.

I was made a servant of the gospel by God's special gift, which he gave me through the working of his power.

and that is why I was sent as an apostle and teacher of the Gentiles, to proclaim the message of faith and truth. I am not lying; I am telling the truth!

God has appointed me as an apostle and teacher to proclaim the Good News,

No one chooses for himself the honor of being a high priest. It is only by God's call that a man is made a high priest---just as Aaron was.