I urge you, friends, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love that the Spirit gives: join me in praying fervently to God for me.

as you help us by means of your prayers for us. So it will be that the many prayers for us will be answered, and God will bless us; and many will raise their voices to him in thanksgiving for us.

because I know that by means of your prayers and the help which comes from the Spirit of Jesus Christ I shall be set free.

At the same time pray also for us, so that God will give us a good opportunity to preach his message about the secret of Christ. For that is why I am now in prison.

Pray also for us, friends.

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.

At the same time, get a room ready for me, because I hope that God will answer the prayers of all of you and give me back to you.

Keep on praying for us. We are sure we have a clear conscience, because we want to do the right thing at all times.

They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to talk in other languages, as the Spirit enabled them to speak.

For in union with Christ you have become rich in all things, including all speech and all knowledge.

You are so rich in all you have: in faith, speech, and knowledge, in your eagerness to help and in your love for us. And so we want you to be generous also in this service of love.

The members of the Council were amazed to see how bold Peter and John were and to learn that they were ordinary men of no education. They realized then that they had been companions of Jesus.

And now, Lord, take notice of the threats they have made, and allow us, your servants, to speak your message with all boldness.

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.

Then Barnabas came to his help and took him to the apostles. He explained to them how Saul had seen the Lord on the road and that the Lord had spoken to him. He also told them how boldly Saul had preached in the name of Jesus in Damascus.

He also talked and disputed with the Greek-speaking Jews, but they tried to kill him.

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.

The apostles stayed there for a long time, speaking boldly about the Lord, who proved that their message about his grace was true by giving them the power to perform miracles and wonders.

He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him home with them and explained to him more correctly the Way of God.

Paul went into the synagogue and for three months spoke boldly with the people, holding discussions with them and trying to convince them about the Kingdom of God.

He preached about the Kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ, speaking with all boldness and freedom.

Because we have this hope, we are very bold.

I am so sure of you; I take such pride in you! In all our troubles I am still full of courage; I am running over with joy.

My deep desire and hope is that I shall never fail in my duty, but that at all times, and especially right now, I shall be full of courage, so that with my whole being I shall bring honor to Christ, whether I live or die.

You know how we had already been mistreated and insulted in Philippi before we came to you in Thessalonica. And even though there was much opposition, our God gave us courage to tell you the Good News that comes from him.

God did what he had purposed, and made known to us the secret plan he had already decided to complete by means of Christ.

God revealed his secret plan and made it known to me. (I have written briefly about this,

and if you will read what I have written, you can learn about my understanding of the secret of Christ.)

The wisdom I proclaim is God's secret wisdom, which is hidden from human beings, but which he had already chosen for our glory even before the world was made.

You should think of us as Christ's servants, who have been put in charge of God's secret truths.

which is the secret he hid through all past ages from all human beings but has now revealed to his people.

God's plan is to make known his secret to his people, this rich and glorious secret which he has for all peoples. And the secret is that Christ is in you, which means that you will share in the glory of God.

I do this in order that they may be filled with courage and may be drawn together in love, and so have the full wealth of assurance which true understanding brings. In this way they will know God's secret, which is Christ himself.

No one can deny how great is the secret of our religion: He appeared in human form, was shown to be right by the Spirit, and was seen by angels. He was preached among the nations, was believed in throughout the world, and was taken up to heaven.