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

Listen! I have told you this ahead of 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.

if it is to encourage others, we should do so. Whoever shares with others should do it generously; whoever has authority should work hard; whoever shows kindness to others should do it cheerfully.

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.

Remember your former leaders, who spoke God's message to you. Think back on how they lived and died, and imitate their faith.

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.

Show respect for widows who really are all alone.

They gave us many gifts, and when we sailed, they put on board what we needed for the voyage.

That decision was their own; but, as a matter of fact, they have an obligation to help them. Since the Jews shared their spiritual blessings with the Gentiles, the Gentiles ought to use their material blessings to help the Jews.

Don't I have the right to follow the example of the other apostles and the Lord's brothers and Peter, by taking a Christian wife with me on my trips?

What soldiers ever have to pay their own expenses in the army? What farmers do not eat the grapes from their own vineyard? What shepherds do not use the milk from their own sheep?

We read in the Law of Moses, "Do not muzzle an ox when you are using it to thresh grain." Now, is God concerned about oxen?

We have sown spiritual seed among you. Is it too much if we reap material benefits from you?

Surely you know that the men who work in the Temple get their food from the Temple and that those who offer the sacrifices on the altar get a share of the sacrifices.

If you are being taught the Christian message, you should share all the good things you have with your teacher.

Receive him, then, with joy, as a believer in the Lord. Show respect to all such people as he,

There, Elijah said to Elisha, "Tell me what you want me to do for you before I am taken away." "Let me receive the share of your power that will make me your successor," Elisha answered.

Encourage the people of Jerusalem. Tell them they have suffered long enough and their sins are now forgiven. I have punished them in full for all their sins."

I will make them pay double for their sin and wickedness, because they have defiled my land with idols that are as lifeless as corpses, and have filled it with their false gods."

Bring disgrace on those who persecute me, but spare me, LORD. Fill them with terror, but do not terrify me. Bring disaster on them and break them to pieces.

Return, you exiles who now have hope; return to your place of safety. Now I tell you that I will repay you twice over with blessing for all you have suffered.

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.

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."

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.

He said to them, "There is a large harvest, but few workers to gather it in. Pray to the owner of the harvest that he will send out workers to gather in his harvest.

Stay in that same house, eating and drinking whatever they offer you, for workers should be given their pay. Don't move around from one house to another.

I have sent you to reap a harvest in a field where you did not work; others worked there, and you profit from their work."

I have shown you in all things that by working hard in this way we must help the weak, remembering the words that the Lord Jesus himself said, 'There is more happiness in giving than in receiving.' "

My greetings to Tryphaena and Tryphosa, who work in the Lord's service, and to my dear friend Persis, who has done so much work for the Lord.

For we are partners working together for God, and you are God's field. You are also God's building.

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.

to follow the leadership of such people as these, and of anyone else who works and serves with them.

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

as you offer them the message of life. If you do so, I shall have reason to be proud of you on the Day of Christ, because it will show that all my effort and work have not been wasted.

And you too, my faithful partner, I want you to help these women; for they have worked hard with me to spread the gospel, together with Clement and all my other fellow workers, whose names are in God's book of the living.

The farmer who has done the hard work should have the first share of the harvest.

If you give these instructions to the believers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, as you feed yourself spiritually on the words of faith and of the true teaching which you have followed.

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.

to preach the message, to insist upon proclaiming it (whether the time is right or not), to convince, reproach, and encourage, as you teach with all patience.