Study Desk

Remember that you will get your reward from the Lord. He will give you what you should receive. You are working for the Lord Christ.

If anyone does wrong, he will suffer for it. God does not respect one person more than another.

Owners, give your servants what is right. Do the same for all. Remember that your Owner is in heaven.

As you pray, be sure to pray for us also. Pray that God will open the door for us to preach the Word. We want to tell the secret of Christ. And this is the reason I am in prison.

Epaphras says hello. He is one of your people and a servant of Jesus Christ. As he prays for you, he asks God to help you to be strong and to make you perfect. He prays that you will know what God wants you to do in all things.

I can tell you for sure that he works hard for you and for the Christians in the cities of Laodicea and Hierapolis.

Greet all the Christians in Laodicea. Greet Nympha and the Christians who gather for church in her house.

We thank God for you all the time and pray for you.

The Good News did not come to you by word only, but with power and through the Holy Spirit. You knew it was true. You also knew how we lived among you. It was for your good.

They tell us how you are waiting for His Son Jesus to come down from heaven. God raised Him from the dead. It is Jesus Who will save us from the anger of God that is coming.

Just before we came to you, we had been in the city of Philippi. You know how they worked against us and made us suffer. But God helped us preach the Good News to you without fear, even while many people hated us and made it hard for us.

We never looked for thanks from men, not from you or from anyone else. But because we were missionaries of Christ, we could have asked you to do much for us.

Instead, we were gentle when we came to you. We were like a mother caring for her children.

You remember, Christian brothers, we worked night and day for our food and clothes while we preached the Good News to you. We did not want to make it hard for you.

It was the Jews who killed the Lord Jesus and the early preachers. The Jews made it hard for us and made us leave. They do not please God and are working against all men.

And we sent Timothy to you. He works with us for God, teaching the Good News of Christ. We sent him to give strength and comfort to your faith.

For this reason, I could wait no longer. I sent Timothy to find out about your faith. I was afraid the devil had tempted you. Then our work with you would be wasted.

How can we give God enough thanks for you for all the joy you give us?

May the Lord make you grow in love for each other and for everyone. We have this kind of love for you.

For God has not called us to live in sin. He has called us to live a holy life.