Acts 13:2

We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, for those who are called according to his purpose.

How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns!”

Behold, on the mountains the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace! Keep your feasts, Judah! Perform your vows, for the wicked one will no more pass through you. He is utterly cut off.

in beatings, in imprisonments, in riots, in labors, in watchings, in fastings;

“Bring Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, near to you from among the children of Israel, that he may minister to me in the priest’s office: Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s sons.

For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and he will drink no wine nor strong drink. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.

But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things, and will remind you of all that I said to you.

Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes,

and what is the exceeding greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to that working of the strength of his might

But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, that through me the message might be fully proclaimed, and that all the Gentiles might hear. So I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion.

to be a memorial to the children of Israel, to the end that no stranger who isn’t of the offspring of Aaron, would come near to burn incense before Yahweh, that he not be as Korah, and as his company; as Yahweh spoke to him by Moses.

They resisted Uzziah the king, and said to him, “It isn’t for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to Yahweh, but for the priests the sons of Aaron, who are consecrated to burn incense. Go out of the sanctuary, for you have trespassed. It will not be for your honor from Yahweh God.”

Evening, morning, and at noon, I will cry out in distress. He will hear my voice.

Listen, islands, to me. Listen, you peoples, from afar: Yahweh has called me from the womb; from the inside of my mother, he has mentioned my name.

Now Yahweh, he who formed me from the womb to be his servant, says to bring Jacob again to him, and to gather Israel to him, for I am honorable in Yahweh’s eyes, and my God has become my strength.

“Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. Before you were born, I sanctified you. I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.”

The wind blows where it wants to, and you hear its sound, but don’t know where it comes from and where it is going. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

“Most certainly, I tell you, one who doesn’t enter by the door into the sheep fold, but climbs up some other way, is a thief and a robber.

whom they set before the apostles. When they had prayed, they laid their hands on them.

But the Lord said to him, “Go your way, for he is my chosen vessel to bear my name before the nations and kings, and the children of Israel.

but Paul chose Silas and went out, being commended by the brothers to the grace of God.

Agrippa said to Festus, “I also would like to hear the man myself.” “Tomorrow,” he said, “you shall hear him.”

delivering you from the people, and from the Gentiles, to whom I send you,

For God is my witness, whom I serve in my spirit in the Good News of his Son, how unceasingly I make mention of you always in my prayers,

Or hasn’t the potter a right over the clay, from the same lump to make one part a vessel for honor, and another for dishonor?

But the one and the same Spirit produces all of these, distributing to each one separately as he desires.

But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body, just as he desired.

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God, and Timothy our brother, to the assembly of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in the whole of Achaia:

But when it was the good pleasure of God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through his grace

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God, to the saints who are at Ephesus, and the faithful in Christ Jesus:

Now to him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,

Not that I have already obtained, or am already made perfect; but I press on, that I may take hold of that for which also I was taken hold of by Christ Jesus.

Not that I speak because of lack, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content in it.

I know how to be humbled, and I also know how to abound. In everything and in all things I have learned the secret both to be filled and to be hungry, both to abound and to be in need.

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

For you remember, brothers, our labor and travail; for working night and day, that we might not burden any of you, we preached to you the Good News of God.

neither did we eat bread from anyone’s hand without paying for it, but in labor and travail worked night and day, that we might not burden any of you,

For this I was appointed as a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.

Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s chosen ones, and the knowledge of the truth which is according to godliness,

Let not many of you be teachers, my brothers, knowing that we will receive heavier judgment.

He said to the people, “Be ready by the third day. Don’t have sexual relations with a woman.”

It will blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing. Lebanon’s glory will be given to it, the excellence of Carmel and Sharon. They will see Yahweh’s glory, the excellence of our God.

The Lord Yahweh’s Spirit is on me, because Yahweh has anointed me to preach good news to the humble. He has sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and release to those who are bound,

Gather the people. Sanctify the assembly. Assemble the elders. Gather the children, and those who nurse from breasts. Let the bridegroom go out of his room, and the bride out of her room.

and sent messengers before his face. They went and entered into a village of the Samaritans, so as to prepare for him.

At about the ninth hour of the day, he clearly saw in a vision an angel of God coming to him, and saying to him, “Cornelius!”

They therefore who were scattered abroad by the oppression that arose about Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except to Jews only.

Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the Good News of God,

through whom we received grace and apostleship for obedience of faith among all the nations for his name’s sake;

Yet I wish that all men were like me. However each man has his own gift from God, one of this kind, and another of that kind.

Now there are various kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.

and having fitted your feet with the preparation of the Good News of peace,

Now she who is a widow indeed and desolate, has her hope set on God, and continues in petitions and prayers night and day.

Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to those who are called, sanctified by God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ:

The Spirit said to Philip, “Go near, and join yourself to this chariot.”

So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia. From there they sailed to Cyprus.

From there they sailed to Antioch, from where they had been committed to the grace of God for the work which they had fulfilled.

“He said to me, ‘Depart, for I will send you out far from here to the Gentiles.’”

He came and preached peace to you who were far off and to those who were near.

if it is so that you have heard of the administration of that grace of God which was given me toward you,

To me, the very least of all saints, was this grace given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,

Behold, I myself have appointed with him Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and in the heart of all who are wise-hearted I have put wisdom, that they may make all that I have commanded you:

He said to Korah and to all his company, “In the morning, Yahweh will show who are his, and who is holy, and will cause him to come near to him. Even him whom he shall choose, he will cause to come near to him.

Is it a small thing to you that the God of Israel has separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to himself, to do the service of Yahweh’s tabernacle, and to stand before the congregation to minister to them;

At that time Yahweh set apart the tribe of Levi to bear the ark of Yahweh’s covenant, to stand before Yahweh to minister to him, and to bless in his name, to this day.

Elkanah went to Ramah to his house. The child served Yahweh before Eli the priest.

He appointed some of the Levites to minister before Yahweh’s ark, and to commemorate, to thank, and to praise Yahweh, the God of Israel:

The sons of Amram: Aaron and Moses; and Aaron was separated, that he should sanctify the most holy things, he and his sons, forever, to burn incense before Yahweh, to minister to him, and to bless in his name, forever.

I set my face to the Lord God, to seek by prayer and petitions, with fasting and sackcloth and ashes.

Pray therefore that the Lord of the harvest will send out laborers into his harvest.”

and she had been a widow for about eighty-four years), who didn’t depart from the temple, worshiping with fastings and petitions night and day.

Now after these things, the Lord also appointed seventy others, and sent them two by two ahead of him into every city and place where he was about to come.

Then he said to them, “The harvest is indeed plentiful, but the laborers are few. Pray therefore to the Lord of the harvest, that he may send out laborers into his harvest.

But we will continue steadfastly in prayer and in the ministry of the word.”

But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles, and declared to them how he had seen the Lord on the way, and that he had spoken to him, and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus.

While Peter was pondering the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men seek you.

Cornelius said, “Four days ago, I was fasting until this hour, and at the ninth hour, I prayed in my house, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing,

The Spirit told me to go with them, without discriminating. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered into the man’s house.

Then, when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.

But the multitude of the city was divided. Part sided with the Jews, and part with the apostles.

When there had been much discussion, Peter rose up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that a good while ago God made a choice among you that by my mouth the nations should hear the word of the Good News and believe.

Take heed, therefore, to yourselves, and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the assembly of the Lord and God which he purchased with his own blood.

Coming to us and taking Paul’s belt, he bound his own feet and hands, and said, “The Holy Spirit says: ‘So the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt, and will deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’ ”

And how will they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the Good News of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!”

For I speak to you who are Gentiles. Since then as I am an apostle to Gentiles, I glorify my ministry;

that I should be a servant of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles, serving as a priest of the Good News of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be made acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.

Don’t deprive one another, unless it is by consent for a season, that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer, and may be together again, that Satan doesn’t tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Haven’t I seen Jesus Christ, our Lord? Aren’t you my work in the Lord?

in labor and travail, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, and in cold and nakedness.

Then after a period of fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus also with me.

of which I was made a servant according to the gift of that grace of God which was given me according to the working of his power.

Tell Archippus, “Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you fulfill it.”

to which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle—I am telling the truth in Christ, not lying—a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

But the Spirit says expressly that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons,

The things which you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit the same things to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.

But you be sober in all things, suffer hardship, do the work of an evangelist, and fulfill your ministry.

Only Luke is with me. Take Mark, and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for service.

Nobody takes this honor on himself, but he is called by God, just like Aaron was.

Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor.

Aren’t they all serving spirits, sent out to do service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?