Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit placed you as overseers, to shepherd the assembly of God which He purchased through His own blood.
I showed you by all things that working hard in this way it is needful to help the ones being feeble, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.
And God placed some in the assembly, firstly, apostles; secondly, prophets; thirdly, teachers; then works of power; then gifts of healing, helps, governings, kinds of languages.
But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace which was toward me has not been fruitless, but I labored more abundantly than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me.
Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as beside myself) I being beyond them: in labors, more abundantly; in stripes, beyond measure; in prisons, much more; in deaths, many times.
For, brothers, you remember our labor and toil, night and day, working in order not to put a burden on any one of you, we proclaimed to you the gospel of God.
For the rest then, brothers, we beg you and we exhort in the Lord Jesus, even as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, that you abound more.
And we exhort you, brothers, to admonish the disobedient ones, comfort the ones being faint-hearted, sustain the ones being weak, be long-suffering towards all.
Yield to the ones taking the lead of you, and submit, for they watch for your souls, giving an account, that they may do this with joy, and not with groaning; for this would be unprofitable to you.
The mystery of the seven stars which you saw on My right, and the seven golden lampstands: the seven stars are angels of the seven assemblies, and the seven lampstands you saw are seven assemblies.
And to the angel of the assembly in Thyatira, write: These things says the Son of God, the One having His eyes as a flame of fire, and His feet like burnished brass.
And to the angel of the assembly in Sardis, write: These things says the One having the seven spirits of God, and the seven stars: I know your works, that you have the name that you live, and are a lifeless assembly.
And to the angel of the assembly in Philadelphia, write: These things says the Holy One, the True One, the One having “the key of David”, “the One opening, and no one shuts; and shuts, and no one opens”: Isa. 22:22