He came over to us, took Paul’s belt, and tied his own hands and feet with it. Then he said, “The Holy Spirit says, ‘This is how the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem will tie up the owner of this belt. They will hand him over to the Gentiles.’ ”
Remember what I told you: ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If people have hated me and tried to hurt me, they will do the same to you. If they have obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours too.
That’s why I’m suffering the way I am. But I’m not ashamed, because I know the one I’ve believed in and I’m certain that he’s able to protect what I’ve given him. I can trust him with it until the day he returns.
You know that I’ve been treated badly and suffered greatly. You know what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra—how badly I was treated there. But the Lord saved me from all my troubles.
I, John, am your brother and your partner in the suffering, the kingdom, and the patient endurance of Jesus. I was on the island of Patmos because of God’s word and the testimony of Jesus.
There they strengthened the disciples, encouraging them to remain faithful to what they’d been taught. “We have to go through many hard times to enter the kingdom of God,” they explained.
