that has come to you. In the same way, the good news is bearing fruit and growing all over the world, as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace.
You didn’t choose me, I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit that would endure, so that you would receive from the Father anything you ask for in my name.
With the help of Silas, who I consider to be a faithful brother, I’ve written you this short letter to encourage you and to confirm that this is the true grace of God. Remain strong in it.
But you must keep your faith steady and firm and not move away from the hope that the good news is offering you. This is the good news that you heard. It has been preached to every creature under heaven and I, Paul, am its servant.
But now it has been made known to all the Gentiles through the writings of the prophets, as the eternal God has commanded. Through the revelation of this mystery, the Gentiles are starting to obey God by trusting in him.
Brothers and sisters, I want you to know that I’ve planned many times to visit you. But until now, I’ve been kept from coming. My work has produced results among the other Gentiles, and in the same way, I want to see results among you.
But a time is coming—in fact, it’s already here—when true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth. Those are the kind of worshipers the Father is looking for.
But we should always thank God for you, brothers and sisters, because the Lord loves you and chose you as the first to be saved. This has happened through the work of the Holy Spirit, which makes people holy, and through your belief in the truth.
We also thank God constantly for the way you received his word when you heard it from us. You didn’t accept it as a human word, but for what it is, the word of God. And that word is truly at work in you who believe.
because our good news didn’t just come to you through our words. It came with power, with the Holy Spirit, and with great confidence. You know what we went through for your sake when we were with you.
Then you’ll be able to lead a life that is worthy of the Lord and please him in every way. You’ll bear fruit in every good thing you do, you’ll get to know God better,
That area includes you, so I’m not going too far in my bragging, as I would be if I hadn’t come to where you live. But I did get there with the good news about Christ.
through the power of signs and wonders, and through the power of the Spirit of God. I have now preached the good news about Christ to everyone from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum.
to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to God. I want them to have their sins forgiven and find a place among God’s people by believing in me.’
One of the women who listened to us was named Lydia. She was from the city of Thyatira, and she had a business selling purple cloth. She already believed in God, and the Lord opened her heart to accept Paul’s message.
When they heard this, they didn’t question or criticize Peter any longer. Instead, they praised God and said, “So then, God has allowed even Gentiles to turn away from their sins and find life!”
So first I’m going to finish this task and make sure that the poor in Jerusalem receive this offering, and then I’ll go to Spain and visit you on my way.