But as for you, stay in control of yourself no matter what happens. Don’t give up when things become difficult. Work to spread the good news. Fulfill all the responsibilities of your work.
Now I want to talk about some other matters. Brothers and sisters, pray for us, that the Lord’s message will spread quickly and that others will honor it just as you have.
It’s like a man who goes away and puts his servants in charge of his house. He gives each one a task to do, and the one he leaves at the door he tells to keep watch.
Keep watch over yourselves and all the believers that the Holy Spirit has made you leaders over. Be shepherds of God’s church, which he bought with his own blood.
Some of the believers who’d been scattered by the attacks that started after Stephen was killed traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, spreading the word among Jews.
But I think it’s necessary to send Epaphroditus back to you now. He’s my brother in the Lord, and he’s a worker and a soldier for Christ together with me. He’s also your messenger, because you sent him to take care of my needs.
God has placed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, guiding, and speaking in different kinds of languages.
He almost died for the work of Christ. He risked his life by coming here to provide the help you couldn’t give me yourselves because you were so far away.
Brothers and sisters, I’m sure you remember how hard we worked. We labored night and day while we preached God’s good news to you so that we wouldn’t cause you any expense.
Epaphras, who’s from your community and who’s a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He’s always praying hard for you, that you’ll stand firm in the will of God and that you’ll be confident and mature.
But by the grace of God, I am what I am, and his grace wasn’t wasted on me. No, I worked harder than all the other apostles—though it wasn’t me doing the work. God’s grace was with me.
“Write this to the angel of the church in Ephesus: These are the words of the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands.