But the seed sown on the good soil is he who hears the word and understands it, who bears fruit and produces a hundred, sixty, or thirty times more than what was sown.”
Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica, and they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.
And Saul approved of his execution. On that day a great persecution arose against the church in Jerusalem, and all the believers except the apostles were scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria.
When James, Cephas, and John, who were esteemed as pillars of the church, recognized the grace given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and me, agreeing that we should go to the Gentiles and that they should go to the circumcised.
We also give thanks to God without ceasing because, when you received the word of God that you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it truly is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe.
and we sent Timothy, our brother, who is a servant of God and our fellow worker in the gospel of Christ, to establish you and encourage you in your faith,