Those who have served well earn the full respect of others. They also become more sure of their faith in Christ Jesus.

因为善作执事的，自己就得到美好的地步，并且在基督耶稣里的真道上大有胆量。

因为善于作执事的，为自己得到美好的地位，并且无惧地坚信在基督耶稣里的信仰。

因为善于作执事的，为自己得到美好的地位，并且无惧地坚信在基督耶稣里的信仰。

尽忠职守的执事能得到好声誉，也会对基督耶稣有坚定的信心。

那善于作执事的，就为自己得了好的位分，也因着相信基督耶稣得到大大的胆量。

因为那好好服事的，就让自己达到美好的境地，并且在基督耶稣里的信仰上大有胆量。

因為善作執事的，自己就得到美好的地步，並且在基督耶穌裏的真道上大有膽量。

因為善於作執事的，為自己得到美好的地位，並且無懼地堅信在基督耶穌裏的信仰。

因為善於作執事的，為自己得到美好的地位，並且無懼地堅信在基督耶穌裏的信仰。

盡忠職守的執事能得到好聲譽，也會對基督耶穌有堅定的信心。

那善於作執事的，就為自己得了好的位分，也因著相信基督耶穌得到大大的膽量。

因為好好做執事的人、是為自己取得了美好的地步，並且對基督耶穌的信仰能堅持坦然無懼的精神。

因為那好好服事的，就讓自己達到美好的境地，並且在基督耶穌裡的信仰上大有膽量。

善充執事者、自獲嘉級、且毅然於基督耶穌之道、○

善為會執事、可得上爵、侃侃言基督耶穌道、

善盡會吏職者、必得上級、能毅然傳基督耶穌之道、○

蓋為副祭而善者、不惟自獲嘉級、且於基督耶穌道中、必臻左右逢源之境也。

Those who have served well gain an excellent standing and great assurance in their faith in Christ Jesus.

For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

Those who do well as deacons will be rewarded with respect from others and will have increased confidence in their faith in Christ Jesus.

For those who have served well as deacons acquire a good standing for themselves and great boldness in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a high standing and great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a good standing and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.

For they that have served well as deacons gain to themselves a good standing, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.

For those who have served well as deacons acquire a good standing for themselves, and great boldness in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

For they that have used the office of a deacon well purchase to themselves a good degree, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.

For those who have served well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and great boldness in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

For those who have served well gain for themselves a good standing, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.

“ His master replied,‘ You have done well, good and faithful slave! You have been faithful with a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

“ Suppose you can be trusted with something very little. Then you can also be trusted with something very large. But suppose you are not honest with something very little. Then you will also not be honest with something very large.Suppose you have not been worthy of trust in handling worldly wealth. Then who will trust you with true riches?Suppose you have not been worthy of trust in handling someone else’s property. Then who will give you property of your own?

All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked right at Stephen. They saw that his face was like the face of an angel.Then the high priest questioned Stephen.“ Is what these people are saying true?” he asked.“ Brothers and fathers, listen to me!” Stephen replied.“ The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham. At that time Abraham was still in Mesopotamia. He had not yet begun living in Harran.‘ Leave your country and your people,’ God said.‘ Go to the land I will show you.’( Genesis 12:1)“ So Abraham left the land of Babylonia. He settled in Harran. After his father died, God sent Abraham to this land where you are now living.God didn’t give him any property here. He didn’t even give him enough land to set his foot on. But God made a promise to him and to all his family after him. He said they would possess the land. The promise was made even though at that time Abraham had no child.Here is what God said to him.‘ For 400 years your family after you will be strangers in a country not their own. They will be slaves and will be treated badly.But I will punish the nation that makes them slaves,’ God said.‘ After that, they will leave that country and worship me here.’( Genesis 15:13, 14)Then God made a covenant with Abraham. God told him that circumcision would show who the members of the covenant were. Abraham became Isaac’s father. He circumcised Isaac eight days after he was born. Later, Isaac became Jacob’s father. Jacob had 12 sons. They became the founders of the 12 tribes of Israel.“ Jacob’s sons were jealous of their brother Joseph. So they sold him as a slave. He was taken to Egypt. But God was with him.He saved Joseph from all his troubles. God made Joseph wise. He helped him to become the friend of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. So Pharaoh made Joseph ruler over Egypt and his whole palace.“ There was not enough food for all Egypt and Canaan. This brought great suffering. Jacob and his sons couldn’t find food.But Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt. So he sent his sons on their first visit.On their second visit, Joseph told his brothers who he was. Pharaoh learned about Joseph’s family.After this, Joseph sent for his father Jacob and his whole family. The total number of people was 75.Then Jacob went down to Egypt. There he and his family died.Some of their bodies were brought back to Shechem. They were placed in a tomb Abraham had bought. He had purchased it from Hamor’s sons at Shechem. He had purchased it for a certain amount of money.“ In Egypt the number of our people grew and grew. It was nearly time for God to make his promise to Abraham come true.Then‘ a new king came to power in Egypt. Joseph didn’t mean anything to him.’( Exodus 1:8)The king was very evil and dishonest with our people. He treated them badly. He forced them to throw out their newborn babies to die.“ At that time Moses was born. He was not an ordinary child. For three months he was taken care of by his family.Then he was placed outside. But Pharaoh’s daughter took him home. She brought him up as her own son.Moses was taught all the knowledge of the people of Egypt. He became a powerful speaker and a man of action.“ When Moses was 40 years old, he decided to visit the people of Israel. They were his own people.He saw one of them being treated badly by an Egyptian. So he went to help him. He got even by killing the man.Moses thought his own people would realize that God was using him to save them. But they didn’t.The next day Moses saw two Israelites fighting. He tried to make peace between them.‘ Men, you are both Israelites,’ he said.‘ Why do you want to hurt each other?’“ But the man who was treating the other one badly pushed Moses to one side. He said,‘ Who made you ruler and judge over us?Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?’( Exodus 2:14)When Moses heard this, he escaped to Midian. He lived there as an outsider. He became the father of two sons there.“ Forty years passed. Then an angel appeared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush. This happened in the desert near Mount Sinai.When Moses saw the bush, he was amazed. He went over for a closer look. There he heard the Lord say,‘ I am the God of your fathers. I am the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.’( Exodus 3:6) Moses shook with fear. He didn’t dare to look.“ Then the Lord said to him,‘ Take off your sandals. You must do this because the place where you are standing is holy ground.I have seen my people beaten down in Egypt. I have heard their groans. I have come down to set them free. Now come. I will send you back to Egypt.’( Exodus 3:5, 7, 8, 10)“ This is the same Moses the two men of Israel would not accept. They had said,‘ Who made you ruler and judge?’ But God himself sent Moses to rule the people of Israel and set them free. He spoke to Moses through an angel. The angel had appeared to him in the bush.So Moses led them out of Egypt. He did wonders and signs in Egypt, at the Red Sea, and for 40 years in the desert.“ This is the same Moses who spoke to the Israelites.‘ God will send you a prophet,’ he said.‘ He will be like me. He will come from your own people.’( Deuteronomy 18:15)Moses was with the Israelites in the desert. He was with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai. Moses was with our people of long ago. He received living words to pass on to us.“ But our people refused to obey Moses. They would not accept him. In their hearts, they wished they were back in Egypt.They told Aaron,‘ Make us a god who will lead us. This fellow Moses brought us up out of Egypt. But we don’t know what has happened to him!’( Exodus 32:1)That was the time they made a statue to be their god. It was shaped like a calf. They brought sacrifices to it. They even enjoyed what they had made with their own hands.But God turned away from them. He let them go on worshiping the sun, moon and stars. This agrees with what is written in the book of the prophets. There it says,“‘ People of Israel, did you bring me sacrifices and offerings for 40 years in the desert?You have taken with you the shrine of your false god Molek. You have taken with you the star of your false god Rephan. You made statues of those gods to worship. So I will send you away from your country.’( Amos 5:25–27) God sent them to Babylon and even farther.“ Long ago our people were in the desert. They had with them the holy tent. The tent was where the tablets of the covenant law were kept. Moses had made the holy tent as God had commanded him. Moses made it like the pattern he had seen.Our people received the tent from God. Then they brought it with them when they took the land of Canaan. God drove out the nations that were in their way. At that time Joshua was Israel’s leader. The tent remained in the land until David’s time.David was blessed by God. So David asked if he could build a house for the God of Jacob.But it was Solomon who built the temple for God.“ But the Most High God does not live in houses made by human hands. As God says through the prophet,“‘ Heaven is my throne. The earth is under my control. What kind of house will you build for me? says the Lord. Where will my resting place be?Didn’t my hand make all these things?’( Isaiah 66:1, 2)“ You stubborn people! You won’t obey! You won’t listen! You are just like your people of long ago! You always oppose the Holy Spirit!Was there ever a prophet your people didn’t try to hurt? They even killed those who told about the coming of the Blameless One. And now you have handed him over to his enemies. You have murdered him.The law you received was given by angels. But you haven’t obeyed it.”

Stephen was full of God’s grace and power. He did great wonders and signs among the people.

This plan pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen. He was full of faith and of the Holy Spirit. Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon and Parmenas were chosen too. The group also chose Nicolas from Antioch. He had accepted the Jewish faith.

God is fair. He will not forget what you have done. He will remember the love you have shown him. You showed it when you helped his people. And you show it when you keep on helping them.

You know that the first believers in Achaia were from the family of Stephanas. They have spent all their time serving the Lord’s people. Brothers and sisters, I am asking you

Be like the Son of Man. He did not come to be served. Instead, he came to serve others. He came to give his life as the price for setting many people free.”

God’s gifts of grace come in many forms. Each of you has received a gift in order to serve others. You should use it faithfully.If anyone speaks, they should do it as one speaking God’s words. If anyone serves, they should do it with the strength God provides. Then in all things God will be praised through Jesus Christ. Glory and power belong to him for ever and ever. Amen.

“‘ You have done well, my good slave!’ his master replied.‘ You have been faithful in a very small matter. So I will put you in charge of ten towns.’

You know what happened earlier in the city of Philippi. We suffered, and people treated us very badly there. But God gave us the boldness to tell you his good news. We preached to you even when people strongly opposed us.

If your gift is serving, then serve. If it is teaching, then teach.Is it encouraging others? Then encourage them. Is it giving to others? Then give freely. Is it being a leader? Then work hard at it. Is it showing mercy? Then do it cheerfully.

My son, be strong in the grace that is yours in Christ Jesus.

Paul reached the steps. But then the mob became so wild that he had to be carried by the soldiers.

And because I am a prisoner, most of the believers have become bolder in the Lord. They now dare even more to preach the good news without fear.