( NIV )
Isaiah 22:21-23
21 "... I will clothe him with your robe and fasten your sash around him and hand your authority over to him. He will be a father to those who live in Jerusalem and to the house of Judah.
22 I will place on his shoulder the key to the house of David; what he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.
23 I will drive him like a peg into a firm place; he will be a seat of honor for the house of his father..."
( NIV )
2 Timothy 1-13
1 You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
2 And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.
3 Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.
4 No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs -- he wants to please his commanding officer.
5 Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor's crown unless he competes according to the rules.
6 The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops.
7 Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this.
8 Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel,
9 for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God's word is not chained.
10 Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.
11 Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him;
12 if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us;
13 if we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself.
( NIV )
Mark 6:7,13
7 "...Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village. Calling the Twelve to him, he sent them out two by two and gave them authority over evilspirits...
12 ...They went out and preached that people should repent.
13 They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them..."
( RSV )
Col 1:24-29
24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church,
25 of which I became a minister according to the divine office which was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known,
26 the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now made manifest to his saints.
27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
28 Him we proclaim, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man mature in Christ.
29 For this I toil, striving with all the energy which he mightily inspires within me.
( TEV )
Jeremiah 20:8-9
8 "...Lord, I am ridiculed and scorned all the time because I proclaim your message.
9 But when I say, 'I will forget the Lord and no longer speak in his name,' then your message is like a fire burning deep within me. I try my best to hold it in, but can no longer keep it back..."