¹⁷ Judas was one of us and shared in the ministry with us.”

²⁵ as an apostle to replace Judas in this ministry, for he has deserted us and gone where he belongs.”

¹⁹ After greeting them, Paul gave a detailed account of the things God had accomplished among the Gentiles through his ministry.

²⁴ But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.

¹² During my time here, I protected them by the power of the name you gave me.^[a] I guarded them so that not one was lost, except the one headed for destruction, as the Scriptures foretold.

⁷⁰ Then Jesus said, “I chose the twelve of you, but one is a devil.” ⁷¹ He was speaking of Judas, son of Simon Iscariot, one of the Twelve, who would later betray him.

¹¹ Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. ¹² Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.

¹⁸ And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him.

Treasure in Fragile Clay Jars

4 Therefore, since God in his mercy has given us this new way,^[a] we never give up.

²⁵ When Barnabas and Saul had finished their mission to Jerusalem, they returned,^[a] taking John Mark with them.