Martyrs Menodora, Metrodora, Nymphodora; Poulcheria the Empress

But thanks be to God, who puts the same earnest care for you into the heart of Titus. ¹⁷For he indeed accepted our exhortation, but being himself very earnest, he went out to you of his own accord. ¹⁸We have sent together with him the brother whose praise in the Good News is known throughout all the assemblies. ¹⁹Not only so, but he was also appointed by the assemblies to travel with us in this grace, which is served by us to the glory of the Lord himself, and to show our readiness. ²⁰We are avoiding this, that any man should blame us concerning this abundance which is administered by us. ²¹Having regard for honorable things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men. ²²We have sent with them our brother whom we have many times proved earnest in many things, but now much more earnest, by reason of the great confidence which he has in you. ²³As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker for you. As for our brothers, they are the apostles of the assemblies, the glory of Christ. ²⁴Therefore show the proof of your love to them before the assemblies, and of our boasting on your behalf.

¹It is indeed unnecessary for me to write to you concerning the service to the saints, ²for I know your readiness, of which I boast on your behalf to those of Macedonia, that Achaia has been prepared for the past year. Your zeal has stirred up very many of them. ³But I have sent the brothers so that our boasting on your behalf may not be in vain in this respect, that, just as I said, you may be prepared, ⁴lest by any means, if anyone from Macedonia comes there with me and finds you unprepared, we (to say nothing of you) would be disappointed in this confident boasting. ⁵I thought it necessary therefore to entreat the brothers that they would go before to you and arrange ahead of time the generous gift that you promised before, that the same might be ready as a matter of generosity, and not of greediness.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only born Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. ¹⁷For God didn’t send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through him. ¹⁸He who believes in him is not judged. He who doesn’t believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only born Son of God. ¹⁹This is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light, for their works were evil. ²⁰For everyone who does evil hates the light and doesn’t come to the light, lest his works would be exposed. ²¹But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his works may be revealed, that they have been done in God.”