Greetings from Paul and Timothy
(Philippians 1:1–2; Philemon 1:1–3)

1Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God, and Timothy, the brother,

2to the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are in Colosse: Grace to you, and peace, from God our Father.

Thanksgiving and Prayer
(1 Corinthians 1:4–9; Philippians 1:3–11)

3We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, 4having heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have toward all the saints, 5because of the hope laid up for you in Heaven, of which ye heard before in the word of the truth of the Gospel, 6which is present among you, even as it is in all the world bearing fruit and increasing, as it does in you also, since the day ye heard and knew the grace of God in truth; 7even as ye learned from Epaphras, our beloved fellow-servant, who is for us a faithful minister of Christ, 8who also made known to us your love in the Spirit.

9For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, cease not praying for you, and asking that ye may be filled with the full knowledge of His will, in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, 10to walk worthily of the Lord to all pleasing, bearing fruit in every good work, and growing in the knowledge of God; 11strengthened with all power, according to the might of His glory, unto all patience and long-suffering with joy; 12giving thanks to the Father, Who made us meet for the portion of the inheritance of the saints in light;

13Who delivered us out of the dominion of darkness, and translated us into the Kingdom of the Son of His love; 14in Whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins;

The Supremacy of the Son
(Hebrews 1:1–14)

15Who is the image of the invisible God, Primal Source of all creation; 16because in Him were all things created, in the heavens, and upon the earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers?all things have been created through Him, and for Him; 17and He is before all things, and in Him all things have held together. 18And He is the Head of the body, the assembly; Who is the Beginning, the First-born from the dead, that in all things He may be preeminent; 19because it was pleasing that in Him all the fulness should dwell; 20and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, whether the things on the earth, or the things in the heavens.

21And you, being in time past alienated and enemies in your mind in evil works, 22yet now did He reconcile in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and without blemish, and irreproachable, before Him; 23if, at least, ye continue in the faith, founded and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the Gospel, which ye heard, which was preached in all creation under the heaven, of which I, Paul, was made a minister.

Paul’s Suffering for the Church
(2 Corinthians 11:16–33)

24Now I rejoice in my sufferings in your behalf, and fill up in turn the deficiencies of the tribulations of Christ in my flesh for the sake of His body, which is the assembly; 25of which I was made a minister, according to the dispensation of God, which was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God, 26the mystery which has been hidden from the ages and from the generations, but was now made manifest to His saints; 27to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory; 28Whom we proclaim, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ; 29to which end I am toiling also, striving according to His working, which is working in me with power.