Paul’s Ministry

2 For you know, brothers and sisters, that our coming to you has not been ineffective (fruitless, in vain), ² but after we had already suffered and been outrageously treated in Philippi, as you know, yet in [the strength of] our God we summoned the courage to proclaim boldly to you the good news of God [regarding salvation] amid great opposition. ³ For our appeal does not come from delusion or impure motives, nor [is it motivated] by deceit [our message is complete, accurate, and based on the truth—it does not change]. ⁴ But just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel [that tells the good news of salvation through faith in Christ], so we speak, not as [if we were trying] to please people [to gain power and popularity], but to please God who examines our hearts [expecting our best]. ⁵ For as you well know, we never came with words of flattery nor with a pretext for greed—God is our witness— ⁶ nor did we seek glory and honor from people, neither from you nor from anyone else, though as apostles of Christ we had the power to assert our authority. ⁷ But we behaved gently when we were among you, like a devoted mother tenderly caring for her own children. ⁸ Having such a deep affection for you, we ^[a]were delighted to share with you not only God’s good news but also our own lives, because you had become so very dear to us.

⁹ For you remember, ^[b]believers, our labor and hardship. We worked night and day [practicing our trade] in order not to be a [financial] burden to any of you while we proclaimed the gospel of God to you. ¹⁰ You are witnesses, and so is God, how unworldly and just and blameless was our behavior toward you who believe [in our Lord Jesus Christ]. ¹¹ For you know how we were exhorting and encouraging and imploring each one of you just as a father does [in dealing with] his own children, [guiding you] ¹² to live lives [of honor, moral courage, and personal integrity] worthy of the God who [saves you and] calls you into His own kingdom and glory.

¹³ And we also thank God continually for this, that when you received the word of God [concerning salvation] which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of [mere] men, but as it truly is, the word of God, which is effectually at work in you who believe [exercising its inherent, supernatural power in those of faith]. ¹⁴ For you, ^[c]brothers and sisters, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea, because you too suffered the same [kind of] persecution from your own countrymen, as they did from the Jews, ¹⁵ who ^[d]killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and harassed and drove us out; and [they] continue to be highly displeasing to God and [to show themselves] hostile to all people, ¹⁶ forbidding us from speaking to the Gentiles (non-Jews) so that they may be saved. So, as always, they fill up [to the brim] the measure of their sins [allotted to them by God]. But [God’s] wrath has come upon them at last [completely and forever].^(A)

¹⁷ But since we were taken away from you, believers, for a little while—in person, but not in heart—we endeavored, with great longing to see you face to face. ¹⁸ For we wanted to come to you—I, Paul, again and again [wanted to come], but Satan hindered us. ¹⁹ For who is [the object of] our hope or joy or our victor’s wreath of triumphant celebration [when we stand] in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming? Is it not you? ²⁰ For you are [indeed] our glory and our joy!