⁷ because they went forth for His name’s sake, ^(A)taking nothing from the Gentiles.

³ and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have ^(A)not become weary.

Sacrificial Service for Christ

^24 (A)I now rejoice in my sufferings ^(B)for you, and fill up in my flesh ^(C)what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for ^(D)the sake of His body, which is the church,

¹³ For what is it in which you were inferior to other churches, except that I myself was not burdensome to you? Forgive me this wrong!

⁷ Did I commit sin in ^[a]humbling myself that you might be exalted, because I preached the gospel of God to you ^(A)free of charge? ⁸ I robbed other churches, taking wages from them to minister to you. ⁹ And when I was present with you, and in need, ^(B)I was a burden to no one, for what I lacked ^(C)the brethren who came from Macedonia supplied. And in everything I kept myself from being burdensome to you, and so I will keep myself.

^5 (A)For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ^(B)ourselves your bondservants for Jesus’ sake.

¹⁸ What is my reward then? That ^(A)when I preach the gospel, I may present the gospel ^[a]of Christ without charge, that I ^(B)may not abuse my authority in the gospel.

¹⁵ And he returned to the man of God, he and all his aides, and came and stood before him; and he said, “Indeed, now I know that there is ^(A)no God in all the earth, except in Israel; now therefore, please take ^(B)a gift from your servant.”

¹⁶ But he said, ^(C)“As the Lord lives, before whom I stand, ^(D)I will receive nothing.” And he urged him to take it, but he refused.

¹² If others are partakers of this right over you, are we not even more?

^(A)Nevertheless we have not used this right, but endure all things ^(B)lest we hinder the gospel of Christ. ^13 (C)Do you not know that those who minister the holy things eat of the things of the ^(D)temple, and those who serve at the altar partake of the offerings of the altar? ¹⁴ Even so ^(E)the Lord has commanded ^(F)that those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel.

¹⁵ But ^(G)I have used none of these things, nor have I written these things that it should be done so to me; for ^(H)it would be better for me to die than that anyone should make my boasting void.