Study Desk

God will make you rich in every way so that you can always give freely. And your giving through us will make people give thanks to God.

It may seem as though we boast too much about the authority the Lord gave us. But he gave us this authority to strengthen you, not to hurt you. So I will not be ashamed of whatever boasting we do.

We don't dare put ourselves in the same class with those who think they are so important. We don't compare ourselves to them. They use themselves to measure themselves, and they judge themselves by what they themselves are. This shows that they know nothing.

I accepted pay from other churches. I took their money so that I could serve you.

So it does not surprise us if Satan's servants make themselves look like servants who work for what is right. But in the end those people will get the punishment they deserve.

Others are boasting about their lives in the world. So I will boast too.

You are wise, so you will gladly be patient with fools!

Are those people Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they from Abraham's family? So am I.

When I was in Damascus, the governor under King Aretas wanted to arrest me, so he put guards around the city.

But some friends put me in a basket. Then they put the basket through a hole in the wall and lowered me down. So I escaped from the governor.

But I must not be too proud of the wonderful things that were shown to me. So a painful problem was given to me—an angel from Satan, sent to make me suffer, so that I would not think that I am better than anyone else.

But the Lord said, "My grace is all you need. Only when you are weak can everything be done completely by my power." So I will gladly boast about my weaknesses. Then Christ's power can stay in me.

So you received everything that the other churches have received. Only one thing was different: I was not a burden to you. Forgive me for this!

So I am happy to give everything I have for you. I will even give myself for you. If I love you more, will you love me less?

I'm writing this before I come so that when I am there I will not have to use my authority to punish you. The Lord gave me that authority to make you stronger, not to destroy you.

Final Warnings and Greetings This will be my third time to visit you. And remember, "For every complaint there must be two or three people to say that they know it is true." When I was with you the second time, I gave a warning to those who had sinned. I am not there now, but I am giving another warning to them and to anyone else who has sinned: When I come to you again, I will punish you. You want proof that Christ is speaking through me. My proof is that he is not weak in dealing with you but is showing his power among you. It is true that Christ was weak when he was killed on the cross, but he lives now by God's power. It is also true that we share his weakness, but in dealing with you, we will be alive in him by God's power. Look closely at yourselves. Test yourselves to see if you are living in the faith. Don't you realize that Christ Jesus is in you? Of course, if you fail the test, he is not in you. But I hope you will see that we have not failed the test. We pray to God that you will not do anything wrong. Our concern here is not for people to see that we have passed the test in our work with you. Our main concern is that you do what is right, even if it looks as if we have failed the test. We cannot do anything that is against the truth but only what promotes the truth. We are happy to be weak if you are strong. And this is what we pray—that your lives will be made completely right again. I'm writing this before I come so that when I am there I will not have to use my authority to punish you. The Lord gave me that authority to make you stronger, not to destroy you. Now, brothers and sisters, be filled with joy. Try to make everything right, and do what I have asked you to do. Agree with each other, and live in peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you. Give each other the special greeting of God's people. All of God's holy people here send you their greetings. I pray that you will enjoy the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.

We told you the true Good News message. So anyone who tells you a different message should be condemned—even if it's one of us or even an angel from heaven!

But God had special plans for me even before I was born. So he chose me through his grace.

It pleased him to let me see and know his Son so that I could tell the Good News about him to the non-Jewish people. I immediately prepared to do this work without asking for advice or help from anyone.

I went there because God showed me that I should go. I explained to them the message that I tell the non-Jewish people. I also met alone with those who were considered to be the leaders. I wanted to be sure we were in agreement so that my past work and the work I do now would not be wasted.