Study Desk

Everyone around here knows why I am in prison. It is because I preached about Jesus Christ. All the soldiers who work for the leader of the country know why I am here.

Some are preaching because they are jealous and want to make trouble. Others are doing it for the right reason.

The others preach about Christ for what they get out of it. Their hearts are not right. They want to make me suffer while I am in prison.

Because of your prayers and the help the Holy Spirit gives me, all of this will turn out for good.

But it is more important for you that I stay.

Do not be afraid of those who hate you. Their hate for you proves they will be destroyed. It proves you have life from God that lasts forever.

You are not only to put your trust in Him, but you are to suffer for Him also.

You know what the fight is like. Now it is time for you to have a part in it as I have.

Are you strong because you belong to Christ? Does His love comfort you? Do you have joy by being as one in sharing the Holy Spirit? Do you have loving-kindness and pity for each other?

Take a strong hold on the Word of Life. Then when Christ comes again, I will be happy that I did not work with you for nothing.

Even if I give my life as a gift on the altar to God for you, I am glad and share this joy with you.

Take him into your church with joy. Show respect for men like him.

He came close to death while working for Christ. He almost died doing things for me that you could not do.

So now, my Christian brothers, be happy because you belong to Christ. It is not hard for me to write the same things to you. It is good for you.

Watch out for false teachers. Watch out for sinful men. They want you to depend on the religious act of becoming a Jew for your hope.

I could have reason to trust in the flesh. If anyone could feel that the flesh could do something for him, I could.

I followed my religion with all my heart and did everything I could to make it hard for the church. No one could say anything against the way I obeyed the Law.

But I gave up those things that were so important to me for Christ.

Even more than that, I think of everything as worth nothing. It is so much better to know Christ Jesus my Lord. I have lost everything for Him. And I think of these things as worth nothing so that I can have Christ.

But we are citizens of heaven. Christ, the One Who saves from the punishment of sin, will be coming down from heaven again. We are waiting for Him to return.