Acts 20:18-19
18And when they came to him, he said to them:a“You yourselves know bhow I lived among you the whole time cfrom the first day that I set foot in Asia, 19 dserving the Lord ewith all humility and with ftears and with trials that happened to me through gthe plots of the Jews;
Acts 20:33-35
33 hI coveted no one’s silver or gold or apparel. 34 iYou yourselves know that jthese hands ministered to my necessities and kto those who were with me. 35In all things lI have shown you that mby working hard in this way we must nhelp the weak and oremember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed pto give than to receive.’”1 Corinthians 2:2-5
2For I decided to know nothing among you except qJesus Christ and him crucified. 3And rI was with you sin weakness and in fear and much trembling, 4and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of tthe Spirit and of power, 5so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men ▼▼The Greek word anthropoi can refer to both men and women
but vin the power of God. 1 Corinthians 4:9-13
9For I think that God has exhibited us apostles as last of all, wlike men sentenced to death, because we xhave become a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men. 10 yWe are fools for Christ’s sake, but zyou are wise in Christ. aaWe are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honor, but we in disrepute. 11To the present hour abwe hunger and thirst, we are poorly dressed and acbuffeted and adhomeless, 12and we aelabor, working with our own hands. afWhen reviled, we bless; agwhen persecuted, we endure; 13when slandered, we entreat. ahWe have become, and are still, like the scum of the world, aithe refuse of all things.1 Corinthians 10:33
33just as ajI try to please everyone in everything I do, aknot seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved.2 Corinthians 4:1-2
The Light of the Gospel
1Therefore, having althis ministry amby the mercy of God, ▼▼Greek as we have received mercy
we do not lose heart. 2But we have renounced aodisgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice ▼▼Greek to walk in
cunning or aqto tamper with God’s word, but arby the open statement of the truth aswe would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. 1 Thessalonians 2:1-11
Paul’s Ministry to the Thessalonians
1For you yourselves know, brothers, ▼▼Or brothers and sisters; also verses 9, 14, 17
that our aucoming to you avwas not in vain. 2But though we had already suffered and been shamefully treated awat Philippi, as you know, axwe had boldness in our God ayto declare to you the gospel of God in the midst of much azconflict. 3For baour appeal does not spring from bberror or bcimpurity or bdany attempt to deceive, 4but just as we have been approved by God beto be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not bfto please man, but to please God bgwho tests our hearts. 5 bhFor we never came with words of flattery, ▼▼Or with a flattering speech
as you know, nor with a pretext for greed— bjGod is witness. 6 bkNor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, blthough we could have made bmdemands as bnapostles of Christ. 7But we were bogentle ▼▼Some manuscripts infants
among you, bqlike a nursing mother taking care of her own children. 8So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God brbut also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us. 9For you remember, brothers, bsour labor and toil: we btworked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. 10You are witnesses, and buGod also, bvhow holy and righteous and blameless was our conduct toward you believers. 11For you know how, bwlike a father with his children,
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