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Paul Defends His Ministry

^1 (a)I, Paul, myself entreat you, by the ^(b)meekness and gentleness of Christ—I who am humble when face to face with you, but bold toward you when I am away!— ² I beg of you ^(c)that when I am present I may not have to show ^(d)boldness with such confidence as I count on showing against some who suspect us of walking according to the flesh. ³ For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. ⁴ For the ^(e)weapons of ^(f)our warfare are not of the flesh but have ^(g)divine power ^(h)to destroy strongholds. ⁵ We destroy arguments and ⁽ⁱ⁾every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to ^(j)obey Christ, ^6 (k)being ready to punish every disobedience, ^(l)when your obedience is complete.

^7 (m)Look at what is before your eyes. ⁽ⁿ⁾If anyone is confident that he is Christ's, let him remind himself that just as ^(o)he is Christ's, ^(p)so also are we. ⁸ For even if I boast a little too much of ^(q)our authority, which the Lord gave for building you up and not for destroying you, I will not be ashamed. ⁹ I do not want to appear to be frightening you with my letters. ¹⁰ For they say, "His letters are weighty and strong, but ^(r)his bodily presence is weak, and ^(s)his speech of no account." ¹¹ Let such a person understand that what we say by letter when absent, we do when present. ¹² Not that we dare to classify or ^(t)compare ourselves with some of those who ^(u)are commending themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are ^(v)without understanding.

¹³ But we will not boast ^(w)beyond limits, but will ^(x)boast only with regard to the area of influence God assigned to us, ^(y)to reach even to you. ¹⁴ For we are not overextending ourselves, as though we did not reach you. ^(z)For we were the first to come all the way to you with the gospel of Christ. ¹⁵ We do not boast beyond limit in the labors of others. But our hope is that ^(aa)as your faith increases, our area of influence among you may be ^(ab)greatly enlarged, ¹⁶ so that we may preach the gospel in lands beyond you, without boasting of work already done in another's area of influence. ¹⁷ "Let ^(ac)the one who boasts, boast in the Lord." ¹⁸ For it is ^(ad)not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one ^(ae)whom the Lord commends.