77 Bible Verses about Paul, Apostle To Gentiles

But when He who set me apart even from my birth, and called me by His grace, saw fit to reveal His Son within me in order that I might tell among the Gentiles the Good News concerning Him, at once I did not confer with any human being,

But on the journey, as he was getting near Damascus, suddenly there flashed round him a light from Heaven; and falling to the ground he heard a voice which said to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?" "Who art thou, Lord?" he asked. "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting," was the reply.read more.
"But rise and go to the city, and you will be told what you are to do. Meanwhile the men who travelled with Saul were standing dumb with amazement, hearing a sound, but seeing no one. Then he rose from the ground, but when he had opened his eyes, he could not see, and they led him by the arm and brought him to Damascus. And for two days he remained without sight, and did not eat or drink anything. Now in Damascus there was a disciple of the name of Ananias. The Lord spoke to him in a vision, saying, "Ananias!" "I am here, Lord," he answered. "Rise," said the Lord, "and go to Straight Street, and inquire at the house of Judas for a man called Saul, from Tarsus, for he is actually praying. He has seen a man called Ananias come and lay his hands upon him so that he may recover his sight." "Lord," answered Ananias, "I have heard about that man from many, and I have heard of the great mischief he has done to Thy people in Jerusalem; and here he is authorized by the High Priests to arrest all who call upon Thy name." "Go," replied the Lord; "he is a chosen instrument of Mine to carry My name to the Gentiles and to kings and to the descendants of Israel. For I will let him know the great sufferings which he must pass through for My sake." So Ananias went and entered the house; and, laying his two hands upon Saul, said, "Saul, brother, the Lord--even Jesus who appeared to you on your journey--has sent me, that you may recover your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit." Instantly there dropped from his eyes what seemed to be scales, and he could see once more. Upon this he rose and received baptism; after which he took food and regained his strength. Then he remained some little time with the disciples in Damascus.

"But on my way, when I was now not far from Damascus, about noon a sudden blaze of light from Heaven shone round me. I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, "'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?' "'Who art thou, Lord?' I asked. "'I am Jesus, the Nazarene,' He replied, 'whom you are persecuting.'read more.
"Now the men who were with me, though they saw the light, did not hear the words of Him who spoke to me. And I asked, "'What am I to do, Lord?' "And the Lord said to me, "'Rise, and go into Damascus. There you shall be told of all that has been appointed for you to do.' "And as I could not see because the light had been so dazzling, those who were with me had to lead me by the arm, and so I came to Damascus. "And a certain Ananias, a pious man who obeyed the Law and bore a good character with all the Jews of the city, came to me and standing at my side said, "'Brother Saul, recover your sight.' "I instantly regained my sight and looked up at him. Then he said, 'The God of our forefathers has appointed you to know His will, and to see the righteous One and hear Him speak. For you shall be a witness for Him, to all men, of what you have seen and heard. And now why delay? Rise, get yourself baptized, and wash off your sins, calling upon His name.'

"While thus engaged, I was travelling one day to Damascus armed with authority and a commission from the High Priests, and on the journey, at noon, Sir, I saw a light from Heaven--brighter than the brightness of the sun--shining around me and around those who were travelling with me. We all fell to the ground; and I heard a voice which said to me in Hebrew, "'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? You are finding it painful to kick against the ox-goad.'read more.
"'Who art Thou, Lord?' I asked. "'I am Jesus whom you are persecuting,' the Lord replied. But rise, and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for the very purpose of appointing you My servant and My witness both as to the things you have already seen and as to those in which I will appear to you. I will save you from the Jewish people and from the Gentiles, to whom I send you to open their eyes, that they may turn from darkness to light and from the obedience to Satan to God, in order to receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified through faith in Me.'

Am I not free? Am I not an Apostle? Can it be denied that I have seen Jesus, our Lord? Are not you yourselves my work in the Lord?

and when they perceived the mission which was graciously entrusted to me, they (that is to say, James, Peter, and John, who were considered to be the pillars of the Church)

"'Go,' He replied; 'I will send you as an Apostle to nations far away.'"

For I will not presume to mention any of the results that Christ has brought about by other agency than mine in securing the obedience of the Gentiles by word or deed, with power manifested in signs and marvels, and through the power of the Holy Spirit. But--to speak simply of my own labours--beginning in Jerusalem and the outlying districts, I have proclaimed without reserve, even as far as Illyricum, the Good News of the Christ; making it my ambition, however, not to tell the Good News where Christ's name was already known, for fear I should be building on another man's foundation.read more.
But, as Scripture says, "Those shall see, to whom no report about Him has hitherto come, and those who until now have not heard shall understand."

We, however, will not exceed due limits in our boasting, but will keep within the limits of the sphere which God has assigned to us as a limit, which reaches even to you. For there is no undue stretch of authority on our part, as though it did not extend to you. We pressed on even to Corinth, and were the first to proclaim to you the Good News of the Christ. We do not exceed our due limits, and take credit for other men's labours; but we entertain the hope that, as your faith grows, we shall gain promotion among you--still keeping within our own sphere--promotion to a larger field of labour,read more.
and shall tell the Good News in the districts beyond you, not boasting in another man's sphere about work already done by him.

in which I have been appointed to serve, in virtue of the work which God, in the exercise of His power within me, has graciously entrusted to me. To me who am less than the least of all God's people has this work been graciously entrusted--to proclaim to the Gentiles the Good News of the exhaustless wealth of Christ, and to show all men in a clear light what my stewardship is. It is the stewardship of the truth which from all the Ages lay concealed in the mind of God, the Creator of all things--

If I go on preaching the Good News, that is nothing for me to boast of; for the necessity is imposed upon me; and alas for me, if I fail to preach it!

I am already under obligations alike to Greek-speaking races and to others, to cultured and to uncultured people: so that for my part I am willing and eager to proclaim the Good News to you also who are in Rome.

Therefore, because we realize how greatly the Lord is to be feared, we are endeavouring to win men over, and God recognizes what our motives are, and I hope that you, in your hearts, recognize them too. We are not again commending ourselves to your favour, but are furnishing you with a ground of boasting on our behalf, so that you may have a reply ready for those with whom superficial appearances are everything and sincerity of heart counts for nothing. For if we have been beside ourselves, it has been for God's glory; or if we are now in our right senses, it is in order to be of service to you.read more.
For the love of Christ overmasters us, the conclusion at which we have arrived being this--that One having died for all, His death was their death,

nor did we seek glory either from you or from any other mere men, although we might have stood on our dignity as Christ's Apostles. On the contrary, in our relations to you we showed ourselves as gentle as a mother is when she tenderly nurses her own children. Seeing that we were thus drawn affectionately towards you, it would have been a joy to us to have imparted to you not only God's Good News, but to have given our very lives also, because you had become very dear to us.read more.
For you remember, brethren, our labour and toil: how, working night and day so as not to become a burden to any one of you, we came and proclaimed among you God's Good News.

That is how I vindicate myself to those who criticize me. Have we not a right to claim food and drink? Have we not a right to take with us on our journeys a Christian sister as our wife, as the rest of the Apostles do--and the Lord's brothers and Peter?read more.
Or again, is it only Barnabas and myself who are not at liberty to give up working with our hands? What soldier ever serves at his own cost? Who plants a vineyard and yet does not eat any of the grapes? Or who tends a herd of cattle and yet does not taste their milk? Am I making use of merely worldly illustrations? Does not the Law speak in the same tone? For in the Law of Moses it is written, "Thou shalt not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain." Is God simply thinking about the oxen? Or is it really in our interest that He speaks? Of course, it was written in our interest, because it is His will that when a plough-man ploughs, and a thresher threshes, it should be in the hope of sharing that which comes as the result. If it is we who sowed the spiritual grain in you, is it a great thing that we should reap a temporal harvest from you? If other teachers possess that right over you, do not we possess it much more? Yet we have not availed ourselves of the right, but we patiently endure all things rather than hinder in the least degree the progress of the Good News of the Christ. Do you not know that those who perform the sacred rites have their food from the sacred place, and that those who serve at the altar all alike share with the altar? In the same way the Lord also directed those who proclaim the Good News to maintain themselves by the Good News. But I, for my part, have not used, and do not use, my full rights in any of these things. Nor do I now write with that object so far as I myself am concerned, for I would rather die than have anybody make this boast of mine an empty one. If I go on preaching the Good News, that is nothing for me to boast of; for the necessity is imposed upon me; and alas for me, if I fail to preach it! And if I preach willingly, I receive my wages; but if against my will, a stewardship has nevertheless been entrusted to me. What are my wages then? The very fact that the Good News which I preach will cost my hearers nothing, so that I cannot be charged with abuse of my privileges as a Christian preacher.

In what respect, therefore, have you been worse dealt with than other Churches, except that I myself never hung as a dead weight upon you? Forgive the injustice I thus did you!

(For we do not proclaim ourselves, but we proclaim Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bondservants for the sake of Jesus.)

I am telling you the truth as a Christian man--it is no falsehood, for my conscience enlightened, as it is, by the Holy Spirit adds its testimony to mine-- when I declare that I have deep grief and unceasing anguish of heart. For I could pray to be accursed from Christ on behalf of my brethren, my human kinsfolk--for such the Israelites are.

Though free from all human control, I have made myself the slave of all in the hope of winning as many converts as possible. To the Jews I have become like a Jew in order to win Jews; to men under the Law as if I were under the Law--although I am not--in order to win those who are under the Law; to men without Law as if I were without Law--although I am not without Law in relation to God but am abiding in Christ's Law--in order to win those who are without Law.read more.
To the weak I have become weak, so as to gain the weak. To all men I have become all things, in the hope that in every one of these ways I may save some. And I do everything for the sake of the Good News, that I may share with my hearers in its benefits.

Now I would have you know, brethren, that what I have gone through has turned out to the furtherance of the Good News rather than otherwise. And thus it has become notorious among all the Imperial Guards, and everywhere, that it is for the sake of Christ that I am a prisoner; and the greater part of the brethren, made confident in the Lord through my imprisonment, now speak of God's Message without fear, more boldly than ever.read more.
Some indeed actually preach Christ out of envy and contentiousness but there are also others who do it from good will. These latter preach Him from love to me, knowing that I am here for the defence of the Good News; while the others proclaim Him from motives of rivalry, and insincerely, supposing that by this they are embittering my imprisonment. What does it matter, however? In any case Christ is preached--either perversely or in honest truth; and in that I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice. For I know that it will result in my salvation through your prayers and a bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, in fulfilment of my eager expectation and hope that I shall never have reason to feel ashamed, but that by my perfect freedom of speech Christ will be glorified in me, now as always, either by my life or by my death. For, with me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. But since to live means a longer stay on earth, that implies more labour for me--and not unsuccessful labour; and which I am to choose I cannot tell. I am in a dilemma, my earnest desire being to depart and be with Christ, for that is far, far better. But for your sakes it is more important that I should still remain in the body. I am convinced of this, and I know that I shall remain, and shall go on working side by side with you all, to promote your progress and joy in the faith; so that, as Christians, you may have additional reason for glorying about me as the result of my being with you again.

And judging by the stupendous grandeur of the revelations--therefore lest I should be over-elated there has been sent to me, like the agony of impalement, Satan's angel dealing blow after blow, lest I should be over-elated. As for this, three times have I besought the Lord to rid me of him; but His reply has been, "My grace suffices for you, for power matures in weakness." Most gladly therefore will I boast of my infirmities rather than complain of them--in order that Christ's power may overshadow me.read more.
In fact I take pleasure in infirmities, in the bearing of insults, in distress, in persecutions, in grievous difficulties--for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

But we have this treasure in a fragile vase of clay, in order that the surpassing greatness of the power may be seen to belong to God, and not to originate in us. We are hard pressed, yet never in absolute distress; perplexed, yet never utterly baffled; pursued, yet never left unsuccoured; struck to the ground, yet never slain;read more.
always, wherever we go, carrying with us in our bodies the putting to death of Jesus, so that in our bodies it may also be clearly shown that Jesus lives.

We endeavour to give people no cause for stumbling in anything, lest the work we are doing should fall into discredit. On the contrary, as God's servants, we seek their full approval--by unwearied endurance, by afflictions, by distress, by helplessness; by floggings, by imprisonments; by facing riots, by toil, by sleepless watching, by hunger and thirst;read more.
by purity of life, by knowledge, by patience, by kindness, by the Holy Spirit, by sincere love; by the proclamation of the truth, by the power of God; by the weapons of righteousness, wielded in both hands; through honour and ignominy, through calumny and praise. We are looked upon as impostors and yet are true men; as obscure persons, and yet are well known; as on the point of death, and yet, strange to tell, we live; as under God's discipline, and yet we are not deprived of life; as sad, but we are always joyful; as poor, but we bestow wealth on many; as having nothing, and yet we securely possess all things.

I use the language of self-disparagement, as though I were admitting our own feebleness. Yet for whatever reason any one is 'courageous' --I speak in mere folly--I also am courageous. Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I. Are they servants of Christ? (I speak as if I were out of my mind.)read more.
From the Jews I five times have received forty lashes all but one. Three times I have been beaten with Roman rods, once I have been stoned, three times I have been shipwrecked, once for full four and twenty hours I was floating on the open sea. I have served Him by frequent travelling, amid dangers in crossing rivers, dangers from robbers; dangers from my own countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles; dangers in the city, dangers in the Desert, dangers by sea, dangers from spies in our midst; with labour and toil, with many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, in frequent fastings, in cold, and with insufficient clothing. And besides other things, which I pass over, there is that which presses on me daily--my anxiety for all the Churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is led astray into sin, and I am not aflame with indignation?

It is foolish of me to write all this, but you have compelled me to do so. Why, you ought to have been my vindicators; for in no respect have I been inferior to these superlatively great Apostles, even though in myself I am nothing. The signs that characterize the true Apostle have been done among you, accompanied by unwearied fortitude, and by tokens and marvels and displays of power.

When they had gone through the whole length of the island as far as Paphos, they there met with a Jewish magician and false prophet, Bar-Jesus by name, who was a friend of the Proconsul Sergius Paulus. The Proconsul was a man of keen intelligence. He sent for Barnabas and Saul, and asked to be told God's Message. But Elymas (or 'the Magician,' for such is the meaning of the name)read more.
Then Saul, who is also called Paul, was filled with the Holy Spirit, and, fixing his eyes on Elymas, said, "You who are full of every kind of craftiness and unscrupulous cunning--you son of the Devil and foe to all that is right--will you never cease to misrepresent the straight paths of the Lord? The Lord's hand is now upon you, and you will be blind for a time and unable to see the light of day." Instantly there fell upon him a mist and a darkness, and, as he walked about, he begged people to lead him by the hand. Then the Proconsul, seeing what had happened, believed, being struck with amazement at the teaching of the Lord.

God also brought about extraordinary miracles through Paul's instrumentality. Towels or aprons, for instance, which Paul had handled used to be carried to the sick, and they recovered from their ailments, or the evil spirits left them.

For I will not presume to mention any of the results that Christ has brought about by other agency than mine in securing the obedience of the Gentiles by word or deed, with power manifested in signs and marvels, and through the power of the Holy Spirit. But--to speak simply of my own labours--beginning in Jerusalem and the outlying districts, I have proclaimed without reserve, even as far as Illyricum, the Good News of the Christ;

And my language and the Message that I proclaimed were not adorned with persuasive words of earthly wisdom, but depended upon truths which the Spirit taught and mightily carried home; so that your trust might rest not on the wisdom of man but on the power of God.

knowing as we do, brethren, that you are beloved by God and that He has chosen you. The Good News that we brought you did not come to you in words only, but also with power and with the Holy Spirit and with much certainty, for you know the sort of men we became among you, as examples for your sakes.

I long to know Christ and the power which is in His resurrection, and to share in His sufferings and die even as He died; in the hope that I may attain to the resurrection from among the dead.

We have therefore a cheerful confidence. We know that while we are at home in the body we are banished from the Lord; for we are living a life of faith, and not one of sight. So we have a cheerful confidence, and we anticipate with greater delight being banished from the body and going home to the Lord.read more.
And for this reason also we make it our ambition, whether at home or in exile, to please Him perfectly. For we must all of us appear before Christ's judgement-seat in our true characters, in order that each may then receive an award for his actions in this life, in accordance with what he has done, whether it be good or whether it be worthless.

in fulfilment of my eager expectation and hope that I shall never have reason to feel ashamed, but that by my perfect freedom of speech Christ will be glorified in me, now as always, either by my life or by my death. For, with me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. But since to live means a longer stay on earth, that implies more labour for me--and not unsuccessful labour; and which I am to choose I cannot tell.read more.
I am in a dilemma, my earnest desire being to depart and be with Christ, for that is far, far better. But for your sakes it is more important that I should still remain in the body.

I for my part am like a drink-offering which is already being poured out; and the time for my departure is now close at hand. I have gone through the glorious contest; I have run the race; I have guarded the faith. From this time onward there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me, but also to all who love the thought of His Appearing.

For you know the condescending goodness of our Lord Jesus Christ--how for your sakes He became poor, though He was rich, in order that you through His poverty might grow rich.

As for us who are strong, our duty is to bear with the weaknesses of those who are not strong, and not seek our own pleasure. Let each of us endeavour to please his fellow Christian, aiming at a blessing calculated to build him up. For even the Christ did not seek His own pleasure. His principle was, "The reproaches which they addressed to Thee have fallen on me."

Let the same disposition be in you which was in Christ Jesus. Although from the beginning He had the nature of God He did not reckon His equality with God a treasure to be tightly grasped. Nay, He stripped Himself of His glory, and took on Him the nature of a bondservant by becoming a man like other men.read more.
And being recognized as truly human, He humbled Himself and even stooped to die; yes, to die on a cross. It is in consequence of this that God has also so highly exalted Him, and has conferred on Him the Name which is supreme above every other, in order that in the Name of JESUS every knee should bow, of beings in Heaven, of those on the earth, and of those in the underworld, and that every tongue should confess that JESUS CHRIST is LORD, to the glory of God the Father.

Be imitators of me, in so far as I in turn am an imitator of Christ.

I am not writing all this to shame you, but I am offering you advice as my dearly-loved children. For even if you were to have ten thousand spiritual instructors--for all that you could not have several fathers. It is I who in Christ Jesus became your father through the Good News. I entreat you therefore to become like me.read more.
For this reason I have sent Timothy to you. Spiritually he is my dearly-loved and faithful child. He will remind you of my habits as a Christian teacher--the manner in which I teach everywhere in every Church.

I do not say that I have already won the race or have already reached perfection. But I am pressing on, striving to lay hold of the prize for which also Christ has laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not imagine that I have yet laid hold of it. But this one thing I do--forgetting everything which is past and stretching forward to what lies in front of me, with my eyes fixed on the goal I push on to secure the prize of God's heavenward call in Christ Jesus.read more.
Therefore let all of us who are mature believers cherish these thoughts; and if in any respect you think differently, that also God will make clear to you. But whatever be the point that we have already reached, let us persevere in the same course. Brethren, vie with one another in imitating me, and carefully observe those who follow the example which we have set you.

Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever wins respect, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovable, whatever is of good repute--if there is any virtue or anything deemed worthy of praise--cherish the thought of these things. The doctrines and the line of conduct which I taught you--both what you heard and what you saw in me-- hold fast to them; and God who gives peace will be with you.

But, by the authority of the Lord, we command you, brethren, to stand aloof from every brother whose life is disorderly and not in accordance with the teaching which all received from us. For you yourselves know that it is your duty to follow our example. There was no disorder in our lives among you, nor did we eat any one's bread without paying for it, but we laboured and toiled, working hard night and day in order not to be a burden to any of you.read more.
This was not because we had not a claim upon you, but it arose from a desire to set you an example--for you to imitate us.

Now I can find joy amid my sufferings for you, and I fill up in my own person whatever is lacking in Christ's afflictions on behalf of His Body, the Church.

For just as we have more than our share of suffering for the Christ, so also through the Christ we have more than our share of comfort. But if, on the one hand, we are enduring affliction, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if, on the other hand, we are receiving comfort, it is for your comfort which is produced within you through your patient fortitude under the same sufferings as those which we also are enduring. And our hope for you is stedfast; for we know that as you are partners with us in the sufferings, so you are also partners in the comfort.read more.
For as for our troubles which came upon us in the province of Asia, we would have you know, brethren, that we were exceedingly weighed down, and felt overwhelmed, so that we renounced all hope even of life. Nay, we had, as we still have, the sentence of death within our own selves, in order that our confidence may repose, not on ourselves, but on God who raised the dead to life.

But we have this treasure in a fragile vase of clay, in order that the surpassing greatness of the power may be seen to belong to God, and not to originate in us. We are hard pressed, yet never in absolute distress; perplexed, yet never utterly baffled; pursued, yet never left unsuccoured; struck to the ground, yet never slain;read more.
always, wherever we go, carrying with us in our bodies the putting to death of Jesus, so that in our bodies it may also be clearly shown that Jesus lives. For we, alive though we are, are continually surrendering ourselves to death for the sake of Jesus, so that in this mortal nature of ours it may also be clearly shown that Jesus lives. Thus we are constantly dying, while you are in full enjoyment of Life.

From this time onward let no one trouble me; for, as for me, I bear, branded on my body, the scars of Jesus as my Master.

For the reason for our boasting is this--the testimony of our own conscience that it was in holiness and with pure motives before God, and in reliance not on worldly wisdom but on the gracious help of God, that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and above all in our relations with you.

From Miletus he sent to Ephesus for the Elders of the Church to come to him. Upon their arrival he said to them, "You Elders well know, from the first day of my setting foot in the province of Asia, the kind of life I lived among you the whole time, serving the Lord in all humility, and with tears, and amid trials which came upon me through the plotting of the Jews--read more.
and that I never shrank from declaring to you anything that was profitable, or from teaching you in public and in your homes, and urging upon both Jews and Greeks the necessity of turning to God and of believing in Jesus our Lord.

We are; for, unlike most teachers, we are not fraudulent hucksters of God's Message; but with transparent motives, as commissioned by God, in God's presence and in communion with Christ, so we speak.

Therefore, being engaged in this service and being mindful of the mercy which has been shown us, we are not cowards. Nay, we have renounced the secrecy which marks a feeling of shame. We practice no cunning tricks, nor do we adulterate God's Message. But by a full clear statement of the truth we strive to commend ourselves in the presence of God to every human conscience.

You yourselves are witnesses--and God is witness--how holy and upright and blameless our dealings with you believers were. For you know that we acted towards every one of you as a father does towards his own children, encouraging and cheering you, and imploring you to live lives worthy of fellowship with God who is inviting you to share His own Kingship and glory.

For God is my witness how I yearn over all of you with tender Christian affection.

Is it a sin that I abased myself in order for you to be exalted, in that I proclaimed God's Good News to you without fee or reward? Other Churches I robbed, receiving pay from them in order to do you service. And when I was with you and my resources failed, there was no one to whom I became a burden--for the brethren when they came from Macedonia fully supplied my wants--and I kept myself from being in the least a burden to you, and will do so still.read more.
Christ knows that it is true when I say that I will not be stopped from boasting of this anywhere in Greece. And why? Because I do not love you? God knows that I do.

See, I am now for the third time prepared to visit you, but I will not be a dead weight to you. I desire not your money, but yourselves; for children ought not to put by for their parents, but parents for their children. And as for me, most gladly will I spend all I have and be utterly spent for your salvation.

and as for you, may the Lord teach you to love one another and all men, with a growing and a glowing love, resembling our love for you.

We continually give thanks to God because of you all, while we make mention of you in our prayers.

First of all, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for what He has done for all of you; for the report of your faith is spreading through the whole world. I call God to witness--to whom I render priestly and spiritual service by telling the Good News about His Son-- how unceasingly I make mention of you in His presence, always in my prayers entreating that now, at length, if such be His will, the way may by some means be made clear for me to come to you.

For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which prevails among you, and of your love for all God's people, offer never ceasing thanks on your behalf while I make mention of you in my prayers. For I always beseech the God of our Lord Jesus Christ--the Father most glorious--to give you a spirit of wisdom and penetration through an intimate knowledge of Him,read more.
the eyes of your understanding being enlightened so that you may know what is the hope which His call to you inspires, what the wealth of the glory of His inheritance in God's people, and what the transcendent greatness of His power in us believers as seen in the working of His infinite might

It is with this view also that we continually pray to our God for you, asking that He will count you worthy of His call, and by His mighty power fully gratify your every desire for what is truly good and make your work of faith complete; in order that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and that you may be glorified in Him--so wonderful is the grace of our God and of the Lord Jesus Christ!

Brethren, pray for us.

But I entreat you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love which His Spirit inspires, to help me by wrestling in prayer to God on my behalf, asking that I may escape unhurt from those in Judaea who are disobedient, and that the service which I am going to Jerusalem to render may be well received by the Church there, in order that if God be willing I may come to you with a glad heart, and may enjoy a time of rest with you.

and ask on my behalf that words may be given to me so that, outspoken and fearless, I may make known the truths (hitherto kept secret) to spread which I am an ambassador in chains--so that when telling them I may speak out boldly as I ought.

On Christ's behalf therefore we come as ambassadors, God, as it were, making entreaty through our lips: we, on Christ's behalf, beseech men to be reconciled to God.

making it my ambition, however, not to tell the Good News where Christ's name was already known, for fear I should be building on another man's foundation.

In discharge of the task which God graciously entrusted to me, I--like a competent master-builder--have laid a foundation, and others are building upon it. But let every one be careful how and what he builds.

What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? They are just God's servants, through whose efforts, and as the Lord granted power to each, you accepted the faith. I planted and Apollos watered; but it was God who was, all the time, giving the increase. So that neither the planter nor the waterer is of any importance. God who gives the increase is all in all.read more.
Now in aim and purpose the planter and the waterer are one; and yet each will receive his own special reward, answering to his own special work. Apollos and I are simply fellow workers for and with God, and you are *God's* field-- *God's* building.

For even if you were to have ten thousand spiritual instructors--for all that you could not have several fathers. It is I who in Christ Jesus became your father through the Good News.

For you know that we acted towards every one of you as a father does towards his own children, encouraging and cheering you, and imploring you to live lives worthy of fellowship with God who is inviting you to share His own Kingship and glory.

you for whom I am again, as it were, undergoing the pains of childbirth, until Christ is fully formed within you.

nor did we seek glory either from you or from any other mere men, although we might have stood on our dignity as Christ's Apostles. On the contrary, in our relations to you we showed ourselves as gentle as a mother is when she tenderly nurses her own children.

God, it seems to me, has exhibited us Apostles last of all, as men condemned to death; for we have come to be a spectacle to all creation--alike to angels and to men.

But to God be the thanks who in Christ ever heads our triumphal procession, and by our hands waves in every place that sweet incense, the knowledge of Him. For we are a fragrance of Christ grateful to God in those whom He is saving and in those who are perishing; to the last-named an odor of death predictive of death, and to the others an odor of life predictive of life. And for such service as this who is competent?

Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an Apostle, set apart to proclaim God's Good News,

Paul and Timothy, bondservants of Christ Jesus: To all God's people in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the ministers of the Church and their assistants.

Paul, a bondservant of God and an Apostle of Jesus Christ for building up the faith of God's own people and spreading a full knowledge of the truths of religion,

You then, my child, must be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. All that you have been taught by me in the hearing of many witnesses, you must hand on to trusty men who shall themselves, in turn, be competent to instruct others also.

Provide yourself with an outline of the sound teaching which you have heard from my lips, and be true to the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. That precious treasure which is in your charge, guard through the Holy Spirit who has His home in our hearts.