It is not that we are trying to rule over your faith, but rather to work with you for your joy, because you have been standing firm in the faith.

And so death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.

in beatings, imprisonments, and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights, and hunger;

So we urged Titus to finish this work of kindness among you in the same way that he had started it.

Indeed, the more your faith, speech, knowledge, enthusiasm, and love for us increase, the more we want you to be rich in this work of kindness.

More than that, he has also been selected by the churches to travel with us while we are administering this work of kindness for the glory of the Lord and as evidence of our eagerness to help.

Besides, God is able to make every blessing of yours overflow for you, so that in every situation you will always have all you need for any good work.

We are not boasting about work done by others that cannot be evaluated. On the contrary, we cherish the hope that your faith may continue to grow and enlarge our sphere of action among you until it overflows.

But I will go on doing what I'm doing in order to deny an opportunity to those people who want an opportunity to be recognized as our equals in the work they are boasting about.