⁹ because a great door for effective work has opened to me,^(A) and there are many who oppose me.

²⁷ On arriving there, they gathered the church together and reported all that God had done through them^(A) and how he had opened a door^(B) of faith to the Gentiles.

Ministers of the New Covenant

¹² Now when I went to Troas^(A) to preach the gospel of Christ^(B) and found that the Lord had opened a door^(C) for me,

³ And pray for us, too, that God may open a door^(A) for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery^(B) of Christ, for which I am in chains.^(C)

To the Church in Philadelphia

⁷ “To the angel of the church in Philadelphia^(A) write:

¹⁸ For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears,^(A) many live as enemies of the cross of Christ.^(B)

⁸ We do not want you to be uninformed,^(A) brothers and sisters,^[a] about the troubles we experienced^(B) in the province of Asia.^(C) We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. ⁹ Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God,^(D) who raises the dead.^{(E) 10} He has delivered us from such a deadly peril,^(F) and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope^(G) that he will continue to deliver us,

³² If I fought wild beasts^(A) in Ephesus^(B) with no more than human hopes, what have I gained? If the dead are not raised,

⁸ Paul entered the synagogue^(A) and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God.^{(B) 9} But some of them^(C) became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way.^(D) So Paul left them. He took the disciples^(E) with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. ¹⁰ This went on for two years,^(F) so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia^(G) heard the word of the Lord.^(H)