Paul’s ministry in Thessalonica

2 As you yourselves know, brothers and sisters, our visit with you wasn’t a waste of time. ² On the contrary, we had the courage through God to speak God’s good news in spite of a lot of opposition, although we had already suffered and were publicly insulted in Philippi, as you know. ³ Our appeal isn’t based on false information, the wrong motives, or deception. ⁴ Rather, we have been examined and approved by God to be trusted with the good news, and that’s exactly how we speak. We aren’t trying to please people, but we are trying to please God, who continues to examine our hearts. ⁵ As you know, we never used flattery, and God is our witness that we didn’t have greedy motives. ⁶ We didn’t ask for special treatment from people—not from you or from others— ⁷ although we could have thrown our weight around as Christ’s apostles. Instead, we were gentle with you like a nursing mother caring for her own children. ⁸ We were glad to share not only God’s good news with you but also our very lives because we cared for you so much.

Psalm 139

For the music leader. Of David. A song.

²³ “How terrible it will be for you legal experts and Pharisees! Hypocrites! You give to God a tenth of mint, dill, and cumin, but you forget about the more important matters of the Law: justice, peace, and faith. You ought to give a tenth but without forgetting about those more important matters. ²⁴ You blind guides! You filter out an ant but swallow a camel.

²⁵ “How terrible it will be for you legal experts and Pharisees! Hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and plate, but inside they are full of violence and pleasure seeking. ²⁶ Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup so that the outside of the cup will be clean too.

Psalm 91

¹⁵ The Lord your God will raise up a prophet like me from your community, from your fellow Israelites. He’s the one you must listen to. ¹⁶ That’s exactly what you requested from the Lord your God at Horeb, on the day of the assembly, when you said, “I can’t listen to the Lord my God’s voice anymore or look at this great fire any longer. I don’t want to die!”

¹⁷ The Lord said to me: What they’ve said is right. ¹⁸ I’ll raise up a prophet for them from among their fellow Israelites—one just like you. I’ll put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him.

⁹ I suppose that God has shown that we apostles are at the end of the line. We are like prisoners sentenced to death, because we have become a spectacle in the world, both to angels and to humans. ¹⁰ We are fools for Christ, but you are wise through Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are honored, but we are dishonored! ¹¹ Up to this very moment we are hungry, thirsty, wearing rags, abused, and homeless. ¹² We work hard with our own hands. When we are insulted, we respond with a blessing; when we are harassed, we put up with it; ¹³ when our reputation is attacked, we are encouraging. We have become the scum of the earth, the waste that runs off everything, up to the present time.

¹⁴ I’m not writing these things to make you ashamed but to warn you, since you are my loved children. ¹⁵ You may have ten thousand mentors in Christ, but you don’t have many fathers. I gave birth to you in Christ Jesus through the gospel,

The disciples debate greatness

²⁴ An argument broke out among the disciples over which one of them should be regarded as the greatest.

²⁵ But Jesus said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles rule over their subjects, and those in authority over them are called ‘friends of the people.’ ²⁶ But that’s not the way it will be with you. Instead, the greatest among you must become like a person of lower status and the leader like a servant. ²⁷ So which one is greater, the one who is seated at the table or the one who serves at the table? Isn’t it the one who is seated at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.

²⁸ “You are the ones who have continued with me in my trials. ²⁹ And I confer royal power on you just as my Father granted royal power to me. ³⁰ Thus you will eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and you will sit on thrones overseeing the twelve tribes of Israel.