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Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the church of God in Corinth, together with all his holy people throughout Achaia:
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He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us,
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as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.
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as you have understood us in part, you will come to understand fully that you can boast of us just as we will boast of you in the day of the Lord Jesus.
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Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow.
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Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, like some people, letters of recommendation to you or from you?
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will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious?
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because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you to himself.
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All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.
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because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked.
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And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.
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that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.
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Paul’s Hardships
We put no stumbling block in anyone’s path, so that our ministry will not be discredited.
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What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.”
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Therefore, “Come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.”
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And, “I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”
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The Collection for the Lord’s People
And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches.
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they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people.
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And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us.
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Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means.
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For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have.
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At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. The goal is equality,
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There is no need for me to write to you about this service to the Lord’s people.
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So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to visit you in advance and finish the arrangements for the generous gift you had promised. Then it will be ready as a generous gift, not as one grudgingly given.
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Generosity Encouraged
Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.
