Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

³ I thank my God every time I think of you! ⁴ I always pray with joy, whenever I pray for you all, ⁵ because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. ⁶ Of this I’m convinced: the one who began a good work in you will thoroughly complete it by the day of Messiah Jesus.

⁷ It’s right for me to think this way about all of you. You have me in your hearts, here in prison as I am, working to defend and bolster up the gospel. You are my partners in grace, all of you! ⁸ Yes: God can bear witness how much I’m longing for all of you with the deep love of Messiah Jesus.

⁹ And this is what I’m praying: that your love may overflow still more and more, in knowledge and in all astute wisdom. ¹⁰ Then you will be able to tell the difference between good and evil, and be sincere and faultless on the day of the Messiah, ¹¹ filled to overflowing with the fruit of right living, fruit that comes through Messiah Jesus to God’s glory and praise.

The Messiah is proclaimed

¹² Now, my dear family, I want you to know that the things I’ve been through have actually helped the gospel on its way. ¹³ You see, everybody in the Imperial Guard, and all the rest for that matter, have heard that I am here, chained up, because of the Messiah. ¹⁴ My imprisonment has given new confidence to most of the Lord’s family; they are now much more prepared to speak the word boldly and fearlessly.