Now I myself, Paul, urge you through the gentleness and clemency of Christ, I who am humble when face to face with you, but brave toward you when absent, I beg you that, when present, I may not have to be brave with that confidence with which I intend to act boldly against some who consider us as acting according to the flesh. For, although we are in the flesh, we do not battle according to the flesh, for the weapons of our battle are not of flesh but are enormously powerful, capable of destroying fortresses. We destroy arguments and every pretension raising itself against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive in obedience to Christ, and we are ready to punish every disobedience, once your obedience is complete. Look at what confronts you. Whoever is confident of belonging to Christ should consider that as he belongs to Christ, so do we. And even if I should boast a little too much of our authority, which the Lord gave for building you up and not for tearing you down, I shall not be put to shame. May I not seem as one frightening you through letters. For someone will say, "His letters are severe and forceful, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible." Such a person must understand that what we are in word through letters when absent, that we also are in action when present.
Not that we dare to class or compare ourselves with some of those who recommend themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding. But we will not boast beyond measure but will keep to the limits God has apportioned us, namely, to reach even to you. For we are not overreaching ourselves, as though we did not reach you; we indeed first came to you with the gospel of Christ. We are not boasting beyond measure, in other people's labors; yet our hope is that, as your faith increases, our influence among you may be greatly enlarged, within our proper limits, so that we may preach the gospel even beyond you, not boasting of work already done in another's sphere. "Whoever boasts, should boast in the Lord." For it is not the one who recommends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord recommends.
Preaching Without Charge
If only you would put up with a little foolishness from me! Please put up with me. For I am jealous of you with the jealousy of God, since I betrothed you to one husband to present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts may be corrupted from a sincere [and pure] commitment to Christ. For if someone comes and preaches another Jesus than the one we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it well enough. For I think that I am not in any way inferior to these '"Superapostles." Even if I am untrained in speaking, I am not so in knowledge; in every way we have made this plain to you in all things.
Did I make a mistake when I humbled myself so that you might be exalted, because I preached the gospel of God to you without charge? I plundered other churches by accepting from them in order to minister to you. And when I was with you and in need, I did not burden anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied my needs. So I refrained and will refrain from burdening you in any way. By the truth of Christ in me, this boast of mine shall not be silenced in the regions of Achaia. And why Because I do not love you? God knows I do! And what I do I will continue to do, in order to end this pretext for being regarded as we are in the mission of which they boast. For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, who masquerade as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan masquerades as an angel of light. So it is not strange that his ministers also masquerade as ministers of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.
Paul's Boast: His Labors
I repeat, no one should consider me foolish; but if you do, accept me as a fool, so that I too may boast a little. What I am saying I am not saying according to the Lord but as foolishness, in this boastful state. Since many boast according to the flesh, I too will boast. For you gladly put up with fools, since you are wise yourselves. For you put up with it if someone enslaves you, or devours you, or gets the better of you, or puts on airs, or slaps you in the face. To my shame I say that we were too weak!
But what anyone dares to boast of (I am speaking in foolishness) I also dare. Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I. Are they ministers of Christ? (I am talking like an insane person.) I'm still more, with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, far worse beatings, and numerous brushes with death. Five times at the hands of the Jews I received forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I passed a night and a day on the deep; on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my own race, dangers from Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers at sea, dangers among false brothers, in toil and hardship, through many sleepless nights, through hunger and thirst, through frequent fastings, through cold and exposure. And apart from these things, there is the daily pressure upon me of my anxiety for all the churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak: Who is led to sin, and I am not indignant?
Paul Boast: His Weakness
If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. The God and Father of the Lord Jesus knows, he who is blessed forever, that I do not lie. At Damascus, the governor under King Aretas guarded the city of Damascus, in order to seize me, but I was lowered in a basket through a window in the wall and escaped his hands.
CHAPTER 12
I must boast; not that it is profitable, but I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord. I know someone in Christ who, fourteen years ago (whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows), was caught up to the third heaven. And I know that this person (whether in the body or out of the body I do not know) was caught up into Paradise and heard ineffable things, which no one may utter. About this person I will boast, but about myself I will not boast, except about my weaknesses. Although if I should wish to boast, I would not be foolish, for I would be telling the truth. But I refrain, so that no one may think more of me than what he sees in me or hears from me because of the abundance of the revelations. Therefore, that I might not become too elated, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, an angel of Satan, to beat me, to keep me from being too elated. Three times I begged the Lord about this, that it might leave me, but he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness." I will rather boast more gladly of my weaknesses, in order that the power of Christ may dwell with me. Therefore, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and constraints, for the sake of Christ; for when I am weak, then I am strong.
Selfless Concern for the Church
I have been foolish. You compelled me, for I ought to have been commended by you. For I am in no way inferior to these "Superapostles," even though I am nothing. The signs of an apostle were performed among you with all endurance, signs and wonders and mighty deeds. In what way were you less privileged than the rest of the churches, except that on my part I did not burden you? Forgive me this wrong! Now I am ready to come to you this third time. And I will not be a burden, for I want not what is yours, but you. Children ought not to save for their parents, but parents for their children. I will most gladly spend and be utterly spent for your sakes. If I love you more, am I to be loved less? But granted that I myself did not burden you, yet I was crafty and got the better of you by deceit. Did I take advantage of you through any of those I sent to you? I urged Titus to go and sent the brother with him. Did Titus take advantage of you? Did we not walk in the same spirit? And in the same steps?
Final Warnings and Appeals
Have you been thinking all along that we are defending ourselves before you? In the sight of God we are speaking in Christ, and all for building you up, beloved. For I fear that when I come I may find you not such as I wish, and that you may find me not as you wish; that there may be rivalry, jealousy, fury, selfishness, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder. I fear that when I come again my God may humiliate me before you, and I may have to mourn over many of those who sinned earlier and have not repented of the impurity, immorality and licentiousness they practiced.
CHAPTER 13
This time I am coming to you. "On the testimony of two or three witnesses a fact shall be established." I warned those who sinned earlier and all the others, and I warn them now while absent, as I did when present on my second visit, that if I come again I will not be lenient, since you are looking for proof of Christ speaking in me. He is not weak toward you but powerful in you. For indeed he was crucified out of weakness, but lives by the power of God. So also we are weak in him, but toward you we shall live with him by the power of God.
Examine yourselves to see whether you are living in faith. Test yourselves. Do you not realize that Jesus Christ is in you?--unless, of course, you fail the test. I hope you will discover that we have not failed. But we pray to God that you may not do evil, not that we may appear to have passed the test but that you may do what is right, even though we may seem to have failed. For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. For we rejoice when we are weak but you are strong. What we pray for is your improvement.
I am writing this while I am away, so that when I come I may not have to be severe in virtue of the authority that the Lord has given me to build up and not tear down.
CONCLUSION
Finally, brothers, rejoice. Mend your ways, encourage one another, agree with one another, live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the saints greet you.
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the holy Spirit be with all of you. 2Corinthians 10-13
The above paragraphs show how Paul suffered in weakness, but was made strong in that weakness. There are many people, churches, preachers, pastors etc. that look down on a person who is trying to reach out to people in Jesus Christ's name because they do not have a large church, a following and millions of dollars collected from their church members. I do not believe you have to have a following, millions of dollars and a church in order to tell people the word of God. I know well that my detractors regularly read all my posts, passing them along to others and go away with anger and rage towards me, because in their opinion, I should not post things of a biblical nature, since I haven't attained great wealth, a church following or have many material possessions, all of which do not concern me in any way. I want to reach people with the Word of God, because that is what God has chosen for me to do, in a way He has chosen for me to do it. Each and every one of us is capable of delivering the Word of God and should. As long as I can deliver what God has chosen for me to deliver to anyone reading these posts, that is of the utmost importance to me. A showy means, large following and being known is not my reason for putting up these posts, rather a way to reach out and bring people to God. In more ways than one I feel a kindred spirit with Paul the Apostle, with his struggles and weaknesses, his detractors and persecution by those in authority. I am in a constant struggle every day to do what God has chosen for me to do, all the while with my many detractors constantly watching every move I make and trying to discredit everything that I do and say, and influence people to hate me and use everything in their power to disrupt my life and completely destroy me. It is such a precious waste of time and energy to desire to discredit anyone who is putting the Word of God out there and in time, God will indeed crush all those doing so! Anytime you have an interest in and actually do put the word of God out to people, you will no doubt always have people try to tear you down and try to destroy you in any way they can. The unbelievers are out in droves and are constantly seeking to persecute anyone or anything they feel in any way threatened by, who have a strong belief in the Word of God and are moved to act on that Word. Wicked men whose only purpose in life is to take delight in trying to destroy people of God, men who are impostors and opposers of God and the Word of God that will surely, in time, feel the full blows that God will send their way. I know about this first hand by all the things that are done to me on a daily basis by wicked people who do not fear the wrath of God, who have complete ignorance of the power of God. Their belief system is corrupt and comprised entirely of unjust thoughts, evil deeds and a complete removal of themselves from under the protection of God. Their efforts of trying to destroy and discredit me, will in turn discredit and destroy them. Jesus Christ already came here to deliver the world by his suffering and crucifixion and paid the ultimate price for our sins. In that coming, we have already been washed clean in the blood of Jesus and our sins are forgiven and have been washed away. I feel sorry for and pray for my detractors, since their ignorance causes them to be arrayed against me in every way they can. If they would instead harness the power of God in what they do, think and say, they would not be so enraged about me putting up passages from the Bible and trying to bring people back to God. As I have said before there are numerous similarities about myself and my family that closely line up with passages in the Bible and I will, at a later time, share that with anyone wishing to know what those similarities are and who read my posts. I do not understand why God has chosen to manifest so many similarities within myself, but there must be a reason why He has chosen to do so. I do not question God, but am a humble servant and have opened up myself to Him in totality, searched for Him and have found Him. The Bible tells us if we will only search for God, He will make Himself known to us. So in closing, we must ask God for the forgiveness of our sins, and when forgiven we should sin no more. We should draw close to one another and find the good in ourselves and everyone. Cling to God in everything you do and have a belief system that is untouchable and reach out to God for your needs and have faith that God knows of your needs and will meet every need.
