4. You are very patient with anyone who comes to you and preaches a different Jesus than the one we preached. You are very willing to accept a spirit or Good News that is different from the Spirit and Good News that you received from us.
5. I do not think that those “great apostles” are any better than I am.
6. I may not be a trained speaker, but I do have knowledge. We have shown this to you clearly in every way.
7. I preached God’s Good News to you without pay. I made myself unimportant to make you important. Do you think that was wrong?
8. I accepted pay from other churches. I took their money so that I could serve you.
9. If I needed something when I was with you, I did not trouble any of you. The brothers who came from Macedonia gave me all that I needed. I did not allow myself to depend on you in any way. And I will never depend on you.
10. No one in Southern Greece will stop me from bragging about that. I say this with the truth of Christ in me.
11. And why do I not depend on you? Do you think it is because I do not love you? No. God knows that I love you.
12. And I will keep on doing what I am doing now. I will continue because I want to stop those people from having a reason to brag. They would like to say that the work they brag about is the same as ours.