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New Testament Reading - Preaching the good news

³So you can see that we were not preaching with any false motives or evil purposes in mind; we were perfectly straightforward and sincere.

⁴For we speak as messengers from God, trusted by him to tell the truth; we change his message not one bit to suit the taste of those who hear it; for we serve God alone, who examines our hearts’ deepest thoughts. ⁵Never once did we try to win you with flattery, as you very well know, and God knows we were not just pretending to be your friends so that you would give us money! ⁶As for praise, we have never asked for it from you or anyone else, although as apostles of Christ we certainly had a right to some honor from you. ⁷But we were as gentle among you as a mother feeding and caring for her own children. ⁸We loved you dearly — so dearly that we gave you not only God’s message, but our own lives too.

⁹Don’t you remember, dear brothers, how hard we worked among you? Night and day we toiled and sweated to earn enough to live on so that our expenses would not be a burden to anyone there, as we preached God’s Good News among you. ¹⁰You yourselves are our witnesses — as is God — that we have been pure and honest and faultless toward every one of you. ¹¹We talked to you as a father to his own children — don’t you remember? — Pleading with you, encouraging you and even demanding ¹²that your daily lives should not embarrass God but bring joy to him who invited you into his Kingdom to share his glory.