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12 We work hard with our own hands. When we are vilified, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; 13 when we are slandered, we answer gently. Up to this moment we have become the scum of the earth, the refuse of the world. 14 I am not writing this to shame you, but to warn you as my beloved children. 15 Even if you have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. 16 Therefore I urge you to imitate me. 17 That is why I have sent you Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ, which is exactly what I teach everywhere in every church. 18 Some of you have become arrogant, as if I were not coming to you. 19 But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord is willing, and then I will find out not only what these arrogant people are saying, but what power they have. 20 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power. 21 Which do you prefer? Shall I come to you with a rod, or in love and with a gentle spirit? 1 Corinthians 4:12-21, Majority Standard Bible. Public domain.
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