1 A m I not a missionary? Am I not free? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not Christians because of the work I have done for the Lord?

Am I not an apostle (a special messenger)? Am I not free (unrestrained and exempt from any obligation)? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not my workmanship in the Lord?

2 O ther people may not think of me as a missionary, but you do. It proves I am a missionary because you are Christians now.

Even if I am not considered an apostle (a special messenger) by others, at least I am one to you; for you are the seal (the certificate, the living evidence) of my apostleship in the Lord.

3 W hen people ask questions about me, I say this:

This is my defense (my vindication of myself) to those who would put me on trial and cross-examine me.

4 D o we not have the right to have food and drink when we are working for the Lord?

Have we not the right to our food and drink ?

5 D o we not have the right to take a Christian wife along with us? The other missionaries do. The Lord’s brothers do and Peter does.

Have we not the right also to take along with us a Christian sister as wife, as do the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers and Cephas (Peter)?

6 A re Barnabas and I the only ones who should keep working for a living so we can preach?

Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to refrain from doing manual labor for a livelihood ?

7 H ave you ever heard of a soldier who goes to war and pays for what he needs himself? Have you ever heard of a man planting a field of grapes and not eating some of the fruit? Have you ever heard of a farmer who feeds cattle and does not drink some of the milk?

What soldier at any time serves at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat any of the fruit of it? Who tends a flock and does not partake of the milk of the flock?

8 T hese things are not just what men think are right to do. God’s Law speaks about this.

Do I say this only on human authority and as a man reasons? Does not the Law endorse the same principle?

9 G od gave Moses the Law. It says, “When the cow is made to walk on the grain to break it open, do not stop it from eating some.” Does God care about the cow?

For in the Law of Moses it is written, You shall not muzzle an ox when it is treading out the corn. Is it for oxen that God cares?

10 D id not God speak about this because of us. For sure, this was written for us. The man who gets the fields ready and the man who gathers in the grain should expect some of the grain.

Or does He speak certainly and entirely for our sakes? it is written for our sakes, because the plowman ought to plow in hope, and the thresher ought to thresh in expectation of partaking of the harvest.

11 W e have planted God’s Word among you. Is it too much to expect you to give us what we need to live each day?

If we have sown spiritual good among you, much if we reap from your material benefits?

12 I f other people have the right to expect this from you, do we not have more right? But we have not asked this of you. We have suffered many things. We did this so the Good News of Christ would not be held back.

If others share in this rightful claim upon you, do not we ? However, we have never exercised this right, but we endure everything rather than put a hindrance in the way of the good news (the Gospel) of Christ.

13 Y ou must know that those who work in the house of God get their food there. Those who work at the altar in the house of God get a part of the food that is given there.

Do you not know that those men who are employed in the services of the temple get their food from the temple? And that those who tend the altar share with the altar ?

14 T he Lord has said also that those who preach the Good News should get their living from those who hear it.

the Lord directed that those who publish the good news (the Gospel) should live (get their maintenance) by the Gospel.

15 I have not used any of these things. I am not writing now to get anything. I would rather die than lose the joy of preaching to you without you paying me.

But I have not made use of any of these privileges, nor am I writing this that any such provision be made for me. For it would be better for me to die than to have anyone make void and deprive me of my glorifying.

16 I cannot be proud because I preach the Good News. I have been told to do it. It would be bad for me if I do not preach the Good News.

For if I preach the Gospel, that gives me no reason to boast, for I feel compelled of necessity to do it. Woe is me if I do not preach the glad tidings (the Gospel)!

17 I f I do this because I want to, I will get my reward. If I do not want to do it, I am still expected to do it.

For if I do this work of my own free will, then I have my pay (my reward); but if it is not of my own will, but is done reluctantly and under compulsion, I am entrusted with a trusteeship and commission.

18 T hen what is my reward? It is when I preach the Good News without you paying me. I do not ask you to pay me as I could. Learning to Get Along

What then is the reward that I get? Just this: that in my preaching the good news (the Gospel), I may offer it free of expense, not taking advantage of my rights and privileges of the Gospel.

19 N o man has any hold on me, but I have made myself a workman owned by all. I do this so I might lead more people to Christ.

For although I am free in every way from anyone’s control, I have made myself a bond servant to everyone, so that I might gain the more.

20 I became as a Jew to the Jews so I might lead them to Christ. There are some who live by obeying the Jewish Law. I became as one who lives by obeying the Jewish Law so I might lead them to Christ.

To the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to men under the Law, as one under the Law, though not myself being under the Law, that I might win those under the Law.

21 T here are some who live by not obeying the Jewish law. I became as one who lives by not obeying the Jewish law so I might lead them to Christ. This does not mean that I do not obey God’s Law. I obey the teachings of Christ.

To those without (outside) law I became as one without law, not that I am without the law of God and lawless toward Him, but that I am within and committed to the law of Christ, that I might win those who are without law.

22 S ome are weak. I have become weak so I might lead them to Christ. I have become like every person so in every way I might lead some to Christ.

To the weak (wanting in discernment) I have become weak (wanting in discernment) that I might win the weak and overscrupulous. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means (at all costs and in any and every way) save some.

23 E verything I do, I do to get the Good News to men. I want to have a part in this work. Live a Life That Pleases Christ

And I do this for the sake of the good news (the Gospel), in order that I may become a participator in it and share in its.

24 Y ou know that only one person gets a crown for being in a race even if many people run. You must run so you will win the crown.

Do you not know that in a race all the runners compete, but one receives the prize? So run that you may lay hold and make it yours.

25 E veryone who runs in a race does many things so his body will be strong. He does it to get a crown that will soon be worth nothing, but we work for a crown that will last forever.

Now every athlete who goes into training conducts himself temperately and restricts himself in all things. They do it to win a wreath that will soon wither, but we that cannot wither.

26 I n the same way, I run straight for the place at the end of the race. I fight to win. I do not beat the air.

Therefore I do not run uncertainly (without definite aim). I do not box like one beating the air and striking without an adversary.

27 I keep working over my body. I make it obey me. I do this because I am afraid that after I have preached the Good News to others, I myself might be put aside.

But I buffet my body and subdue it, for fear that after proclaiming to others the Gospel and things pertaining to it, I myself should become unfit.