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 free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are not ye my work 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.

If to others I am not an apostle, yet at least I am to you; for the seal of mine apostleship are ye in the Lord.

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

My defence to them that examine me is this.

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

Have we no right to eat and to 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 no right to lead about a wife that is a believer, even as the rest of the apostles, and the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas?

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

Or I only and Barnabas, have we not a right to forbear working?

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 ever serveth at his own charges? who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not the fruit thereof? Or who feedeth a flock, and eateth not 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 speak these things after the manner of men? or saith not the law also the same?

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 it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he treadeth out the corn. Is it for the oxen that God careth,

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 saith he it assuredly for our sake? Yea, for our sake it was written: because he that ploweth ought to plow in hope, and he that thresheth, to thresh in hope of partaking.

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 sowed unto you spiritual things, is it a great matter if we shall reap your carnal things?

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 partake of this right over you, do not we yet more? Nevertheless we did not use this right; but we bear all things, that we may cause no hindrance to 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.

Know ye not that they that minister about sacred things eat of the things of the temple, and they that wait upon the altar have their portion 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.

Even so did the Lord ordain that they that proclaim the gospel should live of 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 used none of these things: and I write not these things that it may be so done in my case; for it were good for me rather to die, than that any man should make my glorifying void.

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, I have nothing to glory of; for necessity is laid upon me; for woe is unto me, if I preach not 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 of mine own will, I have a reward: but if not of mine own will, I have a stewardship intrusted to me.

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 my reward? That, when I preach the gospel, I may make the gospel without charge, so as not to use to the full my right in 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 though I was free from all men, I brought myself under bondage to all, 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.

And to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, not being myself under the law, that I might gain them that are 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 them that are without law, as without law, not being without law to God, but under law to Christ, that I might gain them that 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 I became weak, that I might gain the weak: I am become all things to all men, that I may by all means 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 all things for the gospel's sake, that I may be a joint partaker thereof.

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.

Know ye not that they that run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? Even so run; that ye may attain.

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.

And every man that striveth in the games exerciseth self-control in all things. Now they do it to receive a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.

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.

I therefore so run, as not uncertainly; so fight I, as not beating the air:

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 bring it into bondage: lest by any means, after that I have preached to others, I myself should be rejected.