For our momentary, light suffering ¹  is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison

I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content in any circumstance.

Now when God made his promise to Abraham, since he could swear by no one greater, he swore by himself,

“Blessed are you when people ¹  insult you and persecute you and say all kinds of evil things about you falsely ²  on account of me.

Day after day I was with you, teaching in the temple courts, yet ¹  you did not arrest me. But this has happened so that ²  the scriptures would be fulfilled.”

Then ¹  Jesus, in the power of the Spirit, ²  returned to Galilee, and news about him spread ³  throughout the surrounding countryside. ⁴ 

Then ¹  he said to them all, ²  “If anyone wants to become my follower, ³  he must deny ⁴  himself, take up his cross daily, ⁵  and follow me.

Jesus ¹  was teaching daily in the temple courts. The chief priests and the experts in the law ²  and the prominent leaders among the people were seeking to assassinate ³  him,

But they persisted ¹  in saying, “He incites ²  the people by teaching throughout all Judea. It started in Galilee and ended up here!” ³ 

Now when they heard this, they began to drift away one at a time, starting with the older ones, ¹  until Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him.

Every day ¹  they continued to gather together by common consent in the temple courts, ²  breaking bread from ³  house to house, sharing their food with glad ⁴  and humble hearts, ⁵ 

praising God and having the good will ¹  of all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number every day ²  those who were being saved.

you know what happened throughout Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John announced: ¹ 

For in him we live and move about ¹  and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we too are his offspring.’ ² 

but since it concerns points of disagreement ¹  about words and names and your own law, settle ²  it yourselves. I will not be ³  a judge of these things!”

When Paul ¹  had greeted them, he began to explain ²  in detail ³  what God ⁴  had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.

Then Felix, ¹  who understood the facts ²  concerning the Way ³  more accurately, ⁴  adjourned their hearing, ⁵  saying, “When Lysias the commanding officer comes down, I will decide your case.” ⁶ 

When I came ¹  to you, brothers and sisters, ²  I did not come with superior eloquence or wisdom as I proclaimed the testimony ³  of God.

For you have heard of my former way of life ¹  in Judaism, how I was savagely persecuting the church of God and trying to destroy it.

For this reason, ¹  because I ²  have heard ³  of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love ⁴  for all the saints,