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Report a Typo1Thessalonians ◦ Chapter 2
1 Brothers and sisters, you know that we did not fail in our mission to you.2 You know how we were mocked and mistreated in Philippi, yet with God's help, we brought you the Remedy despite intense opposition from those peddling a false remedy.3 Unlike the opposition's, our Remedy is not based on lies, greed, or a desire to promote ourselves; and we are not trying to trick you.4 What we do is just the opposite: as messengers commissioned by God and entrusted with the Remedy, we do not pursue the approval of people, but we seek to please God who examines our hearts and knows our motives.5 But you should know this because the manner we dealt with you: we never tried to influence you by flattery or hide what we were doing, as the greedy ones do; and God certainly knows this is true.6 We don't want fame or praise, or fan-worship–not from you or anyone else. As ambassadors of Christ, we had authority over you,7 but we did not order you about. We were tender and compassionate, caring for you like a mother who seeks the best for her children.8 We love you! So much so, that we not only brought you the Remedy, but we also gave you our hearts!9 Don’t you remember that while distributing God’s Remedy among you, we worked hard in order to avoid placing any extra burdens upon you?10 Both you and God can testify that while we were with you, we did what was right, healthy, reasonable, and in harmony with God’s law of love.11 You know that we treated you as a loving father treats his own children,12 intervening to build you up, strengthen, and keep you on the road to full recovery–restoration to God's ideal–heeding his call to live in his eternal kingdom.13 We also thank God that when you heard the truth we brought about God, you did not regard it as something made up by human imagination, but accepted it for what it actually is: the truth about God, which transforms those who believe it.14 For you have been changed and now live like God’s friends from Judea, who, having taken the Remedy, are in unity with Jesus Christ. You have been mistreated, maligned and abused by your countrymen — just as those in Judea who have partaken of the Remedy have been persecuted by the Jews15 who murdered the Lord Jesus as well as God's spokespersons, and then drove us away also. They wage war against God, and their actions are destructive to all humanity16 because they try to obstruct the distribution of the Remedy to the world. In so doing, their own terminal state worsens, their characters are damaged beyond repair, and God will eventually surrender them to receive what they have chosen.17 My Thessalonian family, though we had to leave for a short time, we have missed you terribly and can hardly stand to be away from you. We have done all in our power to return to you,18 because we really want to see you. I, Paul, especially wanted us to come, but Satan obstructed us.19 Don't you realize the joy we have in you and how eager we are to present you to the Lord Jesus? We are beaming with happiness over you, for you are the fulfillment of our work!20 Truly, you are our pride and joy!