Letters to the Churches

so that you may be blameless and pure children of God, without defect in the midst of a twisted and perverted generation, among whom you shine like stars in the sky,

as you hold on to the Word of Life. If you do this, I will be able to boast, when the Day of the Messiah comes, that I did not run or toil for nothing.

Indeed, even if my lifeblood is poured out as a drink offering over the sacrifice and service of your faith, I will still be glad and rejoice with you all.

Likewise, you too should be glad and rejoice with me.

But I hope in the Lord Yeshua to send Timothy to you shortly, so that I too may be cheered by knowing how you are doing.

I have no one who compares with him, who will care so sincerely for your welfare —

people all put their own interests ahead of the Messiah Yeshua’s.

But you know his character, that like a child with his father he slaved with me to advance the Good News.

So I hope to send him just as soon as I see how things will go with me,

and I am confident in the Lord that before long I myself will come too.

Also I considered it necessary to send you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow-worker and fellow-soldier, the emissary whom you sent to take care of my needs;

since he has been longing for you all and has been distressed because you heard he was ill.

Indeed he was ill, close to death; but God had mercy on him — and not only on him, but also on me — otherwise I would have had sorrow piled on sorrow.

Therefore, I am all the more eager to send him, so that you may rejoice when you see him again; and I, for my part, may be less sad.

So give him a joyful welcome in the Lord; honor such people.

For he risked his life and nearly died working for the Messiah, in order to give me the help you were not in a position to give.

In conclusion, my brothers: rejoice in union with the Lord. It is no trouble for me to repeat what I have written you before, and for you it will be a safeguard:

beware of the dogs, those evildoers, the Mutilated!

For it is we who are the Circumcised, we who worship by the Spirit of God and make our boast in the Messiah Yeshua! We do not put confidence in human qualifications,

even though I certainly have grounds for putting confidence in such things. If anyone else thinks he has grounds for putting confidence in human qualifications, I have better grounds:

b’rit-milah on the eighth day, by birth belonging to the people of Isra’el, from the tribe of Binyamin, a Hebrew-speaker, with Hebrew-speaking parents, in regard to the Torah, a Parush,

in regard to zeal, a persecutor of the Messianic Community, in regard to the righteousness demanded by legalism, blameless.

But the things that used to be advantages for me, I have, because of the Messiah, come to consider a disadvantage.

Not only that, but I consider everything a disadvantage in comparison with the supreme value of knowing the Messiah Yeshua as my Lord. It was because of him that I gave up everything and regard it all as garbage, in order to gain the Messiah

and be found in union with him, not having any righteousness of my own based on legalism, but having that righteousness which comes through the Messiah’s faithfulness, the righteousness from God based on trust.