“I wish you would bear with me in a little foolishness.” – Paul (formerly Saul of Tarsus)

Here are some more quotations from Small (aka Paul)…

“I feel a divine jealousy for you.”

“I betrothed you to one Husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ.”

“If someone offers y’all a different gospel from the one you accepted from us, you put up with it readily enough.” (seems like a snarky remark)

“Even if I am unskilled in speaking, I am not so in knowledge.” (is Paul insecure about oration skills?)

“Did I commit a sin in humbling myself so that you might be exalted, because I preached God’s gospel to you free of charge?” (seems like a snarky remark)

“I robbed other churches by accepting support from them in order to serve you.” (seems like a snarky remark)

“What I am doing I will continue to do, in order to undermine the claim of those who would like to claim that in their boasted mission they work on the same terms as we do.” (seems aggressive and antagonistic)

“Let no one think me foolish. But even if you do, accept me as a fool, so that I too may boast a little. What I am saying with this boastful confidence, I say not as the Lord would but as a fool.”

“Since many boast according to the flesh, I too will boast. For you gladly bear with fools, being wise yourselves!” (seems like a snarky remark)

“For you bear it if someone makes slaves of you, or devours you, or takes advantage of you, or puts on airs, or strikes you in the face. To my shame, I must say, we were too weak for that!” (seems like a snarky remark)

“Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers.”

“If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.”

“In what were you less favored than the rest of the churches, except that I myself did not burden you? Forgive me this wrong!” (seems like a snarky remark)

*Feel free to incorporate some of these quotations into your everyday communications 🙂