1 Corinthians 4:16

12 We work hard with our own hands. When we are vilified, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it;

13 when we are slandered, we answer gently. Up to this moment we have become the scum of the earth, the refuse of the world.

14 I am not writing this to shame you, but to warn you as my beloved children.

15 Even if you have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel.

16 Therefore I urge you to imitate me.

17 That is why I have sent you Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which is exactly what I teach everywhere in every church.

18 Some of you have become arrogant, as if I were not coming to you.

19 But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord is willing, and then I will find out not only what these arrogant people are saying, but what power they have.

20 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.

Read all of 1 Corinthians 4