5. because of the way in which you have helped me in the work of the gospel from the very first day until now.
6. And so I am sure that God, who began this good work in you, will carry it on until it is finished on the Day of Christ Jesus.
7. You are always in my heart! And so it is only right for me to feel as I do about you. For you have all shared with me in this privilege that God has given me, both now that I am in prison and also while I was free to defend the gospel and establish it firmly.
8. God is my witness that I am telling the truth when I say that my deep feeling for you all comes from the heart of Christ Jesus himself.
9. I pray that your love will keep on growing more and more, together with true knowledge and perfect judgement,
10. so that you will be able to choose what is best. Then you will be free from all impurity and blame on the Day of Christ.
11. Your lives will be filled with the truly good qualities which only Jesus Christ can produce, for the glory and praise of God.
12. I want you to know, my brothers and sisters, that the things that have happened to me have really helped the progress of the gospel.
13. As a result, the whole palace guard and all the others here know that I am in prison because I am a servant of Christ.
14. And my being in prison has given most of the brothers and sisters more confidence in the Lord, so that they grow bolder all the time to preach the message fearlessly.
15. Of course some of them preach Christ because they are jealous and quarrelsome, but others from genuine goodwill.
16. These do so from love, because they know that God has given me the work of defending the gospel.