8. It is true that we brag freely about the authority the Lord gave us. But he gave us this authority to strengthen you, not to hurt you. So I will not be ashamed of the bragging we do.
9. I don’t want you to think that I am trying to scare you with my letters.
10. Some people say, “Paul’s letters are powerful and sound important. But when he is with us, he is weak. And his speaking is nothing.”
11. They should know this: We are not there with you now, so we say these things in letters. But when we are there with you, we will show the same authority that we show in our letters.
12. We do not dare to put ourselves in the same group with those who think that they are very important. We do not compare ourselves to them. They use themselves to measure themselves, and they judge themselves by what they themselves are. This shows that they know nothing.
13. But we will not brag about things outside the work that was given us to do. We will limit our bragging to the work that God gave us. And this work includes our work with you.
14. We are not bragging too much. We would be bragging too much if we had not already come to you. But we have come to you with the Good News of Christ.
15. We limit our bragging to the work that is ours. We do not brag in the work other men have done. We hope that your faith will continue to grow. And we hope that you will help our work to grow much larger.
16. We want to tell the Good News in the areas beyond your city. We do not want to brag about work that has already been done in another man’s area.
17. But, “If a person brags, he should brag only about the Lord.”
18. It is not the one who says he is good who is accepted but the one that the Lord thinks is good.