1 Corinthians 9:1-5

1I am a free man. I am an apostle. I have seen Jesus, our Lord. You yourselves are the result of the work that I do to serve the Lord. You know that is all true.

2Other people may not accept me as a true apostle. But you surely must accept me. As a result of my work, you now belong to the Lord. That shows that I am truly his apostle.

3Some people do not like what I do. This is my answer to what they say against me:

4As apostles, Barnabas and I should receive food and drink from the people that we help.

5If we have a Christian wife, we should take her with us as we travel. The other apostles do this. So do the Lord's brothers, and also Peter. We have the same authority that they have.