Ephesians 3:1

Plain English Version

You mob know about me, Paul, that I am in jail now. You see, I told you mob the message about Jesus. But the bosses didn’t like me talking about Jesus to people that are not Jews. So they put me in jail.

Cross References

Acts 21:33

Then the big boss told his soldiers to grab Paul and tie him up with 2 chains. Then he asked that mob, “Who is this man, and what did he do?”

Acts 23:18

So that soldier took him to his big boss and said, “That prisoner, Paul, asked me to take this young man to you. He has some news to tell you.”

Acts 26:29

Paul said, “It doesn’t matter if it is quick, or if it takes a long time. I’m asking God that you, and everyone here that is listening to me, will become just like I am now. I want you to become Christians. But I don’t want anyone to put you in jail for being a Christian, like they did to me.”

Acts 9:15

But Jesus said to Ananias, “Don’t worry. Go to him anyway. You see, I picked that man to do my work. He will tell a lot of people about me. He will tell Jewish people about me. And he will tell people that are not Jews about me, even their biggest bosses too.

Galatians 5:11

Listen, my Christian friends, some people reckon that I still tell people to have a young man operation, but that’s not right. I teach people that Jesus Christ died on the cross to save them. And those Jews that don’t like Jesus, they are always giving me a lot of trouble. That shows you that I don’t tell anyone to have a young man operation. If I did tell them to do that, then that Jewish mob wouldn’t get angry and give me trouble.

Galatians 5:2

Listen. This is me, Paul, writing this, and I’m telling you straight. If you try to be friends with God by having a young man operation, then you are not trusting Jesus Christ, so he will not help you at all.

Galatians 5:24

You see, sometimes doing bad things makes people feel good. But people that belong to Jesus Christ stop doing those bad things. That bad part inside them might make them feel like doing those bad things, but they don’t take any notice of it any more. It is like they nailed it to a cross and killed it.

Ephesians 3:11

God always planned to save people, and he sent our leader, Jesus Christ, to do it.

Ephesians 3:13

So when some people make trouble for me, don’t let that worry you. I tell you God’s word, and they don’t like it, so they make trouble for me. But don’t worry. I want you to be strong. You can always feel happy whenever they make trouble for me.

Ephesians 3:8

I’m not important. All of God’s people are more important than me. But God was good to me, and he gave me this special job. He sent me to tell the people that are not Jews about the really great things that Jesus Christ can give them. These things are so great that nobody can understand them properly.

Ephesians 4:1

So now, even though I’m in jail because I follow Jesus, I’m asking you strongly to live the right way. You see, God picked you to be his own people, so you have to live his way.

Ephesians 6:20

but now he has sent me to tell this good story to everybody. The bosses here didn’t like me telling that story, so they put me in jail. I want you to ask God to make me brave, so that I keep on telling his good story.

Philippians 1:7

You see, I love you mob very much, so it is all right for me to think about you like that. You are my friends and God is good to you, just like he is good to me. So you help me every time God lets me tell people the good news about Jesus. Right now I’m tied up in jail, and sometimes they take me to court, and I tell them the message about Jesus, and I show them that it is true. And you help me do that.

Colossians 1:24

Yes, I tell people the message about Jesus. Some people don’t like it, and they give me trouble. But that doesn’t matter, that message helps people that believe it. You believe it, so it helps you. So I am happy, and I keep on telling it. You know that Jesus Christ got a lot of trouble. In the same way, I get a lot of trouble. But I want to keep on helping his people. They are the church. They are like the body of Jesus Christ.

Colossians 4:18

This is me, Paul, writing these words now with my own hand. I got somebody else to write all the words up to here, but I want you to be sure that this letter is really from me, so from here on it is me writing it. I’m saying hello to you mob there at Colossae. Remember that I am in jail here, and pray for me. I’m asking God to be very good to you. From Paul

Colossians 4:3

And pray for us too. Ask God to make a way for us to tell more people about Jesus Christ. We want to clearly tell them the message about God’s plan to use Jesus to save them. You know, I told that message to some people, and they didn’t like it, so they put me in jail.

2 Timothy 1:16

But Onesiforus wasn’t like that. He came here to Rome and looked everywhere for me. And when he found me here in jail, he didn’t feel shame. He often came and cheered me up. So I pray that Jesus, our leader, will be really good to his family. And you already know about that time that he was over there in Ephesus with me, and he helped me in lots of ways. One day our leader will judge everyone, and I pray that he will be good to Onesiforus and his family on that day.

2 Timothy 1:8

You have to tell people about our leader Jesus. Don’t feel shame about that. And don’t feel shame about me because I’m in jail. I’m here because I told people about Jesus. But don’t worry. Just go ahead anyway and tell people about our leader Jesus. And then maybe some people might make trouble for you, just like they made trouble for me. But God will make you strong, and you will not worry about that trouble.

Philemon 1:1

I am Paul, and this letter is from me. I work for Jesus Christ. The bosses didn’t like me doing that, so they put me in jail. Our friend Timothy is here too. He is helping me write this letter. We are writing to you, Philemon. You work for Jesus, just like we do, and you are our good friend.

Philemon 1:23

Do you remember Epafras? He belongs to Jesus Christ, so they put him in jail here with me. He says hello to you.

Philemon 1:9

You see, I love you a lot. You know me, Paul, and you know that I’m an old man. I work for Jesus Christ, so the bosses here put me in jail.