but having suffered before and been shamefully treated, as you know, at Philippi, we grew bold in our God to tell you the Gospel of God in much conflict.
with much contention: The word "contention" is borrowed from the field of athletics and implies strenuous effort. Such activity is characteristic of the evangelists of the first century and may account in large measure for their phenomenal success in spreading the gospel. A lack of this kind of effort may also explain our modern failure to duplicate their success. Perhaps the extent of the effort can be better understood if we know that the English word "agony" is derived from the Greek word here translated "contention." The preachers of the Apostolic Age were deeply stirred emotionally over the need to reach the unsaved, their preaching being accompanied by agonizing concern for the lost.