gospel. Such deliverance was needed for his effectiveness in diffusing the good news. Paul made a similar prayer request in Romans 15:31 when he was planning a visit to Jerusalem and apprehended danger from aggressive unbelievers there. It served to remind the readers that the writers too were facing hardship because of their loyalty to the gospel. The verb “delivered,” or “rescued” (rusthōmen), is in the aorist tense and denotes a definite occasion, deliverance from an actually existing peril when