Thank you for share
You can also use iptables or CSF for simply redirect the inbound/outbound connections to that ports to the one you need. Without touch the config files but the CSF ports obviously. This is the perfect example for you (
http://www.cyberciti.biz/faq/linux-port-redirection-with-iptables/)
About the inbound and outbound decision, you must add both.
Even if you think the port 25 for SMTP is a sending port, is not.
If you wanna send a email from that SMTP server, you must connect to the port 25 then pass the HELO commands and so on... so,
All the ports are usually inbound/outbound even if the service looks like just 1 way.
About smtp(25)/pop3(110) ports, one is the email, the other is the service for the users/accounts. Both of them uses inbound/outbound data.
You login to the pop3 to receive emails, and you connect to same machine at port 25 to connect the smtp port then send them.
Always there are a negotiation, so you must allow both directions.