Acts

Book Outhne

Key theme: The expansion of the church in the world

Key verse:

I. The Ministry of Peter ()

A. Jerusalem the center; Ministry primarily to Israel

1. Peter and the Jews ()

2. Peter and the Samaritans ()

3. The conversion of Paul ()

4. Peter and the Gentiles ()

5. Peter’s arrest and deliverance ()

II. The Ministry of Paul ()

A. Syrian Antioch the Center; Ministry Primarily to the Gentiles

1. Paul’s first missionary journey ()

2. The Jerusalem conference ()

3. Paul’s second missionary journey ()

4. Paul’s third missionary journey ()

5. Paul’s arrest and voyage to Rome ()

Book Overview

Luke certainly didn’t follow the typical formula when he wrote this book. He used little in the way of a captivating set-up or intriguing opening. Except for the ascension of Jesus Christ, the events recorded in chapter are simply the records of a business meeting. Why did Luke include ? Why didn’t he just start with the story of Pentecost?

Luke was writing volume two of a work that started with what we call the gospel of Luke (see ), and it was important to build a bridge between his gospel and the Book of Acts. At the close of his gospel (), he had left the believers in the temple, praising God. Now he had to pick up the story and explain what happened to them. These events before Pentecost help us understand the setting for the believers’ experience at Pentecost.

Not only is this chapter a bridge, the entire Book of Acts is a bridge. Imagine how confused you would be if, in reading your New Testament, you turned the last page of the gospel of John and discovered—Romans! “How did the church get to Rome?” you would ask yourself; the answer is found in this book.

The Book of Acts is also the account of the work of the Holy Spirit in and through the church. In this sense, Acts is the perfect follow-up for the gospel of John, since it describes the fulfillment of Jesus’ promises during the Last Supper about the coming Advocate/Comforter from God and what He would accomplish in the world.

The actual connection between Luke’s two books is apparent. The gospel of Luke records what Jesus began both to do and teach in His human body, and the Book of Acts tells us what Jesus continued to do and teach through His spiritual body, the church. Even today, congregations can learn much about church life and ministry from this book, and this even includes the business meetings!

“Be Transformed”

This book is probably the most open-ended book in the New Testament. In important ways, the movement that we see starting in Acts continues to spread and grow today. Every one of us who is a believer now could trace the transmission of the message of salvation that we received back to the events recorded in Acts. The details of how God got the gospel to us may be lost in history, but God knows every single link in that unbroken sequence of communication. We are the living legacy of the men and women who were first filled with the Holy Spirit and proclaimed to the ends of the earth the transforming message called the “Good News about Jesus.” They told someone, who told someone, who told someone else, until eventually, someone told you.

But there’s an added lesson for us in the open-ended aspect of Acts. The book is not finished today. Some people still haven’t heard. And parts of Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth are still waiting to receive the gospel. Since that mission isn’t finished, we have work to do.

Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth were real surrounding locations for the first disciples. Those places still represent the concentric circles of influence in our lives: home (Jerusalem), neighborhood (Judea), beyond our comfort zone (Samaria), and the ends of the earth (the ends of the earth!). Part of the transforming task of the Book of Acts is to ignite in us a vision for our part in God’s ongoing work to reach people with the gospel. We can be involved in sending others, as we do when we support missionary efforts around the world. But each of us must also be “going” in some way.

Acts has a special way of taking us inside the story of the early church and showing us the details and the drama of following Jesus anywhere and everywhere. It can make us repeatedly pray, “Lord, am I doing what you want me to do where I am today? Is there anywhere else you want me to be?” Those questions can lead to a continual transformation of our lives as we spend our days as followers of Jesus.

Prologue

The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,

2until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen,

to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.

The Holy Spirit Promised

4And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me;

5“for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

6Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”

7And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.

“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Jesus Ascends to Heaven

Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.

10And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel,

11who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.”

The Upper Room Prayer Meeting

Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey.

And when they had entered, they went up into the upper room where they were staying: Peter, James, John, and Andrew; Philip and Thomas; Bartholomew and Matthew; James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot; and Judas the son of James.

14These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.

Matthias Chosen

And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples (altogether the number of names was about a hundred and twenty), and said,

“Men and brethren, this Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke before by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus;

17“for he was numbered with us and obtained a part in this ministry.”

18(Now this man purchased a field with the wages of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his entrails gushed out.

19And it became known to all those dwelling in Jerusalem; so that field is called in their own language, Akel Dama, that is, Field of Blood.)

20“For it is written in the Book of Psalms:

‘Let his dwelling place be desolate,

And let no one live in it’;

and,

‘Let another take his office.’

21“Therefore, of these men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,

22“beginning from the baptism of John to that day when He was taken up from us, one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection.”

23And they proposed two: Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias.

And they prayed and said, “You, O Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which of these two You have chosen

25“to take part in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.”

And they cast their lots, and the lot fell on Matthias. And he was numbered with the eleven apostles.

Coming of the Holy Spirit

When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.

And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.

Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them.

And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

The Crowd’s Response

5And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven.

And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language.

7Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, “Look, are not all these who speak Galileans?

8“And how is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were born?

9“Parthians and Medes and Elamites, those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,

10“Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes,

11“Cretans and Arabs—we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God.”

12So they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “Whatever could this mean?”

13Others mocking said, “They are full of new wine.”

Peter’s Sermon

14But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words.

15“For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day.

16“But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:

‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God,

That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh;

Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,

Your young men shall see visions,

Your old men shall dream dreams.

18And on My menservants and on My maidservants

I will pour out My Spirit in those days;

And they shall prophesy.

19I will show wonders in heaven above

And signs in the earth beneath:

Blood and fire and vapor of smoke.

20The sun shall be turned into darkness,

And the moon into blood,

Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD.

21And it shall come to pass

That whoever calls on the name of the LORD

Shall be saved.’

22“Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know—

23“Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death;

24“whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it.

25“For David says concerning Him:

‘I foresaw the LORD always before my face,

For He is at my right hand, that I may not be shaken.

26Therefore my heart rejoiced, and my tongue was glad;

Moreover my flesh also will rest in hope.

27For You will not leave my soul in Hades,

Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.

28You have made known to me the ways of life;

You will make me full of joy in Your presence.’

29“Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.

30“Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne,

31“he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption.

32“This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses.

33“Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear.

34“For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he says himself:

‘The LORD said to my Lord,

“Sit at My right hand,

35Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.” ’

36“Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”

37Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”

Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

39“For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”

A Vital Church Grows

40And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation.”

41Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.

And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.

43Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.

Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common,

45and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.

46So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart,

47praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.

A Lame Man Healed

1Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour.

2And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms from those who entered the temple;

3who, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked for alms.

4And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, “Look at us.”

5So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them.

Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.”

And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.

8So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them—walking, leaping, and praising God.

9And all the people saw him walking and praising God.

10Then they knew that it was he who sat begging alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

Preaching in Solomon’s Portico

Now as the lame man who was healed held on to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the porch which is called Solomon’s, greatly amazed.

12So when Peter saw it, he responded to the people: “Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this? Or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?

13“The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified His Servant Jesus, whom you delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let Him go.

14“But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you,

15“and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses.

“And His name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.

“Yet now, brethren, I know that you did it in ignorance, as did also your rulers.

18“But those things which God foretold by the mouth of all His prophets, that the Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled.

“Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,

20“and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before,

21“whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.

22“For Moses truly said to the fathers, ‘The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear in all things, whatever He says to you.

23‘And it shall be that every soul who will not hear that Prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.’

24“Yes, and all the prophets, from Samuel and those who follow, as many as have spoken, have also foretold these days.

“You are sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’

26“To you first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities.”

Peter and John Arrested

Now as they spoke to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees came upon them,

2being greatly disturbed that they taught the people and preached in Jesus the resurrection from the dead.

3And they laid hands on them, and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening.

4However, many of those who heard the word believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand.

Addressing the Sanhedrin

And it came to pass, on the next day, that their rulers, elders, and scribes,

6as well as Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the family of the high priest, were gathered together at Jerusalem.

7And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, “By what power or by what name have you done this?”

Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders of Israel:

9“If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well,

10“let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole.

“This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’

12“Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

The Name of Jesus Forbidden

13Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.

And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it.

15But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves,

16saying, “What shall we do to these men? For, indeed, that a notable miracle has been done through them is evident to all who dwell in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it.

17“But so that it spreads no further among the people, let us severely threaten them, that from now on they speak to no man in this name.”

18So they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.

But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge.

20“For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.”

21So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way of punishing them, because of the people, since they all glorified God for what had been done.

22For the man was over forty years old on whom this miracle of healing had been performed.

Prayer for Boldness

23And being let go, they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them.

24So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and said: “Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them,

25“who by the mouth of Your servant David have said:

‘Why did the nations rage,

And the people plot vain things?

26The kings of the earth took their stand,

And the rulers were gathered together

Against the LORD and against His Christ.’

27“For truly against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together

“to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose determined before to be done.

29“Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word,

30“by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.”

31And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.

Sharing in All Things

Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common.

33And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all.

34Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold,

35and laid them at the apostles’ feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need.

36And Joses, who was also named Barnabas by the apostles (which is translated Son of Encouragement), a Levite of the country of Cyprus,

37having land, sold it, and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

Lying to the Holy Spirit

But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession.

2And he kept back part of the proceeds, his wife also being aware of it, and brought a certain part and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself?

4“While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.”

5Then Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and breathed his last. So great fear came upon all those who heard these things.

6And the young men arose and wrapped him up, carried him out, and buried him.

7Now it was about three hours later when his wife came in, not knowing what had happened.

8And Peter answered her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for so much?” She said, “Yes, for so much.”

9Then Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.”

10Then immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. And the young men came in and found her dead, and carrying her out, buried her by her husband.

So great fear came upon all the church and upon all who heard these things.

Continuing Power in the Church

And through the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people. And they were all with one accord in Solomon’s Porch.

13Yet none of the rest dared join them, but the people esteemed them highly.

14And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women,

so that they brought the sick out into the streets and laid them on beds and couches, that at least the shadow of Peter passing by might fall on some of them.

16Also a multitude gathered from the surrounding cities to Jerusalem, bringing sick people and those who were tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all healed.

Imprisoned Apostles Freed

Then the high priest rose up, and all those who were with him (which is the sect of the Sadducees), and they were filled with indignation,

18and laid their hands on the apostles and put them in the common prison.

19But at night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said,

20“Go, stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this life.”

21And when they heard that, they entered the temple early in the morning and taught. But the high priest and those with him came and called the council together, with all the elders of the children of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought.

Apostles on Trial Again

22But when the officers came and did not find them in the prison, they returned and reported,

23saying, “Indeed we found the prison shut securely, and the guards standing outside before the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside!”

24Now when the high priest, the captain of the temple, and the chief priests heard these things, they wondered what the outcome would be.

25So one came and told them, saying, “Look, the men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people!”

26Then the captain went with the officers and brought them without violence, for they feared the people, lest they should be stoned.

And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest asked them,

28saying, “Did we not strictly command you not to teach in this name? And look, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this Man’s blood on us!”

29But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: “We ought to obey God rather than men.

30“The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom you murdered by hanging on a tree.

“Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.

32“And we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him.”

Gamaliel’s Advice

When they heard this, they were furious and plotted to kill them.

34Then one in the council stood up, a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law held in respect by all the people, and commanded them to put the apostles outside for a little while.

35And he said to them: “Men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what you intend to do regarding these men.

36“For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody. A number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was slain, and all who obeyed him were scattered and came to nothing.

37“After this man, Judas of Galilee rose up in the days of the census, and drew away many people after him. He also perished, and all who obeyed him were dispersed.

38“And now I say to you, keep away from these men and let them alone; for if this plan or this work is of men, it will come to nothing;

39“but if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it—lest you even be found to fight against God.”

And they agreed with him, and when they had called for the apostles and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.

So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name.

42And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.

Seven Chosen to Serve

Now in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the Hellenists, because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution.

Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables.

3“Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business;

4“but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”

And the saying pleased the whole multitude. And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch,

6whom they set before the apostles; and when they had prayed, they laid hands on them.

7Then the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.

Stephen Accused of Blasphemy

And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and signs among the people.

9Then there arose some from what is called the Synagogue of the Freedmen (Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and those from Cilicia and Asia), disputing with Stephen.

10And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke.

Then they secretly induced men to say, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.”

12And they stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes; and they came upon him, seized him, and brought him to the council.

13They also set up false witnesses who said, “This man does not cease to speak blasphemous words against this holy place and the law;

14“for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs which Moses delivered to us.”

15And all who sat in the council, looking steadfastly at him, saw his face as the face of an angel.

Stephen’s Address: The Call of Abraham

Then the high priest said, “Are these things so?”

And he said, “Brethren and fathers, listen: The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Haran,

3“and said to him, ‘Get out of your country and from your relatives, and come to a land that I will show you.’

4“Then he came out of the land of the Chaldeans and dwelt in Haran. And from there, when his father was dead, He moved him to this land in which you now dwell.

5“And God gave him no inheritance in it, not even enough to set his foot on. But even when Abraham had no child, He promised to give it to him for a possession, and to his descendants after him.

6“But God spoke in this way: that his descendants would dwell in a foreign land, and that they would bring them into bondage and oppress them four hundred years.

7‘And the nation to whom they will be in bondage I will judge,’ said God, ‘and after that they shall come out and serve Me in this place.’

8“Then He gave him the covenant of circumcision; and so Abraham begot Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day; and Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot the twelve patriarchs.

The Patriarchs in Egypt

9“And the patriarchs, becoming envious, sold Joseph into Egypt. But God was with him

10“and delivered him out of all his troubles, and gave him favor and wisdom in the presence of Pharaoh, king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house.

11“Now a famine and great trouble came over all the land of Egypt and Canaan, and our fathers found no sustenance.

12“But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent out our fathers first.

13“And the second time Joseph was made known to his brothers, and Joseph’s family became known to the Pharaoh.

14“Then Joseph sent and called his father Jacob and all his relatives to him, seventy-five people.

15“So Jacob went down to Egypt; and he died, he and our fathers.

16“And they were carried back to Shechem and laid in the tomb that Abraham bought for a sum of money from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem.

God Delivers Israel by Moses

17“But when the time of the promise drew near which God had sworn to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt

18“till another king arose who did not know Joseph.

19“This man dealt treacherously with our people, and oppressed our forefathers, making them expose their babies, so that they might not live.

20“At this time Moses was born, and was well pleasing to God; and he was brought up in his father’s house for three months.

21“But when he was set out, Pharaoh’s daughter took him away and brought him up as her own son.

22“And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and deeds.

23“Now when he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren, the children of Israel.

24“And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended and avenged him who was oppressed, and struck down the Egyptian.

25“For he supposed that his brethren would have understood that God would deliver them by his hand, but they did not understand.

26“And the next day he appeared to two of them as they were fighting, and tried to reconcile them, saying, ‘Men, you are brethren; why do you wrong one another?’

27“But he who did his neighbor wrong pushed him away, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge over us?

28‘Do you want to kill me as you did the Egyptian yesterday?’

29“Then, at this saying, Moses fled and became a dweller in the land of Midian, where he had two sons.

30“And when forty years had passed, an Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire in a bush, in the wilderness of Mount Sinai.

31“When Moses saw it, he marveled at the sight; and as he drew near to observe, the voice of the Lord came to him,

32“saying, ‘I am the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ And Moses trembled and dared not look.

33‘Then the LORD said to him, “Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.

34“I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt; I have heard their groaning and have come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send you to Egypt.” ’

35“This Moses whom they rejected, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge?’ is the one God sent to be a ruler and a deliverer by the hand of the Angel who appeared to him in the bush.

36“He brought them out, after he had shown wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, and in the Red Sea, and in the wilderness forty years.

Israel Rebels Against God

37“This is that Moses who said to the children of Israel, ‘The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear.’

38“This is he who was in the congregation in the wilderness with the Angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our fathers, the one who received the living oracles to give to us,

39“whom our fathers would not obey, but rejected. And in their hearts they turned back to Egypt,

40“saying to Aaron, ‘Make us gods to go before us; as for this Moses who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’

41“And they made a calf in those days, offered sacrifices to the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their own hands.

42“Then God turned and gave them up to worship the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the Prophets:

‘Did you offer Me slaughtered animals and sacrifices during forty years in the wilderness,

O house of Israel?

43You also took up the tabernacle of Moloch,

And the star of your god Remphan,

Images which you made to worship;

And I will carry you away beyond Babylon.’

God’s True Tabernacle

44“Our fathers had the tabernacle of witness in the wilderness, as He appointed, instructing Moses to make it according to the pattern that he had seen,

45“which our fathers, having received it in turn, also brought with Joshua into the land possessed by the Gentiles, whom God drove out before the face of our fathers until the days of David,

46“who found favor before God and asked to find a dwelling for the God of Jacob.

47“But Solomon built Him a house.

“However, the Most High does not dwell in temples made with hands, as the prophet says:

49‘Heaven is My throne,

And earth is My footstool.

What house will you build for Me? says the LORD,

Or what is the place of My rest?

50Has My hand not made all these things?’

Israel Resists the Holy Spirit

“You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you.

52“Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers,

“who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it.”

Stephen the Martyr

54When they heard these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth.

55But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God,

and said, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”

57Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord;

and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.

59And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”

60Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

Saul Persecutes the Church

Now Saul was consenting to his death. At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.

2And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him.

3As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison.

Christ Is Preached in Samaria

Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word.

5Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them.

6And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did.

7For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed; and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed.

8And there was great joy in that city.

The Sorcerer’s Profession of Faith

9But there was a certain man called Simon, who previously practiced sorcery in the city and astonished the people of Samaria, claiming that he was someone great,

10to whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is the great power of God.”

11And they heeded him because he had astonished them with his sorceries for a long time.

But when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized.

Then Simon himself also believed; and when he was baptized he continued with Philip, and was amazed, seeing the miracles and signs which were done.

The Sorcerer’s Sin

14Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them,

15who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit.

16For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

17Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

And when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money,

19saying, “Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”

20But Peter said to him, “Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money!

21“You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God.

“Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you.

23“For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity.”

24Then Simon answered and said, “Pray to the Lord for me, that none of the things which you have spoken may come upon me.”

25So when they had testified and preached the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans.

Christ Is Preached to an Ethiopian

Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, “Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is desert.

27So he arose and went. And behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasury, and had come to Jerusalem to worship,

28was returning. And sitting in his chariot, he was reading Isaiah the prophet.

29Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go near and overtake this chariot.”

30So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?”

31And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him.

The place in the Scripture which he read was this:

“He was led as a sheep to the slaughter;

And as a lamb before its shearer is silent,

So He opened not His mouth.

33In His humiliation His justice was taken away,

And who will declare His generation?

For His life is taken from the earth.”

34So the eunuch answered Philip and said, “I ask you, of whom does the prophet say this, of himself or of some other man?”

35Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him.

36Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, “See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?”

37Then Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”

38So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him.

39Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more; and he went on his way rejoicing.

But Philip was found at Azotus. And passing through, he preached in all the cities till he came to Caesarea.

The Damascus Road: Saul Converted

1Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest

and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.

3As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven.

4Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”

And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.”

So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

7And the men who journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice but seeing no one.

8Then Saul arose from the ground, and when his eyes were opened he saw no one. But they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus.

9And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

Ananias Baptizes Saul

10Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and to him the Lord said in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.”

11So the Lord said to him, “Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold, he is praying.

12“And in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him, so that he might receive his sight.”

13Then Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem.

14“And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name.”

But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel.

16“For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.”

17And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”

18Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized.

19So when he had received food, he was strengthened. Then Saul spent some days with the disciples at Damascus.

Saul Preaches Christ

Immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God.

21Then all who heard were amazed, and said, “Is this not he who destroyed those who called on this name in Jerusalem, and has come here for that purpose, so that he might bring them bound to the chief priests?”

22But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who dwelt in Damascus, proving that this Jesus is the Christ.

Saul Escapes Death

23Now after many days were past, the Jews plotted to kill him.

24But their plot became known to Saul. And they watched the gates day and night, to kill him.

25Then the disciples took him by night and let him down through the wall in a large basket.

Saul at Jerusalem

And when Saul had come to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples; but they were all afraid of him, and did not believe that he was a disciple.

But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. And he declared to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that He had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus.

28So he was with them at Jerusalem, coming in and going out.

29And he spoke boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus and disputed against the Hellenists, but they attempted to kill him.

30When the brethren found out, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him out to Tarsus.

The Church Prospers

Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied.

Aeneas Healed

Now it came to pass, as Peter went through all parts of the country, that he also came down to the saints who dwelt in Lydda.

33There he found a certain man named Aeneas, who had been bedridden eight years and was paralyzed.

34And Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus the Christ heals you. Arise and make your bed.” Then he arose immediately.

So all who dwelt at Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord.

Dorcas Restored to Life

At Joppa there was a certain disciple named Tabitha, which is translated Dorcas. This woman was full of good works and charitable deeds which she did.

37But it happened in those days that she became sick and died. When they had washed her, they laid her in an upper room.

38And since Lydda was near Joppa, and the disciples had heard that Peter was there, they sent two men to him, imploring him not to delay in coming to them.

39Then Peter arose and went with them. When he had come, they brought him to the upper room. And all the widows stood by him weeping, showing the tunics and garments which Dorcas had made while she was with them.

But Peter put them all out, and knelt down and prayed. And turning to the body he said, “Tabitha, arise.” And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up.

41Then he gave her his hand and lifted her up; and when he had called the saints and widows, he presented her alive.

42And it became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed on the Lord.

43So it was that he stayed many days in Joppa with Simon, a tanner.

Cornelius Sends a Delegation

There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment,

a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always.

3About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming in and saying to him, “Cornelius!”

4And when he observed him, he was afraid, and said, “What is it, lord?” So he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God.

5“Now send men to Joppa, and send for Simon whose surname is Peter.

6“He is lodging with Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea. He will tell you what you must do.”

And when the angel who spoke to him had departed, Cornelius called two of his household servants and a devout soldier from among those who waited on him continually.

8So when he had explained all these things to them, he sent them to Joppa.

Peter’s Vision

The next day, as they went on their journey and drew near the city, Peter went up on the housetop to pray, about the sixth hour.

10Then he became very hungry and wanted to eat; but while they made ready, he fell into a trance

11and saw heaven opened and an object like a great sheet bound at the four corners, descending to him and let down to the earth.

12In it were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air.

13And a voice came to him, “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.”

14But Peter said, “Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean.”

15And a voice spoke to him again the second time, “What God has cleansed you must not call common.”

16This was done three times. And the object was taken up into heaven again.

Summoned to Caesarea

17Now while Peter wondered within himself what this vision which he had seen meant, behold, the men who had been sent from Cornelius had made inquiry for Simon’s house, and stood before the gate.

18And they called and asked whether Simon, whose surname was Peter, was lodging there.

19While Peter thought about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are seeking you.

20“Arise therefore, go down and go with them, doubting nothing; for I have sent them.”

21Then Peter went down to the men who had been sent to him from Cornelius, and said, “Yes, I am he whom you seek. For what reason have you come?”

22And they said, “Cornelius the centurion, a just man, one who fears God and has a good reputation among all the nation of the Jews, was divinely instructed by a holy angel to summon you to his house, and to hear words from you.”

23Then he invited them in and lodged them. On the next day Peter went away with them, and some brethren from Joppa accompanied him.

Peter Meets Cornelius

24And the following day they entered Caesarea. Now Cornelius was waiting for them, and had called together his relatives and close friends.

25As Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him.

26But Peter lifted him up, saying, “Stand up; I myself am also a man.”

27And as he talked with him, he went in and found many who had come together.

Then he said to them, “You know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man to keep company with or go to one of another nation. But God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean.

29“Therefore I came without objection as soon as I was sent for. I ask, then, for what reason have you sent for me?”

30So Cornelius said, “Four days ago I was fasting until this hour; and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing,

31“and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your alms are remembered in the sight of God.

32‘Send therefore to Joppa and call Simon here, whose surname is Peter. He is lodging in the house of Simon, a tanner, by the sea. When he comes, he will speak to you.’

33“So I sent to you immediately, and you have done well to come. Now therefore, we are all present before God, to hear all the things commanded you by God.”

Preaching to Cornelius’ Household

Then Peter opened his mouth and said: “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality.

35“But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him.

36“The word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ—He is Lord of all—

37“that word you know, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee after the baptism which John preached:

38“how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.

39“And we are witnesses of all things which He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem, whom they killed by hanging on a tree.

40“Him God raised up on the third day, and showed Him openly,

41“not to all the people, but to witnesses chosen before by God, even to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead.

42“And He commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead.

43“To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins.”

The Holy Spirit Falls on the Gentiles

While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word.

And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also.

46For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God. Then Peter answered,

47“Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?”

And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then they asked him to stay a few days.

Peter Defends God’s Grace

Now the apostles and brethren who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God.

2And when Peter came up to Jerusalem, those of the circumcision contended with him,

3saying, “You went in to uncircumcised men and ate with them!”

But Peter explained it to them in order from the beginning, saying:

5“I was in the city of Joppa praying; and in a trance I saw a vision, an object descending like a great sheet, let down from heaven by four corners; and it came to me.

6“When I observed it intently and considered, I saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air.

7“And I heard a voice saying to me, ‘Rise, Peter; kill and eat.’

8“But I said, ‘Not so, Lord! For nothing common or unclean has at any time entered my mouth.’

9“But the voice answered me again from heaven, ‘What God has cleansed you must not call common.’

10“Now this was done three times, and all were drawn up again into heaven.

11“At that very moment, three men stood before the house where I was, having been sent to me from Caesarea.

12“Then the Spirit told me to go with them, doubting nothing. Moreover these six brethren accompanied me, and we entered the man’s house.

13“And he told us how he had seen an angel standing in his house, who said to him, ‘Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon whose surname is Peter,

14‘who will tell you words by which you and all your household will be saved.’

“And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, as upon us at the beginning.

16“Then I remembered the word of the Lord, how He said, ‘John indeed baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’

17“If therefore God gave them the same gift as He gave us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could withstand God?”

When they heard these things they became silent; and they glorified God, saying, “Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life.”

Barnabas and Saul at Antioch

Now those who were scattered after the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to no one but the Jews only.

20But some of them were men from Cyprus and Cyrene, who, when they had come to Antioch, spoke to the Hellenists, preaching the Lord Jesus.

21And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord.

22Then news of these things came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent out Barnabas to go as far as Antioch.

23When he came and had seen the grace of God, he was glad, and encouraged them all that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord.

24For he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord.

25Then Barnabas departed for Tarsus to seek Saul.

And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.

Relief to Judea

And in these days prophets came from Jerusalem to Antioch.

28Then one of them, named Agabus, stood up and showed by the Spirit that there was going to be a great famine throughout all the world, which also happened in the days of Claudius Caesar.

Then the disciples, each according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brethren dwelling in Judea.

30This they also did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul.

Herod’s Violence to the Church

Now about that time Herod the king stretched out his hand to harass some from the church.

2Then he killed James the brother of John with the sword.

And because he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to seize Peter also. Now it was during the Days of Unleavened Bread.

4So when he had arrested him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four squads of soldiers to keep him, intending to bring him before the people after Passover.

Peter Freed from Prison

Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church.

6And when Herod was about to bring him out, that night Peter was sleeping, bound with two chains between two soldiers; and the guards before the door were keeping the prison.

7Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, “Arise quickly!” And his chains fell off his hands.

Then the angel said to him, “Gird yourself and tie on your sandals”; and so he did. And he said to him, “Put on your garment and follow me.”

9So he went out and followed him, and did not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision.

10When they were past the first and the second guard posts, they came to the iron gate that leads to the city, which opened to them of its own accord; and they went out and went down one street, and immediately the angel departed from him.

11And when Peter had come to himself, he said, “Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent His angel, and has delivered me from the hand of Herod and from all the expectation of the Jewish people.”

So, when he had considered this, he came to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose surname was Mark, where many were gathered together praying.

13And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a girl named Rhoda came to answer.

14When she recognized Peter’s voice, because of her gladness she did not open the gate, but ran in and announced that Peter stood before the gate.

15But they said to her, “You are beside yourself!” Yet she kept insisting that it was so. So they said, “It is his angel.”

16Now Peter continued knocking; and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished.

17But motioning to them with his hand to keep silent, he declared to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, “Go, tell these things to James and to the brethren.” And he departed and went to another place.

18Then, as soon as it was day, there was no small stir among the soldiers about what had become of Peter.

19But when Herod had searched for him and not found him, he examined the guards and commanded that they should be put to death. And he went down from Judea to Caesarea, and stayed there.

Herod’s Violent Death

20Now Herod had been very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon; but they came to him with one accord, and having made Blastus the king’s personal aide their friend, they asked for peace, because their country was supplied with food by the king’s country.

21So on a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat on his throne and gave an oration to them.

And the people kept shouting, “The voice of a god and not of a man!”

23Then immediately an angel of the Lord struck him, because he did not give glory to God. And he was eaten by worms and died.

But the word of God grew and multiplied.

Barnabas and Saul Appointed

25And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had fulfilled their ministry, and they also took with them John whose surname was Mark.

1Now in the church that was at Antioch there were certain prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.

As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”

3Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away.

Preaching in Cyprus

4So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus.

5And when they arrived in Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. They also had John as their assistant.

6Now when they had gone through the island to Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew whose name was Bar-Jesus,

7who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. This man called for Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God.

8But Elymas the sorcerer (for so his name is translated) withstood them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith.

Then Saul, who also is called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him

10and said, “O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord?

11“And now, indeed, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a time.” And immediately a dark mist fell on him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand.

12Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had been done, being astonished at the teaching of the Lord.

At Antioch in Pisidia

Now when Paul and his party set sail from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia; and John, departing from them, returned to Jerusalem.

14But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and sat down.

15And after the reading of the Law and the Prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent to them, saying, “Men and brethren, if you have any word of exhortation for the people, say on.”

Then Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said, “Men of Israel, and you who fear God, listen:

17“The God of this people Israel chose our fathers, and exalted the people when they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt, and with an uplifted arm He brought them out of it.

18“Now for a time of about forty years He put up with their ways in the wilderness.

19“And when He had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, He distributed their land to them by allotment.

20“After that He gave them judges for about four hundred and fifty years, until Samuel the prophet.

21“And afterward they asked for a king; so God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years.

22“And when He had removed him, He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.’

23“From this man’s seed, according to the promise, God raised up for Israel a Savior—Jesus—

24“after John had first preached, before His coming, the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.

25“And as John was finishing his course, he said, ‘Who do you think I am? I am not He. But behold, there comes One after me, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to loose.’

“Men and brethren, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to you the word of this salvation has been sent.

27“For those who dwell in Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they did not know Him, nor even the voices of the Prophets which are read every Sabbath, have fulfilled them in condemning Him.

28“And though they found no cause for death in Him, they asked Pilate that He should be put to death.

29“Now when they had fulfilled all that was written concerning Him, they took Him down from the tree and laid Him in a tomb.

30“But God raised Him from the dead.

31“He was seen for many days by those who came up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are His witnesses to the people.

32“And we declare to you glad tidings—that promise which was made to the fathers.

33“God has fulfilled this for us their children, in that He has raised up Jesus. As it is also written in the second Psalm:

‘You are My Son,

Today I have begotten You.’

34“And that He raised Him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, He has spoken thus:

‘I will give you the sure mercies of David.’

35“Therefore He also says in another Psalm:

‘You will not allow Your Holy One to see corruption.’

36“For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell asleep, was buried with his fathers, and saw corruption;

37“but He whom God raised up saw no corruption.

“Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through this Man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins;

39“and by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses.

40“Beware therefore, lest what has been spoken in the prophets come upon you:

41‘Behold, you despisers,

Marvel and perish!

For I work a work in your days,

A work which you will by no means believe,

Though one were to declare it to you.’ ”

Blessing and Conflict at Antioch

42So when the Jews went out of the synagogue, the Gentiles begged that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath.

43Now when the congregation had broken up, many of the Jews and devout proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God.

44On the next Sabbath almost the whole city came together to hear the word of God.

45But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy; and contradicting and blaspheming, they opposed the things spoken by Paul.

46Then Paul and Barnabas grew bold and said, “It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken to you first; but since you reject it, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles.

47“For so the Lord has commanded us:

‘I have set you as a light to the Gentiles,

That you should be for salvation to the ends of the earth.’ ”

Now when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord. And as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.

49And the word of the Lord was being spread throughout all the region.

50But the Jews stirred up the devout and prominent women and the chief men of the city, raised up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region.

51But they shook off the dust from their feet against them, and came to Iconium.

52And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

At Iconium

Now it happened in Iconium that they went together to the synagogue of the Jews, and so spoke that a great multitude both of the Jews and of the Greeks believed.

2But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brethren.

3Therefore they stayed there a long time, speaking boldly in the Lord, who was bearing witness to the word of His grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands.

4But the multitude of the city was divided: part sided with the Jews, and part with the apostles.

5And when a violent attempt was made by both the Gentiles and Jews, with their rulers, to abuse and stone them,

6they became aware of it and fled to Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and to the surrounding region.

7And they were preaching the gospel there.

Idolatry at Lystra

And in Lystra a certain man without strength in his feet was sitting, a cripple from his mother’s womb, who had never walked.

9This man heard Paul speaking. Paul, observing him intently and seeing that he had faith to be healed,

10said with a loud voice, “Stand up straight on your feet!” And he leaped and walked.

11Now when the people saw what Paul had done, they raised their voices, saying in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!”

12And Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker.

13Then the priest of Zeus, whose temple was in front of their city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates, intending to sacrifice with the multitudes.

But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard this, they tore their clothes and ran in among the multitude, crying out

15and saying, “Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men with the same nature as you, and preach to you that you should turn from these useless things to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and all things that are in them,

16“who in bygone generations allowed all nations to walk in their own ways.

17“Nevertheless He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good, gave us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.”

18And with these sayings they could scarcely restrain the multitudes from sacrificing to them.

Stoning, Escape to Derbe

19Then Jews from Antioch and Iconium came there; and having persuaded the multitudes, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be dead.

20However, when the disciples gathered around him, he rose up and went into the city. And the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe.

Strengthening the Converts

21And when they had preached the gospel to that city and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch,

22strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, “We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.”

23So when they had appointed elders in every church, and prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed.

24And after they had passed through Pisidia, they came to Pamphylia.

25Now when they had preached the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia.

26From there they sailed to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work which they had completed.

27Now when they had come and gathered the church together, they reported all that God had done with them, and that He had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.

28So they stayed there a long time with the disciples.

Conflict over Circumcision

And certain men came down from Judea and taught the brethren, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.”

2Therefore, when Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and dispute with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas and certain others of them should go up to Jerusalem, to the apostles and elders, about this question.

3So, being sent on their way by the church, they passed through Phoenicia and Samaria, describing the conversion of the Gentiles; and they caused great joy to all the brethren.

4And when they had come to Jerusalem, they were received by the church and the apostles and the elders; and they reported all things that God had done with them.

But some of the sect of the Pharisees who believed rose up, saying, “It is necessary to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.”

The Jerusalem Council

Now the apostles and elders came together to consider this matter.

7And when there had been much dispute, Peter rose up and said to them: “Men and brethren, you know that a good while ago God chose among us, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe.

8“So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us,

9“and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.

“Now therefore, why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?

11“But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they.”

12Then all the multitude kept silent and listened to Barnabas and Paul declaring how many miracles and wonders God had worked through them among the Gentiles.

13And after they had become silent, James answered, saying, “Men and brethren, listen to me:

14“Simon has declared how God at the first visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name.

“And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written:

16‘After this I will return

And will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down;

I will rebuild its ruins,

And I will set it up;

17So that the rest of mankind may seek the LORD,

Even all the Gentiles who are called by My name,

Says the LORD who does all these things.’

18“Known to God from eternity are all His works.

“Therefore I judge that we should not trouble those from among the Gentiles who are turning to God,

20“but that we write to them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from things strangled, and from blood.

21“For Moses has had throughout many generations those who preach him in every city, being read in the synagogues every Sabbath.”

The Jerusalem Decree

22Then it pleased the apostles and elders, with the whole church, to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas, namely, Judas who was also named Barsabas, and Silas, leading men among the brethren.

23They wrote this letter by them:

The apostles, the elders, and the brethren,

To the brethren who are of the Gentiles in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia:

Greetings.

24Since we have heard that some who went out from us have troubled you with words, unsetthng your souls, saying, “You must be circumcised and keep the law”—to whom we gave no such commandment—

25it seemed good to us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,

26men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

27We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who will also report the same things by word of mouth.

28For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things:

29that you abstain from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well.

Farewell.

Continuing Ministry in Syria

30So when they were sent off, they came to Antioch; and when they had gathered the multitude together, they delivered the letter.

31When they had read it, they rejoiced over its encouragement.

32Now Judas and Silas, themselves being prophets also, exhorted and strengthened the brethren with many words.

33And after they had stayed there for a time, they were sent back with greetings from the brethren to the apostles.

34However, it seemed good to Silas to remain there.

35Paul and Barnabas also remained in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also.

Division over John Mark

Then after some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us now go back and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they are doing.”

37Now Barnabas was determined to take with them John called Mark.

38But Paul insisted that they should not take with them the one who had departed from them in Pamphylia, and had not gone with them to the work.

Then the contention became so sharp that they parted from one another. And so Barnabas took Mark and sailed to Cyprus;

40but Paul chose Silas and departed, being commended by the brethren to the grace of God.

41And he went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.

Timothy Joins Paul and Silas

1Then he came to Derbe and Lystra. And behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a certain Jewish woman who believed, but his father was Greek.

2He was well spoken of by the brethren who were at Lystra and Iconium.

Paul wanted to have him go on with him. And he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in that region, for they all knew that his father was Greek.

And as they went through the cities, they delivered to them the decrees to keep, which were determined by the apostles and elders at Jerusalem.

5So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and increased in number daily.

The Macedonian Call

6Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia.

7After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them.

8So passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas.

9And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.”

10Now after he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them.

Lydia Baptized at Philippi

11Therefore, sailing from Troas, we ran a straight course to Samothrace, and the next day came to Neapolis,

and from there to Philippi, which is the foremost city of that part of Macedonia, a colony. And we were staying in that city for some days.

And on the Sabbath day we went out of the city to the riverside, where prayer was customarily made; and we sat down and spoke to the women who met there.

Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul.

15And when she and her household were baptized, she begged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” So she persuaded us.

Paul and Silas Imprisoned

16Now it happened, as we went to prayer, that a certain slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much profit by fortune-telling.

17This girl followed Paul and us, and cried out, saying, “These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation.”

18And this she did for many days. But Paul, greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And he came out that very hour.

19But when her masters saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to the authorities.

20And they brought them to the magistrates, and said, “These men, being Jews, exceedingly trouble our city;

21“and they teach customs which are not lawful for us, being Romans, to receive or observe.”

22Then the multitude rose up together against them; and the magistrates tore off their clothes and commanded them to be beaten with rods.

23And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely.

24Having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.

The Philippian Jailer Saved

But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.

26Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed.

27And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself.

28But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, “Do yourself no harm, for we are all here.”

29Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas.

30And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.”

32Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house.

And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized.

34Now when he had brought them into his house, he set food before them; and he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household.

Paul Refuses to Depart Secretly

35And when it was day, the magistrates sent the officers, saying, “Let those men go.”

36So the keeper of the prison reported these words to Paul, saying, “The magistrates have sent to let you go. Now therefore depart, and go in peace.”

37But Paul said to them, “They have beaten us openly, uncondemned Romans, and have thrown us into prison. And now do they put us out secretly? No indeed! Let them come themselves and get us out.”

38And the officers told these words to the magistrates, and they were afraid when they heard that they were Romans.

39Then they came and pleaded with them and brought them out, and asked them to depart from the city.

So they went out of the prison and entered the house of Lydia; and when they had seen the brethren, they encouraged them and departed.

Preaching Christ at Thessalonica

Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews.

2Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures,

3explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ.”

4And some of them were persuaded; and a great multitude of the devout Greeks, and not a few of the leading women, joined Paul and Silas.

Assault on Jason’s House

But the Jews who were not persuaded, becoming envious, took some of the evil men from the marketplace, and gathering a mob, set all the city in an uproar and attacked the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people.

6But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some brethren to the rulers of the city, crying out, “These who have turned the world upside down have come here too.

“Jason has harbored them, and these are all acting contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying there is another king—Jesus.”

8And they troubled the crowd and the rulers of the city when they heard these things.

9So when they had taken security from Jason and the rest, they let them go.

Ministering at Berea

10Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews.

These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.

12Therefore many of them believed, and also not a few of the Greeks, prominent women as well as men.

13But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that the word of God was preached by Paul at Berea, they came there also and stirred up the crowds.

14Then immediately the brethren sent Paul away, to go to the sea; but both Silas and Timothy remained there.

15So those who conducted Paul brought him to Athens; and receiving a command for Silas and Timothy to come to him with all speed, they departed.

The Philosophers at Athens

16Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him when he saw that the city was given over to idols.

17Therefore he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and with the Gentile worshipers, and in the marketplace daily with those who happened to be there.

Then certain Epicurean and Stoic philosophers encountered him. And some said, “What does this babbler want to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign gods,” because he preached to them Jesus and the resurrection.

19And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this new doctrine is of which you speak?

20“For you are bringing some strange things to our ears. Therefore we want to know what these things mean.”

21For all the Athenians and the foreigners who were there spent their time in nothing else but either to tell or to hear some new thing.

Addressing the Areopagus

Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious;

23“for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription:

TO THE UNKNOWN GOD.

Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you:

24“God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands.

“Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things.

“And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings,

27“so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us;

28“for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’

29“Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man’s devising.

30“Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent,

31“because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.”

And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked, while others said, “We will hear you again on this matter.”

33So Paul departed from among them.

However, some men joined him and believed, among them Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and others with them.

Ministering at Corinth

After these things Paul departed from Athens and went to Corinth.

And he found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla (because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to depart from Rome); and he came to them.

3So, because he was of the same trade, he stayed with them and worked; for by occupation they were tentmakers.

4And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded both Jews and Greeks.

5When Silas and Timothy had come from Macedonia, Paul was compelled by the Spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus is the Christ.

But when they opposed him and blasphemed, he shook his garments and said to them, “Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”

7And he departed from there and entered the house of a certain man named Justus, one who worshiped God, whose house was next door to the synagogue.

8Then Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his household. And many of the Corinthians, hearing, believed and were baptized.

Now the Lord spoke to Paul in the night by a vision, “Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent;

“for I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you; for I have many people in this city.”

11And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.

When Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews with one accord rose up against Paul and brought him to the judgment seat,

13saying, “This fellow persuades men to worship God contrary to the law.”

14And when Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, “If it were a matter of wrongdoing or wicked crimes, O Jews, there would be reason why I should bear with you.

15“But if it is a question of words and names and your own law, look to it yourselves; for I do not want to be a judge of such matters.”

16And he drove them from the judgment seat.

17Then all the Greeks took Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue, and beat him before the judgment seat. But Gallio took no notice of these things.

Paul Returns to Antioch

So Paul still remained a good while. Then he took leave of the brethren and sailed for Syria, and Priscilla and Aquila were with him. He had his hair cut off at Cenchrea, for he had taken a vow.

19And he came to Ephesus, and left them there; but he himself entered the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews.

20When they asked him to stay a longer time with them, he did not consent,

21but took leave of them, saying, “I must by all means keep this coming feast in Jerusalem; but I will return again to you, God willing.” And he sailed from Ephesus.

22And when he had landed at Caesarea, and gone up and greeted the church, he went down to Antioch.

23After he had spent some time there, he departed and went over the region of Galatia and Phrygia in order, strengthening all the disciples.

Ministry of Apollos

Now a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus.

25This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord, though he knew only the baptism of John.

So he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Aquila and Priscilla heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.

27And when he desired to cross to Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him; and when he arrived, he greatly helped those who had believed through grace;

28for he vigorously refuted the Jews publicly, showing from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ.

Paul at Ephesus

And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples

2he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” So they said to him, “We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.”

3And he said to them, “Into what then were you baptized?” So they said, “Into John’s baptism.”

4Then Paul said, “John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.”

5When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied.

7Now the men were about twelve in all.

8And he went into the synagogue and spoke boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading concerning the things of the kingdom of God.

9But when some were hardened and did not believe, but spoke evil of the Way before the multitude, he departed from them and withdrew the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus.

10And this continued for two years, so that all who dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks.

Miracles Glorify Christ

11Now God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul,

12so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them.

Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists took it upon themselves to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “We exorcise you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches.”

14Also there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did so.

15And the evil spirit answered and said, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?”

16Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowered them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.

This became known both to all Jews and Greeks dwelling in Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.

18And many who had believed came confessing and telling their deeds.

19Also, many of those who had practiced magic brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted up the value of them, and it totaled fifty thousand pieces of silver.

20So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed.

The Riot at Ephesus

When these things were accomplished, Paul purposed in the Spirit, when he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying, “After I have been there, I must also see Rome.”

22So he sent into Macedonia two of those who ministered to him, Timothy and Erastus, but he himself stayed in Asia for a time.

23And about that time there arose a great commotion about the Way.

24For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Diana, brought no small profit to the craftsmen.

25He called them together with the workers of similar occupation, and said: “Men, you know that we have our prosperity by this trade.

26“Moreover you see and hear that not only at Ephesus, but throughout almost all Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away many people, saying that they are not gods which are made with hands.

27“So not only is this trade of ours in danger of falling into disrepute, but also the temple of the great goddess Diana may be despised and her magnificence destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worship.”

28Now when they heard this, they were full of wrath and cried out, saying, “Great is Diana of the Ephesians!”

29So the whole city was filled with confusion, and rushed into the theater with one accord, having seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians, Paul’s travel companions.

30And when Paul wanted to go in to the people, the disciples would not allow him.

31Then some of the officials of Asia, who were his friends, sent to him pleading that he would not venture into the theater.

32Some therefore cried one thing and some another, for the assembly was confused, and most of them did not know why they had come together.

33And they drew Alexander out of the multitude, the Jews putting him forward. And Alexander motioned with his hand, and wanted to make his defense to the people.

34But when they found out that he was a Jew, all with one voice cried out for about two hours, “Great is Diana of the Ephesians!”

35And when the city clerk had quieted the crowd, he said: “Men of Ephesus, what man is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is temple guardian of the great goddess Diana, and of the image which fell down from Zeus?

36“Therefore, since these things cannot be denied, you ought to be quiet and do nothing rashly.

37“For you have brought these men here who are neither robbers of temples nor blasphemers of your goddess.

“Therefore, if Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen have a case against anyone, the courts are open and there are proconsuls. Let them bring charges against one another.

39“But if you have any other inquiry to make, it shall be determined in the lawful assembly.

40“For we are in danger of being called in question for today’s uproar, there being no reason which we may give to account for this disorderly gathering.”

And when he had said these things, he dismissed the assembly.

Journeys in Greece

After the uproar had ceased, Paul called the disciples to himself, embraced them, and departed to go to Macedonia.

2Now when he had gone over that region and encouraged them with many words, he came to Greece

3and stayed three months. And when the Jews plotted against him as he was about to sail to Syria, he decided to return through Macedonia.

4And Sopater of Berea accompanied him to Asia—also Aristarchus and Secundus of the Thessalonians, and Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy, and Tychicus and Trophimus of Asia.

5These men, going ahead, waited for us at Troas.

6But we sailed away from Philippi after the Days of Unleavened Bread, and in five days joined them at Troas, where we stayed seven days.

Ministering at Troas

Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight.

8There were many lamps in the upper room where they were gathered together.

And in a window sat a certain young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep. He was overcome by sleep; and as Paul continued speaking, he fell down from the third story and was taken up dead.

10But Paul went down, fell on him, and embracing him said, “Do not trouble yourselves, for his life is in him.”

11Now when he had come up, had broken bread and eaten, and talked a long while, even till daybreak, he departed.

12And they brought the young man in alive, and they were not a little comforted.

From Troas to Miletus

13Then we went ahead to the ship and sailed to Assos, there intending to take Paul on board; for so he had given orders, intending himself to go on foot.

14And when he met us at Assos, we took him on board and came to Mitylene.

15We sailed from there, and the next day came opposite Chios. The following day we arrived at Samos and stayed at Trogyllium. The next day we came to Miletus.

For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus, so that he would not have to spend time in Asia; for he was hurrying to be at Jerusalem, if possible, on the Day of Pentecost.

The Ephesian Elders Exhorted

From Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called for the elders of the church.

And when they had come to him, he said to them: “You know, from the first day that I came to Asia, in what manner I always lived among you,

19“serving the Lord with all humility, with many tears and trials which happened to me by the plotting of the Jews;

20“how I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you, and taught you publicly and from house to house,

21“testifying to Jews, and also to Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.

22“And see, now I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will happen to me there,

23“except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains and tribulations await me.

24“But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.

25“And indeed, now I know that you all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, will see my face no more.

“Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men.

27“For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God.

“Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.

29“For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock.

30“Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves.

31“Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears.

32“So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.

33“I have coveted no one’s silver or gold or apparel.

34“Yes, you yourselves know that these hands have provided for my necessities, and for those who were with me.

35“I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”

36And when he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all.

37Then they all wept freely, and fell on Paul’s neck and kissed him,

38sorrowing most of all for the words which he spoke, that they would see his face no more. And they accompanied him to the ship.

Warnings on the Journey to Jerusalem

Now it came to pass, that when we had departed from them and set sail, running a straight course we came to Cos, the following day to Rhodes, and from there to Patara.

2And finding a ship sailing over to Phoenicia, we went aboard and set sail.

3When we had sighted Cyprus, we passed it on the left, sailed to Syria, and landed at Tyre; for there the ship was to unload her cargo.

4And finding disciples, we stayed there seven days. They told Paul through the Spirit not to go up to Jerusalem.

5When we had come to the end of those days, we departed and went on our way; and they all accompanied us, with wives and children, till we were out of the city. And we knelt down on the shore and prayed.

6When we had taken our leave of one another, we boarded the ship, and they returned home.

And when we had finished our voyage from Tyre, we came to Ptolemais, greeted the brethren, and stayed with them one day.

8On the next day we who were Paul’s companions departed and came to Caesarea, and entered the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him.

9Now this man had four virgin daughters who prophesied.

And as we stayed many days, a certain prophet named Agabus came down from Judea.

11When he had come to us, he took Paul’s belt, bound his own hands and feet, and said, “Thus says the Holy Spirit, ‘So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man who owns this belt, and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’ ”

12Now when we heard these things, both we and those from that place pleaded with him not to go up to Jerusalem.

13Then Paul answered, “What do you mean by weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”

14So when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, “The will of the Lord be done.”

Paul Urged to Make Peace

15And after those days we packed and went up to Jerusalem.

16Also some of the disciples from Caesarea went with us and brought with them a certain Mnason of Cyprus, an early disciple, with whom we were to lodge.

17And when we had come to Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly.

On the following day Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present.

19When he had greeted them, he told in detail those things which God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.

20And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord. And they said to him, “You see, brother, how many myriads of Jews there are who have believed, and they are all zealous for the law;

21“but they have been informed about you that you teach all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children nor to walk according to the customs.

22“What then? The assembly must certainly meet, for they will hear that you have come.

“Therefore do what we tell you: We have four men who have taken a vow.

24“Take them and be purified with them, and pay their expenses so that they may shave their heads, and that all may know that those things of which they were informed concerning you are nothing, but that you yourself also walk orderly and keep the law.

25“But concerning the Gentiles who believe, we have written and decided that they should observe no such thing, except that they should keep themselves from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality.”

Arrested in the Temple

26Then Paul took the men, and the next day, having been purified with them, entered the temple to announce the expiration of the days of purification, at which time an offering should be made for each one of them.

27Now when the seven days were almost ended, the Jews from Asia, seeing him in the temple, stirred up the whole crowd and laid hands on him,

28crying out, “Men of Israel, help! This is the man who teaches all men everywhere against the people, the law, and this place; and furthermore he also brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place.”

29(For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian with him in the city, whom they supposed that Paul had brought into the temple.)

30And all the city was disturbed; and the people ran together, seized Paul, and dragged him out of the temple; and immediately the doors were shut.

31Now as they were seeking to kill him, news came to the commander of the garrison that all Jerusalem was in an uproar.

32He immediately took soldiers and centurions, and ran down to them. And when they saw the commander and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul.

33Then the commander came near and took him, and commanded him to be bound with two chains; and he asked who he was and what he had done.

34And some among the multitude cried one thing and some another. So when he could not ascertain the truth because of the tumult, he commanded him to be taken into the barracks.

35When he reached the stairs, he had to be carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the mob.

36For the multitude of the people followed after, crying out, “Away with him!”

Addressing the Jerusalem Mob

Then as Paul was about to be led into the barracks, he said to the commander, “May I speak to you?” He replied, “Can you speak Greek?

38“Are you not the Egyptian who some time ago stirred up a rebellion and led the four thousand assassins out into the wilderness?”

39But Paul said, “I am a Jew from Tarsus, in Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city; and I implore you, permit me to speak to the people.”

40So when he had given him permission, Paul stood on the stairs and motioned with his hand to the people. And when there was a great silence, he spoke to them in the Hebrew language, saying,

1“Brethren and fathers, hear my defense before you now.”

2And when they heard that he spoke to them in the Hebrew language, they kept all the more silent. Then he said:

3“I am indeed a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, taught according to the strictness of our fathers’ law, and was zealous toward God as you all are today.

“I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women,

5“as also the high priest bears me witness, and all the council of the elders, from whom I also received letters to the brethren, and went to Damascus to bring in chains even those who were there to Jerusalem to be punished.

6“Now it happened, as I journeyed and came near Damascus at about noon, suddenly a great light from heaven shone around me.

7“And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’

8“So I answered, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.’

9“And those who were with me indeed saw the light and were afraid, but they did not hear the voice of Him who spoke to me.

10“So I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Arise and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all things which are appointed for you to do.’

11“And since I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of those who were with me, I came into Damascus.

12“Then a certain Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good testimony with all the Jews who dwelt there,

13“came to me; and he stood and said to me, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight.’ And at that same hour I looked up at him.

14“Then he said, ‘The God of our fathers has chosen you that you should know His will, and see the Just One, and hear the voice of His mouth.

15‘For you will be His witness to all men of what you have seen and heard.

16‘And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.’

“Now it happened, when I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, that I was in a trance

18“and saw Him saying to me, ‘Make haste and get out of Jerusalem quickly, for they will not receive your testimony concerning Me.’

19“So I said, ‘Lord, they know that in every synagogue I imprisoned and beat those who believe on You.

20‘And when the blood of Your martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by consenting to his death, and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him.’

21“Then He said to me, ‘Depart, for I will send you far from here to the Gentiles.’ ”

Paul’s Roman Citizenship

22And they listened to him until this word, and then they raised their voices and said, “Away with such a fellow from the earth, for he is not fit to live!”

23Then, as they cried out and tore off their clothes and threw dust into the air,

the commander ordered him to be brought into the barracks, and said that he should be examined under scourging, so that he might know why they shouted so against him.

25And as they bound him with thongs, Paul said to the centurion who stood by, “Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman, and uncondemned?”

26When the centurion heard that, he went and told the commander, saying, “Take care what you do, for this man is a Roman.”

27Then the commander came and said to him, “Tell me, are you a Roman?” He said, “Yes.”

The commander answered, “With a large sum I obtained this citizenship.” And Paul said, “But I was born a citizen.”

29Then immediately those who were about to examine him withdrew from him; and the commander was also afraid after he found out that he was a Roman, and because he had bound him.

The Sanhedrin Divided

30The next day, because he wanted to know for certain why he was accused by the Jews, he released him from his bonds, and commanded the chief priests and all their council to appear, and brought Paul down and set him before them.

Then Paul, looking earnestly at the council, said, “Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day.”

2And the high priest Ananias commanded those who stood by him to strike him on the mouth.

Then Paul said to him, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! For you sit to judge me according to the law, and do you command me to be struck contrary to the law?”

4And those who stood by said, “Do you revile God’s high priest?”

Then Paul said, “I did not know, brethren, that he was the high priest; for it is written, ‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’ ”

6But when Paul perceived that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, “Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee; concerning the hope and resurrection of the dead I am being judged!”

7And when he had said this, a dissension arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees; and the assembly was divided.

8For Sadducees say that there is no resurrection—and no angel or spirit; but the Pharisees confess both.

9Then there arose a loud outcry. And the scribes of the Pharisees’ party arose and protested, saying, “We find no evil in this man; but if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him, let us not fight against God.”

Now when there arose a great dissension, the commander, fearing lest Paul might be pulled to pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him by force from among them, and bring him into the barracks.

The Plot Against Paul

11But the following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Be of good cheer, Paul; for as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome.”

12And when it was day, some of the Jews banded together and bound themselves under an oath, saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul.

13Now there were more than forty who had formed this conspiracy.

14They came to the chief priests and elders, and said, “We have bound ourselves under a great oath that we will eat nothing until we have killed Paul.

15“Now you, therefore, together with the council, suggest to the commander that he be brought down to you tomorrow, as though you were going to make further inquiries concerning him; but we are ready to kill him before he comes near.”

So when Paul’s sister’s son heard of their ambush, he went and entered the barracks and told Paul.

17Then Paul called one of the centurions to him and said, “Take this young man to the commander, for he has something to tell him.”

18So he took him and brought him to the commander and said, “Paul the prisoner called me to him and asked me to bring this young man to you. He has something to say to you.”

19Then the commander took him by the hand, went aside, and asked privately, “What is it that you have to tell me?”

20And he said, “The Jews have agreed to ask that you bring Paul down to the council tomorrow, as though they were going to inquire more fully about him.

21“But do not yield to them, for more than forty of them lie in wait for him, men who have bound themselves by an oath that they will neither eat nor drink till they have killed him; and now they are ready, waiting for the promise from you.”

22So the commander let the young man depart, and commanded him, “Tell no one that you have revealed these things to me.”

Sent to Felix

23And he called for two centurions, saying, “Prepare two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen, and two hundred spearmen to go to Caesarea at the third hour of the night;

24“and provide mounts to set Paul on, and bring him safely to Felix the governor.”

25He wrote a letter in the following manner:

Claudius Lysias,

To the most excellent governor Felix:

Greetings.

27This man was seized by the Jews and was about to be killed by them. Coming with the troops I rescued him, having learned that he was a Roman.

28And when I wanted to know the reason they accused him, I brought him before their council.

29I found out that he was accused concerning questions of their law, but had nothing charged against him deserving of death or chains.

30And when it was told me that the Jews lay in wait for the man, I sent him immediately to you, and also commanded his accusers to state before you the charges against him.

Farewell.

31Then the soldiers, as they were commanded, took Paul and brought him by night to Antipatris.

32The next day they left the horsemen to go on with him, and returned to the barracks.

33When they came to Caesarea and had delivered the letter to the governor, they also presented Paul to him.

34And when the governor had read it, he asked what province he was from. And when he understood that he was from Cilicia,

he said, “I will hear you when your accusers also have come.” And he commanded him to be kept in Herod’s Praetorium.

Accused of Sedition

Now after five days Ananias the high priest came down with the elders and a certain orator named Tertullus. These gave evidence to the governor against Paul.

2And when he was called upon, Tertullus began his accusation, saying: “Seeing that through you we enjoy great peace, and prosperity is being brought to this nation by your foresight,

3“we accept it always and in all places, most noble Felix, with all thankfulness.

4“Nevertheless, not to be tedious to you any further, I beg you to hear, by your courtesy, a few words from us.

“For we have found this man a plague, a creator of dissension among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes.

6“He even tried to profane the temple, and we seized him, and wanted to judge him according to our law.

7“But the commander Lysias came by and with great violence took him out of our hands,

8“commanding his accusers to come to you. By examining him yourself you may ascertain all these things of which we accuse him.”

9And the Jews also assented, maintaining that these things were so.

The Defense Before Felix

Then Paul, after the governor had nodded to him to speak, answered: “Inasmuch as I know that you have been for many years a judge of this nation, I do the more cheerfully answer for myself,

11“because you may ascertain that it is no more than twelve days since I went up to Jerusalem to worship.

12“And they neither found me in the temple disputing with anyone nor inciting the crowd, either in the synagogues or in the city.

13“Nor can they prove the things of which they now accuse me.

“But this I confess to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect, so I worship the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the Law and in the Prophets.

15“I have hope in God, which they themselves also accept, that there will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust.

16“This being so, I myself always strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and men.

17“Now after many years I came to bring alms and offerings to my nation,

18“in the midst of which some Jews from Asia found me purified in the temple, neither with a mob nor with tumult.

19“They ought to have been here before you to object if they had anything against me.

20“Or else let those who are here themselves say if they found any wrongdoing in me while I stood before the council,

21“unless it is for this one statement which I cried out, standing among them, ‘Concerning the resurrection of the dead I am being judged by you this day.’ ”

Felix Procrastinates

But when Felix heard these things, having more accurate knowledge of the Way, he adjourned the proceedings and said, “When Lysias the commander comes down, I will make a decision on your case.”

23So he commanded the centurion to keep Paul and to let him have liberty, and told him not to forbid any of his friends to provide for or visit him.

24And after some days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, he sent for Paul and heard him concerning the faith in Christ.

25Now as he reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and answered, “Go away for now; when I have a convenient time I will call for you.”

26Meanwhile he also hoped that money would be given him by Paul, that he might release him. Therefore he sent for him more often and conversed with him.

27But after two years Porcius Festus succeeded Felix; and Felix, wanting to do the Jews a favor, left Paul bound.

Paul Appeals to Caesar

Now when Festus had come to the province, after three days he went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem.

2Then the high priest and the chief men of the Jews informed him against Paul; and they petitioned him,

3asking a favor against him, that he would summon him to Jerusalem—while they lay in ambush along the road to kill him.

4But Festus answered that Paul should be kept at Caesarea, and that he himself was going there shortly.

5“Therefore,” he said, “let those who have authority among you go down with me and accuse this man, to see if there is any fault in him.”

6And when he had remained among them more than ten days, he went down to Caesarea. And the next day, sitting on the judgment seat, he commanded Paul to be brought.

7When he had come, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood about and laid many serious complaints against Paul, which they could not prove,

8while he answered for himself, “Neither against the law of the Jews, nor against the temple, nor against Caesar have I offended in anything at all.”

9But Festus, wanting to do the Jews a favor, answered Paul and said, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and there be judged before me concerning these things?”

So Paul said, “I stand at Caesar’s judgment seat, where I ought to be judged. To the Jews I have done no wrong, as you very well know.

11“For if I am an offender, or have committed anything deserving of death, I do not object to dying; but if there is nothing in these things of which these men accuse me, no one can deliver me to them. I appeal to Caesar.”

Then Festus, when he had conferred with the council, answered, “You have appealed to Caesar? To Caesar you shall go!”

Paul Before Agrippa

13And after some days King Agrippa and Bernice came to Caesarea to greet Festus.

14When they had been there many days, Festus laid Paul’s case before the king, saying: “There is a certain man left a prisoner by Felix,

15“about whom the chief priests and the elders of the Jews informed me, when I was in Jerusalem, asking for a judgment against him.

16“To them I answered, ‘It is not the custom of the Romans to deliver any man to destruction before the accused meets the accusers face to face, and has opportunity to answer for himself concerning the charge against him.’

17“Therefore when they had come together, without any delay, the next day I sat on the judgment seat and commanded the man to be brought in.

18“When the accusers stood up, they brought no accusation against him of such things as I supposed,

19“but had some questions against him about their own religion and about a certain Jesus, who had died, whom Paul affirmed to be alive.

“And because I was uncertain of such questions, I asked whether he was willing to go to Jerusalem and there be judged concerning these matters.

21“But when Paul appealed to be reserved for the decision of Augustus, I commanded him to be kept till I could send him to Caesar.”

22Then Agrippa said to Festus, “I also would like to hear the man myself.” “Tomorrow,” he said, “you shall hear him.”

So the next day, when Agrippa and Bernice had come with great pomp, and had entered the auditorium with the commanders and the prominent men of the city, at Festus’ command Paul was brought in.

24And Festus said: “King Agrippa and all the men who are here present with us, you see this man about whom the whole assembly of the Jews petitioned me, both at Jerusalem and here, crying out that he was not fit to live any longer.

25“But when I found that he had committed nothing deserving of death, and that he himself had appealed to Augustus, I decided to send him.

26“I have nothing certain to write to my lord concerning him. Therefore I have brought him out before you, and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that after the examination has taken place I may have something to write.

27“For it seems to me unreasonable to send a prisoner and not to specify the charges against him.”

Paul’s Early Life

Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You are permitted to speak for yourself.” So Paul stretched out his hand and answered for himself:

2“I think myself happy, King Agrippa, because today I shall answer for myself before you concerning all the things of which I am accused by the Jews,

3“especially because you are expert in all customs and questions which have to do with the Jews. Therefore I beg you to hear me patiently.

4“My manner of life from my youth, which was spent from the beginning among my own nation at Jerusalem, all the Jews know.

5“They knew me from the first, if they were willing to testify, that according to the strictest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee.

6“And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers.

7“To this promise our twelve tribes, earnestly serving God night and day, hope to attain. For this hope’s sake, King Agrippa, I am accused by the Jews.

“Why should it be thought incredible by you that God raises the dead?

9“Indeed, I myself thought I must do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.

10“This I also did in Jerusalem, and many of the saints I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them.

11“And I punished them often in every synagogue and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly enraged against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities.

Paul Recounts His Conversion

“While thus occupied, as I journeyed to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests,

13“at midday, O king, along the road I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and those who journeyed with me.

“And when we all had fallen to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me and saying in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’

15“So I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.

‘But rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you.

17‘I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you,

‘to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’

Paul’s Post-Conversion Life

19“Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision,

“but declared first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem, and throughout all the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance.

21“For these reasons the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me.

22“Therefore, having obtained help from God, to this day I stand, witnessing both to small and great, saying no other things than those which the prophets and Moses said would come—

23“that the Christ would suffer, that He would be the first to rise from the dead, and would proclaim light to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles.”

Agrippa Parries Paul’s Challenge

Now as he thus made his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, “Paul, you are beside yourself! Much learning is driving you mad!”

25But he said, “I am not mad, most noble Festus, but speak the words of truth and reason.

26“For the king, before whom I also speak freely, knows these things; for I am convinced that none of these things escapes his attention, since this thing was not done in a corner.

27“King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you do believe.”

28Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You almost persuade me to become a Christian.”

And Paul said, “I would to God that not only you, but also all who hear me today, might become both almost and altogether such as I am, except for these chains.”

30When he had said these things, the king stood up, as well as the governor and Bernice and those who sat with them;

31and when they had gone aside, they talked among themselves, saying, “This man is doing nothing deserving of death or chains.”

32Then Agrippa said to Festus, “This man might have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar.”

The Voyage to Rome Begins

And when it was decided that we should sail to Italy, they delivered Paul and some other prisoners to one named Julius, a centurion of the Augustan Regiment.

2So, entering a ship of Adramyttium, we put to sea, meaning to sail along the coasts of Asia. Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica, was with us.

3And the next day we landed at Sidon. And Julius treated Paul kindly and gave him liberty to go to his friends and receive care.

4When we had put to sea from there, we sailed under the shelter of Cyprus, because the winds were contrary.

5And when we had sailed over the sea which is off Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra, a city of Lycia.

6There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing to Italy, and he put us on board.

When we had sailed slowly many days, and arrived with difficulty off Cnidus, the wind not permitting us to proceed, we sailed under the shelter of Crete off Salmone.

8Passing it with difficulty, we came to a place called Fair Havens, near the city of Lasea.

Paul’s Warning Ignored

9Now when much time had been spent, and sailing was now dangerous because the Fast was already over, Paul advised them,

10saying, “Men, I perceive that this voyage will end with disaster and much loss, not only of the cargo and ship, but also our lives.”

11Nevertheless the centurion was more persuaded by the helmsman and the owner of the ship than by the things spoken by Paul.

12And because the harbor was not suitable to winter in, the majority advised to set sail from there also, if by any means they could reach Phoenix, a harbor of Crete opening toward the southwest and northwest, and winter there.

In the Tempest

When the south wind blew softly, supposing that they had obtained their desire, putting out to sea, they sailed close by Crete.

14But not long after, a tempestuous head wind arose, called Euroclydon.

15So when the ship was caught, and could not head into the wind, we let her drive.

16And running under the shelter of an island called Clauda, we secured the skiff with difficulty.

17When they had taken it on board, they used cables to undergird the ship; and fearing lest they should run aground on the Syrtis Sands, they struck sail and so were driven.

18And because we were exceedingly tempest-tossed, the next day they lightened the ship.

19On the third day we threw the ship’s tackle overboard with our own hands.

20Now when neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest beat on us, all hope that we would be saved was finally given up.

21But after long abstinence from food, then Paul stood in the midst of them and said, “Men, you should have listened to me, and not have sailed from Crete and incurred this disaster and loss.

“And now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship.

23“For there stood by me this night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve,

24“saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must be brought before Caesar; and indeed God has granted you all those who sail with you.’

25“Therefore take heart, men, for I believe God that it will be just as it was told me.

26“However, we must run aground on a certain island.”

27Now when the fourteenth night had come, as we were driven up and down in the Adriatic Sea, about midnight the sailors sensed that they were drawing near some land.

28And they took soundings and found it to be twenty fathoms; and when they had gone a little farther, they took soundings again and found it to be fifteen fathoms.

29Then, fearing lest we should run aground on the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern, and prayed for day to come.

30And as the sailors were seeking to escape from the ship, when they had let down the skiff into the sea, under pretense of putting out anchors from the prow,

31Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved.”

32Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the skiff and let it fall off.

And as day was about to dawn, Paul implored them all to take food, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day you have waited and continued without food, and eaten nothing.

34“Therefore I urge you to take nourishment, for this is for your survival, since not a hair will fall from the head of any of you.”

And when he had said these things, he took bread and gave thanks to God in the presence of them all; and when he had broken it he began to eat.

36Then they were all encouraged, and also took food themselves.

37And in all we were two hundred and seventy-six persons on the ship.

38So when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship and threw out the wheat into the sea.

Shipwrecked on Malta

39When it was day, they did not recognize the land; but they observed a bay with a beach, onto which they planned to run the ship if possible.

40And they let go the anchors and left them in the sea, meanwhile loosing the rudder ropes; and they hoisted the mainsail to the wind and made for shore.

41But striking a place where two seas met, they ran the ship aground; and the prow stuck fast and remained immovable, but the stern was being broken up by the violence of the waves.

42And the soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should swim away and escape.

43But the centurion, wanting to save Paul, kept them from their purpose, and commanded that those who could swim should jump overboard first and get to land,

44and the rest, some on boards and some on parts of the ship. And so it was that they all escaped safely to land.

Paul’s Ministry on Malta

Now when they had escaped, they then found out that the island was called Malta.

2And the natives showed us unusual kindness; for they kindled a fire and made us all welcome, because of the rain that was falling and because of the cold.

But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat, and fastened on his hand.

4So when the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, “No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he has escaped the sea, yet justice does not allow to live.”

5But he shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm.

6However, they were expecting that he would swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But after they had looked for a long time and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds and said that he was a god.

7In that region there was an estate of the leading citizen of the island, whose name was Publius, who received us and entertained us courteously for three days.

8And it happened that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever and dysentery. Paul went in to him and prayed, and he laid his hands on him and healed him.

So when this was done, the rest of those on the island who had diseases also came and were healed.

10They also honored us in many ways; and when we departed, they provided such things as were necessary.

Arrival at Rome

11After three months we sailed in an Alexandrian ship whose figurehead was the Twin Brothers, which had wintered at the island.

12And landing at Syracuse, we stayed three days.

13From there we circled round and reached Rhegium. And after one day the south wind blew; and the next day we came to Puteoli,

14where we found brethren, and were invited to stay with them seven days. And so we went toward Rome.

15And from there, when the brethren heard about us, they came to meet us as far as Appii Forum and Three Inns. When Paul saw them, he thanked God and took courage.

16Now when we came to Rome, the centurion delivered the prisoners to the captain of the guard; but Paul was permitted to dwell by himself with the soldier who guarded him.

Paul’s Ministry at Rome

17And it came to pass after three days that Paul called the leaders of the Jews together. So when they had come together, he said to them: “Men and brethren, though I have done nothing against our people or the customs of our fathers, yet I was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans,

18“who, when they had examined me, wanted to let me go, because there was no cause for putting me to death.

19“But when the Jews spoke against it, I was compelled to appeal to Caesar, not that I had anything of which to accuse my nation.

20“For this reason therefore I have called for you, to see you and speak with you, because for the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain.”

Then they said to him, “We neither received letters from Judea concerning you, nor have any of the brethren who came reported or spoken any evil of you.

22“But we desire to hear from you what you think; for concerning this sect, we know that it is spoken against everywhere.”

23So when they had appointed him a day, many came to him at his lodging, to whom he explained and solemnly testified of the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus from both the Law of Moses and the Prophets, from morning till evening.

24And some were persuaded by the things which were spoken, and some disbelieved.

25So when they did not agree among themselves, they departed after Paul had said one word: “The Holy Spirit spoke rightly through Isaiah the prophet to our fathers,

“saying,

‘Go to this people and say:

“Hearing you will hear, and shall not understand;

And seeing you will see, and not perceive;

27For the hearts of this people have grown dull.

Their ears are hard of hearing,

And their eyes they have closed,

Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears,

Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn,

So that I should heal them.” ’

28“Therefore let it be known to you that the salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will hear it!”

29And when he had said these words, the Jews departed and had a great dispute among themselves.

Then Paul dwelt two whole years in his own rented house, and received all who came to him,

31preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no one forbidding him.

Annotations for Acts

After His resurrection, Jesus remained on earth for forty days and ministered to His disciples. He had already opened their minds to understand the Old Testament message about Himself (), but they had other lessons to learn before they could launch out in their new ministry. Jesus appeared and disappeared during those forty days, and the apostles never knew when He might show up. This was excellent preparation for the church because the days were soon coming when Jesus would no longer be on earth to instruct them personally. We believers today never know when our Lord may return, so our situation is somewhat similar to theirs.

Luke first mentioned “Theophilus” in the introduction to his Gospel (). Likely Theophilus was a Christian or at least a seeker who was carefully studying the Christian faith. His name means “lover of God,” and it is possible that he was a Roman official who had trusted Christ and now needed to be established in the faith.

Some of the apostles may have had their doubts forty days earlier (), but now they had no question that Jesus had indeed been raised from the dead. To strengthen these believers’ faith, Jesus “presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs” which Luke did not explain. We know that when Jesus had met His disciples, He had invited them to touch His body, and He even had eaten before them ().

Faith in the resurrection was important to the apostles because their own spiritual power depended on it. Also, the message of the gospel involves the truth of the resurrection (, ; ); if Jesus were dead, the church would be speechless.

Jesus “[spoke] of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.” This refers to the reign of God over the hearts and lives of those who have trusted Him (see ; ; ). The important thing is not to be curious about the future but to be busy in the present, sharing the message of God’s spiritual kingdom. This is another emphasis in the Book of Acts (see ; ; ; , ).

This verse explains that the power of the church comes from the Holy Spirit and not from man (see ). God’s people experienced repeated fillings of the Spirit as they faced new opportunities and obstacles (; , ; ; ). Ordinary people were able to do extraordinary things because the Spirit of God was at work in their lives. The ministry of the Holy Spirit is not a luxury; it is an absolute necessity.

Our Lord’s ascension into heaven was an important part of His ministry, for if He had not returned to the Father, He could not have sent the promised gift of the Holy Spirit (). Also, in heaven today, the Savior is our interceding High Priest, giving us the grace that we need for life and service (). He is also our Advocate before the Father, forgiving us when we confess our sins (). The exalted and glorified Head of the church is now working with His people on earth and helping them accomplish His purposes (, ).

The members of the Lord’s family might have claimed special recognition, or Peter could have been criticized for his cowardly denial of the Savior. Or perhaps Peter might have blamed John because John had brought him into the high priest’s house (, ). John might well have reminded the others that he had faithfully stood at the cross and had even been chosen by the Savior to care for the Lord’s mother. But none of this happened. In fact, no one was even arguing over who among them was the greatest!

Not all of our Lord’s followers were in the Upper Room, for only about 120 were present, and states that at least 500 persons saw the risen Christ at one time. Bible scholars do not agree on the size of the population of Palestine at that time; their estimates run from 600,000 to one million. But regardless of what figure we select, the 120 believers were still a minority, yet they turned their world upside down for Christ!

Jesus had clearly stated that Peter was to play a major role in the church (, ; , ; ). Peter was first among equals, but he was the disciples’ recognized leader. His name is mentioned first in each listing of the apostles, including .

The Lord had opened their minds to understand the Scriptures (). Here, as Peter referred to and , he was not doing this on his own; he was being led by the Spirit of God. These people definitely believed in the divine inspiration of the Old Testament Scriptures (see ; ), and they also believed that these Scriptures had a practical application to their situation.

, Prayer plays a significant role in the story of the church as recorded in this book. The believers prayed for guidance in making decisions (vv. ) and for courage to witness for Christ (). In fact, prayer was a normal part of their daily ministry (; ; ). Stephen prayed as he was being stoned (). Peter and John prayed for the Samaritans (), and Saul of Tarsus prayed after his conversion (). Prayer is both the thermometer and the thermostat of the local church, for the spiritual temperature either goes up or down, depending on how God’s people pray.

Twelve men were necessary to witness at Pentecost to the twelve tribes of Israel, and also to sit on twelve thrones to judge the twelve tribes (). From through , the witness was primarily to Israel, “to [the Jew] first” (see ; ; ). Once the message had gone to the Gentiles (), this Jewish emphasis began to decline. When the apostle James was martyred, he was not replaced (ch. ). Why? Because the official witness to Israel was now completed, and the message was going out to Jews and Gentiles alike. Twelve apostles were no longer needed to witness to the twelve tribes of Israel.

Pentecost means “fiftieth” because this feast was held fifty days after the festival of First Harvest (Firstfruits) (). The calendar of Jewish festivals in is an outhne of the work of Jesus Christ. Passover pictures His death as the Lamb of God (; ), and the festival of First Harvest pictures His resurrection from the dead (). Fifty days after First Harvest is the festival of Pentecost, which pictures the formation of the church. At Pentecost, the Jews celebrated the giving of the law, but Christians celebrate this day because of the giving of the Holy Spirit to the church.

, The Holy Spirit had been active prior to Pentecost and had worked in creation (, ), in Old Testament history (; ), and in the life and ministry of Jesus (; ; , ). But from this point on, the Spirit would dwell in people and not just come on them, and His presence would be permanent, not temporary (, ).

The baptism of the Spirit means that we belong to His body; the fullness of the Spirit means that our bodies belong to Him. The baptism is final; the fullness is repeated as we trust God for new power to witness. The baptism involves all other believers, for it makes us one in the Body of Christ (); while the fullness is personal and individual. These are two distinct experiences, and we should not confuse them.

The same Holy Spirit power is available to us today to make us more effective witnesses for Christ. The better we understand His working at Pentecost, the better we will be able to relate to Him and experience His power. The ministry of the Spirit is to glorify Christ in the life and witness of the believer (), and that is what is important.

Pentecost was a reversal of the judgment at the tower of Babel when God confused human language (). God’s judgment at Babel scattered the people, but God’s blessing at Pentecost united the believers in the Spirit. At Babel, the people were unable to understand each other, but at Pentecost, people heard God’s praises and understood what was said. The tower of Babel was a scheme designed to praise human effort and make a name for humanity, but Pentecost brought praise to God. The building of Babel was an act of rebellion, but Pentecost was a ministry of humble submission to God. What a contrast!

The Greek word translated “languages” here and in v. is dialektos and refers to a language or dialect of some country or district (; ; ). Unless we are instructed otherwise in Scripture, we must assume that when “speaking in tongues” is mentioned elsewhere in Acts, or in 1 Corinthians, it refers to an identical experience: believers praising God in the Spirit in known languages.

One reason for this gift of tongues was to let the people know that the gospel was for the whole world. God wants to speak to every person in his or her own language, giving them the saving message of salvation in Jesus Christ. The emphasis in the Book of Acts is on worldwide evangelization.

This event marked the dawning of a new age, the “last days,” in which God would bring to completion His plan of salvation for humankind. Jesus had finished the great work of redemption, and nothing more had to be done except to share the good news with the world, beginning with the nation of Israel. The invitation is, “Whoever who calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved” (v. ).

In , John the Baptist baptized on the basis that people had repented. This verse should not be used to teach salvation by baptism. If baptism is essential for salvation, it seems strange that Peter said nothing about baptism in his other sermons (; ; ).

The believers continued to use the temple for their place of assembly and ministry, but they also met in various homes. The three thousand new converts needed instruction in the Word and fellowship with God’s people if they were to grow and become effective witnesses. The early church did more than make converts; they also made disciples (, ).

The church was unified (v. ), magnified (v. ), and multiplied (v. ). It had a powerful testimony among the unsaved Jews, not only because of the miracles done by the apostles (v. ), but also because of the way the members of the fellowship loved each other and served the Lord. The risen Lord continued to work with them (), and people continued to be saved. What a church!

Catalyst

Certain characteristics have always been present in the church when she is living by the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit:

A Spirit-filled church is unified (, ). This is a God-given spiritual unity, not a human designed organizational uniformity. The church is an organism that is held together by life, and that life comes through the Holy Spirit. Of course, the church must be organized, because an organism that is not organized will die.

A Spirit-filled church is magnified and will have “favor with all the people” (). In spite of the opposition of the rulers, the common people were drawn to the believers because something new and exciting was happening.

A Spirit-filled church is multiplied, because the Lord will daily add new believers to the church (). Evangelism will not be the work of a chosen few but the daily delight and ministry of the whole congregation.

Go to the

The emphasis in chapters and is on the name of the Lord Jesus (, ; , , , , , ). A name, of course, implies much more than identification; it carries authority, reputation, and power. The name of the Lord Jesus has all authority behind it, for He is the Son of God (). Because His name is “above every name” (), He deserves our worship and obedience. The great concern of the first Christians was that the name of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, be glorified; believers today should have that same concern.

The beggar’s encounter with Peter and John illustrates the process of salvation. He was born lame, just as all of us are born unable to walk in a way that pleases God. Our father Adam had a fall and passed his lameness on to all of his descendants (). Also, the man was poor, and we as sinners are bankrupt before God, unable to pay the tremendous debt that we owe Him (). He was outside the temple (), and all sinners are separated from God, no matter how near to the door they might be. The man was healed wholly by the grace of God, and the healing was immediate (, ).

This is probably not the kind of message we should give at an evangelistic meeting today because it was designed especially for Peter’s Jewish audience. As at Pentecost, Peter was addressing people who knew the Scriptures and were acquainted with the recent events in Jerusalem (see ). It was not a group of ignorant pagans with no religious background. Furthermore, the Jewish leaders had indeed perpetrated a great injustice when they had arrested and condemned Jesus and had asked Pilate to have Him crucified.

Conviction must precede conversion. Unless a patient is convinced that he or she is sick, he or she will never accept the diagnosis or take the treatment. Peter turned the temple into a courtroom and laid all the evidence out for everyone to see. How could two ordinary fishermen perform such a great miracle unless God had been with them?

The Old Testament law distinguishes between deliberate sins and sins of ignorance (see ; ). The person who sinned intentionally was a rebel against God and was guilty of great sin. This person was to be “cut off” from the community (, ), which meant excommunication or even death. The defiant, blatant sinner was condemned, but the person who sinned unwittingly and without deliberate intent was given opportunity to repent and seek God’s forgiveness.

Having announced the crime, presented the evidence, and explained the nature of their sin, Peter then offered them pardon. First of all, they had to repent of their sins (see ; ; ), which meant to have a change of mind about themselves, their sin, and Jesus Christ. Second, they had to “be converted,” and exercise saving faith in Jesus Christ. The biblical message is “repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” (), and the two go together.

Catalyst

Consider some practical truths in that should encourage all of us in our witnessing for Christ:

1. God is patient with lost sinners (). The leaders of Israel had rejected the ministry of John the Baptist () and the ministry of Jesus, yet God gave them another opportunity to repent and be saved. They had denied and slain their own Messiah, yet God patiently held back His judgment and sent His Spirit to deal with them. God’s people today need patience as we witness to a lost world.

2. True witness involves the bad news of sin and guilt as well as the good news of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ (). True faith in Christ must include repentance from sin. The Holy Spirit’s ministry is to convict lost sinners (), and He will do this if we faithfully witness and use God’s Word.

3. We reach the masses by helping individual sinners (, ). Peter and John won the crippled beggar, and his transformed life led to the conversion of two thousand people! The servant of God who has no time for personal work with individual sinners will not be given many opportunities for ministering to great crowds. Like Jesus, the apostles took time for individuals.

4. The best defense of the truth of the Christian faith is a changed life (). The healed beggar was “exhibit A” in Peter’s defense of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In his evangelistic ministries, the Methodist preacher Samuel Chadwick used to pray for “a Lazarus” in every campaign, some “great sinner” whose conversion would shock the community. He got the idea from . God answered his prayers in meeting after meeting as infamous wicked individuals trusted Christ and became witnesses through their changed lives. Let’s go after the hard cases and see what God can do!

5. Whenever God blesses, Satan shows up to oppose the work and silence the witness, and often he uses religious people to do his work (). The same crowd that opposed the ministry of Jesus Christ also opposed the work of the apostles, and they will oppose our ministry today. We should expect it—but we shouldn’t let it stop us! That we are comfortable is not important but that the name of the Lord is glorified through the preaching of the gospel.

6. God has promised to bless and use His Word, so let’s be faithful to witness (). Jesus even prayed that our witness would have success (), so we have every reason to be encouraged. God is with us, so we need not fear to witness and call sinners to repent.

7. The name of Jesus Christ still has power ()! While we may not perform the same apostolic miracles today that were seen in the early church, we can still claim the authority of Jesus Christ as He has instructed us in the Word. We can preach “repentance and remission of sins” in His name () so that people might believe and have “life in His name” (). We can give someone a cup of cold water in His name (), and we can receive a child in His name (). These ministries may not seem as spectacular as healing a cripple, but they are still important to the work of God. We can ask in His name as we pray (, ; ; ). When we ask the Father for something “in the name of Jesus Christ,” it is as though Jesus Himself were asking it. Remembering this will help to keep us from asking for things unworthy of His name.

Jesus had said, “You shall be witnesses to Me” (). That commission still stands. In your life, is it commission—or omission?

Go to the

When God called Abraham, He made an unconditional covenant with him and his descendants that through them the nations of the world would be blessed (). This promise was fulfilled when Jesus Christ came into the world through the Jewish nation (). The gospel message came to the Jew first because the Jews were God’s chosen instrument through whom the Gentiles would be blessed (; ; ). The first Christians were Jews, and the first missionaries were Jews.

Peter’s message produced two opposite results: (1) Some two thousand Jews believed the Word and were converted; and (2) the religious leaders of the nation rejected the message and tried to silence the apostles. We have here the beginning of the persecution about which Jesus had already warned His followers (, ; ; ).

The court was essentially composed of the high priest’s family. The Jewish religious system had become so corrupt that the offices would be passed from one relative to another without regard for the Word of God. When Annas was deposed from the priesthood, Caiaphas, his son-in-law, was appointed. In fact, five of Annas’s sons held the office at one time or another.

This was the same council that a few months earlier had condemned Jesus to die. In fact, these officials recognized Peter and John as the associates of Jesus (v. ). The Sanhedrin was charged with the responsibility of protecting the Jewish faith, and this meant that they had to examine every new teacher and teaching that appeared in the land (see ).

Peter spoke in the power of the Holy Spirit of God. Note that Peter was again filled with the Spirit (see ) and would experience another filling before the day ended (). The Spirit gives one baptism—at conversion (), but believers must experience many fillings of the Spirit if they are to be effective witnesses for Jesus Christ (.).

The image of “the stone” was not new to these men who were experts in the Old Testament Scriptures. They knew that the “rock” was a symbol of God (, , , ; ; ; ), and that the prophet Daniel had used the rock to picture Messiah and the coming of His kingdom on earth (). The Jews stumbled over the Rock (; ) and rejected Him, just as had predicted.

We should note that the miracle was not proof of the resurrection of Christ or even of the truth of Peter’s message. Satan can perform miracles (, ), and false prophets can do wonders (). The miracle and the message, in the context of all that had been going on since Pentecost, was one more evidence that Jesus Christ was alive and at work in the church by His Holy Spirit. In both sermons, Peter used the Old Testament to support and explain his claims, and this is one evidence of a true prophet of God (; ).

The failure of the council was evident when Peter refused to be intimidated by their threats. All of us need to follow Peter’s example and make our decisions on the basis of “Is it right?” and not “Is it popular?” or “Is it safe?” We must be sure, however, that we have the clear teaching of the Word of God on our side before we take a stand against the authority of the government. Peter knew what the Lord had commanded the believers to do (), and he was going to obey Him at any cost.

, Our examples from the Bible acted with respect and courtesy, even when they defied the law. Christians can respect authority and, at the same time, disobey the authorities (see ; , ; ). Daniel tried to avoid getting his guard into trouble, and the apostles used their arrests as opportunities for witness. This is quite a contrast to some of the modern Christian objectors who seem to major on denunciation and accusation rather than loving witness. The greatest example of unjust suffering is that of Jesus Christ, and we must imitate Him (see ). Jesus teaches us that righteous protest against injustice always involves sacrifice and suffering and must be motivated by love.

The believers did not pray to have their circumstances changed or their enemies put out of office. Rather, they asked God to empower them to make the best use of their circumstances and to accomplish what He had already determined. This was not fatalism but faith in the Lord of history, who has a perfect plan and is always victorious. They asked for divine enablement, not escape, and God gave them the power that they needed.

The early church strongly believed in God’s sovereignty and His perfect plan for His people. But note that they did not permit their faith in divine sovereignty to destroy human responsibility, for they were faithful to witness and pray. The church loses power when God’s people get out of balance and overemphasize either sovereignty or responsibility.

The believers had prayed, and God’s Spirit had filled them and given them new power. The new fullness of the Spirit created a deeper unity among the people (v. ) and a greater desire to sacrifice and share with one another. They enjoyed great power and great grace, which ought to be the marks of a great church. This led to a great ingathering of souls for the Lord.

The sin of Ananias and Sapphira was putting on a lovely front in order to conceal the shabby sin in their lives, sin that cost them their lives. Ananias means “God is gracious,” but he learned that God is also holy; and Sapphira means “beautiful,” but her heart was ugly with sin. No doubt some people are shocked when they read that God killed two people just because they lied about a business transaction and about their church giving. But when considering the motives connected with this sin, we have to agree that God did the right thing by judging them. We must remember that the sin of this couple was not in robbing God of money but in lying to Him and robbing Him of glory. They were not required to sell the property, and, having sold it, they were not required to give any of the money to the church. Their lust for recognition conceived sin in their hearts (vv. , ), and that sin eventually produced death ().

The sin of Ananias and Sapphira was energized by Satan, and that is a serious matter. If Satan cannot defeat the church by attacks from the outside, he will get on the inside and go to work (). He knows how to lie to the minds and hearts of church members, even genuine Christians, and get them to follow His orders. We forget that the admonition about the spiritual armor () was written to God’s people, not to unbelievers, because Christians are the ones who are in danger of being used by Satan to accomplish his evil purposes.

God loves His church and is jealous over it, for the church was purchased by the blood of God’s Son (; ) and has been put on earth to glorify Him and do His work. Satan wants to destroy the church, and the easiest way to do that is to use those who are within the fellowship.

The result of God’s judgment was a wave of godly fear that swept over the church and over all those who heard the story. We have moved from great power and great grace () to great fear, and all of these ought to be present in the church.

God gave the apostles power to perform great miracles. While some of the ordinary members exercised miraculous powers (), primarily the apostles did the miracles. These “signs and wonders” were God’s way of authenticating their ministry (, ; ; ). The mighty wonders performed by the apostles were the fulfillment of the Lord’s promise that “greater works than these he will do” in answer to believing prayer ().

This certainly does not mean that God is limited and can no longer perform miracles for His people! It means that the need for confirming miracles has passed away. We now have the completed Word of God, and we test teachers by their message, not by miracles (; ).

, Significantly, all of these people were healed. No failures were recorded, and nobody was sent away because he or she did not have faith to be healed. These were days of mighty power when God was speaking to Israel and telling them that Jesus of Nazareth was indeed their Messiah and Savior. The greatest miracle of all is the transformation of a lost sinner into a child of God by the grace of God. That is the miracle that meets the greatest need, lasts the longest, and costs the greatest price—the blood of God’s Son.

The council was educated, ordained, and approved, yet they had no ministry of power. The apostles were ordinary lay people yet God’s power was at work in their lives. The council was trying desperately to protect themselves and their dead traditions, while the apostles were risking their lives to share the living Word of God. The dynamic church was enjoying the new; the dead council was defending the old.

The apostles did not change their convictions (see , ). They obeyed God and trusted Him to take care of the consequences. They could not serve two masters, and they had already declared whose side they were on. Had they been diplomats instead of ambassadors (), they could have pleased everybody and escaped a beating. But they stood firmly for the Lord, and He honored their courage and faith.

The title “Savior” was not new to the members of the council, for the word was used for physicians (who save people’s lives), philosophers (who solve people’s problems), and statesmen (who save people from danger and war). This title was even applied to the emperor. But only Jesus Christ is the true and living Savior who rescues from sin, death, and judgment all who will trust Him.

Gamaliel was a Pharisee who probably did not want to see the Sadducees win any victories. He was a scholar highly esteemed by the people, rather liberal in his applications of the law, and apparently moderate in his approach to problems.

Gamaliel had the mistaken idea that, if something is not of God, it must fail. But this idea does not take into consideration human sinful nature and the presence of Satan in the world. In the end, God’s truth will be victorious, but meanwhile, Satan can be very strong and influence multitudes of people.

Jesus made clear that we cannot be neutral about Him and His message. At times being neutral means making a quiet (and perhaps cowardly) decision to reject God’s offer. Significantly the first group named among those who go to hell is “the cowardly” (), the people who knew the truth but were afraid to take their stand. If Gamaliel was really afraid of fighting against God, why did he not honestly investigate the evidence, diligently search the Scriptures, listen to the witnesses, and ask God for wisdom?

The purpose of life is to glorify God by building character through truth. The Sanhedrin thought that they had won a great victory when, in reality, the council had experienced a crushing defeat. No doubt they were congratulating each other for doing such a good job of defending the faith! But the apostles were the winners because they grew in godliness as they yielded to God’s will and suffered for their Master.

, Unlike congregations today, these people had no buildings that were set aside for worship and fellowship. Believers would meet in different homes (“in every house”), worshiping the Lord, listening to teaching, and seeking to win the lost (see ). Paul referred to a number of house fellowships when he greeted the saints in Rome (, , , ). The early church took the Word right into the homes, and we should follow their example. This does not mean that we shouldn’t have special buildings set aside for ministry, but only that we must not confine the ministry to the four walls of a church building.

Catalyst

The witness of the church included both teaching and preaching, and that is a good balance. The word translated “preach” gives us our English word “evangelize,” and is the first of fifteen times it is used in Acts. The word simply means “to preach the gospel, to share the good news of Jesus Christ.” (See for the official statement of the gospel message.)

Proclamation must be balanced with instruction (see ), however, so that the sinners know what to believe and the new converts understand why they believed. The message cannot produce fruit unless the person understands it and can make an intelligent decision (). Believers cannot grow unless they are taught the Word of God ().

The center of the apostles’ witness was Jesus Christ, the very name that the Sanhedrin had condemned! The early church did not go about arguing religion or condemning the establishment; they simply told people about Jesus Christ and urged them to trust in Him. “For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus’ sake” ().

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The church was experiencing growing pains, causing difficultly for the apostles to minister to everybody. The fact that the outsiders were being neglected created a situation that could have divided the church. But the apostles handled the problem with great wisdom and did not give Satan any foothold in the fellowship.

When a church faces a serious problem, this presents the leaders and the members with a number of opportunities. Problems give us the opportunity to examine our ministry and discover what changes must be made. In times of success, we can easily maintain the status quo, but that would be dangerous.

The apostles studied the situation and concluded that they were to blame: They were so busy serving tables that they had been neglecting prayer and the ministry of God’s Word. They had created their own problem because they were trying to do too much. Even today, some pastors are so busy with secondary tasks that they fail to spend adequate time in study and in prayer. This creates a spiritual deficiency in the church that makes it easy for problems to develop.

We commonly call these seven men of chapter “deacons” because the Greek noun diakonos is used in verse (“distribution”), and the verb diakoneo (“serve”) is used in verse (“serve tables”). But this title was not given to these men, although we find deacons mentioned in and their qualifications in . The word simply means “a servant.”

This Spirit-filled man did not limit his ministry to distributing food; he also won the lost and even did miracles. Up to this point, the apostles performed the miracles (; ), but here we see God giving this power to Stephen also. This was part of His plan to use Stephen to bear witness to the leaders of Israel. Stephen’s powerful testimony would be the climax of the church’s witness to the Jews. Then the message would go out to the Samaritans and then to the Gentiles.

The Jews were jealous over their law and could not understand how Christ had come to fulfill the law and to bring in the new age. They were proud of their temple and refused to believe that God would permit it to be destroyed. Stephen faced the same spiritual blindness that Jeremiah had encountered in his ministry (see ). The church would face the opposition of Jewish tradition for many years to come, from within its own ranks () and from false teachers coming in from the outside ().

This is the longest address in the book and one of the most important. In it, Stephen reviewed the history of Israel and the contributions made by the nation’s revered leaders. His message ended with a strong application that provoked a strong reaction. The preaching of the gospel should create a strong reaction—either repentance or rejection. Perhaps the worst compliment a gospel sermon can receive is, “Your message was interesting.”

The religious leaders misunderstood their own spiritual roots. The Jews greatly revered Abraham and prided themselves in being his “children,” but they were confusing physical descent with spiritual experience and were depending on their national heritage rather than their personal faith. John the Baptist had warned them about this sin () and so had Jesus (). The Jews were blind to the simple faith of Abraham and the patriarchs.

Abraham was the founder of the Hebrew nation, and his relationship to God had been one of grace and faith. God had graciously appeared to him and called him out of heathen darkness into the light of salvation, and Abraham had responded by faith. Abraham was saved by grace, through faith, and not because he was circumcised, kept a law, or worshiped in a temple. All of those things had come afterward (see ; ). He had believed the promises of God, and this faith saved him.

Even Solomon had recognized the truth that God did not live in buildings (), and the prophet Isaiah had made it even clearer (, ). We really make nothing for God, because everything comes from Him, and how can the Creator of the universe be contained in a human-made building ()? The Jewish defense of their temple was both illogical and unscriptural.

This is the climax of Stephen’s speech, the personal application that cut his hearers to the heart. Throughout the centuries, Israel had refused to submit to God and obey the truths He had revealed to them. Their ears had not heard the truth, their hearts had not received the truth, and their necks had not bowed to the truth. As a result, they had killed their own Messiah!

Instead of seeing God’s truth as seed that produces fruit and more seed, the religious leaders embalmed the truth and refused to accept anything new. By the time Jesus came to earth, the truth of God was encrusted with so much tradition that the people could not recognize God’s truth when He did present it. Dead human traditions had replaced God’s living truth (see ).

Stephen saw the glory of God and the Son of God standing to receive him to heaven (see ). Our Lord sat down when He ascended to heaven (; ), but He stood up to welcome to glory the first Christian martyr (). This is the last time the title “Son of Man” is used in the Bible. It is definitely a messianic title (, ), and Stephen’s use of it was one more witness that Jesus is indeed Israel’s Messiah.

God does not call all believers to be martyrs, but He does call us to be “a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God” (, ). In some respects, living for Christ may be more difficult than dying for Him. If we are living for Him, however, we will be prepared to die for Him if that is what God calls us to do.

This book and Paul’s letters give sufficient data for a sketch of Paul’s early life. He had been born in Tarsus in Cilicia (), and he was a Jew (see ; ), the son of a Pharisee (), and a Roman citizen (; ). He had been educated in Jerusalem by Gamaliel () and had become a devoted Pharisee (, ; ). Measured by the law, Saul’s life was blameless (). He was one of the most promising young Pharisees in Jerusalem, well on his way to becoming a great leader for the Jewish faith (). He had great authority, and his devotion to Moses completely controlled his life and almost destroyed it. He acted “in ignorance and unbelief” (), but God showed him mercy and saved him. Saul of Tarsus is the last person in Jerusalem we would have chosen to be the great apostle to the Gentiles!

Persecution does to the church what wind does to seed: It scatters believers and produces a greater harvest. The word translated “scattered” (diaspeiro, vv. , ) means “to scatter seed.” The believers in Jerusalem were God’s seed, and the persecution was used of God to plant them in new soil so they could bear fruit (, ).

The fact that Saul persecuted believers in “foreign cities” () suggests that their witness was bearing fruit even beyond Jerusalem. But we should not criticize the apostles for remaining in the city. If anything, we should commend them for their courage and devotion to duty. After all, somebody had to remain there to care for the church.

Philip not only declared God’s Word, but he also demonstrated God’s power by performing miracles. Though the twelve apostles had largely been the ones connected with miracles (; ), both Stephen and Philip also did signs and wonders by the power of God (). The emphasis here is on the Word of God, however: the people gave heed to the Word because they saw the miracles, and by believing the Word, they were saved.

, Simon’s faith was not in the Word of God but in the miracles he saw Philip perform, and we find no indication that Simon repented of his sins. He certainly did not believe with all his heart (v. ). His faith was like that of the people of Jerusalem who had witnessed our Lord’s miracles (), or even like that of the demons ().

This episode shows how close a person can come to salvation and still not be converted. Simon heard the gospel, saw the miracles, gave a profession of faith in Christ, and was baptized, yet he was never born again. Simon was one of Satan’s clever counterfeits, and, had Peter not exposed the wickedness of his heart, Simon would have been accepted as a member of the Samaritan congregation.

The wickedness of Simon’s heart was fully revealed by the ministry of the two apostles. Simon not only wanted to perform miracles, but he also wanted the power to convey the gift of the Holy Spirit to others—and he was quite willing to pay for this power! This passage gives us the word “simony,” which means “the buying and selling of church offices or privileges.”

Philip was not only a faithful preacher, he was also an obedient personal worker. Like his Master, he was willing to leave the crowds and deal with one lost soul. The angel could have told this Ethiopian official how to be saved, but God has not given the commission to angels but to His people.

Philip read the passage about being led “as a sheep to the slaughter.” The idea of substitutionary sacrifice can be found from the beginning of the Bible to the end. God had killed animals so that He might clothe Adam and Eve (). He had provided a ram to die in the place of Isaac (). At Passover, innocent lambs had died for the people of Israel (), and the entire Jewish religious system was based on the shedding of blood (, especially v. ). Jesus Christ fulfilled both the Old Testament types and the prophecies (; ).

As we trace the expansion of the gospel during this transition period (ch. ), we see how the Holy Spirit reaches out to the whole world. In chapter , the Ethiopian who was converted was a descendant of Ham (, where “Cush” refers to Ethiopia). In chapter , Saul of Tarsus will be saved—he was a Jew and therefore a descendant of Shem (.). In chapter , the Gentiles will find Christ, and they are the descendants of Japheth (). The whole world was peopled by Shem, Ham, and Japheth (), and God wants the whole world—all of their descendants—to hear the message of the gospel (; ).

Damascus had a large Jewish population, and the city may have had thirty to forty synagogues. The fact that believers lived there indicates how effective the church had been in getting out the message. Some of the believers may have fled the persecution in Jerusalem, which explains why Saul wanted authority to bring them back.

In spite of his education (see ), Saul was spiritually ignorant () and did not understand what the Old Testament really taught about the Messiah. Like many others of his countrymen, he stumbled over the cross () because he depended on his own righteousness and not on the righteousness of God (; ). Many self-righteous religious people today do not see their need for a Savior and resent it if we tell them they are sinners.

The Lord had a special work for Saul to do (). The very Jewish man would become the apostle to the Gentiles; the persecutor would become a preacher; the legalistic Pharisee would become the great proclaimer of God’s grace. Up to now, Saul had been like a wild animal, fighting against the goads, but he would become a vessel of honor, the Lord’s tool, to preach the gospel in the regions beyond. What a transformation!

Some thirty years later, Paul wrote that Christ had “first possessed me” on the Damascus road (). Saul had been out to arrest others when the Lord had arrested him. He had to lose his religion before he could gain the righteousness of Christ. His conversion experience was unique; however, his salvation certainly remains a great encouragement to any lost sinner. If this great sinner could be saved, surely anybody can be saved!

Catalyst

records that God called Ananias out of obscurity to put a human face and touch to God’s acceptance of Saul the rebel. God used Ananias in the transformation of Saul into a powerful voice for the gospel. Ananias’s experience offers us some significant reminders:

God can use even the most obscure saint. Were it not for the conversion of Saul, we would never have heard of Ananias, and yet Ananias had an important part to play in the ongoing work of the church. Behind many well-known servants of God are lesser-known believers who have influenced them. God keeps the books and will see to it that each servant will get a just reward. The important thing is not fame but faithfulness ().

Ananias’s experience also reminds us that we should never be afraid to obey God’s will. At first Ananias argued with the Lord and gave some good reasons why he should not visit Saul. But God had everything under control, and Ananias obeyed by faith. When God commands, we must remember that He is working at both ends of the line and that His perfect will is always the best.

Here is a third encouragement: God’s works are always balanced. God balanced a great public miracle with a quiet meeting in the house of Judas. The bright light and the voice from heaven were dramatic events, but the visit of Ananias was somewhat ordinary. The hand of God pushed Saul from his high horse, but God used the hand of a man to bring Saul what he most needed. God spoke from heaven, but He also spoke through an obedient disciple who gave the message to Saul. The ordinary events were just as much a part of the miracle as were the extraordinary.

Finally, we must never underestimate the value of one person brought to Christ. Peter was ministering to thousands in Jerusalem, and Philip had seen a great harvest among the Samaritan people, but Ananias was sent to only one man. Yet what a man! Saul of Tarsus became Paul the apostle, and his life and ministry have influenced people and nations ever since. Even secular historians confess that Paul is one of the significant figures in world history.

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This verse presents a good summary of Paul’s life and ministry. It was all of grace, for Paul had not chosen God; God had chosen him (). He was God’s vessel (, ), and God would work in and through him to accomplish His purposes (; , ). God’s name would be glorified as His servant would take the gospel to Jews and Gentiles, kings and commoners, and as he would suffer for Christ’s sake. This is the first reference in the Book of Acts to the gospel going to the Gentiles (see also ; ).

Saul immediately began to proclaim the Christ that he had persecuted, declaring boldly that Jesus was the “Son of God.” This is the only place in Acts that we find this title, but Paul used it in his epistles at least fifteen times. It was a major emphasis in his ministry. The dramatic change in Saul’s life was a source of wonder to the Jews at Damascus. Every new convert’s witness for Christ ought to begin right where he or she is, so Saul began his ministry in Damascus ().

At first, the believers in the Jerusalem church would not accept Saul. He “tried to join” (literal Greek, “kept trying”) their fellowship, but they were afraid of him. They probably thought that his new attitude of friendliness was only a trick to get into their fellowship so he could have them arrested. They did not believe that Saul was even a disciple of Jesus Christ, let alone an apostle who had seen the risen Savior.

Barnabas helped the Jerusalem church accept Saul. We met Joseph, “who was also named Barnabas by the apostles (which is translated ‘Son of Encouragement’)” in , , and we will meet him again as we continue to study Acts. Barnabas brought Saul to the church leaders and convinced them that Saul was both a believer and a chosen apostle. Saul had indeed seen the risen Christ (). We don’t need to invent some hidden reason why Barnabas befriended Saul. This was just the nature of the man: He was an encouragement to others.

It was a time of “peace” for the churches, but not a time of complacency, for they grew both spiritually and numerically. They seized the opportunity to repair and strengthen their sails before the next storm began to blow! The door of faith had been opened to the Jews (ch. ) and to the Samaritans (ch. ), and soon it would be opened to the Gentiles (ch. ). Saul moved off the scene, and Peter returned. Soon, Peter would move off the scene (except for a brief mention inch. ch. ), and Paul would fill the pages of this book.

Throughout this book, Luke provided regular summaries of the spread of the gospel (, ; , ; ). Note that the geographic locations in parallel those given in . Luke is telling us that the message was going out just as the Lord had commanded. Soon, the center would be Antioch, not Jerusalem; the key leader would be Paul, not Peter; and the gospel would be taken to the uttermost part of the earth.

The apostle Peter had been engaged in an itinerant ministry () when he found himself visiting the saints in Lydda, a largely Gentile city about twenty-five miles from Jerusalem. The area may have first been evangelized by people who had been converted at Pentecost or perhaps by faithful believers who had been scattered far and wide during the great persecution.

We can be sure that Peter did much more in Lydda than heal Aeneas, as great and helpful as that miracle was. He evangelized, taught, and encouraged the believers and sought to establish the church in the faith. Jesus had commissioned Peter to care for the sheep (), and Peter was faithful to fulfill that commission.

Jonah went to Joppa to avoid going to the Gentiles, but in Joppa Peter received his call to go to the Gentiles! Because Jonah disobeyed God, the Lord sent a storm that caused the Gentile sailors to fear. Because Peter obeyed the Lord, God sent the wind of the Spirit () to the Gentiles, and they experienced great joy and peace. What a contrast!

, The account of Peter’s raising of Dorcas should be compared with the account of our Lord’s raising of Jairus’s daughter (). In both cases, the mourning people were put out of the room, and the words spoken are almost identical: Talitha koum means “Little girl, I say to you, arise”; Tabitha cumi means “Tabitha, arise.” Jesus took the girl by the hand before He spoke to her, for He was not afraid of becoming ceremonially defiled, and Peter took Dorcas by the hand after she had come to life. In both instances, the power of God raised the person from the dead, for the dead person certainly could not exercise faith.

The shift in this chapter is pivotal in the book, for it records the salvation of the Gentiles. We see Peter using “the keys of the kingdom” for the third and last time. He had opened the door of faith for the Jews (ch. ) and also for the Samaritans (ch. ), and here he would be used of God to bring the Gentiles into the church (see , ; ). This event took place about ten years after Pentecost.

Before saving the Gentiles, God prepared Peter to bring the message, and He prepared Cornelius to hear the message. Salvation is a divine work of grace, but God works through human channels. Angels can deliver God’s messages to lost men and women, but they cannot preach the gospel to them. That is our privilege—and responsibility.

, The difference between Cornelius and many religious people today is that he knew that his religious devotion was not sufficient to save him. Many religious people today are satisfied that their character and good works will get them to heaven, and they have no concept either of their own sin or of God’s grace. In his prayers, Cornelius was asking God to show him the way of salvation (, ).

The seeking Savior () will find the seeking sinner (). God responds to every searching heart. This is why we, as God’s children, must obey His will and share His Word. We never know when our witness for Christ is exactly what somebody has been waiting and praying for.

, God sent an angel to instruct Cornelius, and, in true military fashion, Cornelius immediately obeyed. But why did he send for Peter, who was thirty miles away in Joppa, when Philip the evangelist was already in Caesarea ()? Because Peter, not Philip, had been given the “keys.” God not only works at the right time, but He also works through the right servant, and both are essential.

God used a vision about food to teach Peter that the Gentiles were not unclean. Peter was hungry, and a vision about food would certainly speak to his condition. Additionally, the distinction between “unclean” and “clean” foods was a major problem between the Jews and the Gentiles in that day. In fact, Peter’s Christian friends criticized him for eating with the Gentiles ()! God used this centuries-old regulation () to teach Peter an important spiritual lesson.

The fact that Peter allowed the Gentiles to lodge with him is another indication that the walls were coming down. Peter selected six Jewish believers to go along as witnesses (), three times the official number needed. Traveling the thirty miles between Joppa and Caesarea would take at least two days. When Peter arrived, he discovered that Cornelius had gathered relatives and friends to hear the message of life. He was a witness even before he became a Christian!

Faith only comes through the Word (), and Peter preached that Word. God is no respecter of persons as far as nationality and race are concerned. When it comes to sin and salvation, “there is no partiality with God” (; , ; ). All people have the same Creator (), and all people need the same Savior ().

Peter was just getting started in his message when his congregation believed, and the Holy Spirit interrupted the meeting (). God the Father had interrupted Peter on the Mount of Transfiguration (, ), and God the Son had interrupted him in the matter of the temple tax (). Here, God the Spirit interrupted him—and Peter never was able to finish his sermon!

With this event, the period of transition in the early history of the church ended. Believers among the Jews, Samaritans, and Gentiles have all received the Spirit of God and are united in the body of Christ (; ).

Peter tarried in Caesarea and helped to ground these new believers in the truth of the Word. Perhaps Philip assisted him. This entire experience illustrates the commission of , . Peter went where God sent him and made disciples of the Gentiles. Then he baptized them and taught them the Word.

As soon as Peter returned to Jerusalem, he was met by members of the strong legalistic party in the church of Judea (“those of the circumcision”) who rebuked him for fellowshipping with Gentiles and eating with them. Keep in mind that these Jewish believers did not yet understand the relationship between law and grace, Jews and Gentiles, and Israel and the church.

Peter had nothing to fear. After all, he had only followed orders from the Lord, and the Spirit had clearly confirmed the salvation of the Gentiles. Peter reviewed the entire experience from beginning to end, and, when he was finished, the Jewish legalists dropped their charges and glorified God for the salvation of the Gentiles (v. ).

The witness of the Spirit was crucial, for this was God’s own testimony that He had indeed saved the Gentiles. Interestingly, Peter had to go all the way back to Pentecost to find an example of what happened in the home of Cornelius! This suggests that a dramatic baptism of the Spirit (v. ), accompanied by speaking in tongues, was not an everyday occurrence in the early church.

Christians are to receive one another and not dispute over cultural differences or minor matters of personal conviction (). Some of the Jewish Christians in the early church wanted the Gentiles to become Jews, and some of the Gentile believers wanted the Jews to stop being Jews and become Gentiles! This attitude can create serious division in the church even today, so it is important that we follow the example of .

When the saints were scattered abroad during Saul’s persecution of the church (), some of them ended up in Antioch, the capital of Syria, three hundred miles north of Jerusalem. (Don’t confuse this city with Antioch in Pisidia, .) The ancient world had at least sixteen Antiochs, but this one was the greatest. Antioch was a wicked city, perhaps second only to Corinth. Though all the Greek, Roman, and Syrian deities were honored, the local shrine was dedicated to Daphne, whose worship included immoral practices.

Many people who have never been born again consider themselves “Christians” simply because they say they are not “pagans.” After all, they may belong to a church, attend services somewhat regularly, and even occasionally give to the work of the church. But for a sinner to become a child of God takes more than that. It takes repentance from sin and faith in Jesus Christ, who died for our sins on the cross and rose again to give us eternal life.

Agabus delivered his message to the Antioch believers, and they determined to help their fellow Christians in Judea. The purpose of true prophecy is not to satisfy our curiosity about the future but to stir up our hearts to do God’s will. The believers could not stop the famine from coming, but they could send relief to those in need. Some people today claim to receive special “words of revelation” or “words of wisdom” from the Lord, but such revelations are suspect and even dangerous.

, The Jewish believers in Jerusalem had brought the gospel to Antioch. Then they had sent Barnabas to encourage the new believers. The right response, then, was for the Gentiles in Antioch to reciprocate and send material help to their Jewish brothers and sisters in Judea. Some years later, Paul would gather a similar offering from the Gentile churches and take it to the saints in Jerusalem (; and see ). Unfortunately, at times individual Christians and local churches forget those who have been a spiritual blessing to them. The church at Antioch is a splendid example of how we ought to show gratitude in a practical way to those who have helped us in our Christian lives.

Herod had several believers arrested, among them James, the brother of John. When he had James killed with a sword, James became the first of the apostles to be martyred. When you ponder his death in light of , it takes on special significance. James and John, with their mother, had asked for thrones, but Jesus made clear that no glory would come apart from suffering.

If killing James pleased the Jews, just think how delighted they would be if Peter were slain! God permitted Herod to arrest Peter and put him under heavy guard in prison. Sixteen soldiers, four for each watch, kept guard over the apostle, with two soldiers chained to the prisoner and two watching the doors. After all, the last time Peter had been arrested, he mysteriously had gotten out of jail; Herod was not about to let that happen again ().

Why was James allowed to die, while Peter was rescued? After all, both were dedicated servants of God, needed by the church. The only answer is the sovereign will of God, the very matter that Peter and the church had prayed about after their second experience of persecution (). Many believers were praying for Peter (), and they kept it up day and night for a week.

God alone can do the extraordinary, but His people must do the ordinary. When Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, people had to roll the stone from the tomb. The same angel that removed the chains from Peter’s hands could have put the shoes on Peter’s feet, but He told Peter to do it. God never wastes miracles.

When you remember that (a) many people were praying, (b) they were praying earnestly, (c) they had been praying night and day for perhaps as long as a week, and (d) their prayers were centered specifically on Peter’s deliverance, then the scene that is described here is almost comical. The answer to their prayers was standing at the door, but they didn’t have faith enough to open the door and let him in! God could get Peter out of a prison, but Peter couldn’t get himself into a prayer meeting!

Today, we ought to pray that God will give persecuted believers the grace to bear with suffering so that they might have a triumphant witness for the Lord. We should ask the Spirit to minister the Word to them and bring it to their remembrance. Asking God to protect His own and to give them wisdom is all right, as daily they must deal with a difficult enemy. We must ask God that, if it is His will, they be delivered from their bondage and suffering and reunited with their loved ones.

, The world still lives for praise and pleasure. Human beings have made themselves their own gods (). The world still lives on the physical and ignores the spiritual (see ). It lives by force and flattery instead of faith and truth, and one day it will be judged.

The early church had no political clout or friends in high places to pull strings for them. Instead, they went to the highest throne of all, the throne of grace. They were a praying people, for they knew that God could solve their problems. God’s glorious throne was greater than the throne of Herod, and God’s heavenly army could handle Herod’s weak soldiers any day or night! The believers did not need to bribe anyone at court. They simply took their case to the highest court and left it with the Lord!

, God had already called Paul to minister to the Gentiles (; ), and here the Lord summoned Barnabas to labor with him. The church confirmed their calling, commissioned the men, and sent them forth. The Holy Spirit’s ministry, working through the local church, is to equip and enlist believers to go forth and serve. The modern mission board is only a sending agency that expedites the work authorized by the local church.

This passage is the first place we find the familiar name Paul in the New Testament. As a Jewish Roman citizen, the apostle’s full name was probably “Saul Paulus,” for many Jews had both Jewish and Roman names. Paul means “small” in Latin.

We are never told why John Mark left the traveling group. Perhaps he was just plain homesick, or he may have become unhappy because Paul had begun to take over the leadership from Mark’s cousin Barnabas (note the reference to “Paul and his party”). John Mark was a devoted Jew, and he may have felt uncomfortable with the saved Gentiles. Some commentators think that John Mark’s return to Jerusalem helped start the opposition of the legalistic Judaizers who later opposed Paul (see ch. and the epistle to the Galatians). Another possibility is the fear of danger, as the party moved into new and difficult areas.

In this section, Paul reviewed the history of Israel, climaxing with the ministry of John the Baptist and the coming of their Messiah. He clearly stated that God was at work in and for Israel, preparing the way for the coming of the promised Messiah.

As Paul addressed both the Jews and the “God-fearing Gentiles” in the congregation, he changed his approach from third person (“they”) to second person (“you”). He explained to them why their leaders in Jerusalem had rejected and crucified the nation’s Messiah—not because they had not read or heard the message of the prophets, but because they did not understand the message.

Paul had declared the good news to the audience (v. ), so all that remained was to make the personal application and draw the net. He told them that through faith in Jesus Christ, they could have two blessings that the law could never provide: the forgiveness of their sins and justification before the throne of God.

In this verse Luke included the divine side of evangelism, for God has His elect people (). The phrase translated “appointed to eternal life” means “enrolled,” and indicates that God’s people have their names written in God’s book (; ).

Iconium, more Greek than Roman, was in the Roman province of Galatia. Paul’s ministry in the synagogue was singularly blessed, and a multitude of Jews and Gentiles believed. Once again, the unbelieving Jews stirred up hatred and opposition, but the missionaries stayed on and witnessed boldly for Christ.

Lystra was in the Roman province of Galatia, about eighteen miles southwest of Iconium. This was the first of three visits Paul made to this city, and an eventful visit it was! On his second missionary journey, Paul enlisted Timothy in Lystra (), and he made a visit to this church on his third journey as well ().

Paul’s message was not based on the Old Testament because this was a pagan Gentile audience. He started with the witness of God in creation (v. ; see .). He made clear that God is one—the living God, the giving God, and the forgiving God. He has been patient with the sinning nations () and has not judged them for their sins as they deserve.

The dispute began when some legalistic Jewish teachers came to Antioch and taught that the Gentiles, in order to be saved, had to be circumcised and obey the Law of Moses. These teachers were associated with the Jerusalem congregation but not authorized by it (v. ). Identified with the Pharisees (v. ), they wanted to rob both Jewish and Gentile believers of their liberty in Christ (; .).

The legalists were attempting to mix law and grace and to pour the new wine into the old wineskins (). They were trying to stitch up the rent curtain () and block the new and living way to God that Jesus had opened when He died on the cross (). They were trying to rebuild the wall between Jews and Gentiles that Jesus had torn down on the cross (). They were putting the heavy Jewish yoke on Gentile shoulders (; ) and asking the church to move out of the sunlight into the shadows (, ; ).

God gave Paul a revelation instructing him to take the whole matter to the Jerusalem church leaders (), and to this the Antioch assembly agreed. The gathering was not a church council in the denominational sense but, rather, a meeting of the leaders who heard the various groups and then made their decision. Though the mother church in Jerusalem did have great influence, each local church was autonomous.

God removed the yoke of the law. The law was indeed a yoke that burdened the Jewish nation, but that yoke had been taken away by Jesus Christ (see ; .; ). After all, the law had been given to the Jewish nation to protect them from the evils of the Gentile world and prepare them to bring the Messiah into the world (). The law cannot purify the sinner’s heart (), impart the gift of the Holy Spirit (), or give eternal life (). What the law could not do, God did through His own Son ().

James stated that the prophets also agreed with this conclusion, and he cited to prove his point.

The early church did a great deal of eating together and practicing hospitality. Most church meetings occurred in homes, and some assemblies would have a meal in conjunction with the Lord’s Supper (). This was probably not much different from a potluck dinner. If the Gentile believers ate food that the Jewish believers considered “unclean,” this would cause division in the church. Paul dealt clearly with this whole problem in .

Catalyst

The letter recorded in expressed the loving unity of people who had once been debating with each other and defending opposing views. The legalistic Jews gave up insisting that the Gentiles had to be circumcised to be saved, and the Gentiles accepted a change in their eating habits. This willing and loving compromise did not in any way affect the truth of the gospel. As every married person and parent knows, sometimes, in a home, compromise is wrong, but sometimes compromise is right and necessary.

We can learn a great deal from this difficult experience of the early church. To begin with, problems and differences are opportunities for growth just as much as temptations for dissension and division. Churches need to work together and take time to listen, love, and learn. Imagine how many hurtful fights and splits could have been avoided if only some of God’s people had given the Spirit time to speak and to work.

Christians need to learn the art of loving compromise. They need to have their priorities in order so they know when to fight for what is really important in the church. Following some impressive member of the church who is fighting to get his or her way on some minor issue that is not worth fighting about is sinful. Every congregation needs a regular dose of the love described in to prevent division and dissension.

Go to the

Paul and Barnabas agreed on the importance of the trip, but they could not agree on the composition of the team. Here were two dedicated men who had just helped bring unity to the church, yet they could not settle their own disagreements. Disturbing and painful as these conflicts are, they are often found in church history; yet God is able to overrule them and accomplish His purposes.

Good and godly people in the church do disagree; this is one of the painful facts of life that we must accept. Paul looked at people and asked, “What can they do for God’s work?” while Barnabas looked at people and asked, “What can God’s work do for them?” Both questions are important to the Lord’s work, and sometimes it is difficult to keep things balanced.

Because he had a good testimony from the churches (), Timothy was ordained by Paul and added to his ministry team (; ). Paul’s next step was to have Timothy circumcised, an action that seems to contradict the decision of the Jerusalem council. Paul’s concern with Timothy was not his salvation but his fitness for service. Timothy would be working with both Jews and Gentiles in the churches, and it was essential that he not offend them.

, In the years that followed, Timothy played an important part in the expansion and strengthening of the churches. He traveled with Paul and was often his special ambassador to the trouble spots in the work, such as Corinth. He became shepherd of the church in Ephesus () and probably joined Paul in Rome shortly before the apostle was martyred ().

Catalyst

After visiting the churches he had founded, Paul tried to enter new territory for the Lord by traveling east into Asia Minor and Bithynia, but the Lord closed the door (, ). We don’t know how God revealed His will in this matter, but we can well imagine that Paul was disappointed and perhaps a bit discouraged. Everything had been going so smoothly on this second journey that these closed doors must have come as a great surprise.

We may gain some measure of comfort to know that even a great apostle like Paul was not always clear as to God’s will for his ministry! God planned for the message to get there another time (; see ). He will let us know when we are going the wrong direction, sometimes through a closed door.

Go to the

Philippi was a Roman colony, which meant that it was a “Rome away from Rome.” The emperor organized colonies by ordering Roman citizens, especially retired military people, to live in selected places so that these strategic areas would have strong pro-Roman cities. Though living on foreign soil, the citizens were expected to be loyal to Rome, to obey the laws of Rome, and to give honor to the Roman emperor.

The Jewish population in Philippi must have been very small since it had no synagogue, only a place of prayer by the river outside the city. (Ten Jewish men were needed to found a synagogue.) Paul had seen a man in the vision at Troas, but here he was ministering to a group of women.

We must not conclude that because God opened Lydia’s heart, Lydia’s part in her conversion was entirely passive. She listened attentively to the Word, and it is the Word that brings the sinner to the Savior (). The same God who ordained the end, Lydia’s salvation, also ordained the means to the end, Paul’s witness of Jesus Christ. This beautifully illustrates , .

Instead of complaining or calling on God to judge their enemies, the two men prayed and praised God. When in pain, the midnight hour is not the easiest time for a sacred concert, but God gives “songs in the night” (; also see ). Paul’s attention was fixed on the jailer, the man he really wanted to win to Christ. The jailer would rather commit suicide than face shame and execution. A hard-hearted person seeking vengeance would have let the cruel jailer kill himself, but Paul was not that kind of a man.

The phrase “you and your household” does not mean that the faith of the jailer would automatically bring salvation to his family. Each sinner must trust Christ personally in order to be born again, for we cannot be saved by proxy. The phrase means “and your household will be saved if they will also believe.” We must not read into this statement the salvation of infants (with or without baptism) because Paul clearly was dealing with people old enough to hear the Word (v. ), to believe, and to rejoice (v. ).

How touching to see the change in the attitude of the jailer as he washed the wounds of these two prisoners who were now his brothers in Christ. One of the evidences of true repentance is a loving desire to make restitution and reparation wherever we have hurt others. We should not only wash one another’s feet (, ), but we should also cleanse the wounds we have given to others.

As we review this chapter, we can see that the work of the Lord progresses through difficulties and challenges. Sometimes the workers have problems with each other, and sometimes the problems come from the outside. Also, we see that not every sinner comes to Christ in exactly the same manner.

Thessalonica (our modern Salonika) was a strategic city for the work of the Lord. Not only was it the capital of Macedonia, but it was also a center for business, rivaled only by Corinth. The city was located on several important trade routes, and it boasted an excellent harbor. The city was predominantly Greek, even though it was controlled by Rome. Thessalonica was a “free city,” which meant that it had an elected citizens’ assembly, could mint its own coins, and had no Roman garrison within its walls.

The unbelieving Jews envied Paul’s success and were grieved to see the Gentiles and the influential women leaving the synagogue. Paul hoped that the salvation of the Gentiles would provoke the Jews into studying the Scriptures and discovering their promised Messiah (, ), but in this case, it only provoked them into persecuting the infant church.

The kingship of Jesus Christ is unlike that of the rulers of this world. He conquers with ambassadors, not armies, and His weapons are truth and love. He brings people peace by upsetting the peace and turning things upside down! He conquers through His cross, where He died for a world of lost sinners. He even died for His enemies ()!

Paul went into the synagogue and there discovered a group of people keenly interested in the study of the Old Testament Scriptures. In fact, they met daily to search the Scriptures to determine whether or not what Paul was saying was true. Paul had been overjoyed at the way the people in Thessalonica had received the Word (), so these “fair-minded” Bereans must have really encouraged his heart. All of us should imitate these Bereans by faithfully studying God’s Word daily, discussing it, and using it to test the messages we hear.

Paul had to confront two opposing philosophies as he shared the gospel in Athens, those of the Epicureans and the Stoics. We today associate the word “Epicurean” with the pursuit of pleasure and the love of fine living, especially expensive and exotic cuisine. But the Epicurean philosophy involved much more than food. In one sense, the founder, Epicurus, was an existentialist in that he sought truth by means of personal experience and not through reasoning. The Epicureans were materialists and atheists, and their goal in life was pleasure.

The Stoics rejected the idolatry of pagan worship and taught that there was one “World God.” They were pantheists, and, in contrast to the Epicureans, their emphasis was on personal discipline and self-control. Pleasure was not good and pain was not evil. They taught that people should follow their reason and be self-sufficient, unmoved by inner feelings or outward circumstances.

Paul’s message was a masterpiece of communication. He began where the people were by referring to their altar dedicated to an unknown god. Having aroused their interest, he then explained who that God was and what he was like. He concluded the message with a personal application that left each council member facing a moral decision, and some of them chose Jesus Christ.

People may pride themselves in serving God, but God serves people. If God is God, then He is self-sufficient and needs nothing that humans can supply. Not only did the temples not contain God, but the services in the temples added nothing to God! In two brief statements, Paul completely wiped out the entire religious system of Greece!

The gods of the Greeks were distant beings who had no concern for people’s problems and needs. But the God of creation is also the God of history and geography. God is not a distant deity. God made us in His image, so making gods in our own image would be foolish. Greek religion was nothing but the manufacture and worship of gods who were patterned after human beings and who acted like human beings. Paul not only showed the folly of their temples and the temple rituals, but also the folly of all idolatry.

Most of the members of the high council could not accept the doctrine of the resurrection. To a Greek, the body was only a prison, and the sooner a person left his body, the happier he would be. Why raise a dead body and live in it again? And why would God bother with a personal judgment of each person? This kind of teaching was definitely incompatible with Greek philosophy. They believed in immortality but not in resurrection.

When we contrast the seeming meager results in Athens with the great harvests in Thessalonica and Berea, we may be tempted to conclude that Paul’s ministry there was a dismal failure. But that would be a hasty and erroneous conclusion. Paul was not told to leave, so we assume he lingered in Athens and continued to minister to both believers and unbelievers. The soil here was not deep and contained many weeds, but God had a small harvest.

One way Paul separated himself from others was by supporting himself as a tentmaker. By the providence of God, he met a Jewish couple, Aquila and Priscilla who were workers in leather as was Paul. Jewish rabbis did not accept money from their students but earned their way by practicing a trade. All Jewish boys were expected to learn a trade, no matter what profession they might enter.

Were Aquila and Priscilla Christian believers at that time? We don’t know for certain, but they probably were. Perhaps they were even founding members of the church in Rome. We do know that this dedicated couple served most faithfully and even risked their lives for Paul (, ).

Two interesting Old Testament images are found in this verse. To shake out one’s clothes was an act of judgment that said, “You have had your opportunity, but now it’s over!” Today we might say that we are washing our hands of a situation (see ; and compare and ). While Paul never ceased witnessing to the Jews, his primary calling was to evangelize the Gentiles (; ). The statement that someone’s blood is “on your own head” means that you are to blame for your own judgment. You had the opportunity to be saved, but you turned it down (see ).

, To walk by faith means to see opportunities even in the midst of opposition. A pessimist sees only the problems; an optimist sees only the potential. A realist, however, sees the potential in the problems. Paul was not closing his eyes to the many dangers and difficulties in the situation at Corinth; instead, he was looking at them from the divine point of view.

Divine sovereignty in election is not a deterrent to human responsibility in evangelism. Quite the opposite is true! Divine election is one of the greatest encouragements to the preaching of the gospel. Because Paul knew that God already had set apart certain people for salvation, he stayed where he was and preached the gospel with faith and courage. Paul’s responsibility was to obey the commission; God’s responsibility was to save sinners.

Being a Roman citizen, Paul was prepared to defend himself, but this turned out to be unnecessary because Gallio defended Paul! The governor immediately saw that the real issue was not the application of the Roman law but the interpretation of the Jewish religion, so he refused to try the case. The Greeks who were witnessing the scene got hold of Sosthenes, the man who had replaced Crispus as leader of the synagogue, and beat him right in front of the governor! This certainly was a flagrant display of anti-Semitism, but Gallio looked the other way.

“God willing” (v. ) was more than a religious slogan with Paul; it was one of the strengths and encouragements of his life and ministry. Knowing and doing God’s will is one of the blessings of the Christian life (). In some of his letters, Paul identified himself as “called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God” (; ; ; ; ). At a most critical time in his life and ministry, Paul found courage in affirming, “The will of the Lord be done” ().

Apollos knew the Old Testament Scriptures well and was able to teach them with eloquence and power. He was “fervent in spirit” and accurately presented the message. Apollos was bold enough to enter the synagogue and preach to the Jews. The only problem was that this enthusiastic man was declaring an incomplete gospel. His message got as far as John the Baptist and then stopped! He knew nothing about Calvary, the resurrection of Christ, or the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. He had zeal, but he lacked spiritual knowledge ().

, Aquila and Priscilla did not instruct Apollos in public because that would have only confused the Jews. They took him home to a Sabbath dinner and then told him about Jesus Christ and the coming of the Holy Spirit. They led him into a deeper knowledge of Christ, and the next Sabbath, Apollos returned to the synagogue and gave the Jews the rest of the story. In fact, so effective was his ministry that the believers in Ephesus highly recommended Apollos to the churches in Achaia.

The reply by these Ephesians revealed the vagueness and uncertainty of their faith, for they did not even know that the Holy Spirit had been given! As disciples of John the Baptist, they knew about the existence of a Holy Spirit, and that the Spirit would one day baptize God’s people. But Paul sensed that these people did not have the witness of the Spirit in their lives; therefore, they were not converted. Throughout this book, we see that a person’s baptismal experience was an indication of his or her spiritual experience. The fact that these people did not have the Spirit dwelling within was proof that they had never truly been born again.

Here we have the last instance of the gift of tongues in the Book of Acts. The believers had spoken in tongues at Pentecost and had praised God, and their listeners had recognized these tongues as known languages (). Nowhere in Scripture are believers admonished to seek a baptism of the Holy Spirit or to speak in tongues, but we are commanded to be filled with the Spirit. Read Paul’s letter to the Ephesian church and note the many references to the Holy Spirit of God and His work in the believer.

Jewish priests would often try to cast out demons (), but they wouldn’t use the name of Jesus Christ. Since these men had no personal relationship with the Savior, they had to invoke the name of Paul as well—but their scheme did not work. Had this exorcism succeeded, it would have discredited the name of Jesus Christ and the ministry of the church in Ephesus.

The tense of the verb in verse indicates that the people “kept confessing.” These believers apparently had not made a clean break with sin and were still practicing their magic, but the Lord had dealt with them. The total value of the magical books and spells that they burned was “several million dollars,” or the equivalent of the total salaries of 150 people working for a whole year! These people did not count the cost but repented and turned from their sins.

Demetrius and his silversmiths were promoting idolatry and immorality in order to make a living, while Paul was declaring the true God and pointing people to cleansing and purity through the free grace of God. The silversmiths were really more concerned about their jobs and their income than they were about Artemis and her temple, but they were wise enough not to make this known. Paul taught the truth daily and sent out his converts to witness to the lost people in the city. More and more converts meant fewer and fewer potential customers for Demetrius.

Luke records the official statement that the believers were innocent of any crime, either public (v. ) or private (v. ). Paul had this same kind of official approval in Philippi () and in Corinth (), and he would receive it again after his arrest in Jerusalem. Throughout the Book of Acts, Luke clearly shows that the persecution of the Christian church was incited by the unbelieving Jews and not by the Romans. If anything, Paul used his Roman citizenship to protect himself, his friends, and the local assemblies.

Ephesus is gone, and so is the worldwide worship of Artemis of the Ephesians. The city and the temple are gone, and the silversmiths’ guild is gone. Ephesus is a place visited primarily by archaeologists and people on Holy Land tours. Yet the gospel of God’s grace and the church of Jesus Christ are still here.

After the riot, Paul left Ephesus and headed toward Macedonia and Achaia (see ). He expected to meet Titus at Troas and get a report on the problems in Corinth, but Titus did not come (, ). The men finally met in Macedonia and Paul rejoiced over the good news Titus brought (). Paul had originally planned to make two visits to Corinth (, ), but instead he made one visit that lasted three months (; , ). During that visit, he wrote his epistle to the Romans.

Paul had two goals in mind as he visited the various churches. His main purpose was to encourage and strengthen the saints so that they might stand true to the Lord and be effective witnesses. His second purpose was to finish taking up the collection for the needy believers in Jerusalem (; ; , ). The men who accompanied him () were representatives of the churches, appointed to travel with Paul and help handle the funds ().

The church likely observed the Lord’s Supper each Lord’s Day when they met for fellowship and worship. In fact, some believers probably ended many of their regular meals at home by taking the bread and wine and remembering the Lord’s death. While Scripture does not give us specific instructions in the matter (“as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup,” ), the example of the early church would encourage us to meet at the Lord’s Table often. Communion must not become routine, however, causing us to fail to receive the blessings involved.

Let’s not be too hard on Paul for preaching such a long sermon; after all, he was preaching his farewell sermon to this assembly, and he had a great deal to tell them for their own good. Those sitting near should have been watching Eutychus, but, of course, they were engrossed in what Paul was saying. Paul did interrupt his sermon to rush downstairs to bring the young man back to life. His approach reminds us of Elijah (, ) and Elisha (, ).

The time between Passover (v. ) and Pentecost (v. ) was fifty days, and Paul’s trip from Philippi to Troas had already consumed twelve of them (v. ). Getting to Miletus took another four days, so Paul decided not to go to Ephesus lest he lose more valuable time. Instead, he invited the leaders of the Ephesian church to travel about thirty miles and meet him at Miletus, where the ship was waiting to unload cargo and take on more. Paul was not one to waste time or to lose opportunities.

The word “elder” is presbuteros in the Greek (“presbyter”) and refers to a mature person who has been selected to serve in office (). The word used in is episkopos or “overseer.” They were chosen to “feed and shepherd God’s flock” (v. )—Paul called the local church “a flock” (vv. , ). So these men were also pastors (the word “pastor” means “shepherd”).

, The manner of Paul’s ministry was exemplary. He lived a consistent life that anybody could inspect; he had nothing to hide. He served in humility, not as a religious celebrity demanding that others serve him. But Paul’s humility was not a sign of weakness, for he had the courage to face trials and dangers without quitting.

, As in , this statement has as its background the “watchman” in ; . What a serious calling this was! A watchman had to stay awake and alert, ready to sound the alarm if he saw danger approaching. He had to be faithful, not fearful, because the safety of many people rested with him. Paul had been a faithful watchman (), for he had declared to sinners and saints all the counsel of God. Unfortunately, we have today many unfaithful watchmen who think only of themselves ().

Paul brought his farewell message to a close by warning the leaders of the dangers they had to recognize and deal with if they were to protect and lead the church. To begin with, dangers are among us, “wolves . . . not sparing the flock (v. ). Paul was referring to false teachers, the counterfeits who exploit the church for personal gain. Dangers are also with us (v. ) because of people within the church who are ambitious for position and power. Finally, there are dangers within us (vv. ), and this seems to be where Paul put the greatest emphasis.

Paul had to tear himself away from the Ephesian elders, so great was his love for them. He and his party sailed from Miletus to Cos, then to Rhodes, and then to Patara—a journey that took three days. But Paul was uncomfortable with a local coastal ship that stopped at every port; thus, when he found a boat going directly to Phoenicia, he and his friends boarded it. This would be a voyage of about four hundred miles.

The men stayed with Philip, one of the original deacons () who also served as an evangelist (.). About twenty years had passed since Philip had come to Caesarea and made it his headquarters (). Since Philip had been an associate of Stephen, and Paul had taken part in Stephen’s death, this must have been an interesting meeting.

While Paul rested in Caesarea, the prophet Agabus came to give him a second warning from the Lord. Some fifteen years before, Paul and Agabus had worked together in a famine relief program for Judea (), so they were not strangers. Agabus delivered his message in a dramatic way as he bound his own hands and feet with Paul’s belt and told the apostle that he would be bound in Jerusalem.

Paul did warn the Gentiles not to get involved in the old Jewish religion (), but he nowhere told the Jews that it was wrong for them to practice their customs, so long as they did not trust in ceremony or make their customs a test of fellowship (). They were free to observe special days and diets, and believers were not to judge or condemn one another. The same grace that gave the Gentiles freedom to abstain also gave the Jews freedom to observe. All God asked was that they receive one another and not create problems or divisions.

The leaders suggested that Paul demonstrate publicly his respect for the Jewish law. All they asked was that he identify himself with four men under a Nazirite vow (), pay for their sacrifices, and be with them in the temple for their time of purification. Paul agreed to do it. If this had been a matter involving somebody’s personal salvation, we can be sure that Paul would never have cooperated because that would have compromised his message of salvation by grace, through faith. But this was a matter of personal conviction on the part of Jewish believers, who had been given the freedom to accept or reject the customs.

At this point, Paul decided it was time to speak up, and the captain was amazed that his dangerous prisoner could speak Greek. When Paul asked for permission to address the Jews, the commander consented, hoping that perhaps he would get enough information for an official report.

The Christian faith was known as “the Way” (; , ; , ), probably a reference to our Lord’s statement, “I am the way” ().

After his conversion, Paul had ministered in Damascus and then had gone to Arabia, perhaps to evangelize and to meditate on God’s Word (; , ). When Paul returned Jerusalem, the church leaders did not accept him until Barnabas interceded and got him in (). Note how Paul again emphasized the Jewish elements in his experience, for the Jews would be impressed with a man who prayed in the temple and had a vision from God.

Catalyst

A few years after Paul’s conversion, when Paul’s life was in danger in Jerusalem, Jesus appeared to him in the temple and told him what to do (). When Paul was discouraged in Corinth and contemplated going elsewhere, Jesus appeared to him and encouraged him to stay (, ). Now, when Paul was certainly at a low ebb in his ministry, Jesus appeared once again to encourage and instruct him. Paul would later receive encouragement during the storm () and during his trial in Rome (, ). “And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” is a great assurance for every situation ().

The Lord’s message to Paul was one of courage. “Be of good cheer” simply means “Take courage!” Jesus often spoke these words during His earthly ministry. He spoke them to the paralyzed man () and to the woman who suffered with the hemorrhage (). He shouted them to the disciples in the storm () and repeated them in the Upper Room (). As God’s people, we can always take courage in times of difficulty, because the Lord is with us and will see us through.

It was also a message of commendation. The Lord did not rebuke Paul for going to Jerusalem. Rather, He commended him for the witness he had given, even though that witness had not been well received. When we read the account of Paul’s days in Jerusalem, we get the impression that everything Paul did failed miserably. His attempt to win over the legalistic Jews only helped cause a riot in the temple, and his witness before the Sanhedrin left the council in confusion. But the Lord was pleased with Paul’s testimony, and that’s what really counts.

Finally, the Lord’s message was one of confidence: Paul would go to Rome! This had been Paul’s desire for months (; ), but events in Jerusalem had caused Paul to think that desire would not be fulfilled. What encouragement this promise must have given Paul in the weeks that followed, difficult weeks when leaders lied about him, when fanatics tried to kill him, and when government officials ignored him. In all of this, the Lord was with him and was fulfilling His perfect plan to get His faithful servant to Rome.

Go to the

The apostle had already mentioned that he had been born in Tarsus, but he had not told them that his citizenship was Roman. Scourging a Roman citizen was unlawful. We do not know how people proved their citizenship in those days; perhaps they carried the first-century equivalent of an ID card.

The commander indicated that he had gotten his citizenship by purchasing it.

“Conscience” is one of Paul’s favorite words, used twice in this book (v. ; ) and twenty-one times in his letters. The word means “to know with, to know together.” Conscience is the inner judge or witness that approves when we do right and disapproves when we do wrong (). Conscience does not set the standard; it only applies the standard. Conscience may be compared to a window that lets in the light. God’s law is the light, and the cleaner the window is, the more the light shines in. As the window gets dirty, the light gets dimmer, and finally the light becomes darkness.

Paul said that the high priest was a hypocrite, a “whitewashed wall” (; see ); He spoke prophetically because God did indeed “slap” this wicked man. When the Jews revolted against Rome in A.D. 66, Ananias had to flee for his life because of his known sympathies with Rome. The Jewish guerrillas found him hiding in an aqueduct at Herod’s palace, and they killed him. It was an ignominious death for a despicable man.

When called to account for what he had said, Paul showed respect for the office but not for the man. Ananias was indeed one of the most corrupt men ever to be named high priest.

The captain and his guard brought Paul into the council chamber and stepped aside to watch the proceedings. Knowing how the Jews in the temple had treated Paul, the commander remained there on guard lest his prisoner be taken from him and killed. No Roman soldier could afford to lose a prisoner, for that might mean the forfeiting of his own life.

We know nothing about Paul’s sister and nephew except what is recorded here. suggests that Paul lost his family when he became a Christian, but we do not know if any of his relatives were converted later. Since Paul’s family had long been connected with the Pharisees (), no doubt his sister had been in touch with the powers that be and had been able to pick up the news that was passed along. Probably neither the sister nor the nephew were believers, for that certainly would have shut them out of the official religious circle in Jerusalem.

Here Luke lives up to his role as careful historian by providing another official statement from Roman officials, proving that Christians were not considered criminals. The officials in Philippi had almost apologized to Paul (), and Gallio in Corinth had refused to try him (, ). In Ephesus, the town clerk told twenty-five thousand people that the Christians were innocent of any crime (), and now the commander of the Roman regiment was writing the same thing.

If ever a person dared to follow Christ, come what may, Paul was that person. Paul did not look for the easy way but for the way that would most honor the Lord and win the lost. He was even willing to become a prisoner if that would further the work of the gospel. God’s people can afford to be daring, in the will of God, because they know their Savior will be dependable and work out His perfect plan. Paul was alone—but not alone! His Lord was with him and he had nothing to fear.

The prosecutor’s accusations against Paul were no more truthful than his flattery. He brought three charges: a personal charge (“plague”), a political charge (“creator of dissension”), and a doctrinal charge (“a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes”).

The political charge was the most serious, because no Roman official wanted to be guilty of permitting illegal activities that would upset the Pax Romana (Roman Peace). Rome had given the Jews freedom to practice their religion, but the Roman officials kept their eyes on them lest they use their privileges to weaken the empire.

The governor did not examine Paul. He merely nodded his head as a signal that Paul could now speak. Paul did not flatter Felix (see ); he merely acknowledged that the governor was a man of experience and, therefore, a man of knowledge. After this brief but honest introduction, Paul then proceeded to answer the charges of Tertullus (), the Asian Jews (vv. ), and the Jewish council (vv. , ).

The fact that Paul was a Christian did not mean that he worshiped a different God from the God of his fathers. It only meant he worshiped the God of his fathers in a new and living way, for the only acceptable way to worship the Father is through Jesus Christ (). Paul’s faith was still founded on the Old Testament Scriptures, and they bore witness to Jesus Christ.

At that time, the Christian faith was still identified with the Jews, and they were permitted by the Romans to practice their religion. Gentile seekers and God-fearers had worshiped in the synagogues, so the presence of Gentiles in the churches did not create legal problems. Later, when the number of Gentile believers increased and more of the congregations separated from the Jewish synagogues, Rome saw the difference between Jews and Christians and trouble began. Rome did not want a rival religion thriving in the empire and creating problems.

, Paul’s accusers had said that he was anti-Jewish and anti-Roman, but they could not prove their charges. If the Jewish leaders had further pursued any of these charges, their case would have collapsed. But enough circumstantial evidence was presented to plant doubts in the minds of the Roman officials, and perhaps race prejudice watered that seed and encouraged it to grow.

Catalyst

In , Luke gives us only the three points of Paul’s sermon to Felix and Drusilla: righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come. But what an outhne! Paul gave this infamous couple three compelling reasons why they should repent and believe on Jesus Christ.

First, they had to do something about yesterday’s sin (“righteousness”). We talk about mistakes, weaknesses, inherited tendencies, faults, and even errors, but we do not face up to the fact of sin. But a holy God demands righteousness; that’s the bad news. Yet the good news is that this same holy God provides His own righteousness to those who trust Jesus Christ.

The second point in Paul’s sermon dealt with “self-control”: we must do something about today’s temptations. Felix was an unscrupulous official who did not hesitate to lie, or even to murder, in order to get rid of his enemies and promote himself. Self-control was something neither he nor Drusilla knew much about.

Paul’s third point was the clincher: “the judgment to come.” We must do something about tomorrow’s judgment. God has “appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained”—the Lord Jesus Christ (). Jesus Christ is either your Savior or your Judge.

Go to the

Knowing how he needed to get along well with the Jewish leaders, Festus lost no time in visiting the Holy City and paying his respects, and the leaders lost no time in bringing up Paul’s case. The new governor knew very little about the original plot or even suspected that the Jewish religious leaders were out for blood.

Paul knew that his destination was Rome, not Jerusalem, and the fastest way to get there was to appeal to Caesar. Paul also knew that the Jews had not given up their hopes of killing him, so he was wise to stay under the protection of Rome. By appealing to Caesar, Paul forced the Romans to guard him and take him to Rome. Finally, Paul realized that he could never have a fair trial in Jerusalem anyway.

The Jewish leaders must have been infuriated when Paul, with one statement, took the case completely out of their hands. He made it clear that he was willing to die if he could be proven guilty of a capital crime, but first they had to find him guilty. Festus met with his official council, and they agreed to send Paul to Nero, who had become the emperor, for trial. No doubt the new governor was somewhat embarrassed that he had handled one of his first cases so badly that the prisoner had been forced to appeal to Caesar.

Festus gave the impression that he wanted to move the trial to Jerusalem because the Jewish questions could be settled only by Jewish people in Jewish territory. It was a pure fabrication, of course, because his real reason was to please the Jewish leaders, most of whom King Herod knew.

Incredibly, all of this pomp and ceremony was because of one little Jewish man who preached the gospel of Jesus Christ! But the Lord had promised Paul that he would take his message “before Gentiles [and] kings” (), and that promise was being fulfilled again. Once Paul was finished with his witness, all his hearers would know how to be saved and would be without excuse.

They met in the auditorium in the palace, and the key military men and officers of the Roman government were there. Paul’s case had probably been discussed by various official people many times over the past two years, so very few of those present were ignorant of the affair.

Before the session ended, Paul became the judge, and Festus, King Agrippa, and Bernice became the defendants! Paul was indeed defending himself, but at the same time, he was presenting the truth of the gospel and witnessing to the difference Jesus Christ can make in a person’s life. This is the longest of Paul’s speeches found in the Book of Acts.

Paul must have been looking around at the entire audience as he was speaking (“you”). The Greeks and Romans, of course, would not believe in the doctrine of the resurrection (, ), nor would the Sadducees who were present (). To Paul, this was a crucial doctrine, for if no resurrection is possible, then Jesus Christ had not been raised and Paul had no gospel to preach. (For Paul’s argument about the resurrection and the gospel, see .)

, Paul considered himself an enlightened man, for, after all, he was a Jew (, ), a scholar (), and a Pharisee (). In reality, Paul had lived in gross spiritual darkness. He knew the law in his preconversion days, but he had not realized that the purpose of the law was to bring him to Christ (). He had been a self-righteous Pharisee who needed to discover that his good works and respectable character could never save him and take him to heaven ().

“It is hard for you to kick against the goads”—how encouraging to know that God in His grace speaks to those who are His enemies. God had been dealing with Paul, but Paul had been fighting against him. What was his resistance? Certainly it was resisting the testimony of Stephen and contributing to his death (), plus his persecution of other believers. Perhaps Paul had also struggled with the emptiness and weakness of Judaism and his own inability to meet the demands of the law.

The word “minister” means “an underrower” and refers to a lowly servant on a galley ship. Paul had been accustomed to being an honored leader, but after his conversion he became a subordinate worker, and Jesus Christ became his Master.

This describes both the spiritual condition of the lost and the gracious provision of Christ for those who will believe. We find parallels in ; .; and . The lost sinner is like a blind prisoner in a dark dungeon, and only Christ can open the prisoner’s eyes and provide light and freedom (). But even after being set free, what about the prisoner’s court record and guilt? The Lord forgives the former prisoner’s sins and wipes the record clean! God then welcomes this no-longer-guilty person into his own family as his own child and shares his inheritance with him or her.

The one word that best summarizes Paul’s life and ministry is “witness” (see v. ). Paul simply shared with others what he had learned and experienced as a follower of Jesus Christ. His message was not something he manufactured, for it was based solidly on the Old Testament Scriptures. We must remember that Paul and the other apostles did not have the New Testament, but they used the Old Testament to lead sinners to Christ and to nurture the new believers.

Festus avoided making a decision by accusing Paul of being insane. King Agrippa eluded Paul’s question (and the dilemma it presented) by adopting a superior attitude and belitthng Paul’s witness.

Agrippa and Festus did not understand that Paul had been the judge and they had been the prisoners on trial. They had been shown the light and the way to freedom, but they had deliberately closed their eyes and returned to their sins. Perhaps they felt relieved that Paul would go to Rome and trouble them no more. The trial was over, but their sentence was still to come; and come it would.

This exciting report balances the speeches that we have been reading and brings more drama into the account. Also, Luke was an accurate historian who presented the important facts about his hero and his voyage to Rome. But perhaps the major purpose Luke had in mind was the presenting of Paul as the courageous leader who could take command of a difficult situation in a time of great crisis. Future generations would love and appreciate Paul all the more for what he did on the way to Rome.

Paul was not the only prisoner that Julius and his men were taking to Rome, for several other prisoners were with them. The Greek word for “other” (v. ) means “others of a different kind” and may suggest that, unlike Paul, these men were going to Rome to die and not to stand trial. What mercy, that they met Paul who could tell them how to go to heaven when they died!

The strong winds again hindered their progress so that “many days” were required to cover the 130 miles from Myra to Cnidus. The pilot then steered south-southwest to Crete, passing Salmone and finally struggling into Fair Havens. It had been a most difficult voyage, a portent of things to come.

As the storm grew worse, the crew did everything they could to keep the ship afloat. They wrapped ropes (or chains) around the hull so the boat would not come apart, and they took down some of the sails. The second day, they started throwing some of the wheat overboard, and the third day they jettisoned the furnishings. Because of the storm, they could not see the sun or the stars, so they could not determine their position. The situation seemed hopeless, and it all happened because one man would not listen to God’s messenger (v. ).

Catalyst

The account in gives the believer some powerful lessons about the “storms” of life and how we should respond.

First of all, storms often come when we disobey the will of God. (Jonah is a good example of this truth.) But Paul was not at fault—the centurion in charge of the ship was (see vv. , ). Sometimes we suffer because of the others’ unbelief.

Second, storms have a way of revealing character. Some of the sailors selfishly tried to escape, and others could only hope for the best. But Paul trusted God and obeyed His will.

Third, even the worst storms cannot hide the face of God or hinder the purposes of God. Paul received the word of assurance that they needed, and God overruled so that His servant arrived safely in Rome.

Finally, storms can give us opportunities to serve others and bear witness to Jesus Christ. Paul was the most valuable man on that ship! He knew how to pray, he had faith in God, and he was in touch with the Almighty.

Go to the

A messenger from the Lord had visited Paul and told him that the ship and cargo would be lost but that all the passengers would be spared and cast on an island. Once again, the Lord gave him a special word of encouragement at the right time (, ; ). Today, we are not likely to have visions, but we do have the promises in His Word to encourage us (; ; ). God did this for Paul’s sake, and God honored Paul’s faith. What a testimony he was to the people on that storm-tossed ship!

Paul set a good example for them. What a difference when a person has faith in God! Instead of vainly wishing for a change (v. ) or selfishly trying to escape (v. ), Paul got ready for the demands that would come at daybreak. We can easily understand why everyone had fasted those two weeks, but now it was time to eat. Caring for one’s health is an important part of the Christian life, and even an apostle must not abuse his body.

Paul took the bread and openly prayed and gave thanks to God. (This is a good example for us to follow when we are eating in public places.) His example encouraged the others to join him, and before long, everybody felt better. At times, one dedicated believer can change the whole atmosphere of a situation simply by trusting God and making that faith visible.

God had brought them to the island of Malta (which means “refuge”), where the native people welcomed all 276 of them and did their best to make them comfortable.

The episode of the poisonous snake reminds us of Paul’s experience in Lystra (). First, the people thought that justice (which they personified as a goddess) had caught up with this notorious prisoner who was supposed to drown in the sea but had somehow escaped. (If only they knew!) When Paul failed to swell up and die, they decided that he must be a god himself! Such is the reasoning of people who judge only by appearances.

, Paul and the party remained on Malta for three months, and, thanks to Paul, they were treated graciously and sent on their way with generous gifts. Since they had lost everything in the shipwreck, the passengers were grateful to have their needs supplied. Luke says nothing about evangelism on the island, but we must believe that Paul shared the gospel with anybody who would listen. His miraculous deliverance from the sea and from the viper (v. ), and his power to heal, would certainly arouse the interest of the people, and Paul would want to give the glory to the Lord ().

, Paul’s greatest concern was his witness to the Jews in Rome. They had received no special word about Paul, but they did know that the Christian sect was being spoken against in many places. When you read Paul’s letter to the Romans, you get the impression that the Jews in Rome had misunderstood some of his teachings (; .). The apostle made clear that his appeal to Caesar must not be interpreted as an indictment against his nation. Actually, he was a prisoner on behalf of his nation and “the hope of Israel” (v. ).

To listen is one thing, but to hear is something else. Also, seeing and perceiving differ greatly. If anyone should have possessed spiritual understanding, it was these Jewish leaders, but their hearts were dull and hard. Too often those who enjoy the most spiritual privileges are not ready when they must make spiritual decisions.

, Paul kept open house and received anybody who wanted to discuss the truths of the kingdom of God. He was chained to a guard who was relieved every six hours, but who was forced to listen as Paul preached and taught and prayed. No wonder some of them were saved (; )!

We learn from later books in the New Testament that after his first imprisonment, Paul was released but was arrested again, probably about the year 67, and this time his situation was changed drastically. He did not live in a house but was chained in a prison and treated like a criminal (; ). Winter was coming, and he asked Timothy to bring him his cloak (). But the saddest thing about this second imprisonment was his being forsaken by the believers in Rome (, ). The great apostle to the Gentiles was abandoned by the very people he had come to assist.

Luke did not write the Book of Acts simply to record ancient history. He wrote to encourage the church in every age to be faithful to the Lord and carry the gospel to the ends of the earth.

Acts 1

1:1

1:2

1:3 ,

1:4

1:4 [, , ; ]

1:5

1:5 []

1:7

1:8 [, ]

1:8

1:8 , ,

1:8

1:8 NU-Text reads My witnesses.

1:9 ,

1:9

1:10

1:11

1:12

1:13 , ;

1:13

1:14 ,

1:14

1:14 NU-Text omits and supplication.

1:15

1:15 NU-Text reads brethren.

1:16

1:17

1:18

1:20

1:20 Greek episkopen, position of overseer

1:22

1:22 ;

1:23

1:24

1:25

Acts 2

2:1

2:1 NU-Text reads together.

2:2

2:4

2:5

2:6

2:7

2:9

2:15

2:17

2:18

2:19

2:20

2:21

2:22 ;

2:23

2:23 NU-Text omits have taken.

2:24 []

2:25

2:27

2:28

2:29

2:30

2:30 NU-Text omits according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ and completes the verse with He would seat one on his throne.

2:31

2:32

2:32 ;

2:33 []

2:33 , ;

2:34 ;

2:35

2:37 , ,

2:38

2:39 ,

2:39

2:41 NU-Text omits gladly.

2:42

2:43

2:44 , , ;

2:45

2:46

2:46 ;

2:47

2:47 NU-Text omits to the church.

Acts 3

3:1

3:2

3:6

3:8

3:9 ,

3:10

3:11

3:13

3:13 ; ;

3:13

3:14

3:15

3:16

3:17

3:18

3:19 [; ]

3:20 NU-Text and M-Text read Christ Jesus, who was ordained for you before.

3:21

3:22 , ,

3:23 , ,

3:24

3:24 NU-Text and M-Text read proclaimed.

3:25 [, ]

3:25 ; ; ; ;

3:25 ; ;

3:26 [; ]

3:26

Acts 4

4:1

4:6

4:7

4:8 ,

4:10 ; ,

4:10

4:11

4:12 [, ]

4:13 []

4:14

4:16

4:18 ,

4:19

4:20 ;

4:20 [, ]

4:21

4:21 ,

4:23 ;

4:24

4:25 ,

4:25 NU-Text reads who through the Holy Spirit, by the mouth of our father, Your servant David.

4:26 ,

4:27 ; ,

4:27 []

4:27

4:28 ;

4:29 , ; ; ; ; ;

4:30 ;

4:30 ,

4:30

4:31 , ;

4:31

4:32 ,

4:32

4:33 []

4:33

4:34

4:35 ;

4:36 NU-Text reads Joseph.

4:37 , ; ,

Acts 5

5:3

5:5 ,

5:6

5:9 ,

5:10

5:11 ; ;

5:12 ; ; ; ;

5:12 ;

5:13

5:13 ;

5:15

5:16 ,

5:17 , ,

5:18

5:19 ;

5:20 [, ; ]

5:21 ,

5:23 NU-Text and M-Text omit outside.

5:24 ;

5:24 NU-Text omits the high priest.

5:25 NU-Text and M-Text omit saying.

5:26

5:28 ,

5:28

5:29

5:30 ,

5:30 []

5:31 [, ]

5:31

5:32 ,

5:32 ;

5:33 ;

5:34

5:39

5:39 ;

5:40

5:41 []

5:41 NU-Text reads the name; M-Text reads the name of Jesus.

5:42

5:42 ,

Acts 6

6:1 ;

6:1 That is, Greek-speaking Jews

6:2

6:3

6:4

6:5 ;

6:5 , ;

6:5 ,

6:6

6:6 []

6:7

6:8 ; ; ;

6:8 NU-Text reads grace.

6:10

6:11 ,

6:13 NU-Text omits blasphemous.

6:14 ;

Acts 7

7:2

7:2 ,

7:3

7:4 ;

7:4

7:5 ; ; , ; ;

7:6 , , ; ,

7:6 ; ,

7:7

7:8

7:8 ; ,

7:9 , ,

7:9

7:9 , ,

7:10

7:11 ;

7:12 ,

7:13 ,

7:14 ,

7:14

7:14 Or seventy (compare )

7:15

7:16

7:17

7:18

7:19

7:20 ,

7:20

7:21 ,

7:21

7:22

7:23 ,

7:27

7:28

7:29

7:29 , , ; ;

7:30

7:30 NU-Text omits of the Lord.

7:32 ,

7:33 , , ,

7:34 ,

7:34

7:34 , , ,

7:35

7:36 ;

7:36

7:36 ,

7:37 , ,

7:37

7:37 NU-Text and M-Text omit Him you shall hear.

7:38

7:39

7:40 ,

7:41

7:41 , ,

7:42 []

7:42

7:43

7:44 []

7:45 ; ;

7:45

7:46

7:47 ; ,

7:48

7:49 ,

7:50

7:50 ,

7:51

7:52

7:52 ;

7:53

7:54

7:55

7:55 []

7:56

7:58

7:59

7:60

Acts 8

8:1 ;

8:2

8:3

8:4

8:5 ; ,

8:5 Or a

8:7

8:9 ;

8:9

8:12 ;

8:14 , ,

8:15 ;

8:16

8:16 ;

8:17 ;

8:20 []

8:20 [; ; ]

8:21

8:22

8:23

8:24

8:26

8:27 ;

8:27

8:32 ,

8:32

8:33

8:33 ,

8:35

8:36 ;

8:37 []

8:37

8:37 NU-Text and M-Text omit this verse. It is found in Western texts, including the Latin tradition.

8:39 ,

8:40

Acts 9

9:1 ; , ; ,

9:2

9:3

9:4 []

9:5 NU-Text and M-Text omit the last sentence of verse and begin verse with But arise and go.

9:7 [; ]

9:10

9:11 ;

9:13

9:14 ; ,

9:15 ,

9:15 ;

9:15 , ;

9:15 ;

9:16

9:17 ,

9:17

9:17 ; ; ;

9:17 M-Text omits Jesus.

9:19

9:20 NU-Text reads Jesus.

9:21 ,

9:22

9:23

9:24

9:25

9:26 ;

9:27 ;

9:27 ,

9:28

9:29 ;

9:29

9:31 ; ;

9:31 [, ]

9:31

9:31 NU-Text reads church . . . was edified.

9:32

9:34 [, ; ]

9:35 ;

9:36

9:37 ;

9:40

9:40 ,

9:42

9:43

Acts 10

10:1 ;

10:2 ; ;

10:2 [, ; , ]

10:3 ;

10:5 ,

10:6

10:6 NU-Text and M-Text omit the last sentence of this verse.

10:9 ;

10:11

10:14 ,

10:15 []

10:19

10:20

10:21 NU-Text and M-Text omit who had been sent to him from Cornelius.

10:22

10:23 ;

10:26 ,

10:28 ;

10:28 [, ; , ]

10:30

10:30 NU-Text reads Four days ago to this hour, at the ninth hour.

10:31

10:32 NU-Text omits the last sentence of this verse.

10:34

10:35 []

10:35 ,

10:36

10:37

10:38

10:38 ;

10:39

10:39 NU-Text and M-Text add also.

10:40

10:41 [, , ; ]

10:41 ,

10:42

10:42 ,

10:42

10:43

10:43 ,

10:44

10:45

10:47 ; ; ;

10:48

10:48 ; ;

Acts 11

11:2

11:3

11:4

11:5

11:12 []

11:12

11:13

11:15 ;

11:16 ,

11:16

11:17 [, ]

11:17

11:18 , ; ,

11:19 ,

11:20 ;

11:21

11:21 ;

11:22 ;

11:23 ;

11:24

11:24 ;

11:25 ,

11:27

11:28

11:29

11:30

Acts 12

12:2 ;

12:3 ;

12:4

12:5 NU-Text reads constantly (or earnestly).

12:7

12:9

12:9 , ;

12:10 ;

12:11 []

12:11

12:12

12:12 , ;

12:12

12:15 []

12:17 ; ;

12:20

12:23 ,

12:23

12:24 ;

12:25

12:25 ,

12:25 ;

12:25 NU-Text and M-Text read to.

Acts 13

13:1

13:2 ;

13:2

13:3

13:4

13:5 []

13:5 ;

13:6

13:6 NU-Text reads the whole island.

13:8

13:9 ;

13:10

13:11

13:13

13:14

13:15

13:16

13:17

13:17 M-Text omits Israel.

13:18

13:19

13:19 , ;

13:20

13:21

13:22 , ,

13:22

13:23

13:23 []

13:23 M-Text reads for Israel salvation.

13:24 []

13:25

13:25 ,

13:26

13:27

13:28 ,

13:29

13:30 , ;

13:31 ,

13:32 []

13:33

13:34

13:35

13:36

13:38

13:39 []

13:41

13:42 Or And when they went out of the synagogue of the Jews; NU-Text reads And when they went out, they begged.

13:43

13:45

13:46

13:47 ;

13:47

13:48 []

13:50

13:51

13:52

13:52 ; , ;

Acts 14

14:1

14:3

14:4

14:4 ,

14:5

14:6

14:8

14:10 []

14:11 ;

14:13

14:14

14:15

14:16

14:17 ,

14:17

14:19 , ;

14:19

14:19 []

14:21

14:22

14:22 [; ]

14:23

14:27 ,

14:27

Acts 15

15:1

15:2

15:3

15:3 ; ,

15:7

15:8

15:8 ; ,

15:9

15:9 ,

15:10

15:11 ;

15:11 NU-Text and M-Text omit Christ.

15:12 ; ,

15:13

15:14

15:16 ,

15:17 ,

15:18 NU-Text (combining with verse ) reads Says the Lord, who makes these things known from eternity (of old).

15:19 ;

15:19

15:20

15:20 [; , ]

15:20 []

15:20

15:20 Or fornication

15:21 ,

15:22

15:22 NU-Text and M-Text read Barsabbas.

15:24 ,

15:24 ;

15:24 NU-Text omits saying, “You must be circumcised and keep the law.”

15:26 ;

15:29 ;

15:29

15:29 Or fornication

15:32

15:32 ;

15:33

15:33 NU-Text reads to those who had sent them.

15:34 NU-Text and M-Text omit this verse.

15:35

15:37 ,

15:38

15:39 ;

15:40 ;

15:41

Acts 16

16:1

16:1 ;

16:3 [; ]

16:4

16:4 ,

16:5 ;

16:6 ,

16:7 NU-Text adds of Jesus.

16:8

16:9

16:10

16:12

16:14 ; ,

16:14

16:15

16:16 ,

16:16

16:18 ,

16:18

16:19 ; ,

16:19

16:20

16:22

16:26

16:26 ; ,

16:30 ; ;

16:31 [, ; ]

16:34 ;

16:37

16:39

16:40

Acts 17

17:1

17:2

17:3 ,

17:4

17:4 , , ,

17:5

17:5 NU-Text omits who were not persuaded; M-Text omits becoming envious.

17:6 []

17:7

17:10 ;

17:11

17:14

17:15

17:16

17:18

17:18 NU-Text and M-Text add also.

17:24

17:25

17:26

17:26 NU-Text omits blood.

17:27 []

17:27 ,

17:28 []

17:28

17:29 ,

17:30 []

17:30 [, ]

17:31

Acts 18

18:2

18:3

18:4

18:5 ,

18:5

18:6

18:6 [, ]

18:6 ;

18:7 NU-Text reads Titius Justus.

18:8

18:9

18:10 ,

18:15 ;

18:17

18:17 NU-Text reads they all.

18:18

18:21 ;

18:21

18:21 NU-Text omits I must through Jerusalem.

18:22

18:23

18:23 ; ,

18:24

18:25

18:27

18:28 ; ;

Acts 19

19:1 ; ,

19:1

19:2

19:3

19:4

19:5 , ;

19:6 ;

19:8 ;

19:9

19:9 ; ; ;

19:10 ;

19:11

19:12

19:13

19:13 ;

19:13 NU-Text reads I.

19:16 M-Text reads and they overpowered.

19:16 NU-Text reads both of them.

19:17 ;

19:18

19:20 ;

19:21

19:21 ;

19:22

19:23

19:24 ,

19:24 Greek Artemis

19:26

19:27 NU-Text reads she be deposed from her magnificence.

19:29

19:33

19:37 NU-Text reads our.

Acts 20

20:1

20:2 ;

20:3

20:4

20:5

20:6 ,

20:6

20:7

20:7 , ;

20:8

20:8 NU-Text and M-Text read we.

20:10

20:10 ,

20:16 ; ;

20:16

20:18 ; , ; ,

20:19

20:20

20:21 ;

20:21

20:22

20:23 ,

20:24

20:24 NU-Text reads But I do not count my life of any value or dear to myself.

20:26

20:27

20:28

20:28 ,

20:28

20:28 M-Text reads of the Lord and God.

20:29

20:30

20:31 , ;

20:32

20:32 []

20:34

20:34 NU-Text and M-Text omit Yes.

20:35

20:37

Acts 21

21:4 [; ]

21:4 NU-Text reads the disciples.

21:5 ;

21:6

21:8 ;

21:8

21:8 NU-Text omits who were Paul’s companions.

21:9

21:10

21:11 ; ;

21:13 ,

21:14 ;

21:17

21:18 ;

21:19 ,

21:19 ;

21:20 ;

21:22 NU-Text reads What then is to be done? They will certainly.

21:24

21:25 , ,

21:25 NU-Text omits that they should observe no such thing, except.

21:26 ;

21:26

21:27 ;

21:27

21:28 ;

21:29

21:29 M-Text omits previously.

21:30 ;

21:31

21:32 ;

21:33

21:33 ;

21:36

21:38

21:39 ;

21:40

Acts 22

22:1

22:2

22:3

22:3 ;

22:3

22:3 []

22:4

22:5 ; ;

22:5

22:6 ; ,

22:9

22:9 NU-Text omits and were afraid.

22:12

22:14 ;

22:14

22:15

22:15 ;

22:16

22:17 ;

22:18

22:19 ;

22:19

22:20

22:20 NU-Text omits to his death.

22:21

22:22

22:25

Acts 23

23:1

23:2

23:3 ,

23:5 ,

23:5

23:6

23:6 , ; ;

23:8

23:9 ;

23:9 , , ,

23:9

23:9 NU-Text omits last clause and reads what if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?

23:11 ; ,

23:11 , ;

23:11 , ,

23:12 , ;

23:12 , ; ; ;

23:14 , ; ; ; ;

23:15 NU-Text omits tomorrow.

23:20

23:23 ;

23:27 , ;

23:28

23:29 ;

23:30

23:30 ;

23:30 NU-Text reads there would be a plot against the man.

23:33

23:34 ;

23:35 , ;

23:35

Acts 24

24:1

24:1 , , ;

24:5 ,

24:6

24:6 NU-Text ends the sentence here and omits the rest of verse , all of verse , and the first clause of verse .

24:7 ;

24:8

24:9 NU-Text and M-Text read joined the attack.

24:11 , , , ;

24:12 ;

24:14 ;

24:14

24:14 ;

24:15 ; , ;

24:15 []

24:15 NU-Text omits of the dead.

24:16

24:17

24:18 ;

24:18

24:19 [; ]

24:20 NU-Text and M-Text read say what wrongdoing they found.

24:21 [; ; ]

24:22 ; ; , ;

24:22 ;

24:23 ; ;

24:24 []

24:26

24:26 NU-Text omits that he might release him.

24:27 ; ; ,

Acts 25

25:1 ; , ,

25:2 ;

25:2 NU-Text reads chief priests.

25:3 ,

25:5 ;

25:7 ,

25:8 ; ;

25:9 ;

25:9

25:11 ; ; ;

25:11 ;

25:14

25:15 ; ,

25:16 ,

25:16 NU-Text omits to destruction, although it is implied.

25:17 ,

25:19 , ;

25:21 ,

25:22

25:23

25:24 , ,

25:24 ;

25:25 , ;

25:25 ,

Acts 26

26:2 [; ]

26:2 [, ]

26:2 ; ,

26:5

26:6

26:7

26:9 ,

26:9 ;

26:10 ;

26:10

26:11

26:12 ; ;

26:16

26:17

26:17 NU-Text and M-Text omit now.

26:18 ; ,

26:18

26:20 , , ;

26:20

26:22

26:23

26:23 ,

26:23

26:24 [; , ; ]

26:26

26:29

26:31 , ;

26:32

Acts 27

27:1 ,

27:2

27:3 ;

27:6

27:7 ,

27:9 ;

27:14 NU-Text reads Euraquilon.

27:16 NU-Text reads Cauda.

27:17 M-Text reads Syrtes.

27:19

27:23 ;

27:23

27:25 ,

27:26

27:34 []

27:35 [, ]

27:37 ;

27:41

27:44 ,

Acts 28

28:1

28:2

28:5

28:6 ;

28:8 [, ]

28:8 ; ; ;

28:10

28:10 []

28:11

28:14

28:16 ; ;

28:17 ; , ;

28:17

28:18 ; ; ;

28:19 , ,

28:19 That is, the ruling authorities

28:20 ,

28:20 ; ;

28:22 [; ; , ]

28:23

28:23 ,

28:24 ;

28:25 NU-Text reads your.

28:26 ,

28:27 ,

28:28

28:29 NU-Text omits this verse.

28:31

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