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Acts 18:12-22
/RSS FeedActs 18:12-22
12 While Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews coordinated an attack on Paul and brought him before the judgment seat.
13 “This man is persuading the people to worship God in ways contrary to the law,” they said.
14 But just as Paul was about to speak, Gallio told the Jews, “If this matter involved a wrongdoing or vicious crime, O Jews, it would be reasonable for me to hear your complaint.
15 But since it is a dispute about words and names and your own law, settle it yourselves. I refuse to be a judge of such things.”
16 And he drove them away from the judgment seat.
17 At this, the crowd seized Sosthenes the synagogue leader and beat him in front of the judgment seat. But none of this was of concern to Gallio.
18 Paul remained in Corinth for quite some time before saying goodbye to the brothers. He had his head shaved in Cenchrea to keep a vow he had made, and then he sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila.
19 When they reached Ephesus, Paul left Priscilla and Aquila. He himself went into the synagogue there and reasoned with the Jews.
20 When they asked him to stay for a while longer, he declined.
21 But as he left, he said, “I will come back to you if God is willing.” And he set sail from Ephesus.
22 When Paul had landed at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the church at Jerusalem. Then he went down to Antioch. -
Acts 17:10-21
/RSS FeedActs 17:10-21
10 As soon as night had fallen, the brothers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went into the Jewish synagogue.
11 Now the Bereans were more noble-minded than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if these teachings were true.
12 As a result, many of them believed, along with quite a few prominent Greek women and men.
13 But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that Paul was also proclaiming the word of God in Berea, they went there themselves to incite and agitate the crowds.
14 The brothers immediately sent Paul to the coast, but Silas and Timothy remained in Berea.
15 Those who escorted Paul brought him to Athens and then returned with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible.
16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was deeply disturbed in his spirit to see that the city was full of idols.
17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and God-fearing Gentiles, and in the marketplace with those he met each day.
18 Some Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also began to debate with him. Some of them asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others said, “He seems to be advocating foreign gods.” They said this because Paul was proclaiming the good news of Jesus and the resurrection.
19 So they took Paul and brought him to the Areopagus, where they asked him, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting?
20 For you are bringing some strange notions to our ears, and we want to know what they mean.”
21 Now all the Athenians and foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing more than hearing and articulating new ideas. -
Acts 17:1-9
/RSS FeedActs 17:1-9
1 When they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue.
2 As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbaths he reasoned with them from the Scriptures,
3 explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead. “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Christ,” he declared.
4 Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along with a large number of God-fearing Greeks and quite a few leading women.
5 The Jews, however, became jealous. So they brought in some troublemakers from the marketplace, formed a mob, and sent the city into an uproar. They raided Jason’s house in search of Paul and Silas, hoping to bring them out to the people.
6 But when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some other brothers before the city officials, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have now come here,
7 and Jason has welcomed them into his home. They are all defying Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king, named Jesus!”
8 On hearing this, the crowd and city officials were greatly disturbed.
9 And they collected bond from Jason and the others and then released them. -
Acts 14:1-7
/RSS FeedActs 14:1-7
1 At Iconium, Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue, where they spoke so well that a great number of Jews and Greeks believed.
2 But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers.
3 So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord, who affirmed the message of His grace by enabling them to perform signs and wonders.
4 The people of the city were divided. Some sided with the Jews, and others with the apostles.
5 But when the Gentiles and Jews, together with their rulers, set out to mistreat and stone them,
6 they found out about it and fled to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbe and to the surrounding region,
7 where they continued to preach the gospel. -
Acts 8:26-40
/RSS FeedActs 8:26-40
26 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Get up and go south to the desert road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.”
27 So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official in charge of the entire treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. He had gone to Jerusalem to worship,
28 and on his return was sitting in his chariot reading Isaiah the prophet.
29 The Spirit said to Philip, “Go over to that chariot and stay by it.”
30 So Philip ran up and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked.
31 “How can I,” he said, “unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.
32 The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture: “He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer is silent, so He did not open His mouth.
33 In His humiliation He was deprived of justice. Who can recount His descendants? For His life was removed from the earth.”
34 “Tell me,” said the eunuch, “who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?”
35 Then Philip began with this very Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.
36 As they traveled along the road and came to some water, the eunuch said, “Look, here is water! What is there to prevent me from being baptized?”
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38 And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and Philip baptized him.
39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, but went on his way rejoicing.
40 But Philip appeared at Azotus and traveled through that region, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he came to Caesarea. -
Acts 8:9-25
/RSS FeedActs 8:9-25
9 Prior to that time, a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and astounded the people of Samaria. He claimed to be someone great,
10 and all the people, from the least to the greatest, heeded his words and said, “This man is the divine power called the Great Power.”
11 They paid close attention to him because he had astounded them for a long time with his sorcery.
12 But when they believed Philip as he preached the gospel of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.
13 Even Simon himself believed and was baptized. He followed Philip closely and was astounded by the great signs and miracles he observed.
14 When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them.
15 On their arrival, they prayed for them to receive the Holy Spirit.
16 For the Holy Spirit had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.
17 Then Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
18 When Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money.
19 “Give me this power as well,” he said, “so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”
20 But Peter replied, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money!
21 You have no part or share in our ministry, because your heart is not right before God.
22 Repent, therefore, of your wickedness, and pray to the Lord. Perhaps He will forgive you for the intent of your heart.
23 For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and captive to iniquity.”
24 Then Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord for me, so that nothing you have said may happen to me.”
25 And after Peter and John had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many of the Samaritan villages. -
Acts 8:1-8
/RSS FeedActs 8:1-8
1 And Saul was there, giving approval to Stephen’s death. On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.
2 God-fearing men buried Stephen and mourned deeply over him.
3 But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison.
4 Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.
5 Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Christ to them.
6 The crowds gave their undivided attention to Philip’s message and to the signs they saw him perform.
7 With loud shrieks, unclean spirits came out of many who were possessed, and many of the paralyzed and lame were healed.
8 So there was great joy in that city. -
Acts 6:1-7
/RSS FeedActs 6:1-7
1 In those days when the disciples were increasing in number, the Grecian Jews among them began to grumble against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food.
2 So the Twelve summoned all the disciples and said, “It is unacceptable for us to neglect the word of God in order to wait on tables.
3 Therefore, brothers, select from among you seven men confirmed to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will appoint this responsibility to them
4 and will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”
5 This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, as well as Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism.
6 They presented these seven to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.
7 So the word of God continued to spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem grew rapidly, and a great number of priests became obedient to the faith. -
Acts 5:12-23
/RSS FeedActs 5:12-23
12 The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people, and with one accord the believers gathered together in Solomon’s Colonnade.
13 Although the people regarded them highly, no one else dared to join them.
14 Yet more and more believers were brought to the Lord—large numbers of both men and women.
15 As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on cots and mats, so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by.
16 Crowds also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those tormented by unclean spirits, and all of them were healed.
17 Then the high priest and all his associates, who belonged to the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy. They went out
18 and arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail.
19 But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out, saying,
20 “Go, stand in the temple courts and tell the people the full message of this new life.”
21 At daybreak the apostles entered the temple courts as they had been told and began to teach the people. When the high priest and his associates arrived, they convened the Sanhedrin—the full assembly of the elders of Israel—and sent to the jail for the apostles.
22 But on arriving at the jail, the officers did not find them there. So they returned with the report:
23 “We found the jail securely locked, with the guards posted at the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside.” -
Acts 4:23-31
/RSS FeedActs 4:23-31
23 On their release, Peter and John returned to their own people and reported everything that the chief priests and elders had said to them.
24 When the believers heard this, they lifted up their voices to God with one accord. “Sovereign Lord,” they said, “You made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them.
25 You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of Your servant, our father David: ‘Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?
26 The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against His Anointed One.’
27 In fact, this is the very city where Herod and Pontius Pilate conspired with the Gentiles and the people of Israel against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed.
28 They carried out what Your hand and will had decided beforehand would happen.
29 And now, Lord, consider their threats, and enable Your servants to speak Your word with complete boldness,
30 as You stretch out Your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of Your holy servant Jesus.”
31 After they had prayed, their meeting place was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.
