Symeon has explained how it was God's original concern to secure a People from among the Gentiles to bear his Name.

And that is in harmony with the words of the Prophets, where they say--

After these things I will return
and rebuild David’s fallen tent.
I will rebuild its ruins
and set it up again,

so that the residue of men may seek out the Lord, and all the nations on whom my name is invoked, saith the Lord, who does these things

So, my advice is not to make it difficult for those who turn to God from among the Gentiles,

Then it seemed wise to the apostles and the elders, [along] with the entire church, to select men from their number and send them with Paul and Barnabas to Antioch. So, they chose Judas, who was [also] called Barsabbas, and Silas, [who were] principal men among the brothers.

We have heard that certain [men] who left here have been upsetting you people and [even] undermining [some people's] spiritual lives by what they have been teaching. This was done without our authorization [or approval].

So we have unanimously decided to choose men and send them to you with our dear Barnabas and Paul,

So we have sent Judas and Silas, who will report by word of mouth the same things [that we decided in our meeting].

For it was the Holy Spirit’s decision—and ours—to put no greater burden on you than these necessary things:

that is to say: that ye abstain from things offered to images, from blood, from strangled and fornication. From which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. So fare ye well."

So when they were dismissed, they came to Antioch: and when they had gathered the multitude together, they delivered the epistle:

But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, and with many others also continued teaching and proclaiming the good news, the word of the Lord [concerning eternal salvation through faith in Christ].

And some days after Paul said unto Barnabas, Let us go again and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they do.

Barnabas [agreed, and] wanted to take John Mark [his cousin, See Col. 4:10] with them.

But Paul was not at all in favor of taking someone who had left them and refused to continue on in the work [of preaching the Gospel] when they were in Pamphylia. [See 13:13].

And the contention was so sharp between them, that they departed asunder one from the other: and so Barnabas took Mark, and sailed unto Cyprus;

But Paul selected Silas and set out, the brothers commending him to the Lord's favor.

Now Paul traveled to Derbe and also to Lystra. A disciple named Timothy was there, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer [in Christ], however, his father was a Greek.

Paul wanted Timothy to go with him, so he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those places, since they all knew that his father was a Greek.

And on their way through the towns, they gave them the rules which had been made by the Apostles and the rulers of the church at Jerusalem, so that they might keep them.

And so were the churches established in the faith, and increased in number daily.

So passing through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, being forbidden by the Holy Ghost to speak the word in Asia,

being therefore arrived in Mysia, they essayed to go into Bithynia, but the spirit of Jesus would not allow it: so they pass'd by Mysia,

so passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas.

Here, one night, Paul saw a vision. There was a Macedonian who was standing, entreating him and saying, "Come over into Macedonia and help us."

and when he saw the vision, immediately we endeavoured to go forth to Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord hath called us to preach good news to them,

So putting out to sea from Troas, we sailed a straight course to Samothrace, and on the following [day] to Neapolis,

and on the Sabbath day we went outside the city gate to the bank of the [Gangites] river, where we thought there would be a place of prayer, and we sat down and began speaking to the women who had come there.

Among our hearers was one named Lydia, a dealer in purple goods. She belonged to the city of Thyateira, and was a worshipper of the true God. The Lord opened her heart, so that she gave attention to what Paul was saying.

When she and her household were baptized, she begged us, saying, "If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and stay." So she persuaded us.

At a later time, when we were going to that [same] place of prayer, we met a certain young woman who was dominated by an [evil] spirit, [claiming to be] able to tell people's fortunes. This [claimed] power was the source of considerable income for the girl's slave-owner.

She kept this up for a number of days. Because Paul was so much annoyed by her, he turned and said to the spirit in her, "In the name of Jesus Christ I order you to come out of her." And that very moment it came out.

And when her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone, they caught Paul and Silas, and drew them into the marketplace unto the rulers,

He, having received such a [strict] command, threw them into the inner prison (dungeon) and fastened their feet in the stocks [in an agonizing position].

And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed.

When the jailer, shaken out of sleep, saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, thinking that the prisoners had escaped.

So calling for lights he rushed in, fell in terror before Paul and Silas,

And he brought them outside [and] said, "Sirs, what must I do so that I can be saved?"

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

And they told the Lord's Message to him as well as to all who were in his house.

Then he brought them up into his house and prepared a meal for them. So, he and everyone in his household, who had believed in God [and were immersed], rejoiced greatly.

When daylight came, the chief magistrates sent the police to say, “Release those men!”

And the jailer reported these words to Paul: "The chief magistrates have sent [an order] that you should be released. So come out now [and] go in peace!"

Then said Paul unto them, "They have beaten us, openly un-condemned, for all that we are Romans, and have cast us into prison: and now would they send us away privily? Nay not so, but let them come themselves and fetch us out."

So the police officers reported these words to the chief magistrates, and they were afraid [when they] heard that they were Roman citizens.

so they came [to the prison] and appealed to them [with apologies], and when they brought them out, they kept begging them to leave the city.

So they left the prison and went to Lydia’s house; and when they had seen the brothers and sisters, they encouraged and comforted them, and left.

SO journeying through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of Jews:

And according to Paul's custom he went in among them, and on three sabbaths reasoned with them from the scriptures,

Some of the Jews were convinced [that Jesus was the Messiah] and so joined with Paul and Silas. Also, a large number of devoted Greeks [i.e., Gentiles] and leading women [joined their group].

But the Jews were filled with jealousy and, taking along some worthless men from the rabble in the marketplace and forming a mob, threw the city into an uproar. And attacking Jason's house, they were looking for them to bring [them] out to the popular assembly.

They stopped at Jason's house and tried to bring them out to the people. So, as they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the town magistrates, shouting, "These fellows, who have turned the world topsy-turvy, have come here too,

and Jason has received them as guests! They are all acting contrary to Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king—Jesus!”

So taking a security bond from Jason and the others, they released them.

These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

As the result many of them became believers, and so did not a few of the Greeks--gentlewomen of good position, and men.

But when the Jews from Thessalonica found out that God’s message had been proclaimed by Paul at Berea, they came there too, agitating and disturbing the crowds.

And then immediately the brethren sent away Paul to go as it were to the sea: but Silas and Timotheus abode there still.

Those who were caring for Paul's safety went with him as far as Athens, and then left him, taking a message from him to Silas and Timothy, asking them to join him as speedily as possible.

Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry.

So he reasoned in the synagogue with Jews and the devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with them that met him.

Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans, and of the Stoicks, encountered him. And some said, What will this babbler say? other some, He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods: because he preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection.

And so, laying hold of him, they brought him up, to the Hill of Mars, saying - Can we get to know what this new teaching is, which, by thee, is being spoken.

For what you say sounds strange to us, and we want to know what these ideas mean.”

and all Athenians, and the strangers sojourning, for nothing else were at leisure but to say something, and to hear some newer thing.

And Paul standing in the midst of Areopagus said, Athenians, in every way I see you given up to demon worship;

For when I came by, I was looking at the things to which you give worship, and I saw an altar with this writing on it, TO THE GOD OF WHOM THERE IS NO KNOWLEDGE. Now, what you, without knowledge, give worship to, I make clear to you.

The God who created the world, and all things in it, he that is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples of man's construction;

Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;

He made all races of the earth's surface--fixing a time for their rise and fall, and the limits of their settlements--

This was so that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grasp for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us.

Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device.

True, God looked with indulgence on the days of men's ignorance, but now he is announcing to every one everywhere the need for repentance,

For He has appointed a [certain] day when He will judge the people of the world according to [a standard of] true justice by the man [i.e., Jesus] whom He has appointed [as Judge, See II Tim. 4:8]. [And] He has given assurance to all people [that He will do this] by raising Jesus from the dead."

On hearing of a resurrection of the dead, some began jeering, but others said that they would hear what he had to say about that another time.

So Paul departed from among them.

There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife, Priscilla, because [the Roman Emperor] Claudius had issued an edict that all the Jews were to leave Rome. Paul went to see them,

Every sabbath it was Paul's habit to preach in the synagogue and to persuade both Jews and Greeks.

When the Jews resisted [Paul's efforts] and spoke against him and his message, he shook out his clothing [i.e., an expression of rejection and contempt] and said to them "Let your blood be on your own heads [i.e., you are responsible for whatever harm comes from your action]; I am not responsible. From now on I will go [and preach] to the Gentiles [only]."

And he departed thence, and entered into a certain man's house, named Justus, one that worshipped God, whose house joined hard to the synagogue.

And Crispus, the Warden of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, and so did all his household; and from time to time many of the Corinthians who heard Paul believed and received baptism.

for I will be with you [See Matt. 28:20] and no one will attack you or hurt you, for I have many people in this city [i.e., who will be converted]."

So he settled there for a year and six months, teaching them the word of God [concerning eternal salvation through faith in Christ].

But when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia (southern Greece), the Jews made a united attack on Paul and brought him before the judgment seat,

But when Paul was about to say something, Gallio said to the Jews, If this was anything to do with wrongdoing or crime, there would be a reason for me to give you a hearing:

but if it be questions about words, and names, and the law that ye have, see to it yourselves; for I do not intend to be judge of these things.

So he drove them from the judge’s bench.

So they all seized Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue, [and] began beating [him] in front of the judgment seat. And none of these [things] was a concern to Gallio.

So Paul, [after] remaining many days longer, said farewell to the brothers [and] sailed away to Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila. He shaved [his] head at Cenchrea, because he had [taken] a vow.

So they arrived at Ephesus, and those he left behind there, but he himself entered into the synagogue [and] discussed with the Jews.

but took leave of them with the promise, "I will return to you, God willing." So he set sail from Ephesus.

And when he had come to land at Caesarea, he went to see the church, and then went down to Antioch.

This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught the things about Jesus accurately, although he knew only John’s baptism.

He began to speak boldly in the synagogue, and Priscilla and Aquila, after hearing him, took him home and explained God's way to him more accurately.

And when Apollos wanted to go across to Achaia (southern Greece), the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples, [urging them] to welcome him gladly. When he arrived, he was a great help to those who, through grace, had believed and had followed Jesus as Lord and Savior,

He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.

And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism.

"John's baptism was a baptism upon repentance," rejoined Paul, "and John told the people (speaking of the 'One Coming; after him) that they should believe in him--that is in Jesus."

Then Paul placed his hands on them and [the supernatural power of] the Holy Spirit came on them and they [began to] speak in [other] languages and prophesy [i.e., speak God's message].