because John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit a few days from now."

Now those who had gathered together began to ask Jesus, "Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?"

He answered them, "It isn't for you to know what times or periods the Father has fixed by his own authority.

(Now this man bought a field with the money he got for his crime. Falling on his face, he burst open in the middle, and all his intestines gushed out.

"For in the Book of Psalms it is written, "Let his estate be desolate, and let no one live on it,' and, "Let someone else take over his office,'

Then they prayed, "Lord, you know the hearts of all people. Show us which one of these two men you have chosen

Now devout Jews from every nation on earth were living in Jerusalem.

"Fellow Israelis, listen to these words: Jesus from Nazareth was a man authenticated to you by God through miracles, wonders, and signs that God performed through him among you, as you yourselves know.

Therefore, since he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him with an oath to put one of his descendants on his throne,

Now a man who had been crippled from birth was being carried in. Every day people would lay him at what was called the Beautiful Gate so that he could beg from those who were going into the Temple.

they knew that he was the man who used to sit and beg at the Beautiful Gate of the Temple, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

It is his name that is, by faith in his name that has healed this man whom you see and know. Yes, the faith that comes through Jesus has given him this perfect health in the presence of all of you.

"And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance like your leaders.

There is no salvation by anyone else, for there is no other name under heaven given among people by which we must be saved."

Now when the Jewish leaders saw the boldness of Peter and John and found out that they were uneducated and ordinary men, they were amazed and realized that they had been with Jesus.

Lord, pay attention to their threats now, and allow your servants to speak your word boldly

Now all the believers were one in heart and soul, and nobody called any of his possessions his own. Instead, they shared everything they owned.

Now many signs and wonders were being performed by the apostles among the people, who were gathered together in Solomon's Colonnade.

"We found the prison securely locked and the guards standing at the doors, but when we opened them, we found no one inside."

"I'm telling you to keep away from these men for now. Leave them alone, because if this plan or movement is of human origin, it will fail.

Now Stephen, full of grace and power, was performing great wonders and signs among the people.

So he left the country of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. Then after the death of his father, God had him move to this country where you now live.

God gave him no property here, not even a foot of land, yet he promised to give it to him and to his descendants after him as a permanent possession, even though he had no child.

"Now as the time approached for the fulfillment of the promise that God had made to Abraham, the people's population increased a great deal in Egypt.

I have surely seen the oppression of my people in Egypt, I've heard their groans, and I've come down to rescue them. Now come, I'll send you to Egypt.'

They told Aaron, "Make gods for us who will lead us. This Moses who led us out of the land of Egypt we don't know what happened to him!'

Which of the prophets did your ancestors fail to persecute? They killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One, and now you have become his betrayers and murderers.

Now Saul heartily approved of putting Stephen to death. That day a severe persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and everyone except for the apostles was scattered throughout the countryside of Judea and Samaria.

Now those who were scattered went from place to place preaching the word.

Now in that city there was a man named Simon. He was practicing occult arts and thrilling the people of Samaria, claiming to be someone great.

Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaritans had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them.

Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money

You have no part or share in what we're saying, because your heart isn't right with God.

Now an angel of the Lord told Philip, "Get up and go south on the road that leads from Jerusalem to Gaza. This is a deserted road."

So he got up and went. Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch, who was a member of the court of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. He was in charge of all her treasures and had come up to Jerusalem to worship.

Now he was returning home, seated in his chariot, and reading from the prophet Isaiah.

The voice said, "I'm Jesus, whom you are persecuting. Now get up, go into the city, and you will be told what you are to do."

Now in Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called out to him in a vision, "Ananias!" He answered, "Here I am, Lord."

Now when Peter was going around among all of the disciples, he also visited the saints living in Lydda.

Now in Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment.

The angel answered him, "Your prayers and your gifts to the poor have arisen as a reminder to God. Send men now to Joppa and summon Simon, who is called Peter.

While Peter was still at a loss to know what the vision he had seen could mean, the men sent by Cornelius asked for Simon's house and went to the gate.

and that is why I didn't hesitate when I was sent for. Now may I ask why you sent for me?"

So I sent for you immediately, and it was good of you to come. All of us are here now in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has ordered you to say."

Then Peter began to speak: "Now I understand that God shows no partiality.

You know what happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached.

"No one can stop us from using water to baptize these people who have received the Holy Spirit in the same way that we did, can they?"

Now the apostles and the brothers who were in Judea heard that the gentiles had also accepted the word of God.

Now if God gave them the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, who was I to try to stop God?"

Now the people who were scattered by the persecution that started because of Stephen went as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews.

Then Peter came to himself and said, "Now I'm sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from Herod and from everything the Jewish people were expecting!"

Now Herod had been in a violent quarrel with the people of Tyre and Sidon. So they came to him as a group. After they had won over Blastus, who oversaw security for the king's sleeping quarters, they asked for a peace agreement because their country depended on the king's country for food.

Now Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius from Cyrene, Manaen, who grew up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul were prophets and teachers in the church at Antioch.

The Lord is against you now, and you'll be blind and unable to see the sun for a while!" At that moment a dark mist came over him, and he went around looking for someone to lead him by the hand.

When John was finishing his work, he said, "Who do you think I am? I'm not the Messiah. No, but he is coming after me, and I'm not worthy to untie the sandals on his feet.'

Although they found no reason to sentence him to death, they asked Pilate to have him executed.

and for many days he appeared to those who had come with him to Jerusalem from Galilee. These are now his witnesses to the people.

Now David, after he had served God's purpose in his own generation, died and was buried with his ancestors, and so he experienced decay.

Then Paul and Barnabas boldly declared, "We had to speak God's word to you first, but since you reject it and consider yourselves unworthy of eternal life, we are now going to turn to the gentiles.

Now when an attempt was made by both gentiles and Jews, along with their authorities, to mistreat and stone them,

Now in Lystra there was a man sitting down who couldn't use his feet. He had been crippled from birth and had never walked.

After a lengthy debate, Peter stood up and told them, "Brothers, you know that in the early days, God chose me to be the one among you through whom the gentiles would hear the message of the gospel and believe.

He made no distinction between them and us, because of their faith-cleansed hearts.

Paul wanted this man to go with him, so he took him and had him circumcised because of the Jews who lived in that region, since everyone knew that Timothy's father was a Greek.

The jailer reported these words to Paul, and added, "The magistrates have sent word to release you. So come out now and go in peace."

But Paul told the guards, "The magistrates have had us beaten publicly without a trial and have thrown us into jail, even though we are Roman citizens. Now are they going to throw us out secretly? Certainly not! Have them come and escort us out."

Then they took him, brought him before the Areopagus, and asked, "May we know what this new teaching of yours is?

It sounds rather strange to our ears, and we would like to know what it means."

Now all the Athenians and the foreigners living there used to spend their time doing nothing else other than listening to the latest ideas or repeating them.

Though God has overlooked those times of ignorance, he now commands everyone everywhere to repent,

But when they began to oppose him and insult him, he shook out his clothes in protest and told them, "Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent. From now on I will go to the gentiles."

Now Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, along with his whole family. Many Corinthians who heard Paul also believed and were baptized.

For I am with you, and no one will lay a hand on you or harm you, because I have many people in this city."

Then all of them took Sosthenes, the synagogue leader, and began beating him in front of the judge's seat. But Gallio paid no attention to any of this.

He had been instructed in the Lord's way, and with spiritual fervor he kept speaking and teaching accurately about Jesus, although he knew only about John's baptism.

and asked them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" They answered him, "No, we haven't even heard that there is a Holy Spirit."

But the evil spirit told them, "Jesus I know, and I am getting acquainted with Paul, but who are you?"

Now about that time a great commotion broke out concerning the Way.

He called a meeting of these men and others who were engaged in similar trades and said, "Men, you well know that we get a good income from this business.

Meanwhile, some were shouting one thing and some another, since the crowd was confused, and most of them didn't know why they were meeting.

When the city recorder had quieted the crowd, he said, "Men of Ephesus, who in the world doesn't know that this city of Ephesus is the keeper of the temple of the great Artemis and of the statue that fell down from heaven?

because we are in danger of being charged with rioting today, and there is no good reason we can give to justify this commotion."

Now there were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were meeting.

When they came to him, he told them, "You know how I lived among you the entire time from the first day I set foot in Asia.

And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there,

"Now I know that none of you among whom I traveled preaching about the kingdom will ever see my face again.

I know that when I'm gone, savage wolves will come among you and not spare the flock.

"I'm now entrusting you to God and to the message of his grace, which is able to build you up and secure for you an inheritance among all who are sanctified.

You yourselves know that I worked with my own hands to support myself and those who were with me.

Take these men, go through the purification ceremony with them, and pay their expenses to shave their heads. Then everyone will know that there is nothing in what they have been told about you, but that you are carefully observing and keeping the Law.

Paul replied, "I'm a Jew from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no insignificant city. Please let me speak to the people."

"Brothers and fathers, listen to the defense that I am now making before you."

"Then he said, "The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will, to see the Righteous One, and to hear his own voice,

So now, what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized, and have your sins washed away as you call on his name.'

"I said, "Lord, they themselves know that in every synagogue I kept imprisoning and beating those who believe in you.

because the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection and that there is no such thing as an angel or spirit, but the Pharisees believe in all those things.

Now then, you and the Council must notify the tribune to bring him down to you on the pretext that you want to look into his case more carefully, but before he arrives we'll be ready to kill him."

Don't believe them, because more than 40 of them are planning to ambush him. They've taken an oath not to eat or drink before they've killed him. They are ready now, just waiting for your consent."

I wanted to know the exact charge they were making against him, so I had him brought before their Council.

I found that, although he was charged with questions about their Law, there was no charge against him deserving death or imprisonment.