In my first book, Theophilus, I wrote about everything Jesus did and taught from the beginning,

After he had suffered, he had shown himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them during a period of 40 days and telling them about the kingdom of God.

While he was meeting with them, he ordered them, "Don't leave Jerusalem. Instead, wait for what the Father has promised, about which you heard me speak,

At that time, Peter got up among the brothers (there were about 120 people present) and said,

"Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through the voice of David about Judas, who was the guide for those who arrested Jesus,

Cretans, and Arabs, listening to them talk in our own languages about the great deeds of God?"

since David says about him, "I always keep my eyes on the Lord, for he is at my right hand so that I cannot be shaken.

he looked ahead and spoke about the resurrection of the Messiah: "He was not abandoned to Hades, and his flesh did not experience decay.'

So those who welcomed his message were baptized. That day about 3,000 people were added to their number.

When he saw that Peter and John were about to go into the Temple, he asked them to give him something.

When Peter saw this, he told the people: "Fellow Israelis, why are you wondering about this, and why are you staring at us as if by our own power or godliness we made him walk?

But many of those who heard their message believed, and the men grew to number about 5,000.

for we cannot stop talking about what we've seen and heard."

When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and died. And great fear seized everyone who heard about it.

After an interval of about three hours, Ananias' wife came in, not knowing what had happened.

And great fear seized the whole church and everyone else who heard about this.

"Go, stand in the Temple, and keep on telling the people the whole message about this life they can have."

For in the recent past Theudas appeared, claiming that he was important, and about 400 men joined him. He was killed, and all his followers were dispersed and disappeared.

But when Philip proclaimed the good news about the kingdom of God and about the name of Jesus the Messiah, men and women believed and were baptized.

The eunuch asked Philip, "I ask you, who is the prophet talking about? Himself? Or someone else?"

Then Philip began to speak, and, starting from this Scripture, he told him the good news about Jesus.

He immediately started to preach about Jesus in the synagogues, saying, "This is the Son of God."

When the brothers found out about the plot, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him away to Tarsus.

One day, about three in the afternoon, he had a vision and clearly saw an angel of God coming to him and saying to him, "Cornelius!"

Peter was still thinking about the vision when the Spirit told him, "Look! Three men are looking for you.

When Peter was about to enter, Cornelius met him, bowed down at his feet, and began to worship him.

About that time, Herod arrested some people who belonged to the church and mistreated them.

for about 450 years.

Then God removed Saul and made David their king, about whom he testified, "I have found that David, the son of Jesse, is a man after my own heart, who will carry out all my wishes.'

When they had finished doing everything that was written about him, they took him down from the tree and placed him in a tomb.

Paul and Barnabas found out about it and fled to the Lycaonian towns of Lystra and Derbe and to the surrounding territory.

There they kept talking about the good news.

Paul and Barnabas had quite a dispute and argument with them. So Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to confer with the apostles and elders about this question.

The whole crowd was silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul tell about all the signs and wonders that God had done through them among the gentiles.

When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors wide open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, since he thought the prisoners had escaped.

Some Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also debated with him. Some asked, "What is this blabbermouth trying to say?" while others said, "He seems to be preaching about foreign gods." This was because Paul was telling the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.

For as I was walking around and looking closely at the objects you worship, I even found an altar with this written on it: "To an unknown god.' So I am telling you about the unknown object you worship.

When they heard about a resurrection of the dead, some began joking about it, while others said, "We will hear you again about this."

Paul was about to speak when Gallio admonished the Jewish leaders, "If there were some misdemeanor or crime involved, it would be reasonable to put up with you Jews.

But since it is a question about words, names, and your own Law, you will have to take care of that yourselves. I refuse to be a judge in these matters."

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.

There were about twelve men in all.

He went into the synagogue and spoke there boldly for three months, holding discussions and persuading those who heard him about the kingdom of God.

Many who became believers kept coming to confess and talk about what they had been doing.

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

But when they found out that he was a Jew, they all started to shout in unison for about two hours, "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!"

and stayed there for three months. When he was about to sail for Syria, a plot was initiated against him by the Jews, so he decided to go back through Macedonia.

I testified to both Jews and Greeks about repentance to God and faith in our Lord Jesus.

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

When they heard about it, they praised God and told him, "You see, brother, how many tens of thousands of believers there are among the Jews, and all of them are zealous for the Law.

But they have been told about you that you teach all the Jews living among the gentiles to forsake the Law of Moses, and that you tell them not to circumcise their children or observe the customs.

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.

Just as Paul was about to be taken into the barracks, he asked the tribune, "May I say something to you?"

as the high priest and the whole council of elders can testify about me. I also received letters from them to the brothers in Damascus, and I was going there to tie up those who were there and bring them back to Jerusalem to be punished.

"But while I was on my way and approaching Damascus about noon, a bright light from heaven suddenly flashed around me.

and saw the Lord saying to me, "Hurry up and get out of Jerusalem at once, because the people won't accept your testimony about me.'

Paul said, "But I was born a citizen." Immediately those who were about to examine him stepped back, and the tribune was afraid when he found out that Paul was a Roman citizen and that he had tied him up.

Paul answered, "I didn't realize, brothers, that he is the high priest. After all, it is written, "You must not speak evil about a ruler of your people.'"

That night the Lord stood near Paul and said, "Have courage! For just as you have testified about me in Jerusalem, you must testify in Rome, too."

But the son of Paul's sister heard about the ambush, so he came and got into the barracks and told Paul.

This man had been seized by the Jews and was about to be killed by them when I went with the guard and rescued him, having learned that he was a Roman citizen.

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

"Your Excellency Felix, since we are enjoying lasting peace because of you, and since reforms for this nation are being brought about through your foresight, we always and everywhere acknowledge it with profound gratitude.

Felix was rather well informed about the Way, and so he adjourned the trial with the comment, "When Tribune Lysias arrives, I'll decide your case."

Some days later, Felix arrived with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish. He sent for Paul and listened to him talk about faith in Jesus the Messiah.

As Paul talked about righteousness, self-control, and the coming judgment, Felix became afraid and said, "For the present you may go. When I get a chance, I will send for you again."

When I went to Jerusalem, the high priests and the Jewish elders informed me about him and asked me to condemn him.

Instead, they had several arguments with him about their own religion and about a certain Jesus who had died but Paul kept asserting he was alive.

Then Festus said, "King Agrippa and all you men who are present with us! You see this man about whom the whole Jewish nation petitioned me, both in Jerusalem and here, shouting that he ought not to live any longer.

I have nothing reliable to write our Sovereign about him, so I have brought him to all of you, and especially to you, King Agrippa, so that I will have something to write after he is cross-examined.

Indeed, the king knows about these things, and I can speak to him freely. For I'm certain that none of these things has escaped his notice, since this wasn't done in a corner.

After boarding a ship from Adramyttium that was about to sail to the ports on the coast of Asia, we put out to sea. Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, went with us.

It was the fourteenth night, and we were drifting through the Adriatic Sea, when about midnight the sailors suspected that land was near.

The islanders honored us in many ways, and when we were about to sail again, they supplied us with everything we needed.

The brothers there heard about us and came as far as the Forum of Appius and the Three Taverns to meet us. When Paul saw them, he thanked God and felt encouraged.

The Jewish leaders told him, "We haven't received any letters from Judea about you, and none of the brothers coming here has reported or mentioned anything bad about you.

From morning until evening, he continued to explain the kingdom of God to them, trying to convince them about Jesus from the Law of Moses and the Prophets. Some of them were convinced by what he said, but others wouldn't believe.

You must understand that this message about God's salvation has been sent to the gentiles, and they will listen."

He continued to preach about the kingdom of God and to teach boldly and freely about the Lord Jesus, the Messiah.