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

After saying this, Jesus was taken up while those who had gathered together were watching, and a cloud took him out of their sight.

While he was going and they were gazing up toward heaven, two men in white robes stood right beside them.

When they came into the city, these men went to the upstairs room where they had been staying: Peter and John, James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James.

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

because he was one of our number and was appointed to share in this ministry."

When the day of Pentecost was being celebrated, all of them were together in one place.

Suddenly, a sound like the roar of a mighty windstorm came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.

All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in foreign languages as the Spirit gave them that ability.

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

Stunned and amazed, they asked, "All of these people who are speaking are Galileans, aren't they?

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

"Men of Judea and everyone living in Jerusalem! You must understand something, so pay close attention to my words. These men are not drunk as you suppose, for it's only nine o'clock in the morning.

"In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on everyone. Your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams.

For you will not abandon my soul to Hades or allow your Holy One to experience decay.

You have made the ways of life known to me, and you will fill me with gladness in your presence.'

He has been exalted to the right hand of God, has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit, and has caused you to experience what you are seeing and hearing.

until I make your enemies your footstool."'

When the crowd that had gathered heard this, they were pierced to the heart. They asked Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what should we do?"

Peter answered them, "Every one of you must repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus the Messiah for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the Holy Spirit as a gift.

For this promise belongs to you and your children, as well as to all those who are distant, whom the Lord our God may call to himself."

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

The believers continued to devote themselves to what the apostles were teaching, to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to times of prayer.

A sense of fear came over everyone, and many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles.

All the believers were united and shared everything with one another.

They were praising God and enjoying the good will of all the people. Every day the Lord was adding to their number those who were being saved.

One afternoon, Peter and John were on their way to the Temple for the three o'clock prayer time.

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.

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

However, Peter said, "I don't have any silver or gold, but I'll give you what I do have. In the name of Jesus the Messiah from Nazareth, walk!"

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.

While he was holding on to Peter and John, all the people came running to them in what was called "Solomon's Colonnade". They were dumbfounded.

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?

The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob the God of our ancestors has glorified his servant Jesus, whom you betrayed and rejected in the presence of Pilate, even though he had decided to let him go.

and you killed the source of life, whom God raised from the dead. We are witnesses to that.

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

Therefore, repent and turn to him to have your sins blotted out,

"The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers. You must listen to everything he tells you. Any person who will not listen to that prophet will be utterly destroyed from among the people.'

You are the descendants of the prophets and the heirs of the covenant that God made with your ancestors when he told Abraham, "Through your descendant all the families of the earth will be blessed.'

When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning every one of you from your evil ways."

While they were speaking to the people, the priests, the commander of the Temple guards, and the Sadducees came to them.

They were greatly disturbed that Peter and John were teaching the people and announcing that Jesus had been resurrected from the dead.

They made Peter and John stand in front of them and began asking, "By what power or by what name did you do this?"

If we are being questioned today for a good deed done for someone who was sick or to learn how this man was healed,

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.

So they called Peter and John back in and ordered them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.

So they threatened Peter and John even more and then let them go. They couldn't find any way to punish them, because all the people were praising God for what had happened,

After they were released, Peter and John went to their fellow believers and told them everything the high priests and the elders had said.

You said by the Holy Spirit through the voice of our ancestor, your servant David, "Why do the unbelievers rage, and the people devise useless plots?

For in this city both Herod and Pontius Pilate actually met together with unbelievers and the people of Israel to oppose your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed,

to carry out everything that your hand and will had predetermined to take place.

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

as you stretch out your hand to heal and to perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus."

When they had prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken, and all of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak messages from God 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.

since none of them needed anything, because everyone who had land or houses would sell them and bring the money received for the things sold

Peter asked, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart so that you should lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back some of the money you got for the land?

As long as it remained unsold, wasn't it your own? And after it was sold, wasn't the money at your disposal? So how could you have thought of doing what you did? You didn't lie only to men, but also to God!"

"How could you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord?" Peter asked her. "Listen! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and these men will carry you outside as well."

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

Nevertheless, believers were being added to the Lord in increasing numbers both men and women.

Crowds continued coming in even from the towns around Jerusalem bringing their sick and those who were troubled by unclean spirits, and all of them were healed.

Then the high priest and all those from the sect of the Sadducees who were with him were filled with jealousy. So they went out,

After the apostles heard this, they went into the Temple at daybreak and began to teach. The high priest and those who were with him arrived, called the Council and all the elders of Israel together, and sent word to the prison to have the men brought in.

When the commander of the Temple guards and the high priests heard these words, they were utterly at a loss as to what could have happened to them.

Then someone came and told them, "Look! The men you put in prison are standing in the Temple and teaching the people!"

So the commander of the Temple guards went with his men to bring them back without force, because they were afraid of being stoned to death by the people.

He said, "We gave you strict orders not to teach in his name, didn't we? Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to bring this man's blood on us!"

The God of our ancestors raised Jesus to life after you killed him by hanging him on a tree.

God has exalted to his right hand this very man as our Leader and Savior in order to extend repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel.

We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who keep on obeying him."

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.

After that man, at the time of the census, Judas the Galilean appeared and got people to follow him. He, too, died, and all his followers were scattered.

"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.

However, if it's from God, you won't be able to stop them, and you may even discover that you are fighting against God!"

So they were convinced by him. After calling in the apostles and beating them, they again ordered them to stop speaking in the name of Jesus and let them go.

In those days, as the number of the disciples was growing larger and larger, a complaint was made by the Hellenistic Jews against the Hebraic Jews that their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution of food.

Therefore, brothers, appoint seven men among you who have a good reputation, who are full of the Spirit and wisdom, and we'll put them in charge of this work.

"The glorious God appeared to our ancestor Abraham while he was in Mesopotamia before he settled in Haran. God told him, "Leave your country and your relatives and go to the land I'll show you.'

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.

"But a famine spread throughout Egypt and Canaan, and with it great suffering, and our ancestors couldn't find any food.

But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our ancestors on their first trip.

So Jacob went down to Egypt. Then he and our ancestors died.

They were brought back to Shechem and laid in the tomb that Abraham had bought at a high price from Hamor's descendants in Shechem.

By shrewdly scheming against our people, he oppressed our ancestors and forced them to abandon their infants to the elements, so that they wouldn't live.

The next day, he presented himself to some of them while they were fighting and tried to reconcile them. He said, "Men, you are brothers. Why should you be hurting another?'

"I am the God of your ancestors the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.' Moses became terrified and didn't dare to look.

Then the Lord told him, "Remove your sandals from your feet, because the place where you are standing is holy ground.

It was this Moses who told the Israelis, "God will raise up a prophet for you from among your own brothers, just as he did me.'

This Moses is the one who was in the assembly in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai and to our ancestors. He received living truths to give to us,

but our ancestors refused to obey him. Instead, they rejected him and wished to return to Egypt.

You even took along the tent of Moloch, the star of your god Rephan, and the images you made in order to worship them. So I will take you into exile as far as Babylon.'

"Our ancestors had the Tent of Testimony in the wilderness constructed, just as the one who spoke to Moses directed him to make it according to the pattern he had seen.

Our ancestors brought it here with Joshua when they replaced the nations that God drove out in front of our ancestors, and it was here until the time of David.

""Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house can you build for me,' declares the Lord, "or what place is there in which I can rest?

"You stubborn people with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are always opposing the Holy Spirit, just as your ancestors used to do.

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.

While they were listening to these things, they became more and more furious and began to grind their teeth at him.

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

Unclean spirits screamed with a loud voice as they came out of the many people they had possessed, and many paralyzed and lame people were healed.