After his sufferings he had also shown himself alive to them in many convincing manifestations, revealing himself to them during forty days, and speaking of the kingdom of God.

"For he was numbered among us, and he did get his allotted share of this ministry.

we all hear these men telling in our own tongue what great things God has done."

"In the last days, God says, it shall come to pass that I will pour out my Spirit upon all mankind; "Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams;

"Men of Israel, listen to these words. Jesus the Nazarene, a man accredited to you by God, through mighty works and wonders and signs which God did by him among you, as you yourselves know;

him, delivered up by the settled purpose and fore-knowledge of God, you crucified and killed at the hands of lawless men;

but God has raised him to life, having loosed the pangs of death, because it was not possible for death to hold him.

"Because he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn to him with an oath that of the fruit of his loins he would set one on his throne,

This Jesus God has raised up, of this we are all witnesses.

Since he is by the mighty hand of God exalted, and has received from his Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured forth this which you now see and hear.

praising God, and looked on with favor by all the people. Meanwhile the Lord kept adding to them daily those that were being saved.

when a man lame from his birth was carried along, who was wont to be laid each day near the gate of the Temple called the Beautiful Gate, to ask alms of those who were going into the Temple.

So he waited, expecting to get something from them. Then Peter said:

and leaping forth he stood on his feet, and began to walk, and went with them into the Temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God.

When all the people saw him walking and praising God,

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

"The God of Abram, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his Servant Jesus, whom you betrayed and disowned before Pilate, when he had decided to let him go;

"The Pioneer of Life you put to death. But God has raised him from the dead, and we are witnesses of that fact.

"But God has thus fulfilled what he foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ should suffer.

"whom the heavens must receive until the time of restoration of all things. "God spoke of this ages ago, through the mouth of his holy prophets.

"Moses, for example, said: "The Lord your God will raise up a Prophet for you from among your brothers, as he raised up me; you must listen to whatever he may tell you;

"You are the sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, "And in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.

"It was for you first that God raised up his Servant, and sent him to bless you in turning every one of you away from your wicked ways."

"be it known to all of you, and to all the people of Israel, that in the name of Jesus Christ, the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, in him does this man stand before you strong and well.

But Peter and John said in reply. "Do you decide whether in the sight of God it is right to obey you rather than God;

So when they had further threatened them they let the apostles go, being quite unable to find any way of punishing them because of the people, for everybody was glorifying God over what had happened.

And when they heard it they all lifted up their voices in prayer to God, saying. "O Sovereign Lord, who madest heaven and earth and sea, and all that in them is,

"While it remained unsold, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was not the price at your own disposal? How could you conceive this act in your heart? You have not lied unto men, but unto God."

and Peter said to her, "Tell me if you got so much for the land." "Yes," she said, "so much."

"We must obey God rather than man. The God of our fathers has raised up Jesus, whom you slew by hanging him on a tree.

"Him God has exalted at his right hand as Prince and Saviour, to give Israel repentance and forgiveness of sins.

"And we are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him."

"but if it is from God, you cannot put it down; you may even find yourselves fighting against God."

Then the Twelve called the general body of the disciples together, and said to them. "It is not fitting for us to leave off preaching the Word of God, and minister at tables.

"So, brothers, find from among your own number seven men of good reputation who are full of the Spirit and of wisdom, and we will appoint them over this business.

Then they instigated some to say, "We have heard him speaking blasphemy against Moses and against God;" and in this way they excited the people.

Stephen answered. "Listen, brothers and fathers. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Haran,

"So he left Chaldea and settled in Haran, and from there, after his father's death, God moved him to this land which you inhabit.

"What God said was this. "'His offspring will sojourn in a foreign land where they will be enslaved and oppressed for four hundred years.

"'And the nation, whichever it is, that enslaves them I will judge, said God, 'and after ward they shall come out, and they shall worship me in this place.

"But God was with him, and delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him grace and wisdom, when he stood before Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who appointed him Governor over Egypt, and over all the royal household.

"but as the time drew near for the fulfilment of the promise which God made to Abraham, the people multiplied and increased in Egypt;

"(Now he supposed that his brothers would understand how God by his hand was bringing them deliverance; but they did not.)

"I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. "And Moses trembled and dared not gaze.

"This Moses whom they refused when they said, Who made you to be a ruler and a judge? that same Moses we find God sending as a ruler and a redeemer by the hand in the bush.

"It was this Moses who said to the Children of Israel, "God will raise up a Prophet for you from among your brothers, as he did me.

"So God turned from them, and gave them up to the worship of the heavenly host, as it is written in the book of the Prophets. "Did you offer unto me slain beasts as sacrifices during the forty years in the wilderness, O House of Israel?

No, it was the Tabernacle of Moloch and the star-symbol of the god Rempha that you lifted up??he images which you made in order to worship them; so I will carry you away beyond Babylon.

"That tabernacle was brought in by our ancestors, in their turn, when they under Joshua entered on the possession of the nations whom God thrust out before them, until the days of David.

"David obtained favor with God, and asked permission to find a dwelling-place for the God of Jacob.

But he, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.

"Look, I see heaven open," he said, "And the Son of man standing at the right hand of God."

Many from all classes would give heed to him, declaring, "This man is the Power of God, known as the Great Power."

But when they believed Philip, who was preaching glad tidings about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they began to be baptized, both men and women.

The apostle at Jerusalem, when they heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, sent to them Peter and John.

But Peter said to him. "Your money perish with you, because you have supposed that with money you can obtain God's free gift!"

"You have no part or lot in this matter." Your heart is not right in the sight of God.

The eunuch answered, "Why, how can I unless someone shall show me the way?" And he begged Philip to get up and sit with him.

In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who will declare his posterity? For his life is cut off from the earth.

And Philip said, "If you believe with your whole heart, you may." The eunuch answered, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God."

Philip found himself at Ashdod. Then visiting town after town, he kept preaching the good news in all the cities until he reached Caesarea.

And Saul got up from the ground, but although his eyes were open, he continued to perceive nothing; so they took him by the hand and led him into Damascus.

And he began at once to proclaim in the synagogues Jesus as the Son of God.

Among the disciples at Joppa was a woman named Tabitha??hich may be translated Dorcas or "Gazelle"?? woman whose life was full of good works and almsgiving, which she was doing continually.

He was a devout man and God-fearing, and so were all his household. He gave many alms to the people, and constantly prayed to God.

About three o'clock one afternoon he had a vision, and distinctly saw an angel of God enter his house and say to him, "Cornelius."

He stared at him in terror, and said, "What is it, Lord?" "Your prayers and your alms have risen for a memorial before God," answered the angel;

And again a second time came to him a voice, saying, "What God has cleansed you must not call common."

Now while Peter was greatly perplexed to know what the vision which he had been sent by Cornelius, and had made inquiries for the house of Simon, stood at the gate,

"Cornelius," they answered, "a captain, a devout man, and God-fearing, of whom the whole, Jewish nation speaks well, was instructed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house, and to listen to your message."

To them he said: "You know, yourselves, that it is illegal for a Jew to associate with or to visit one of another nation; but God has taught me that I should not call any man common or unclean. For this reason, when sent for, I came without demur.

and said: "'Cornelius, your prayer is heard, and your alms are had in remembrance in the sight of God.

"So I sent for you without delay, and you have been kind enough to come. Now therefore we are all here present in the sight of God, to listen to what the Lord has commanded you to speak."

Then Peter began to speak. "Of a truth I begin to see quite plainly that God is no respecter of persons;

"how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how he went about everywhere doing good, and curing all who were oppressed by the devil; for God was with him.

"But him God raised up on the third day, and permitted him to be made manifest,

"not to all the people, but to witnesses??en previously chosen by God??hat is, to us, who ate and drank with him after he had risen from the dead;

"when he charged us to preach to the people, and to testify that this was he whom God ordained to be the judge of the living and of the dead.

For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God.

Now the apostles and the brothers that were in Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God;

"But for the second time a voice spoke from the sky, 'What God has cleansed, you must not call common.'

"So if God gave them the same gift as he gave to us, when we first believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could withstand God?"

On hearing this they held their peace and glorified God, saying, "Forsooth then, to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance unto life."

Some of them, however, were Cyprians and Cyrenaeans, who, on reaching Antioch, began to tell the Greeks also the Good News concerning the Lord Jesus.

When he arrived, and saw the grace of God, he was glad, and he encouraged them all to remain faithful to the Lord, with full purpose of heart;

for he was a good man, and full of faith and the Holy Spirit. And a great multitude was added to the Lord.

So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer to God was made by the church for him.

And when they had passed the first guard and the second, they came to the iron gate that led to the city. This opened to them of its own accord; and they went out passed on through one street; and suddenly the angel left him.

When he knocked at the door of the gate, a maid servant named Rhoda came to answer.

And when she recognized Peter's voice, for very joy she did not open the door, but ran in and told them that Peter was standing in front of the gate.

He motioned to them to keep quiet, and told them how the Lord had brought him out of prison. "Tell all this to James," he said, "and to the brothers," and away he went to another place.

"The voice of a god, and not of a man," the people kept shouting.

Instantly an angel of the Lord smote him, because he had not given God the glory, and being eaten up by worms, he died.

But the word of God grew and multiplied;

And while they were in Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews.

who belonged to the suite of the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. He summoned Barnabas and Saul, and sought to hear the word of God.

So Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand, said: "Men of Israel, and you who fear God, listen.

"The God of this people of Israel chose our forefathers and made this people great, while they sojourned in the land of Egypt. And with an uplifted arm he led them out of it.

"Of this man's descendants God has brought unto Israel, according to his promise, a Savior, Jesus;

"Brothers, sons of Abraham's race, and all among you who reverence God, to us has the word of this salvation been sent.