And the whole church and all who heard this were appalled.

And Saul entirely approved of his being put to death. A great persecution of the church in Jerusalem broke out that day, and they were all scattered over Judea and Samaria except the apostles.

But Saul harassed the church. He went into one house after another, and dragging out men and women, put them in prison.

So the church all over Judea, Galilee, and Samaria was at peace and became established. It lived in reverence for the Lord and, stimulated by the holy Spirit, it grew steadily in numbers.

The news about them came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas all the way to Antioch.

and found him and brought him to Antioch. The result was that for a whole year they met with the church, and taught large numbers of people, and it was at Antioch that the disciples first came to be known as Christians.

About that time King Herod laid violent hands upon some who belonged to the church.

So Peter was kept in the jail, but the church was praying earnestly to God for him.

There were at Antioch in the church there a number of prophets and teachers??arnabas, Symeon who was called Niger, Lucius the Cyrenian, Manaen, who had been brought up with Herod the governor, and Saul.

They appointed elders for them in each church, and with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.

When they arrived there, they called the church together, and reported how God had worked with them, and how he had opened the way to faith for the heathen.

The church saw them off upon their journey, and as they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria they told of the conversion of the heathen, and caused great rejoicing among all the brothers.

When they reached Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church, the apostles, and the elders, and they reported how God had worked with them.

Then the apostles and elders with the whole church resolved to select representatives and send them with Paul and Barnabas to Antioch. They were Judas who was called Barsabbas, and Silas, both leading men among the brothers.

When he reached Caesarea, he went up to Jerusalem and paid his respects to the church, and then went on to Antioch.

From Miletus he sent to Ephesus for the elders of the church.

Take care of yourselves and of the whole flock, of which the holy Spirit has made you guardians, and be shepherds of the church of God, which he got at the cost of his own life.