Down to that day on which he was taken up to Heaven, after he had, by the help of the Holy Spirit, given instructions to the Apostles whom he had chosen.

And once, when he had gathered them together, he charged them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for the fulfillment of the Father's promise-- "that promise," he said, "of which you have heard me speak;

So, when the Apostles had met together, they asked Jesus this question--"Master, is this the time when you intend to re-establish the Kingdom for Israel?"

No sooner had Jesus said this than he was caught up before their eyes, and a cloud received him from their sight.

For he was one of our number and had his part allotted him in this work of ours."

(This man had bought a piece of land with the price of his treachery; and, falling heavily, his body had burst open, and all his bowels protruded.

In the course of the Festival at the close of the Harvest the disciples had all met together,

But there were some who said with a sneer: "They have had too much new wine."

Indeed it was to him that David was referring when he said-- 'I have had the Lord ever before my eyes, For he stands at my right hand, that I should not be disquieted.

David, then, Prophet as he was, knowing that God 'had solemnly sworn to him to set one of his descendants upon his throne,' looked into the future,

And referred to the resurrection of the Christ when he said that 'he had not been abandoned to the Place of Death, nor had his body undergone corruption.'

One day, as Peter and John were going up into the Temple Courts for the three o'clock Prayers, a man, who had been lame from his birth, was being carried by.

And, when they recognized him as the man who used to sit begging at the Beautiful Gate of the Temple, they were utterly astonished and amazed at what had happened to him.

On seeing this, Peter said to the people: "Men of Israel, why are you surprised at this? and why do you stare at us, as though we, by any power or piety of our own, had enabled this man to walk?

The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our ancestors, has done honor to his Servant Jesus--him whom you gave up and disowned before Pilate, when he had decided to set him free.

But it was in this way that God fulfilled all that he had long ago foretold, as to the sufferings of his Christ, by the lips of all the Prophets.

Yes, and all the Prophets from Samuel onwards, and all their successors who had a message to deliver, told of these days.

They arrested the Apostles and, as it was already evening, had them placed in custody till the next day.

Many, however, of those who had heard the Apostles' Message became believers in Christ, the number of the men alone amounting to about five thousand.

They had Peter and John brought before them, and questioned them. "By what power," they asked, "Or in whose name have men like you done this thing?"

When the Council saw how boldly Peter and John spoke, and found that they were uneducated men of humble station, they were surprised, and realized that they had been companions of Jesus.

But, when they looked at the man who had been healed, standing there with them, they had nothing to say.

However, after further warnings, the Council set them at liberty, not seeing any safe way of punishing them, because of the people, for they were all praising God for what had occurred;

After they had been set at liberty, the Apostles went to their friends and told them what the Chief Priests and the Councillors had said to them.

The whole body of those who had become believers in Christ were of one heart and mind. Not one of them claimed any of his goods as his own, but everything was held for the common use.

A Levite of Cyprian birth, named Joseph, (who had received from the Apostles the additional name of 'Barnabas'--which means 'The Consoler,')

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

Arrested the Apostles, and had them placed in custody.

While they had found the goal barred securely and the guards posted at the doors, yet, on opening them, they had not found any one inside.

Presently, however, some one came and told them, that the men whom they had put in prison were actually standing in the Temple Courts, teaching the people.

The Council followed his advice, and, calling the Apostles in, had them flogged, and then, after cautioning them not to speak in the Name of Jesus, set them free.

But the Apostles left the Council, rejoicing that they had been thought worthy to suffer disgrace for that Name;

Then they induced some men to assert that they had heard Stephen saying blasphemous things against Moses, and against God;

God did not at that time give him any part of it, not even a foot of ground. But he promised to 'give him possession of it and his descendants after him, though at that time he had no child.

And their bodies were removed to Shechem, and laid in the tomb which Abraham had bought for a sum of money from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.

As the time drew near for the fulfillment of the promise which God had made to Abraham, the people increased largely in numbers in Egypt,

At these words Moses took to flight, and became an exile in Midian; and there he had two sons born to him.

Forty years had passed when there appeared to him, in the Desert of Mount Sinai, an angel in a flame of fire in a bush.

This same Moses, whom they had disowned with the words--'Who made you a ruler and a judge?' was the very man whom God sent to be both a ruler and a deliverer, under the guidance of the angel that had appeared to him in the bush.

He it was who led them out, after he had shown wonders and signs in Egypt, in the Red Sea, and in the Desert during forty years.

You took with you the tabernacle of Moloch and the Star of the god Rephan--the images which you had made to worship. Therefore I will exile you beyond Babylon.'

Our ancestors had the Tabernacle of Revelation in the Desert, constructed, just as he who spoke to Moses had directed him to make it, after the model which he had seen.

There was staying in the city a man named Simon, who had been practicing magic there and mystifying the Samaritan people, giving himself out to be some great Being.

And they paid attention to him because they had for a long time been mystified by his magic arts.

When the Apostles at Jerusalem heard that the Samaritans had welcomed God's Message, they sent Peter and John to them;

(As yet the Spirit had not descended upon any of them; they had only been baptized into the Faith of the Lord Jesus).

Meanwhile an angel of the Lord had said to Philip: "Set out on a journey southwards, along the road that runs down from Jerusalem to Gaza." (It is now deserted).

So Philip set out on a journey; and on his way he came upon an official of high rank, in the service of Candace, Queen of the Abyssinians. He was her treasurer, and had been to Jerusalem to worship,

And, after he had taken food, he felt his strength return. Saul stayed for some days with the disciples who were at Damascus,

All who heard him were amazed. "Is not this," they asked, "the man who worked havoc in Jerusalem among those that invoke this Name, and who had also come here for the express purpose of having such persons put in chains and taken before the Chief Priests?"

Barnabas, however, taking him by the hand, brought him to the Apostles, and told them the whole story of how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord, and how the Lord had talked to him, and how in Damascus he had spoken out fearlessly in the Name of Jesus.

There he found a man named Aeneas, who had been bed-ridden for eight years with paralysis.

Just at that time she was taken ill, and died; and they had washed her body and laid it out in an upstairs room.

Peter returned with them at once. On his arrival, he was taken upstairs, and all the widows came round him in tears, showing the coats and other clothing which Dorcas had made while she was among them.

When the angel, who had spoken to him, had gone, Cornelius called two menservants and a religious soldier, who was one of his constant attendants,

While Peter was still perplexed as to the meaning of the vision that he had seen, the men sent by Cornelius, having enquired the way to Simon's house, came up to the gate,

And the day following he entered Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them, and had invited his relations and intimate friends to meet them.

Before Peter had finished saying these words, the Holy Spirit fell on all who were listening to the Message.

Those converts from Judaism, who had come with Peter, were amazed that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been bestowed even upon the Gentiles;

The Apostles and the Brethren throughout Judea heard that even the Gentiles had welcomed God's Message.

On the ground that he had visited people who were not circumcised, and had taken meals with them.

So Peter began to relate the facts to them as they had occurred.

At that moment three men, who had been sent from Caesarea to see me, came up to the house in which we were.

He told us how he had seen the angel standing in his house, and how the angel had said to him--'Send to Jaffa and fetch the Simon, who is also known as Peter;

I had but just begun to speak," continued Peter, "when the Holy Spirit fell on them, exactly as on us at the first;

Since then, God had given them the very same gift as he gave us when we became believers in Jesus Christ the Master--who was I that I could thwart God?"

Now those who had been scattered in different directions, in consequence of the persecution that followed upon the death of Stephen, went as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, telling the Message--but only to Jews.

The power of the Lord was with them, so that a great number who had learned to believe came over to the Lord's side.

And, when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. And so it came about that, for a whole year, they attended the meetings of the Church there, and taught a large number of people; and it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called 'Christians.'

He had James, the brother of John, beheaded;

The chains dropped from his wrists, and then the angel said: "Put on your girdle and sandals." When Peter had done so, the angel added: "Throw your cloak round you and follow me."

Passing the first Guard, and then the second, they came to the iron gate leading into the city, which opened to them of itself; and, when they had passed through that, and had walked along one street, all at once the angel left him.

As soon as he realized what had happened, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John who was also known as Mark, where a number of people were gathered together, praying.

Peter signed to them with his hand to be silent, and then told them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison, adding: "Tell James and the Brethren all this." Then he left the house, and went away to another place.

And, when Herod had made further search for him and failed to find him, he closely questioned the Guard, and ordered them away to execution. Then he went down from Judea to stay at Caesarea.

When Barnabas and Saul had carried out their mission, they returned to Jerusalem, and took with them John, who was also known as Mark.

On reaching Salamis, they began to tell the Message of God in the Jewish Synagogues; and they had John with them as an assistant.

When the Governor saw what had happened, he became a believer in Christ, being greatly impressed by the teaching about the Lord.

And he appeared for many days to those who had gone up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, and who are now witnesses for him to the people.

That our children have had this promise completely fulfilled to them by God, by his raising Jesus. That is just what is said in the second Psalm--'Thou art my Son; this day I have become thy Father.'

After the congregation had dispersed, many of the Jews, and of the converts who joined in their worship, followed Paul and Barnabas, who talked with them and urged them to continue to rely upon the loving-kindness of God.

On hearing this, the Gentiles were glad and extolled God's Message; and all those who had been enrolled for Immortal Life became believers in Christ;

In the streets of Lystra there used to sit a man who had no power in his feet; he had been lame from his birth, and had never walked.

This man was listening to Paul speaking, when Paul, fixing his eyes on him, and seeing that he had the faith to be healed,

And the crowd, seeing what Paul had done, called out in the Lycaonian language: "The Gods have made themselves like men and have come down to us."

Presently, however, there came some Jews from Antioch, and Iconium who, after they had won over the people, stoned Paul, and dragged him out of the town, thinking him to be dead.

But, when the disciples had gathered round him, he got up and went back into the town; the next day he went with Barnabas to Derbe.

They also appointed Officers for them in every Church, and, after prayer and fasting, commended them to the Lord in whom they had learned to believe.

From there they sailed to Antioch--the place where they had been committed to the gracious care of God for the work which they had now finished.

After their arrival, they gathered the Church together, and gave an account of all that God had helped them to do, and especially how he had opened to the Gentiles the door of faith;

On their arrival at Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the Church, as well as by the Apostles and the Officers, and gave an account of all that God had helped them to do.

Some of the Pharisees' party, however, who had become believers in Christ, came forward and declared that they were bound to circumcise converts and to direct them to observe the Law of Moses.

Every voice in the assembly was hushed, as they listened to Barnabas and Paul, while they gave an account of all the signs and wonders which God had shown among the Gentiles through them.

After they had finished speaking, James addressed the Council. "Brothers," he began, "hear what I have to say.

As we had heard that some of our number had upset you by their assertions, and unsettled your minds--without instructions from us--

After some stay, they were dismissed with kind farewells from the Brethren, and returned to those who had sent them.

But Paul felt that they ought not to take with them the man who had deserted them in Pamphylia, and had not gone on with them to their work.

While Paul chose Silas for his companion and, after he had been committed by the Brethren to the gracious care of the Lord,

Among other places Paul went to Derbe and Lystra. At the latter place they found a disciple, named Timothy, whose mother was a Jewess who had become a believer in Christ, while his father was a Greek,

Wishing to take this man with him on his journey, Paul caused him to be circumcised on account of the Jews in that neighborhood, for they all knew that his father had been a Greek.