He knocked at the door in the gateway, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer.

She recognized Peter’s voice, and because of her joy, she did not open the gate but ran in and announced that Peter was standing at the gateway.

The assembled people began to shout, “It’s the voice of a god and not of a man!”

At once an angel of the Lord struck him because he did not give the glory to God, and he became infected with worms and died.

Then God’s message flourished and multiplied.

Arriving in Salamis, they proclaimed God’s message in the Jewish synagogues. They also had John as their assistant.

He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. This man summoned Barnabas and Saul and desired to hear God’s message.

Then Paul stood up and motioned with his hand and said: “Men of Israel, and you who fear God, listen!

The God of this people Israel chose our ancestors, exalted the people during their stay in the land of Egypt, and led them out of it with a mighty arm.

Then they asked for a king, so God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for 40 years.

“From this man’s descendants, according to the promise, God brought the Savior, Jesus, to Israel.

“Brothers, sons of Abraham’s race, and those among you who fear God, the message of this salvation has been sent to us.

But God raised Him from the dead,

And we ourselves proclaim to you the good news of the promise that was made to our ancestors.

God has fulfilled this for us, their children, by raising up Jesus, as it is written in the second Psalm:

You are My Son;
today I have become Your Father.

For David, after serving his own generation in God’s plan, fell asleep, was buried with his fathers, and decayed.

But the One God raised up did not decay.

After the synagogue had been dismissed, many of the Jews and devout proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who were speaking with them and persuading them to continue in the grace of God.

Then Paul and Barnabas boldly said: “It was necessary that God’s message be spoken to you first. But since you reject it and consider yourselves unworthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles!

“Men! Why are you doing these things? We are men also, with the same nature as you, and we are proclaiming good news to you, that you should turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and everything in them.

although He did not leave Himself without a witness, since He did what is good by giving you rain from heaven and fruitful seasons and satisfying your hearts with food and happiness.”

After the disciples surrounded him, he got up and went into the town. The next day he left with Barnabas for Derbe.

strengthening the disciples by encouraging them to continue in the faith and by telling them, “It is necessary to pass through many troubles on our way into the kingdom of God.”

From there they sailed back to Antioch where they had been entrusted to the grace of God for the work they had now completed.

After they arrived and gathered the church together, they reported everything God had done with them and that He had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.

When they arrived at Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church, the apostles, and the elders, and they reported all that God had done with them.

After there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them: “Brothers, you are aware that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles would hear the gospel message and believe.

And God, who knows the heart, testified to them by giving the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us.

Now then, why are you testing God by putting a yoke on the disciples’ necks that neither our ancestors nor we have been able to bear?

Then the whole assembly fell silent and listened to Barnabas and Paul describing all the signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles.

Simeon has reported how God first intervened to take from the Gentiles a people for His name.

Therefore, in my judgment, we should not cause difficulties for those among the Gentiles who turn to God,

After he had seen the vision, we immediately made efforts to set out for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to evangelize them.

On the Sabbath day we went outside the city gate by the river, where we thought there was a place of prayer. We sat down and spoke to the women gathered there.

A woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God, was listening. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was spoken by Paul.

As she followed Paul and us she cried out, “These men, who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation, are the slaves of the Most High God.”

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.

He brought them into his house, set a meal before them, and rejoiced because he had believed God with his entire household.

Then some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, including a great number of God-fearing Greeks, as well as a number of the leading women.

But when the Jews from Thessalonica found out that God’s message had been proclaimed by Paul at Berea, they came there too, agitating and disturbing the crowds.

So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and with those who worshiped God and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there.

Then also, some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers argued with him. Some said, “What is this pseudo-intellectual trying to say?”

Others replied, “He seems to be a preacher of foreign deities”—because he was telling the good news about Jesus and the Resurrection.

For as I was passing through and observing the objects of your worship, I even found an altar on which was inscribed:

TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.

Therefore, what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you.

The God who made the world and everything in it—He is Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in shrines made by hands.

He did this so they might seek God, and perhaps they might reach out and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us.

Being God’s offspring then, we shouldn’t think that the divine nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image fashioned by human art and imagination.

“Therefore, having overlooked the times of ignorance, God now commands all people everywhere to repent,

So he left there and went to the house of a man named Titius Justus, a worshiper of God, whose house was next door to the synagogue.

And he stayed there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.

“This man,” they said, “persuades people to worship God contrary to the law!”

So Paul, having stayed on for many days, said good-bye to the brothers and sailed away to Syria. Priscilla and Aquila were with him. He shaved his head at Cenchreae because he had taken a vow.

but he said good-bye and stated, “I’ll come back to you again, if God wills.” Then he set sail from Ephesus.

He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. After Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him home and explained the way of God to him more accurately.

Then he entered the synagogue and spoke boldly over a period of three months, engaging in discussion and trying to persuade them about the things of the kingdom of God.

God was performing extraordinary miracles by Paul’s hands,

After the uproar was over, Paul sent for the disciples, encouraged them, and after saying good-bye, departed to go to Macedonia.

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

But I count my life of no value to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of God’s grace.

for I did not shrink back from declaring to you the whole plan of God.

Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock that the Holy Spirit has appointed you to as overseers, to shepherd the church of God, which He purchased with His own blood.

“And now I commit you to God and to the message of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you an inheritance among all who are sanctified.

we said good-bye to one another. Then we boarded the ship, and they returned home.

After these days we got ready and went up to Jerusalem.

After greeting them, he related in detail what God did among the Gentiles through his ministry.

When they heard it, they glorified God and said, “You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are who have believed, and they are all zealous for the law.

Take these men, purify yourself along with them, and pay for them to get their heads shaved. Then everyone will know that what they were told about you amounts to nothing, but that you yourself are also careful about observing the law.

Some in the mob were shouting one thing and some another. Since he was not able to get reliable information because of the uproar, he ordered him to be taken into the barracks.

When Paul got to the steps, he had to be carried by the soldiers because of the mob’s violence,

Aren’t you the Egyptian who raised a rebellion some time ago and led 4,000 Assassins into the wilderness?”

He continued, “I am a Jewish man, born in Tarsus of Cilicia but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel and educated according to the strict view of our patriarchal law. Being zealous for God, just as all of you are today,

“Then I said, ‘What should I do, Lord?’

“And the Lord told me, ‘Get up and go into Damascus, and there you will be told about everything that is assigned for you to do.’

Someone named Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good reputation with all the Jews residing there,

Then he said, ‘The God of our fathers has appointed you to know His will, to see the Righteous One, and to hear the sound of His voice.

And now, why delay? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins by calling on His name.’

and saw Him telling me, ‘Hurry and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about Me!’

Paul looked intently at the Sanhedrin and said, “Brothers, I have lived my life before God in all good conscience until this day.”

Then Paul said to him, “God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall! You are sitting there judging me according to the law, and in violation of the law are you ordering me to be struck?”

And those standing nearby said, “Do you dare revile God’s high priest?”

The shouting grew loud, and some of the scribes of the Pharisees’ party got up and argued vehemently: “We find nothing evil in this man. What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?”

He summoned two of his centurions and said, “Get 200 soldiers ready with 70 cavalry and 200 spearmen to go to Caesarea at nine tonight.

he said, “I will give you a hearing whenever your accusers get here too.” And he ordered that he be kept under guard in Herod’s palace.

But I confess this to you: I worship my fathers’ God according to the Way, which they call a sect, believing all the things that are written in the Law and in the Prophets.

And I have a hope in God, which these men themselves also accept, that there is going to be a resurrection, both of the righteous and the unrighteous.

I always do my best to have a clear conscience toward God and men.

And now I stand on trial for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers,

Why is it considered incredible by any of you that God raises the dead?

But get up and stand on your feet. For I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and a witness of what you have seen and of what I will reveal to you.

to open their eyes so they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that by faith in Me they may receive forgiveness of sins and a share among those who are sanctified.’

Instead, I preached to those in Damascus first, and to those in Jerusalem and in all the region of Judea, and to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works worthy of repentance.

To this very day, I have obtained help that comes from God, and I stand and testify to both small and great, saying nothing else than what the prophets and Moses said would take place—

But Paul replied, “I’m not out of my mind, most excellent Festus. On the contrary, I’m speaking words of truth and good judgment.

“I wish before God,” replied Paul, “that whether easily or with difficulty, not only you but all who listen to me today might become as I am—except for these chains.”

So the king, the governor, Bernice, and those sitting with them got up,

After running under the shelter of a little island called Cauda, we were barely able to get control of the skiff.

For this night an angel of the God I belong to and serve stood by me,

and said, ‘Don’t be afraid, Paul. You must stand before Caesar. And, look! God has graciously given you all those who are sailing with you.’

Therefore, take courage, men, because I believe God that it will be just the way it was told to me.

Then the soldiers cut the ropes holding the skiff and let it drop away.

After he said these things and had taken some bread, he gave thanks to God in the presence of all of them, and when he broke it, he began to eat.

But the centurion kept them from carrying out their plan because he wanted to save Paul, so he ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land.