After saying this, he showed them his hands and his side, and when they saw the Lord, the disciples were overjoyed.

A week later, his disciples were again inside, and Thomas was with them. Even though the doors were shut, Jesus came, stood among them, and said, "Peace be with you."

Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathaniel from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two of his other disciples were together.

He told them, "Throw the net on the right hand side of the boat, and you'll catch some." So they threw it out and were unable to haul it in because it was so full of fish.

But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish. They were only about 200 cubits away from the shore.

So Simon Peter went aboard and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish 153 of them. And although there were so many of them, the net was not torn.

Jesus told him, "Feed my sheep. "Truly, I tell you emphatically, when you were young, you would fasten your belt and go wherever you liked. But when you get old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten your belt and take you where you don't want to go."

Of course, Jesus also did many other things, and I suppose that if every one of them were written down, the world couldn't contain the books that would be written.

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.

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

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.

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?"

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?'

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.

But when Philip proclaimed the good news about the kingdom of God and about the name of Jesus the Messiah, men and women believed and were baptized.

Even Simon believed, and after he was baptized he became devoted to Philip. He was amazed to see the signs and great miracles that were happening.

As they were going along the road, they came to some water. The eunuch said, "Look, there's some water. What keeps me from being baptized?"

Meanwhile, the men who were traveling with Saul were standing speechless, for they heard the voice but didn't see anyone.

When Saul got up off the ground, he couldn't see anything, even though his eyes were open. So his companions took him by the hand and led him into Damascus.

So Ananias left and went to that house. He laid his hands on Saul and said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were traveling, has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit."

Everyone who heard him was astonished and said, "This is the man who harassed those who were calling on Jesus' name in Jerusalem, isn't it? Didn't he come here to bring them in chains to the high priests?"

but their plot became known to him. They were even watching the gates day and night to murder him,

When Saul arrived in Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they all were afraid of him because they wouldn't believe he was a disciple.

He kept talking and arguing with the Hellenistic Jews, but they were bent on murdering him.

Around noon the next day, while they were on their way and coming close to the town, Peter went up on the roof to pray.

In it were all kinds of four-footed animals, reptiles, and birds of the air.

not to all the people, but to us who were chosen by God to be witnesses and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.

While Peter was still making this statement, the Holy Spirit fell on all the people who were listening to his message.

Then the circumcised believers who had come with Peter were amazed that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the gentiles, too,

Now the apostles and the brothers who were in Judea heard that the gentiles had also accepted the word of God.

"At that very moment three men arrived at the house where we were staying. They had been sent to me from Caesarea.

Now the people who were scattered by the persecution that started because of Stephen went as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews.

But among them were some men from Cyprus and Cyrene, who came to Antioch and began proclaiming the Lord Jesus even to the Hellenistic Jews.

When he found him, he brought him to Antioch, and for a whole year they were guests of the church and taught many people. It was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians.

So all of the disciples decided they would send a contribution to the brothers living in Judea, as they were able,

That very night, before Herod was going to bring him out, Peter, bound with two chains, was sleeping between two soldiers, and guards in front of the door were watching the prisoners.

Then Peter came to himself and said, "Now I'm sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from Herod and from everything the Jewish people were expecting!"

When Peter realized what had happened, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John who was also called Mark, where a large number of people had gathered and were praying.

Meanwhile, Peter kept on knocking and knocking. When they opened the gate, they saw him and were amazed.

Now Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius from Cyrene, Manaen, who grew up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul were prophets and teachers in the church at Antioch.

While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set Barnabas and Saul apart for me to do the work for which I called them."

As Paul and Barnabas were leaving, the people kept urging them to tell them the same things the next Sabbath.

But when the Jewish leaders saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began to object to the statements made by Paul and even to abuse him.

But the people of the city were divided. Some were with the Jews, while others were with the apostles.

As they were proclaiming the good news in that city, they discipled a large number of people. Then they went back to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch,

Paul and Barnabas had quite a dispute and argument with them. So Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to confer with the apostles and elders about this question.

They were sent on their way by the church, and as they were going through Phoenicia and Samaria they told of the conversion of the gentiles and brought great joy to all the brothers.

When they arrived in Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church, the apostles, and the elders, and they reported everything that God had done through them.

Then the apostles, the elders, and the whole church decided to choose some of their men to send with Paul and Barnabas to Antioch. These were Judas, who was called Barsabbas, and Silas, who were leaders among the brothers.

So the men were sent on their way and arrived in Antioch. They gathered the congregation together and delivered the letter.

When the people read it, they were pleased with how the letter encouraged them.

Then Judas and Silas, who were also prophets, said a lot to encourage and strengthen the brothers.

After staying there for some time, they were sent back with a greeting from the brothers to those who had sent them.

As soon as he had seen the vision, we immediately looked for a way to go to Macedonia, because we were convinced that God had called us to tell the people there the good news.

and from there to Philippi, an important city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We were in this city for several days.

When she and her family were baptized, she urged us, "If you are convinced that I am a believer in the Lord, come and stay at my home." And she continued to insist that we do so.

Once, as we were going to the place of prayer, we met a slave girl who had a spirit of fortune-telling and who had brought her owners a great deal of money by predicting the future.

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

Suddenly, there was an earthquake so violent that the foundations of the prison were shaken. All the doors immediately flew open, and everyone's chains were unfastened.

At that hour of the night, he took them and washed their wounds. Then he and his entire family were baptized immediately.

The guards reported these words to the magistrates, and they became afraid when they heard that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens.

Some of them were persuaded and began to be associated with Paul and Silas, especially a large crowd of devout Greeks and the wives of many prominent men.

The crowd and the city officials were upset when they heard this,

These people were more receptive than those in Thessalonica. They were very willing to receive the message, and every day they carefully examined the Scriptures to see if those things were so.

Some men joined him and became believers. With them were Dionysius, who was a member of the Areopagus, a woman named Damaris, and some others along with them.