Having said this He showed them His hands and also His side; and the disciples were filled with joy at seeing the Master.

A week later the disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them, when Jesus came--though the doors were locked--and stood in their midst, and said, "Peace be to you."

There were also a great number of other signs which Jesus performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not recorded in this book.

After this, Jesus again showed Himself to the disciples. It was at the Lake of Tiberias. The circumstances were as follows.

But the rest of the disciples came in the small boat (for they were not far from land--only about a hundred yards off)

So Simon Peter went on board the boat and drew the net ashore full of large fish, 153 in number; and yet, although there were so many, the net had not broken.

"In most solemn truth I tell you that whereas, when you were young, you used to put on your girdle and walk whichever way you chose, when you have grown old you will stretch out your arms and some one else will put a girdle round you and carry you where you have no wish to go."

But there are also many other things which Jesus did--so vast a number indeed that if they were all described in detail, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would have to be written.

Once when they were with Him, they asked Him, "Master, is this the time at which you are about to restore the kingdom of Israel?"

When He had said this, and while they were looking at Him, He was carried up, and a cloud closing beneath Him hid Him from their sight.

But, while they stood intently gazing into the sky as He went, suddenly there were two men in white garments standing by them,

They entered the city, and they went up to the upper room which was now their fixed place for meeting. Their names were Peter and John, James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas the brother of James.

So two names were proposed, Joseph called Bar-sabbas--and surnamed Justus--and Matthias.

when suddenly there came from the sky a sound as of a strong rushing blast of wind. This filled the whole house where they were sitting;

They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak in foreign languages according as the Spirit gave them words to utter.

Now there were Jews residing in Jerusalem, devout men from every part of the world.

So when this noise was heard, they came crowding together, and were amazed because everyone heard his own language spoken.

They were beside themselves with wonder, and exclaimed, "Are not all these speakers Galilaeans?

They were all astounded and bewildered, and asked one another, "What can this mean?"

Those, therefore, who joyfully welcomed his Message were baptized; and on that one day about three thousand persons were added to them;

and they were constant in listening to the teaching of the Apostles and in their attendance at the Communion, that is, the Breaking of the Bread, and at prayer.

Fear came upon every one, and many marvels and signs were done by the Apostles.

One day Peter and John were going up to the Temple for the hour of prayer--the ninth hour--and, just then,

some men were carrying there one who had been lame from birth, whom they were wont to place every day close to the Beautiful Gate (as it was called)

Then taking his hand Peter lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were strengthened.

and recognizing him as the man who used to sit at the Beautiful Gate of the Temple asking for alms, they were filled with awe and amazement at what had happened to him.

While they were saying this to the people, the Priests, the Commander of the Temple Guard, and the Sadducees came upon them,

As they looked on Peter and John so fearlessly outspoken--and also discovered that they were illiterate persons, untrained in the schools--they were surprised; and now they recognized them as having been with Jesus.

When they had prayed, the place in which they were assembled shook, and they were, one and all, filled with the Holy Spirit, and proceeded to tell God's Message with boldness.

And, in fact, there was not a needy man among them, for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the money which they realised,

Upon hearing these words Ananias fell down dead, and all who heard the words were awe-struck.

The inhabitants, too, of the towns in the neighbourhood of Jerusalem came in crowds, bringing sick persons and some who were harassed by foul spirits, and they were cured, one and all.

This roused the High Priest. He and all his party--the sect of the Sadducees--were filled with angry jealousy

saying, "The jail we found quite safely locked, and the warders were on guard at the doors, but upon going in we found no one there."

When the Commander of the Temple Guards and the High Priests heard this statement, they were utterly at a loss with regard to it, wondering what would happen next.

Upon this the Commander went with the officers, and brought the Apostles; but without using violence; for they were afraid of being stoned by the people.

Infuriated at getting this answer, they were disposed to kill the Apostles.

Years ago Theudas appeared, professing to be a person of importance, and a body of men, some four hundred in number, joined him. He was killed, and all his followers were dispersed and annihilated.

After him, at the time of the Census, came Judas, the Galilaean, and was the leader in a revolt. He too perished, and all his followers were scattered.

About this time, as the number of disciples was increasing, complaints were made by the Greek-speaking Jews against the Hebrews because their widows were habitually overlooked in the daily ministration.

But some members of the so-called 'Synagogue of the Freed-men,' together with some Cyrenaeans, Alexandrians, Cilicians and men from Roman Asia, were roused to encounter Stephen in debate.

They were quite unable, however, to resist the wisdom and the Spirit with which he spoke.

At once the eyes of all who were sitting in the Sanhedrin were fastened on him, and they saw his face looking just like the face of an angel.

"The Patriarchs were jealous of Joseph and sold him into slavery in Egypt. But God was with him

and they were taken to Shechem and were laid in the tomb which Abraham had bought from the sons of Hamor at Shechem for a sum of money paid in silver.

So God turned from them and gave them up to the worship of the Host of Heaven, as it is written in the Book of the Prophets, "'Were they victims and sacrifices which you offered Me, forty years in the Desert, O House of Israel?

That Tent was bequeathed to the next generation of our forefathers. Under Joshua they brought it with them when they were taking possession of the land of the Gentile nations, whom God drove out before them. So it continued till David's time.

"O stiff-necked men, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you also are continually at strife with the Holy Spirit--just as your forefathers were.

And Saul fully approved of his murder. At this time a great persecution broke out against the Church in Jerusalem, and all except the Apostles were scattered throughout Judaea and Samaria.

Those, however, who were scattered abroad went from place to place spreading the Good News of God's Message;

For, with a loud cry, foul spirits came out of many possessed by them, and many paralytics and lame persons were restored to health.

But when Philip began to tell the Good News about the Kingdom of God and about the Name of Jesus Christ, and they embraced the faith, they were baptized, men and women alike.

Meanwhile the men who travelled with Saul were standing dumb with amazement, hearing a sound, but seeing no one.

and his hearers were all amazed, and began to ask one another, "Is not this the man who in Jerusalem tried to exterminate those who called upon that Name, and came here on purpose to carry them off in chains to the High Priests?"

So he came to Jerusalem and made several attempts to associate with the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, being in doubt as to whether he himself was a disciple.

The next day, while they were still on their journey and were getting near the town, about noon Peter went up on the house-top to pray.

He had become unusually hungry and wished for food; but, while they were preparing it, he fell into a trance.

In it were all kinds of quadrupeds, reptiles and birds,

had come to the door and had called the servant, and were asking, "Is Simon, surnamed Peter, staying here?"

It tells how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, so that He went about everywhere doing acts of kindness, and curing all who were being continually oppressed by the Devil--for God was with Jesus.

While Peter was speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell on all who were listening to the Message.

And all the Jewish believers who had come with Peter were astonished that on the Gentiles also the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out.

"Now at that very moment three men came to the house where we were, having been sent from Caesarea to find me.

But some of them were Cyprians and Cyrenaeans, who, on coming to Antioch, spoke to the Greeks also and told them the Good News concerning the Lord Jesus.

The power of the Lord was with them, and there were a vast number who believed and turned to the Lord.

Now when Herod was on the point of taking him out of prison, that very night Peter was asleep between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and guards were on duty outside the door.

Peter coming to himself said, "Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent His angel and has rescued me from the power of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were anticipating."

So, after thinking things over, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John surnamed Mark, where a large number of people were assembled, praying.

Meanwhile Peter went on knocking, until at last they opened the door and saw that it was really he, and were filled with amazement.

But God's Message prospered, and converts were multiplied.

Now there were in Antioch, in the Church there--as Prophets and teachers--barnabas, Symeon surnamed 'the black,' Lucius the Cyrenaean, Manaen (who was Herod the Tetrarch's foster-brother)

While they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for Me, now at once, Barnabas and Saul, for the work to which I have called them."

As Paul and Barnabas were leaving the synagogue, the people earnestly begged to have all this repeated to them on the following Sabbath.

Then, throwing off all reserve, Paul and Barnabas said, "We were bound to proclaim God's Message to you first. But since you spurn it and judge yourselves to be unworthy of the Life of the Ages--well, we turn to the Gentiles.

The Gentiles listened with delight and extolled the Lord's Message; and all who were pre-destined to the Life of the Ages believed.

and as for the disciples, they were more and more filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

Upon their arrival in Jerusalem they were cordially received by the Church, the Apostles, and the Elders; and they reported in detail all that God, working with them, had done.

But certain men who had belonged to the sect of the Pharisees but were now believers, stood up in the assembly, and said, "Yes, Gentile believers ought to be circumcised and be ordered to keep the Law of Moses."

and after there had been a long discussion Peter rose to his feet. "It is within your own knowledge," he said, "that God originally made choice among you that from my lips the Gentiles were to hear the Message of the Good News, and believe.

Thereupon it was decided by the Apostles and Elders, with the approval of the whole Church, to choose suitable persons from among themselves and send them to Antioch, with Paul and Barnabas. Judas, called Bar-sabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brethren, were selected,

The people read it, and were delighted with the comfort it brought them.

When they reached the frontier of Mysia, they were about to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not permit this.

One day, as we were on our way to the place of prayer, a slave girl met us who claimed to be inspired and was accustomed to bring her owners large profits by telling fortunes.

But when her owners saw that their hopes of gain were gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them off to the magistrates in the public square.

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

And they told the Lord's Message to him as well as to all who were in his house.

Then he took them, even at that time of night, washed their wounds, and he and all his household were immediately baptized;

This answer the lictors took back to the praetors, who were alarmed when they were told that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens.

Some of the people were won over, and attached themselves to Paul and Silas, including many God-fearing Greeks and not a few gentlewomen of high rank.

The Jews at Beroea were of a nobler disposition than those in Thessalonica, for they very readily received the Message, and day after day searched the Scriptures to see whether it was as Paul stated.

Those who were caring for Paul's safety went with him as far as Athens, and then left him, taking a message from him to Silas and Timothy, asking them to join him as speedily as possible.

After remaining a considerable time longer in Corinth, Paul took leave of the brethren and set sail for Syria; and Priscilla and Aquila were with him. He had shaved his head at Cenchreae, because he was bound by a vow.

"Into what then were you baptized?" he asked. "Into John's baptism," they replied.

On hearing this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus;

But some grew obstinate in unbelief and spoke evil of the new faith before all the congregation. So Paul left them, and, taking with him those who were disciples, held discussions daily in Tyrannus's lecture-hall.

But there were also some wandering Jewish exorcists who undertook to invoke the name of Jesus over those who had the evil spirits, saying, "I command you by that Jesus whom Paul preaches."

There were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew of high-priestly family, who were doing this.

He called his workmen together, and others who were engaged in similar trades, and said to them, "You men well know that our prosperity depends on this business of ours;

The riot and uproar spread through the whole city, till at last with one accord they rushed into the Theatre, dragging with them Gaius and Aristarchus, two Macedonians who were fellow travellers with Paul.

A few of the public officials, too, who were friendly to him, sent repeated messages entreating him not to venture into the Theatre.