While he was meeting with them, he ordered them, "Don't leave Jerusalem. Instead, wait for what the Father has promised, about which you heard me speak,

He answered them, "It isn't for you to know what times or periods the Father has fixed by his own authority.

All of them continued to be stunned and puzzled, and they kept asking one another, "What can this mean?"

Rather, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:

He has been exalted to the right hand of God, has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit, and has caused you to experience what you are seeing and hearing.

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?"

The believers continued to devote themselves to what the apostles were teaching, to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to times of prayer.

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.

However, Peter said, "I don't have any silver or gold, but I'll give you what I do have. In the name of Jesus the Messiah from Nazareth, walk!"

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.

This is how God fulfilled what he had predicted through the voice of all the prophets that his Messiah would suffer.

They made Peter and John stand in front of them and began asking, "By what power or by what name did you do this?"

They said, "What should we do with these men? For it's obvious to everybody living in Jerusalem that an unmistakable sign has been done by them, and we cannot deny it.

for we cannot stop talking about what we've seen and heard."

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,

As long as it remained unsold, wasn't it your own? And after it was sold, wasn't the money at your disposal? So how could you have thought of doing what you did? You didn't lie only to men, but also to God!"

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

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.

Then he told them, "Fellow Israelis, consider carefully what you propose to do to these men.

"This is what God promised: His descendants would be strangers in a foreign country, and its people would enslave them and oppress them for 400 years.

They told Aaron, "Make gods for us who will lead us. This Moses who led us out of the land of Egypt we don't know what happened to him!'

"At that time they even made a calf to be their idol, offered a sacrifice to it, and delighted in what they had made with their hands.

""Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house can you build for me,' declares the Lord, "or what place is there in which I can rest?

The crowds, hearing his message and seeing the signs that he was doing, paid close attention to what was said by Philip.

Everyone from the least to the greatest paid close attention to him, saying, "This is what we call the great power of God!"

You have no part or share in what we're saying, because your heart isn't right with God.

So Philip ran up to it and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah out loud. Philip asked, "Do you understand what you're reading?"

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?"

The voice said, "I'm Jesus, whom you are persecuting. Now get up, go into the city, and you will be told what you are to do."

What happened became known throughout Joppa, and many believed in the Lord.

Now in Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment.

He stared at the angel in terror and asked, "What is it, Lord?"

Again the voice came to him a second time, "You must stop calling unclean what God has made clean."

While Peter was still at a loss to know what the vision he had seen could mean, the men sent by Cornelius asked for Simon's house and went to the gate.

The men replied, "Cornelius, a centurion and an upright and God-fearing man who is respected by the whole Jewish nation, was instructed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his home to hear what you have to say."

Indeed, whoever fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him in any nation.

You know what happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached.

Then Peter began to explain to them point by point what had happened. He said,

Then the voice from heaven answered a second time, "You must stop calling common what God has made clean!'

Then I remembered what the Lord had said: "John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.'

When he arrived, he rejoiced to see what the grace of God had done, and with hearty determination he kept encouraging all of them to remain faithful to the Lord,

So Peter went out and began to follow him, not realizing that what was being done by the angel was real; he thought he was seeing a vision.

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.

When morning came, there was a great commotion among the soldiers as to what had become of Peter.

When the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, because he was astonished at the Lord's teaching.

We're telling you the good news: What God promised our ancestors

So be careful that what the prophets said doesn't happen to you:

For that is what the Lord ordered us to do: "I have made you a light to the gentiles to be the means of salvation to the very ends of the earth.'"

When the crowds saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, "The gods have become like men and have come down to us!"

A woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a dealer in purple goods, was listening to us. She was a worshiper of God, and the Lord opened her heart to listen carefully to what was being said by Paul.

he took them outside and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"

Some Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also debated with him. Some asked, "What is this blabbermouth trying to say?" while others said, "He seems to be preaching about foreign gods." This was because Paul was telling the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.

Then they took him, brought him before the Areopagus, and asked, "May we know what this new teaching of yours is?

It sounds rather strange to our ears, and we would like to know what it means."

He then asked, "Then into what were you baptized?" They answered, "Into John's baptism."

Many who became believers kept coming to confess and talk about what they had been doing.

And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there,

They were especially sorrowful because of what he had said that they would never see his face again. Then they took him to the ship.

At this Paul replied, "What do you mean by crying and breaking my heart? I'm ready not only to be tied up in Jerusalem but even to die for the name of the Lord Jesus!"

What is to be done? They will certainly hear that you have come.

So do what we tell you. We have four men who are under a vow.

Take these men, go through the purification ceremony with them, and pay their expenses to shave their heads. Then everyone will know that there is nothing in what they have been told about you, but that you are carefully observing and keeping the Law.

Then the tribune came up, grabbed Paul, and ordered him to be tied up with two chains. He then asked who Paul was and what he had done.

"Then I asked, "What am I to do, Lord?'

because you will be his witness to all people of what you have seen and heard.

So now, what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized, and have your sins washed away as you call on his name.'

When the centurion heard this, he went to the tribune and told him, "What are you doing? This man is a Roman citizen!"

The next day, since the tribune wanted to find out exactly what Paul was being accused of by the Jews, he released him and ordered the high priests and the entire Council to meet. Then he brought Paul down and had him stand before them.

There was a great deal of shouting until some of the scribes who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and argued forcefully, "We find nothing wrong with this man. What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?"

The tribune took him by the hand, stepped aside to be alone with him, and asked, "What have you got to tell me?"

Otherwise, these men themselves should tell what wrong they found when I stood before the Council

That is what I did in Jerusalem. I received authority from the high priests and locked many of the saints in prison. And when I cast my vote against them, they were put to death.

"The Lord answered, "I'm Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But get up and stand on your feet, because I've appeared to you for the very purpose of appointing you to be my servant and witness of what you've seen and of what I'll show you.

I've had help from God to this day, and so I stand here to testify to both the powerful and the lowly alike, stating only what the prophets and Moses said would happen

But Paul said, "I'm not out of my mind, Your Excellency Festus. I'm reporting what is absolutely true.

Paul replied, "Whether quickly or not, I wish to God that not only you but everyone listening to me today would become what I am except for these chains!"

But the centurion was persuaded by the pilot and the owner of the ship and not by what Paul said.

However, we'd like to hear from you what you believe, because people are talking against this sect everywhere."

From morning until evening, he continued to explain the kingdom of God to them, trying to convince them about Jesus from the Law of Moses and the Prophets. Some of them were convinced by what he said, but others wouldn't believe.