During this time, when about 120 believers were together in one place, Peter stood up and addressed them.

The Holy Spirit Comes

On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place.

When they heard the loud noise, everyone came running, and they were bewildered to hear their own languages being spoken by the believers.

Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day—about 3,000 in all.

The Believers Form a Community

All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer.

And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had.

But many of the people who heard their message believed it, so the number of men who believed now totaled about 5,000.

The Believers Pray for Courage

As soon as they were freed, Peter and John returned to the other believers and told them what the leading priests and elders had said.

When they heard the report, all the believers lifted their voices together in prayer to God: “O Sovereign Lord, Creator of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them—

The Believers Share Their Possessions

All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had.

The Apostles Heal Many

The apostles were performing many miraculous signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers were meeting regularly at the Temple in the area known as Solomon’s Colonnade.

Yet more and more people believed and were brought to the Lord—crowds of both men and women.

Seven Men Chosen to Serve

But as the believers rapidly multiplied, there were rumblings of discontent. The Greek-speaking believers complained about the Hebrew-speaking believers, saying that their widows were being discriminated against in the daily distribution of food.

So the Twelve called a meeting of all the believers. They said, “We apostles should spend our time teaching the word of God, not running a food program.

So God’s message continued to spread. The number of believers greatly increased in Jerusalem, and many of the Jewish priests were converted, too.

Saul was one of the witnesses, and he agreed completely with the killing of Stephen.

Persecution Scatters the Believers

A great wave of persecution began that day, sweeping over the church in Jerusalem; and all the believers except the apostles were scattered through the regions of Judea and Samaria.

Philip Preaches in Samaria

But the believers who were scattered preached the Good News about Jesus wherever they went.

But now the people believed Philip’s message of Good News concerning the Kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ. As a result, many men and women were baptized.

Then Simon himself believed and was baptized. He began following Philip wherever he went, and he was amazed by the signs and great miracles Philip performed.

As soon as they arrived, they prayed for these new believers to receive the Holy Spirit.

Then Peter and John laid their hands upon these believers, and they received the Holy Spirit.

Now there was a believer in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord spoke to him in a vision, calling, “Ananias!” “Yes, Lord!” he replied.

“But Lord,” exclaimed Ananias, “I’ve heard many people talk about the terrible things this man has done to the believers in Jerusalem!

Afterward he ate some food and regained his strength.

Saul in Damascus and Jerusalem

Saul stayed with the believers in Damascus for a few days.

So during the night, some of the other believers lowered him in a large basket through an opening in the city wall.

When Saul arrived in Jerusalem, he tried to meet with the believers, but they were all afraid of him. They did not believe he had truly become a believer!

When the believers heard about this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him away to Tarsus, his hometown.

The church then had peace throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria, and it became stronger as the believers lived in the fear of the Lord. And with the encouragement of the Holy Spirit, it also grew in numbers.

Peter Heals Aeneas and Raises Dorcas

Meanwhile, Peter traveled from place to place, and he came down to visit the believers in the town of Lydda.

There was a believer in Joppa named Tabitha (which in Greek is Dorcas). She was always doing kind things for others and helping the poor.

But the believers had heard that Peter was nearby at Lydda, so they sent two men to beg him, “Please come as soon as possible!”

He gave her his hand and helped her up. Then he called in the widows and all the believers, and he presented her to them alive.

The news spread through the whole town, and many believed in the Lord.

He is the one all the prophets testified about, saying that everyone who believes in him will have their sins forgiven through his name.”

The Jewish believers who came with Peter were amazed that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles, too.

Peter Explains His Actions

Soon the news reached the apostles and other believers in Judea that the Gentiles had received the word of God.

But when Peter arrived back in Jerusalem, the Jewish believers criticized him.

And since God gave these Gentiles the same gift he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to stand in God’s way?”

The Church in Antioch of Syria

Meanwhile, the believers who had been scattered during the persecution after Stephen’s death traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch of Syria. They preached the word of God, but only to Jews.

However, some of the believers who went to Antioch from Cyprus and Cyrene began preaching to the Gentiles about the Lord Jesus.

The power of the Lord was with them, and a large number of these Gentiles believed and turned to the Lord.

When he arrived and saw this evidence of God’s blessing, he was filled with joy, and he encouraged the believers to stay true to the Lord.

When he found him, he brought him back to Antioch. Both of them stayed there with the church for a full year, teaching large crowds of people. (It was at Antioch that the believers were first called Christians.)

So the believers in Antioch decided to send relief to the brothers and sisters in Judea, everyone giving as much as they could.

James Is Killed and Peter Is Imprisoned

About that time King Herod Agrippa began to persecute some believers in the church.

Meanwhile, the word of God continued to spread, and there were many new believers.

When the governor saw what had happened, he became a believer, for he was astonished at the teaching about the Lord.

Everyone who believes in him is made right in God’s sight—something the law of Moses could never do.

‘Look, you mockers, be amazed and die! For I am doing something in your own day, something you wouldn’t believe even if someone told you about it.’”

When the Gentiles heard this, they were very glad and thanked the Lord for his message; and all who were chosen for eternal life became believers.

And the believers were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

Paul and Barnabas in Iconium

The same thing happened in Iconium. Paul and Barnabas went to the Jewish synagogue and preached with such power that a great number of both Jews and Greeks became believers.

But as the believers gathered around him, he got up and went back into the town. The next day he left with Barnabas for Derbe.

where they strengthened the believers. They encouraged them to continue in the faith, reminding them that we must suffer many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God.

Finally, they returned by ship to Antioch of Syria, where their journey had begun. The believers there had entrusted them to the grace of God to do the work they had now completed.

And they stayed there with the believers for a long time.

The Council at Jerusalem

While Paul and Barnabas were at Antioch of Syria, some men from Judea arrived and began to teach the believers: “Unless you are circumcised as required by the law of Moses, you cannot be saved.”

Paul and Barnabas disagreed with them, arguing vehemently. Finally, the church decided to send Paul and Barnabas to Jerusalem, accompanied by some local believers, to talk to the apostles and elders about this question.

The church sent the delegates to Jerusalem, and they stopped along the way in Phoenicia and Samaria to visit the believers. They told them—much to everyone’s joy—that the Gentiles, too, were being converted.

But then some of the believers who belonged to the sect of the Pharisees stood up and insisted, “The Gentile converts must be circumcised and required to follow the law of Moses.”

At the meeting, after a long discussion, Peter stood and addressed them as follows: “Brothers, you all know that God chose me from among you some time ago to preach to the Gentiles so that they could hear the Good News and believe.

So why are you now challenging God by burdening the Gentile believers with a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors were able to bear?

We believe that we are all saved the same way, by the undeserved grace of the Lord Jesus.”

The Letter for Gentile Believers

Then the apostles and elders together with the whole church in Jerusalem chose delegates, and they sent them to Antioch of Syria with Paul and Barnabas to report on this decision. The men chosen were two of the church leaders—Judas (also called Barsabbas) and Silas.

This is the letter they took with them: “This letter is from the apostles and elders, your brothers in Jerusalem. It is written to the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia. Greetings!

The messengers went at once to Antioch, where they called a general meeting of the believers and delivered the letter.

Then Judas and Silas, both being prophets, spoke at length to the believers, encouraging and strengthening their faith.

They stayed for a while, and then the believers sent them back to the church in Jerusalem with a blessing of peace.

Paul and Barnabas Separate

After some time Paul said to Barnabas, “Let’s go back and visit each city where we previously preached the word of the Lord, to see how the new believers are doing.”

Paul chose Silas, and as he left, the believers entrusted him to the Lord’s gracious care.

Paul’s Second Missionary Journey

Paul went first to Derbe and then to Lystra, where there was a young disciple named Timothy. His mother was a Jewish believer, but his father was a Greek.

Timothy was well thought of by the believers in Lystra and Iconium,

Then they went from town to town, instructing the believers to follow the decisions made by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem.

Lydia of Philippi Believes in Jesus

We boarded a boat at Troas and sailed straight across to the island of Samothrace, and the next day we landed at Neapolis.

She and her household were baptized, and she asked us to be her guests. “If you agree that I am a true believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my home.” And she urged us until we agreed.

They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household.”

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

When Paul and Silas left the prison, they returned to the home of Lydia. There they met with the believers and encouraged them once more. Then they left town.

Not finding them there, they dragged out Jason and some of the other believers instead and took them before the city council. “Paul and Silas have caused trouble all over the world,” they shouted, “and now they are here disturbing our city, too.

So the officials forced Jason and the other believers to post bond, and then they released them.

Paul and Silas in Berea

That very night the believers sent Paul and Silas to Berea. When they arrived there, they went to the Jewish synagogue.

As a result, many Jews believed, as did many of the prominent Greek women and men.

The believers acted at once, sending Paul on to the coast, while Silas and Timothy remained behind.

but some joined him and became believers. Among them were Dionysius, a member of the council, a woman named Damaris, and others with them.

Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, and everyone in his household believed in the Lord. Many others in Corinth also heard Paul, became believers, and were baptized.

After spending some time in Antioch, Paul went back through Galatia and Phrygia, visiting and strengthening all the believers.

Apollos had been thinking about going to Achaia, and the brothers and sisters in Ephesus encouraged him to go. They wrote to the believers in Achaia, asking them to welcome him. When he arrived there, he proved to be of great benefit to those who, by God’s grace, had believed.

Paul’s Third Missionary Journey

While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the interior regions until he reached Ephesus, on the coast, where he found several believers.

“Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” he asked them. “No,” they replied, “we haven’t even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”

Paul said, “John’s baptism called for repentance from sin. But John himself told the people to believe in the one who would come later, meaning Jesus.”

But some became stubborn, rejecting his message and publicly speaking against the Way. So Paul left the synagogue and took the believers with him. Then he held daily discussions at the lecture hall of Tyrannus.

Many who became believers confessed their sinful practices.

Paul wanted to go in, too, but the believers wouldn’t let him.

Paul Goes to Macedonia and Greece

When the uproar was over, Paul sent for the believers and encouraged them. Then he said good-bye and left for Macedonia.

While there, he encouraged the believers in all the towns he passed through. Then he traveled down to Greece,

Paul’s Final Visit to Troas

On the first day of the week, we gathered with the local believers to share in the Lord’s Supper. Paul was preaching to them, and since he was leaving the next day, he kept talking until midnight.

We went ashore, found the local believers, and stayed with them a week. These believers prophesied through the Holy Spirit that Paul should not go on to Jerusalem.

When we heard this, we and the local believers all begged Paul not to go on to Jerusalem.

Some believers from Caesarea accompanied us, and they took us to the home of Mnason, a man originally from Cyprus and one of the early believers.

After hearing this, they praised God. And then they said, “You know, dear brother, how many thousands of Jews have also believed, and they all follow the law of Moses very seriously.

But the Jewish believers here in Jerusalem have been told that you are teaching all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to turn their backs on the laws of Moses. They’ve heard that you teach them not to circumcise their children or follow other Jewish customs.

“As for the Gentile believers, they should do what we already told them in a letter: They should abstain from eating food offered to idols, from consuming blood or the meat of strangled animals, and from sexual immorality.”

“‘But Lord,’ I argued, ‘they certainly know that in every synagogue I imprisoned and beat those who believed in you.

for the Sadducees say there is no resurrection or angels or spirits, but the Pharisees believe in all of these.

“But I admit that I follow the Way, which they call a cult. I worship the God of our ancestors, and I firmly believe the Jewish law and everything written in the prophets.

except for the one time I shouted out, ‘I am on trial before you today because I believe in the resurrection of the dead!’”

“I used to believe that I ought to do everything I could to oppose the very name of Jesus the Nazarene.

Indeed, I did just that in Jerusalem. Authorized by the leading priests, I caused many believers there to be sent to prison. And I cast my vote against them when they were condemned to death.

King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you do—”

“Men,” he said, “I believe there is trouble ahead if we go on—shipwreck, loss of cargo, and danger to our lives as well.”

So take courage! For I believe God. It will be just as he said.

There we found some believers, who invited us to spend a week with them. And so we came to Rome.

I asked you to come here today so we could get acquainted and so I could explain to you that I am bound with this chain because I believe that the hope of Israel—the Messiah—has already come.”

But we want to hear what you believe, for the only thing we know about this movement is that it is denounced everywhere.”

Some were persuaded by the things he said, but others did not believe.