Beginning

Peter and John at the Council

4 While Peter and John were speaking to the people, a group of men came up to them. There were Jewish priests, the captain of the soldiers that guarded the Temple, and some Sadducees. ² They were upset because the two apostles were teaching the people. Peter and John were preaching that people will rise from death through the power of Jesus. ³ The Jewish leaders grabbed Peter and John and put them in jail. It was already night, so they kept them in jail until the next day. ⁴ But many of those who heard Peter and John preach believed the things they said. There were now about 5,000 men in the group of believers.

⁵ The next day the Jewish rulers, the Jewish elders, and the teachers of the law met in Jerusalem. ⁶ Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, and Alexander were there. Everyone from the high priest’s family was there. ⁷ They made Peter and John stand before them. The Jewish leaders asked them: “By what power or authority did you do this?”

⁸ Then Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit. He said to them, “Rulers of the people and you elders, ⁹ are you questioning us about a good thing that was done to a crippled man? Are you asking us who made him well? ¹⁰ We want all of you and all the Jewish people to know that this man was made well by the power of Jesus Christ from Nazareth! You nailed him to a cross, but God raised him from death. This man was crippled, but he is now well and able to stand here before you because of the power of Jesus! ¹¹ Jesus is

¹² Jesus is the only One who can save people. No one else in the world is able to save us.”

¹³ The Jewish leaders saw that Peter and John were not afraid to speak. They understood that these men had no special training or education. So they were amazed. Then they realized that Peter and John had been with Jesus. ¹⁴ They saw the crippled man standing there beside the two apostles. They saw that the man was healed. So they could say nothing against them. ¹⁵ The Jewish leaders told them to leave the meeting. Then the leaders talked to each other about what they should do. ¹⁶ They said, “What shall we do with these men? Everyone in Jerusalem knows that they have done a great miracle! We cannot say it is not true. ¹⁷ But we must warn them not to talk to people anymore using that name. Then this thing will not spread among the people.”

¹⁸ So they called Peter and John in again. They told them not to speak or to teach at all in the name of Jesus. ¹⁹ But Peter and John answered them, “What do you think is right? What would God want? Should we obey you or God? ²⁰ We cannot keep quiet. We must speak about what we have seen and heard.” ^21-22 The Jewish leaders could not find a way to punish them because all the people were praising God for what had been done. (This miracle was a proof from God. The man who was healed was more than 40 years old!) So the Jewish leaders warned the apostles again and let them go free.

The Believers’ Prayer

²³ Peter and John left the meeting of Jewish leaders and went to their own group. They told them everything that the leading priests and the Jewish elders had said to them. ²⁴ When the believers heard this, they prayed to God with one purpose. They prayed, “Lord, you are the One who made the sky, the earth, the sea, and everything in the world. ²⁵ Our father David was your servant. With the help of the Holy Spirit he said:

²⁷ These things really happened when Herod, Pontius Pilate, the non-Jewish people, and the Jewish people all came together against Jesus here in Jerusalem. Jesus is your holy Servant. He is the One you made to be the Christ. ²⁸ These people made your plan happen; it happened because of your power and your will. ²⁹ And now, Lord, listen to what they are saying. They are trying to make us afraid! Lord, we are your servants. Help us to speak your word without fear. ³⁰ Help us to be brave by showing us your power; make sick people well, give proofs, and make miracles happen by the power of Jesus, your holy servant.”

³¹ After they had prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke God’s word without fear.

The Believers Share

³² The group of believers were joined in their hearts, and they had the same spirit. No person in the group said that the things he had were his own. Instead, they shared everything. ³³ With great power the apostles were telling people that the Lord Jesus was truly raised from death. And God blessed all the believers very much. ³⁴ They all received the things they needed. Everyone that owned fields or houses sold them. They brought the money ³⁵ and gave it to the apostles. Then each person was given the things he needed.

³⁶ One of the believers was named Joseph. The apostles called him Barnabas. (This name means “one who encourages.”) He was a Levite, born in Cyprus. ³⁷ Joseph owned a field. He sold it, brought the money, and gave it to the apostles.

Ananias and Sapphira

5 A man named Ananias and his wife Sapphira sold some land. ² But he gave only part of the money to the apostles. He secretly kept some of it for himself. His wife knew about this, and she agreed to it. ³ Peter said, “Ananias, why did you let Satan rule your heart? You lied to the Holy Spirit. Why did you keep part of the money you received for the land for yourself? ⁴ Before you sold the land, it belonged to you. And even after you sold it, you could have used the money any way you wanted. Why did you think of doing this? You lied to God, not to men!” ^5-6 When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. Some young men came in, wrapped up his body, carried it out, and buried it. And everyone who heard about this was filled with fear.

⁷ About three hours later his wife came in. She did not know what had happened. ⁸ Peter said to her, “Tell me how much money you got for your field. Was it this much?”

Sapphira answered, “Yes, that was the price.”

⁹ Peter said to her, “Why did you and your husband agree to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look! The men who buried your husband are at the door! They will carry you out.” ¹⁰ At that moment Sapphira fell down by his feet and died. The young men came in and saw that she was dead. They carried her out and buried her beside her husband. ¹¹ The whole church and all the others who heard about these things were filled with fear.

Proofs from God

¹² The apostles did many signs and miracles among the people. And they would all meet together on Solomon’s Porch. ¹³ None of the others dared to stand with them. All the people were saying good things about them. ¹⁴ More and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to the group of believers. ¹⁵ As Peter was passing by, the people brought their sick into the streets. They put their sick on beds and mats so at least Peter’s shadow might fall on them. ¹⁶ Crowds came from all the towns around Jerusalem. They brought their sick and those who were bothered by evil spirits. All of them were healed.

The Apostles Obey God

¹⁷ The high priest and all his friends (a group called the Sadducees) became very jealous. ¹⁸ They took the apostles and put them in jail. ¹⁹ But during the night, an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail. He led the apostles outside and said, ²⁰ “Go and stand in the Temple. Tell the people everything about this new life.” ²¹ When the apostles heard this, they obeyed and went into the Temple. It was early in the morning, and they began to teach.

The high priest and his friends arrived. They called a meeting of the Jewish leaders and all the important older men of the Jews. They sent some men to the jail to bring the apostles to them. ²² When the men went to the jail, they could not find the apostles. So they went back and told the Jewish leaders about this. ²³ They said, “The jail was closed and locked. The guards were standing at the doors. But when we opened the doors, the jail was empty!” ²⁴ Hearing this, the captain of the Temple guards and the leading priests were confused. They wondered, “What will happen because of this?”

²⁵ Then someone came and told them, “Listen! The men you put in jail are standing in the Temple. They are teaching the people!” ²⁶ Then the captain and his men went out and brought the apostles back. But the soldiers did not use force, because they were afraid that the people would kill them with stones.

²⁷ The soldiers brought the apostles to the meeting and made them stand before the Jewish leaders. The high priest questioned them. ²⁸ He said, “We gave you strict orders not to go on teaching in that name. But look what you have done! You have filled Jerusalem with your teaching. You are trying to make us responsible for this man’s death.”

²⁹ Peter and the other apostles answered, “We must obey God, not men! ³⁰ You killed Jesus. You hung him on a cross. But God, the same God our ancestors had, raised Jesus up from death! ³¹ Jesus is the One whom God raised to be on his right side. God made Jesus our Leader and Savior. God did this so that the people of Israel could change their hearts and lives and have their sins forgiven. ³² We saw all these things happen. The Holy Spirit also proves that these things are true. God has given the Spirit to all who obey him.”

³³ When the Jewish leaders heard this, they became very angry and wanted to kill them. ³⁴ A Pharisee named Gamaliel stood up in the meeting. He was a teacher of the law, and all the people respected him. He ordered the apostles to leave the meeting for a little while. ³⁵ Then he said to them, “Men of Israel, be careful of what you are planning to do to these men! ³⁶ Remember when Theudas appeared? He said that he was a great man, and about 400 men joined him. But he was killed. And all his followers were scattered. They were able to do nothing. ³⁷ Later, a man named Judas came from Galilee at the time of the registration.^[b] He led a group of followers, too. He was also killed, and all his followers were scattered. ³⁸ And so now I tell you: Stay away from these men. Leave them alone. If their plan comes from men, it will fail. ³⁹ But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop them. You might even be fighting against God himself!”

The Jewish leaders agreed with what Gamaliel said. ⁴⁰ They called the apostles in again. They beat the apostles and told them not to speak in the name of Jesus again. Then they let them go free. ⁴¹ The apostles left the meeting full of joy because they were given the honor of suffering disgrace for Jesus. ⁴² The apostles did not stop teaching people. Every day in the Temple and in people’s homes they continued to tell the Good News—that Jesus is the Christ.

Seven Men Are Chosen

6 More and more people were becoming followers of Jesus. But during this same time, the Greek-speaking followers had an argument with the other Jewish followers. The Greek-speaking Jews said that their widows were not getting their share of the food that was given out every day. ² The 12 apostles called the whole group of followers together. They said, “It is not right for us to stop our work of teaching God’s word in order to serve tables. ³ So, brothers, choose seven of your own men. They must be men who are good. They must be full of wisdom and full of the Spirit. We will put them in charge of this work. ⁴ Then we can use all our time to pray and to teach the word of God.”

⁵ The whole group liked the idea. So they chose these seven men: Stephen (a man with great faith and full of the Holy Spirit), Philip,^[c] Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas (a man from Antioch who had become a Jew). ⁶ Then they put these men before the apostles. The apostles prayed and laid their hands on^[d] the men.

⁷ The word of God was reaching more and more people. The group of followers in Jerusalem became larger and larger. A great number of the Jewish priests believed and obeyed.

Stephen Is Arrested

⁸ Stephen was richly blessed by God. God gave him the power to do great miracles and signs among the people. ⁹ But some Jews were against him. They belonged to a synagogue of Free Men^[e] (as it was called). (This synagogue was also for Jews from Cyrene and from Alexandria.) Jews from Cilicia and Asia were also with them. They all came and argued with Stephen.

¹⁰ But the Spirit was helping him to speak with wisdom. His words were so strong that they could not argue with him. ¹¹ So they paid some men to say, “We heard him say things against Moses and against God!”

¹² This upset the people, the Jewish elders, and the teachers of the law. They came to Stephen, grabbed him and brought him to a meeting of the Jewish leaders. ¹³ They brought in some men to tell lies about Stephen. They said, “This man is always saying things against this holy place and the law of Moses. ¹⁴ We heard him say that Jesus from Nazareth will destroy this place. He also said that Jesus will change the things that Moses told us to do.” ¹⁵ All the people in the meeting were watching Stephen closely. His face looked like the face of an angel.