Book | Chapter | Verse | Text |
Acts |
13 |
1 |
Among the prophets and teachers of the church at Antioch of Syria were Barnabas, Simeon (called "the black man" ), Lucius (from Cyrene), Manaen (the childhood companion of King Herod Antipas ), and Saul. |
Acts |
13 |
2 |
One day as these men were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Dedicate Barnabas and Saul for the special work I have for them." |
Acts |
13 |
3 |
So after more fasting and prayer, the men laid their hands on them and sent them on their way. |
Acts |
13 |
4 |
Sent out by the Holy Spirit, Saul and Barnabas went down to the seaport of Seleucia and then sailed for the island of Cyprus. |
Acts |
13 |
5 |
There, in the town of Salamis, they went to the Jewish synagogues and preached the word of God. (John Mark went with them as their assistant.) |
Acts |
13 |
6 |
Afterward they preached from town to town across the entire island until finally they reached Paphos, where they met a Jewish sorcerer, a false prophet named Bar-Jesus. |
Acts |
13 |
7 |
He had attached himself to the governor, Sergius Paulus, a man of considerable insight and understanding. The governor invited Barnabas and Saul to visit him, for he wanted to hear the word of God. |
Acts |
13 |
8 |
But Elymas, the sorcerer (as his name means in Greek), interfered and urged the governor to pay no attention to what Saul and Barnabas said. He was trying to turn the governor away from the Christian faith. |
Acts |
13 |
9 |
Then Saul, also known as Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked the sorcerer in the eye and said, |
Acts |
13 |
10 |
"You son of the Devil, full of every sort of trickery and villainy, enemy of all that is good, will you never stop perverting the true ways of the Lord? |
Acts |
13 |
11 |
And now the Lord has laid his hand of punishment upon you, and you will be stricken awhile with blindness." Instantly mist and darkness fell upon him, and he began wandering around begging for someone to take his hand and lead him. |
Acts |
13 |
12 |
When the governor saw what had happened, he believed and was astonished at what he learned about the Lord. |
Acts |
13 |
13 |
Now Paul and those with him left Paphos by ship for Pamphylia, landing at the port town of Perga. There John Mark left them and returned to Jerusalem. |
Acts |
13 |
14 |
But Barnabas and Paul traveled inland to Antioch of Pisidia. On the Sabbath they went to the synagogue for the services. |
Acts |
13 |
15 |
After the usual readings from the books of Moses and from the Prophets, those in charge of the service sent them this message: "Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for us, come and give it!" |
Acts |
13 |
16 |
So Paul stood, lifted his hand to quiet them, and started speaking. "People of Israel," he said, "and you devout Gentiles who fear the God of Israel, listen to me. |
Acts |
13 |
17 |
"The God of this nation of Israel chose our ancestors and made them prosper in Egypt. Then he powerfully led them out of their slavery. |
Acts |
13 |
18 |
He put up with them through forty years of wandering around in the wilderness. |
Acts |
13 |
19 |
Then he destroyed seven nations in Canaan and gave their land to Israel as an inheritance. |
Acts |
13 |
20 |
All this took about 450 years. After that, judges ruled until the time of Samuel the prophet. |
Acts |
13 |
21 |
Then the people begged for a king, and God gave them Saul son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, who reigned for forty years. |
Acts |
13 |
22 |
But God removed him from the kingship and replaced him with David, a man about whom God said, 'David son of Jesse is a man after my own heart, for he will do everything I want him to.' |
Acts |
13 |
23 |
"And it is one of King David's descendants, Jesus, who is God's promised Savior of Israel! |
Acts |
13 |
24 |
But before he came, John the Baptist preached the need for everyone in Israel to turn from sin and turn to God and be baptized. |
Acts |
13 |
25 |
As John was finishing his ministry he asked, 'Do you think I am the Messiah? No! But he is coming soon--and I am not even worthy to be his slave. ' |
Acts |
13 |
26 |
"Brothers--you sons of Abraham, and also all of you devout Gentiles who fear the God of Israel--this salvation is for us! |
Acts |
13 |
27 |
The people in Jerusalem and their leaders fulfilled prophecy by condemning Jesus to death. They didn't recognize him or realize that he is the one the prophets had written about, though they hear the prophets' words read every Sabbath. |
Acts |
13 |
28 |
They found no just cause to execute him, but they asked Pilate to have him killed anyway. |
Acts |
13 |
29 |
"When they had fulfilled all the prophecies concerning his death, they took him down from the cross and placed him in a tomb. |
Acts |
13 |
30 |
But God raised him from the dead! |
Acts |
13 |
31 |
And he appeared over a period of many days to those who had gone with him from Galilee to Jerusalem--these are his witnesses to the people of Israel. |
Acts |
13 |
32 |
"And now Barnabas and I are here to bring you this Good News. God's promise to our ancestors has come true in our own time, |
Acts |
13 |
33 |
in that God raised Jesus. This is what the second psalm is talking about when it says concerning Jesus, 'You are my Son. Today I have become your Father. ' |
Acts |
13 |
34 |
For God had promised to raise him from the dead, never again to die. This is stated in the Scripture that says, 'I will give you the sacred blessings I promised to David.' |
Acts |
13 |
35 |
Another psalm explains more fully, saying, 'You will not allow your Holy One to rot in the grave.' |
Acts |
13 |
36 |
Now this is not a reference to David, for after David had served his generation according to the will of God, he died and was buried, and his body decayed. |
Acts |
13 |
37 |
No, it was a reference to someone else--someone whom God raised and whose body did not decay. |
Acts |
13 |
38 |
"Brothers, listen! In this man Jesus there is forgiveness for your sins. |
Acts |
13 |
39 |
Everyone who believes in him is freed from all guilt and declared right with God--something the Jewish law could never do. |
Acts |
13 |
40 |
Be careful! Don't let the prophets' words apply to you. For they said, |
Acts |
13 |
41 |
'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.'" |
Acts |
13 |
42 |
As Paul and Barnabas left the synagogue that day, the people asked them to return again and speak about these things the next week. |
Acts |
13 |
43 |
Many Jews and godly converts to Judaism who worshiped at the synagogue followed Paul and Barnabas, and the two men urged them, "By God's grace, remain faithful." |
Acts |
13 |
44 |
The following week almost the entire city turned out to hear them preach the word of the Lord. |
Acts |
13 |
45 |
But when the Jewish leaders saw the crowds, they were jealous; so they slandered Paul and argued against whatever he said. |
Acts |
13 |
46 |
Then Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and declared, "It was necessary that this Good News from God be given first to you Jews. But since you have rejected it and judged yourselves unworthy of eternal life--well, we will offer it to Gentiles. |
Acts |
13 |
47 |
For this is as the Lord commanded us when he said, 'I have made you a light to the Gentiles, to bring salvation to the farthest corners of the earth.'" |
Acts |
13 |
48 |
When the Gentiles heard this, they were very glad and thanked the Lord for his message; and all who were appointed to eternal life became believers. |
Acts |
13 |
49 |
So the Lord's message spread throughout that region. |
Acts |
13 |
50 |
Then the Jewish leaders stirred up both the influential religious women and the leaders of the city, and they incited a mob against Paul and Barnabas and ran them out of town. |
Acts |
13 |
51 |
But they shook off the dust of their feet against them and went to the city of Iconium. |
Acts |
13 |
52 |
And the believers were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit. |
Acts |
14 |
1 |
In Iconium, Paul and Barnabas went together to the synagogue and preached with such power that a great number of both Jews and Gentiles believed. |
Acts |
14 |
2 |
But the Jews who spurned God's message stirred up distrust among the Gentiles against Paul and Barnabas, saying all sorts of evil things about them. |
Acts |
14 |
3 |
The apostles stayed there a long time, preaching boldly about the grace of the Lord. The Lord proved their message was true by giving them power to do miraculous signs and wonders. |
Acts |
14 |
4 |
But the people of the city were divided in their opinion about them. Some sided with the Jews, and some with the apostles. |
Acts |
14 |
5 |
A mob of Gentiles and Jews, along with their leaders, decided to attack and stone them. |
Acts |
14 |
6 |
When the apostles learned of it, they fled for their lives. They went to the region of Lycaonia, to the cities of Lystra and Derbe and the surrounding area, |
Acts |
14 |
7 |
and they preached the Good News there. |
Acts |
14 |
8 |
While they were at Lystra, Paul and Barnabas came upon a man with crippled feet. He had been that way from birth, so he had never walked. |
Acts |
14 |
9 |
He was listening as Paul preached, and Paul noticed him and realized he had faith to be healed. |
Acts |
14 |
10 |
So Paul called to him in a loud voice, "Stand up!" And the man jumped to his feet and started walking. |
Acts |
14 |
11 |
When the listening crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in their local dialect, "These men are gods in human bodies!" |
Acts |
14 |
12 |
They decided that Barnabas was the Greek god Zeus and that Paul, because he was the chief speaker, was Hermes. |
Acts |
14 |
13 |
The temple of Zeus was located on the outskirts of the city. The priest of the temple and the crowd brought oxen and wreaths of flowers, and they prepared to sacrifice to the apostles at the city gates. |
Acts |
14 |
14 |
But when Barnabas and Paul heard what was happening, they tore their clothing in dismay and ran out among the people, shouting, |
Acts |
14 |
15 |
"Friends, why are you doing this? We are merely human beings like yourselves! We have come to bring you the Good News that you should turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them. |
Acts |
14 |
16 |
In earlier days he permitted all the nations to go their own ways, |
Acts |
14 |
17 |
but he never left himself without a witness. There were always his reminders, such as sending you rain and good crops and giving you food and joyful hearts." |
Acts |
14 |
18 |
But even so, Paul and Barnabas could scarcely restrain the people from sacrificing to them. |
Acts |
14 |
19 |
Now some Jews arrived from Antioch and Iconium and turned the crowds into a murderous mob. They stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, apparently dead. |
Acts |
14 |
20 |
But as the believers stood around him, he got up and went back into the city. The next day he left with Barnabas for Derbe. |
Acts |
14 |
21 |
After preaching the Good News in Derbe and making many disciples, Paul and Barnabas returned again to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch of Pisidia, |
Acts |
14 |
22 |
where they strengthened the believers. They encouraged them to continue in the faith, reminding them that they must enter into the Kingdom of God through many tribulations. |
Acts |
14 |
23 |
Paul and Barnabas also appointed elders in every church and prayed for them with fasting, turning them over to the care of the Lord, in whom they had come to trust. |
Acts |
14 |
24 |
Then they traveled back through Pisidia to Pamphylia. |
Acts |
14 |
25 |
They preached again in Perga, then went on to Attalia. |
Acts |
14 |
26 |
Finally, they returned by ship to Antioch of Syria, where their journey had begun and where they had been committed to the grace of God for the work they had now completed. |
Acts |
14 |
27 |
Upon arriving in Antioch, they called the church together and reported about their trip, telling all that God had done and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles, too. |
Acts |
14 |
28 |
And they stayed there with the believers in Antioch for a long time. |
Acts |
15 |
1 |
While Paul and Barnabas were at Antioch of Syria, some men from Judea arrived and began to teach the Christians: "Unless you keep the ancient Jewish custom of circumcision taught by Moses, you cannot be saved." |
Acts |
15 |
2 |
Paul and Barnabas, disagreeing with them, argued forcefully and at length. Finally, Paul and Barnabas were sent to Jerusalem, accompanied by some local believers, to talk to the apostles and elders about this question. |
Acts |
15 |
3 |
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. |
Acts |
15 |
4 |
When they arrived in Jerusalem, Paul and Barnabas were welcomed by the whole church, including the apostles and elders. They reported on what God had been doing through their ministry. |
Acts |
15 |
5 |
But then some of the men who had been Pharisees before their conversion stood up and declared that all Gentile converts must be circumcised and be required to follow the law of Moses. |
Acts |
15 |
6 |
So the apostles and church elders got together to decide this question. |
Acts |
15 |
7 |
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. |
Acts |
15 |
8 |
God, who knows people's hearts, confirmed that he accepts Gentiles by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he gave him to us. |
Acts |
15 |
9 |
He made no distinction between us and them, for he also cleansed their hearts through faith. |
Acts |
15 |
10 |
Why are you now questioning God's way by burdening the Gentile believers with a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors were able to bear? |
Acts |
15 |
11 |
We believe that we are all saved the same way, by the special favor of the Lord Jesus." |
Acts |
15 |
12 |
There was no further discussion, and everyone listened as Barnabas and Paul told about the miraculous signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles. |
Acts |
15 |
13 |
When they had finished, James stood and said, "Brothers, listen to me. |
Acts |
15 |
14 |
Peter has told you about the time God first visited the Gentiles to take from them a people for himself. |
Acts |
15 |
15 |
And this conversion of Gentiles agrees with what the prophets predicted. For instance, it is written: |
Acts |
15 |
16 |
'Afterward I will return, and I will restore the fallen kingdom of David. From the ruins I will rebuild it, and I will restore it, |
Acts |
15 |
17 |
so that the rest of humanity might find the Lord, including the Gentiles--all those I have called to be mine. This is what the Lord says, |
Acts |
15 |
18 |
he who made these things known long ago.' |
Acts |
15 |
19 |
And so my judgment is that we should stop troubling the Gentiles who turn to God, |
Acts |
15 |
20 |
except that we should write to them and tell them to abstain from eating meat sacrificed to idols, from sexual immorality, and from consuming blood or eating the meat of strangled animals. |
Acts |
15 |
21 |
For these laws of Moses have been preached in Jewish synagogues in every city on every Sabbath for many generations." |
Acts |
15 |
22 |
Then the apostles and elders and 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. |
Acts |
15 |
23 |
This is the letter they took along 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! |
Acts |
15 |
24 |
"We understand that some men from here have troubled you and upset you with their teaching, but they had no such instructions from us. |
Acts |
15 |
25 |
So it seemed good to us, having unanimously agreed on our decision, to send you these official representatives, along with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, |
Acts |
15 |
26 |
who have risked their lives for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ. |
Acts |
15 |
27 |
So we are sending Judas and Silas to tell you what we have decided concerning your question. |
Acts |
15 |
28 |
"For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay no greater burden on you than these requirements: |
Acts |
15 |
29 |
You must abstain from eating food offered to idols, from consuming blood or eating the meat of strangled animals, and from sexual immorality. If you do this, you will do well. Farewell." |
Acts |
15 |
30 |
The four messengers went at once to Antioch, where they called a general meeting of the Christians and delivered the letter. |
Acts |
15 |
31 |
And there was great joy throughout the church that day as they read this encouraging message. |
Acts |
15 |
32 |
Then Judas and Silas, both being prophets, spoke extensively to the Christians, encouraging and strengthening their faith. |
Acts |
15 |
33 |
They stayed for a while, and then Judas and Silas were sent back to Jerusalem, with the blessings of the Christians, to those who had sent them. |
Acts |
15 |
34 |
See Footnote |
Acts |
15 |
35 |
Paul and Barnabas stayed in Antioch to assist many others who were teaching and preaching the word of the Lord there. |
Acts |
15 |
36 |
After some time Paul said to Barnabas, "Let's return to each city where we previously preached the word of the Lord, to see how the new believers are getting along." |
Acts |
15 |
37 |
Barnabas agreed and wanted to take along John Mark. |
Acts |
15 |
38 |
But Paul disagreed strongly, since John Mark had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not shared in their work. |
Acts |
15 |
39 |
Their disagreement over this was so sharp that they separated. Barnabas took John Mark with him and sailed for Cyprus. |
Acts |
15 |
40 |
Paul chose Silas, and the believers sent them off, entrusting them to the Lord's grace. |
Acts |
15 |
41 |
So they traveled throughout Syria and Cilicia to strengthen the churches there. |
Acts |
16 |
1 |
Paul and Silas went first to Derbe and then on to Lystra. There they met Timothy, a young disciple whose mother was a Jewish believer, but whose father was a Greek. |
Acts |
16 |
2 |
Timothy was well thought of by the believers in Lystra and Iconium, |
Acts |
16 |
3 |
so Paul wanted him to join them on their journey. In deference to the Jews of the area, he arranged for Timothy to be circumcised before they left, for everyone knew that his father was a Greek. |
Acts |
16 |
4 |
Then they went from town to town, explaining the decision regarding the commandments that were to be obeyed, as decided by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem. |
Acts |
16 |
5 |
So the churches were strengthened in their faith and grew daily in numbers. |
Acts |
16 |
6 |
Next Paul and Silas traveled through the area of Phrygia and Galatia, because the Holy Spirit had told them not to go into the province of Asia at that time. |
Acts |
16 |
7 |
Then coming to the borders of Mysia, they headed for the province of Bithynia, but again the Spirit of Jesus did not let them go. |
Acts |
16 |
8 |
So instead, they went on through Mysia to the city of Troas. |
Acts |
16 |
9 |
That night Paul had a vision. He saw a man from Macedonia in northern Greece, pleading with him, "Come over here and help us." |
Acts |
16 |
10 |
So we decided to leave for Macedonia at once, for we could only conclude that God was calling us to preach the Good News there. |
Acts |
16 |
11 |
We boarded a boat at Troas and sailed straight across to the island of Samothrace, and the next day we landed at Neapolis. |
Acts |
16 |
12 |
From there we reached Philippi, a major city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony; we stayed there several days. |
Acts |
16 |
13 |
On the Sabbath we went a little way outside the city to a riverbank, where we supposed that some people met for prayer, and we sat down to speak with some women who had come together. |
Acts |
16 |
14 |
One of them was Lydia from Thyatira, a merchant of expensive purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. As she listened to us, the Lord opened her heart, and she accepted what Paul was saying. |
Acts |
16 |
15 |
She was baptized along with other members of her household, and she asked us to be her guests. "If you agree that I am faithful to the Lord," she said, "come and stay at my home." And she urged us until we did. |
Acts |
16 |
16 |
One day as we were going down to the place of prayer, we met a demon-possessed slave girl. She was a fortune-teller who earned a lot of money for her masters. |
Acts |
16 |
17 |
She followed along behind us shouting, "These men are servants of the Most High God, and they have come to tell you how to be saved." |
Acts |
16 |
18 |
This went on day after day until Paul got so exasperated that he turned and spoke to the demon within her. "I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her," he said. And instantly it left her. |
Acts |
16 |
19 |
Her masters' hopes of wealth were now shattered, so they grabbed Paul and Silas and dragged them before the authorities at the marketplace. |
Acts |
16 |
20 |
"The whole city is in an uproar because of these Jews!" they shouted. |
Acts |
16 |
21 |
"They are teaching the people to do things that are against Roman customs." |
Acts |
16 |
22 |
A mob quickly formed against Paul and Silas, and the city officials ordered them stripped and beaten with wooden rods. |
Acts |
16 |
23 |
They were severely beaten, and then they were thrown into prison. The jailer was ordered to make sure they didn't escape. |
Acts |
16 |
24 |
So he took no chances but put them into the inner dungeon and clamped their feet in the stocks. |
Acts |
16 |
25 |
Around midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening. |
Acts |
16 |
26 |
Suddenly, there was a great earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations. All the doors flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off! |
Acts |
16 |
27 |
The jailer woke up to see the prison doors wide open. He assumed the prisoners had escaped, so he drew his sword to kill himself. |
Acts |
16 |
28 |
But Paul shouted to him, "Don't do it! We are all here!" |
Acts |
16 |
29 |
Trembling with fear, the jailer called for lights and ran to the dungeon and fell down before Paul and Silas. |
Acts |
16 |
30 |
He brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" |
Acts |
16 |
31 |
They replied, "Believe on the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with your entire household." |
Acts |
16 |
32 |
Then they shared the word of the Lord with him and all who lived in his household. |
Acts |
16 |
33 |
That same hour the jailer washed their wounds, and he and everyone in his household were immediately baptized. |
Acts |
16 |
34 |
Then he brought them into his house and set a meal before them. He and his entire household rejoiced because they all believed in God. |
Acts |
16 |
35 |
The next morning the city officials sent the police to tell the jailer, "Let those men go!" |
Acts |
16 |
36 |
So the jailer told Paul, "You and Silas are free to leave. Go in peace." |
Acts |
16 |
37 |
But Paul replied, "They have publicly beaten us without trial and jailed us--and we are Roman citizens. So now they want us to leave secretly? Certainly not! Let them come themselves to release us!" |
Acts |
16 |
38 |
When the police made their report, the city officials were alarmed to learn that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens. |
Acts |
16 |
39 |
They came to the jail and apologized to them. Then they brought them out and begged them to leave the city. |
Acts |
16 |
40 |
Paul and Silas then returned to the home of Lydia, where they met with the believers and encouraged them once more before leaving town. |
Acts |
17 |
1 |
Now Paul and Silas traveled through the towns of Amphipolis and Apollonia and came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. |
Acts |
17 |
2 |
As was Paul's custom, he went to the synagogue service, and for three Sabbaths in a row he interpreted the Scriptures to the people. |
Acts |
17 |
3 |
He was explaining and proving the prophecies about the sufferings of the Messiah and his rising from the dead. He said, "This Jesus I'm telling you about is the Messiah." |
Acts |
17 |
4 |
Some who listened were persuaded and became converts, including a large number of godly Greek men and also many important women of the city. |
Acts |
17 |
5 |
But the Jewish leaders were jealous, so they gathered some worthless fellows from the streets to form a mob and start a riot. They attacked the home of Jason, searching for Paul and Silas so they could drag them out to the crowd. |
Acts |
17 |
6 |
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 turned the rest of the world upside down, and now they are here disturbing our city," they shouted. |
Acts |
17 |
7 |
"And Jason has let them into his home. They are all guilty of treason against Caesar, for they profess allegiance to another king, Jesus." |
Acts |
17 |
8 |
The people of the city, as well as the city officials, were thrown into turmoil by these reports. |
Acts |
17 |
9 |
But the officials released Jason and the other believers after they had posted bail. |
Acts |
17 |
10 |
That very night the believers sent Paul and Silas to Berea. When they arrived there, they went to the synagogue. |
Acts |
17 |
11 |
And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul's message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to check up on Paul and Silas, to see if they were really teaching the truth. |
Acts |
17 |
12 |
As a result, many Jews believed, as did some of the prominent Greek women and many men. |
Acts |
17 |
13 |
But when some Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God in Berea, they went there and stirred up trouble. |
Acts |
17 |
14 |
The believers acted at once, sending Paul on to the coast, while Silas and Timothy remained behind. |
Acts |
17 |
15 |
Those escorting Paul went with him to Athens; then they returned to Berea with a message for Silas and Timothy to hurry and join him. |
Acts |
17 |
16 |
While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was deeply troubled by all the idols he saw everywhere in the city. |
Acts |
17 |
17 |
He went to the synagogue to debate with the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles, and he spoke daily in the public square to all who happened to be there. |
Acts |
17 |
18 |
He also had a debate with some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers. When he told them about Jesus and his resurrection, they said, "This babbler has picked up some strange ideas." Others said, "He's pushing some foreign religion." |
Acts |
17 |
19 |
Then they took him to the Council of Philosophers. "Come and tell us more about this new religion," they said. |
Acts |
17 |
20 |
"You are saying some rather startling things, and we want to know what it's all about." |
Acts |
17 |
21 |
(It should be explained that all the Athenians as well as the foreigners in Athens seemed to spend all their time discussing the latest ideas.) |
Acts |
17 |
22 |
So Paul, standing before the Council, addressed them as follows: "Men of Athens, I notice that you are very religious, |
Acts |
17 |
23 |
for as I was walking along I saw your many altars. And one of them had this inscription on it--'To an Unknown God.' You have been worshiping him without knowing who he is, and now I wish to tell you about him. |
Acts |
17 |
24 |
"He is the God who made the world and everything in it. Since he is Lord of heaven and earth, he doesn't live in man-made temples, |
Acts |
17 |
25 |
and human hands can't serve his needs--for he has no needs. He himself gives life and breath to everything, and he satisfies every need there is. |
Acts |
17 |
26 |
From one man he created all the nations throughout the whole earth. He decided beforehand which should rise and fall, and he determined their boundaries. |
Acts |
17 |
27 |
"His purpose in all of this was that the nations should seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him--though he is not far from any one of us. |
Acts |
17 |
28 |
For in him we live and move and exist. As one of your own poets says, 'We are his offspring.' |
Acts |
17 |
29 |
And since this is true, we shouldn't think of God as an idol designed by craftsmen from gold or silver or stone. |
Acts |
17 |
30 |
God overlooked people's former ignorance about these things, but now he commands everyone everywhere to turn away from idols and turn to him. |
Acts |
17 |
31 |
For he has set a day for judging the world with justice by the man he has appointed, and he proved to everyone who this is by raising him from the dead." |
Acts |
17 |
32 |
When they heard Paul speak of the resurrection of a person who had been dead, some laughed, but others said, "We want to hear more about this later." |
Acts |
17 |
33 |
That ended Paul's discussion with them, |
Acts |
17 |
34 |
but some joined him and became believers. Among them were Dionysius, a member of the Council, a woman named Damaris, and others. |
Acts |
18 |
1 |
Then Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. |
Acts |
18 |
2 |
There he became acquainted with a Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, who had recently arrived from Italy with his wife, Priscilla. They had been expelled from Italy as a result of Claudius Caesar's order to deport all Jews from Rome. |
Acts |
18 |
3 |
Paul lived and worked with them, for they were tentmakers just as he was. |
Acts |
18 |
4 |
Each Sabbath found Paul at the synagogue, trying to convince the Jews and Greeks alike. |
Acts |
18 |
5 |
And after Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul spent his full time preaching and testifying to the Jews, telling them, "The Messiah you are looking for is Jesus." |
Acts |
18 |
6 |
But when the Jews opposed him and insulted him, Paul shook the dust from his robe and said, "Your blood be upon your own heads--I am innocent. From now on I will go to the Gentiles." |
Acts |
18 |
7 |
After that he stayed with Titius Justus, a Gentile who worshiped God and lived next door to the synagogue. |
Acts |
18 |
8 |
Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, and all his household believed in the Lord. Many others in Corinth also became believers and were baptized. |
Acts |
18 |
9 |
One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision and told him, "Don't be afraid! Speak out! Don't be silent! |
Acts |
18 |
10 |
For I am with you, and no one will harm you because many people here in this city belong to me." |
Acts |
18 |
11 |
So Paul stayed there for the next year and a half, teaching the word of God. |
Acts |
18 |
12 |
But when Gallio became governor of Achaia, some Jews rose in concerted action against Paul and brought him before the governor for judgment. |
Acts |
18 |
13 |
They accused Paul of "persuading people to worship God in ways that are contrary to the law." |
Acts |
18 |
14 |
But just as Paul started to make his defense, Gallio turned to Paul's accusers and said, "Listen, you Jews, if this were a case involving some wrongdoing or a serious crime, I would be obliged to listen to you. |
Acts |
18 |
15 |
But since it is merely a question of words and names and your Jewish laws, you take care of it. I refuse to judge such matters." |
Acts |
18 |
16 |
And he drove them out of the courtroom. |
Acts |
18 |
17 |
The mob had grabbed Sosthenes, the leader of the synagogue, and had beaten him right there in the courtroom. But Gallio paid no attention. |
Acts |
18 |
18 |
Paul stayed in Corinth for some time after that and then said good-bye to the brothers and sisters and sailed for the coast of Syria, taking Priscilla and Aquila with him. (Earlier, at Cenchrea, Paul had shaved his head according to Jewish custom, for he had taken a vow.) |
Acts |
18 |
19 |
When they arrived at the port of Ephesus, Paul left the others behind. But while he was there, he went to the synagogue to debate with the Jews. |
Acts |
18 |
20 |
They asked him to stay longer, but he declined. |
Acts |
18 |
21 |
So he left, saying, "I will come back later, God willing." Then he set sail from Ephesus. |
Acts |
18 |
22 |
The next stop was at the port of Caesarea. From there he went up and visited the church at Jerusalem and then went back to Antioch. |
Acts |
18 |
23 |
After spending some time in Antioch, Paul went back to Galatia and Phrygia, visiting all the believers, encouraging them and helping them to grow in the Lord. |
Acts |
18 |
24 |
Meanwhile, a Jew named Apollos, an eloquent speaker who knew the Scriptures well, had just arrived in Ephesus from Alexandria in Egypt. |
Acts |
18 |
25 |
He had been taught the way of the Lord and talked to others with great enthusiasm and accuracy about Jesus. However, he knew only about John's baptism. |
Acts |
18 |
26 |
When Priscilla and Aquila heard him preaching boldly in the synagogue, they took him aside and explained the way of God more accurately. |
Acts |
18 |
27 |
Apollos had been thinking about going to Achaia, and the brothers and sisters in Ephesus encouraged him in this. 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. |
Acts |
18 |
28 |
He refuted all the Jews with powerful arguments in public debate. Using the Scriptures, he explained to them, "The Messiah you are looking for is Jesus." |