Author: cackywalker@yahoo.com

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 the Jews. However, some of the believers who went to Antioch from Cyprus and Cyrene began preaching to the Gentiles about the Lord Jesus. They power of the Lord was with them, and a large number of these Gentiles believed and turned to the Lord.

When the church at Jerusalem heard what had happened, they send Barnabas to Antioch. When he arrived and saw this evidence of God’s blessing, he was filled with joy, and encourage believers to stay true to the Lord. Barnabas was a good man, foul of the Holy Spirit and strong in faith. And many people were brought to the Lord. (vv. 19-24, NLT)

They arrived in Caesarea the following day. Cornelius was waiting for them and had called together his relatives and close friends. As Peter entered his home, Cornelius fall at his feet and worshiped him. “Stand up! I’m a human being just like you!” So they talked together and went inside, where many others were assembled.

Peter told them, “You know it is agains our laws for a Jewish man to enter a Gentile home like this or to associate with you. But God had shown me that I should no longer think of anyone as impure or unclean. So I cam without objection as soon as I was sent for. Now tell me why your sent for me.”

Cornelius replied, “Four days ago, I was praying in my house about this same time , three o’clock in the afternoon. Suddenly , a man in dazzling white clothes was standing in front of me. He told me, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your gifts to the poor have been noticed by God! Now send messengers to Joppa, and summon a man named Simon Peter. He is staying in the home of Simon, the tanner who lives near the seashore.’ So I sent for you at once, and it was good of you to come. Now we are all here, waiting before God to hear the message the Lord has given you.” (vv. 24-33, NLT)

The next day, as Cornelius’s messengers were nearing the town, Peter went up on the flat roof to pray. It was about noon, and he was hungry. But while a meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. He saw the sky open up, and something like a large sheet was let down by its four corners. In the sheet were all sorts of animals, reptiles, and birds. Then a voice said to him, “Get up Peter; kill and eat them.”

“No, Lord, ” Peter declared. “I have never eating anything that our Jewish laws have declared impure and unclean.”

But the voice spoke again: ” Do not call something unclean if God has made it clean.” The same vision was repeated three times. Then the sheet was suddenly pulled up to heaven.

Peter was very perplexed. What could the vision mean? Just then the men sent by Cornelius found Simon’s house. Standing outside the gate, they asked it a man named Peter was staying there.

Meanwhile, as Peter was puzzling over the vision, the Holy Spirit said to him, “Three men have come looking for your. Get up, go downstairs, and go with them without hesitation. Don’t worry, for I have sent them.”

So Peter went down and said, “I’m the man you are looking for. Why have you come?”

They said, “We were sent by Cornelius, a Roman officer. He is a devout and God-fearing man, well respected by all the Jews. A holy angel instructed him to summon you to his house so that he can hear your message.'”So Peter invited the men to stay for the night. They next day he went with him, accompanied by some of the brothers for Joppa. (vv. 9-23, NLT)

In Caesarea there lived a Roan army officer named Cornelius, who was a captain of the Italian Regiment. He was a devout, God-fearing man, as was everyone in his household. He generously gave to the poor and prayed regularly to God. One afternoon about three o’clock, he had a vision which he saw an angel of God coming toward him. “Cornelius!” the angel said.

Cornelius stared at him in terror. “What is it, sir?” he asked the angel.

And the angel replied, “Your prayers an gifts to the poor have been received by God as an offering! No send some men to Joppa, and summon Simon Peter. He is staying with Simon, a tanner who lives near the seashore.”

As soon as the angel was gone, Cornelius called two of his household servants and a devoid soldier, one of his personal assistants. He told them what had happened and sent them off to Joppa. (vv 1-8 , NLT)

As for Philip, an angel of the Lord said to him, “Go south down the desert road that runs from Jerusalem to Gaza.” So he started out, and he met the treasurer of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under the Kandake, the queen of Ethiopia. The eunuch had gone to Jerusalem to worship, and he was now returning. Seated in his carriage, he was reading aloud from the book of the prophet Isaiah.

The Holy Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and walk along beside the carriage.”

Philip ran over and heard the man reading from the prophet Isaiah. Philip asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?”

The man replied, how can I, unless someone instructs me? ” And he urged Philip to come up into the carriage and sit with him.

The passage of Scripture he had been reading was this:

“He was lead like a sheep to the slaughter. And as a lamb is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth. He was humiliated and received no justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth.”

The eunuch asked Philip, ” Tell me, was this the prophet Isaiah talking about himself or someone else?” So beginning with this same Scripture, Philip told him about the Good News about Jesus.

As they rod along, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look! There’s some water! Why can’t I be baptized?” He ordered the carriage to stop, and they went down into the water, and Philip baptized him.

When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away. The eunuch never saw him again but went on his way rejoicing. Meanwhile, Philip found himself farther north at the town of Azotus. He preached the Good News here and in every town along the way until he came to Caesarea.” (vv. 26-40, NLT)

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 out time teaching the word of God, not running a food program. And so, brothers, select seven men who are well-respected and are full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will give them this responsibility. Then we apostles can spend our time in prayer and teaching the word.”

Everyone liked this idea, and they chose the following ” Stephen (a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit), Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas of Antioch (an earlier convert to the Jewish faith). These seven were presented to the apostles, who prayed for them as they laid their hands on them.

So God’s message continued to spread. The number of believers greatly increased in Jerusalem, and many of the Jewish priests were converted, too. (vv 1-7, NLT)

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. But one one else dared to join them, even though all the people had hight regard for them. Yet more and more people believed and were brought to the Lord – crowds of both men and women. As a result of the apostles’ work, sick people were brought out into the streets on beds and mats so that Peter’s shadow might fall across some of them as he went by. Crowds came from the villages around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those possessed by evils spirits, and they were all healed.” (vv. 12-16, NLT)

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 – You spoke long ago by the Holy Sprit through our ancestor, David, your servant saying,

‘Why were nations so angry? Why did they waste their time with futile plans? The kings of the earth prepared for battle; the rulers gathered together agains the Lord, against His Messiah?’

“In fact, this has happened here in this very city! For Herod Antipas, Pontius Pilate the governor, the Gentiles, and the people of Israel were all united against Jesus, Your holy servant whom You anointed. But everything they did was determined beforehand according to Your will. And now, O Lord, hear their threates and give us, Your servants, great boldness in preaching Your word. Stretch out Your hand with healing power; may miraculous signs and wonders be done through the name of Your holy servant, Jesus.”

After this prayer, the meeting place shook and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they preached the word of God with boldness.” (vv. 23-3, NLT)

“Friends, I realize that what you and our leaders did to Jesus was done in ignorance. But God was fulfilling what all the prophets had foretold about the Messiah – that he must suffer these things. Now repent of your sins and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped away. Then the times of refreshment with come with the presence of the Lord, and He will again sent you Jesus, you appointed Messiah. For He must remain in heaven until the time for the final restoration of all things, as God promised long ago through His holy prophets. Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from among your own people. Listen carefully, to everything He tells you.’ Then Moses said, ‘Anyone who will not listen to that Prophet will be completely cut of from God’s people.'” (vv. 17-23, NLT)

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.

A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity – all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved. (vv. 42-47, NLT)