Therefore select from among you, brothers, seven men of good report, full of the Holy Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business.
These words pleased the whole multitude. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch;
whom they set before the apostles. When they had prayed, they laid their hands on them.
The word of God increased and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem exceedingly. A great company of the priests were obedient to the faith.
Stephen, full of faith and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people.
They weren’t able to withstand the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke.
“You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit! As your fathers did, so you do.
But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,
and said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”
For unclean spirits came out of many of those who had them. They came out, crying with a loud voice. Many who had been paralyzed and lame were healed.
Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them,
who, when they had come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit;
for as yet he had fallen on none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of Christ Jesus.
Then they laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
Now when Simon saw that the Holy Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money,
saying, “Give me also this power, that whomever I lay my hands on may receive the Holy Spirit.”
The Spirit said to Philip, “Go near, and join yourself to this chariot.”
When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, and the eunuch didn’t see him any more, for he went on his way rejoicing.
Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias!” He said, “Behold, it’s me, Lord.”
Ananias departed, and entered into the house. Laying his hands on him, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord, who appeared to you on the road by which you came, has sent me, that you may receive your sight, and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”
So the assemblies throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace, and were built up. They were multiplied, walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit.
Peter got up and went with them. When he had come, they brought him into the upper room. All the widows stood by him weeping, and showing the coats and garments which Dorcas had made while she was with them.
This was done three times, and immediately the vessel was received up into heaven.
Now while Peter was very perplexed in himself what the vision which he had seen might mean, behold, the men who were sent by Cornelius, having made inquiry for Simon’s house, stood before the gate,
While Peter was pondering the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men seek you.
But arise, get down, and go with them, doubting nothing; for I have sent them.”
So he called them in and provided a place to stay. On the next day Peter arose and went out with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa accompanied him.
He said to them, “You yourselves know how it is an unlawful thing for a man who is a Jew to join himself or come to one of another nation, but God has shown me that I shouldn’t call any man unholy or unclean.
even Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.
While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell on all those who heard the word.
They of the circumcision who believed were amazed, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was also poured out on the Gentiles.
For they heard them speaking in other languages and magnifying God. Then Peter answered,
“Can anyone forbid these people from being baptized with water? They have received the Holy Spirit just like us.”
Now the apostles and the brothers who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God.
But Peter began, and explained to them in order, saying,
“I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision: a certain container descending, like it was a great sheet let down from heaven by four corners. It came as far as me.
Behold, immediately three men stood before the house where I was, having been sent from Caesarea to me.
The Spirit told me to go with them, without discriminating. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered into the man’s house.
As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them, even as on us at the beginning.
I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, ‘John indeed baptized in water, but you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit.’
If then God gave to them the same gift as us, when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I, that I could withstand God?”
The hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord.
The report concerning them came to the ears of the assembly which was in Jerusalem. They sent out Barnabas to go as far as Antioch,
For he was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith, and many people were added to the Lord.
Barnabas went out to Tarsus to look for Saul.
Now in these days, prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch.
One of them named Agabus stood up, and indicated by the Spirit that there should be a great famine all over the world, which also happened in the days of Claudius.
When Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a maid named Rhoda came to answer.
But the word of God grew and multiplied.
Now in the assembly that was at Antioch there were some prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen the foster brother of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.
As they served the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Separate Barnabas and Saul for me, for the work to which I have called them.”
Then, when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.
So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia. From there they sailed to Cyprus.
who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of understanding. This man summoned Barnabas and Saul, and sought to hear the word of God.
But Saul, who is also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, fastened his eyes on him,
Then the proconsul, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the teaching of the Lord.
Now Paul and his company set sail from Paphos, and came to Perga in Pamphylia. John departed from them and returned to Jerusalem.
But they, passing on from Perga, came to Antioch of Pisidia. They went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and sat down.
Therefore he says also in another psalm, ‘You will not allow your Holy One to see decay.’ Psalm 16:10
The disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.
Therefore they stayed there a long time, speaking boldly in the Lord, who testified to the word of his grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands.
When there had been much discussion, Peter rose up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that a good while ago God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the nations should hear the word of the Good News, and believe.
God, who knows the heart, testified about them, giving them the Holy Spirit, just like he did to us.
They wrote these things by their hand: “The apostles, the elders, and the brothers, to the brothers who are of the Gentiles in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia: greetings.
it seemed good to us, having come to one accord, to choose out men and send them to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,
For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay no greater burden on you than these necessary things:
When they had gone through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia.
When they had come opposite Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit didn’t allow them.
Passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas.
When he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go out to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the Good News to them.
She was doing this for many days. But Paul, becoming greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her!” It came out that very hour.
Some of them were persuaded, and joined Paul and Silas, of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and not a few of the chief women.
But when Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul was compelled by the Spirit, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ.
When he had landed at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the assembly, and went down to Antioch.
While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul, having passed through the upper country, came to Ephesus, and found certain disciples.
He said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” They said to him, “No, we haven’t even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”
He said, “Into what then were you baptized?” They said, “Into John’s baptism.”
When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
When Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke with other languages and prophesied.
They were about twelve men in all.
He entered into the synagogue, and spoke boldly for a period of three months, reasoning and persuading about the things concerning God’s Kingdom.
God worked special miracles by the hands of Paul,
There were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did this.
So the word of the Lord was growing and becoming mighty.
Now after these things had ended, Paul determined in the spirit, when he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying, “After I have been there, I must also see Rome.”
Now, behold, I go bound by the Spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there;
except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions wait for me.
Take heed, therefore, to yourselves, and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the assembly of the Lord and God which he purchased with his own blood.
When we had departed from them and had set sail, we came with a straight course to Cos, and the next day to Rhodes, and from there to Patara.
Having found disciples, we stayed there seven days. These said to Paul through the Spirit, that he should not go up to Jerusalem.
As we stayed there some days, a certain prophet named Agabus came down from Judea.
Coming to us, and taking Paul’s belt, he bound his own feet and hands, and said, “Thus says the Holy Spirit: ‘So will the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man who owns this belt, and will deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’”
When he had greeted them, he reported one by one the things which God had worked among the Gentiles through his ministry.
When he had given him permission, Paul, standing on the stairs, beckoned with his hand to the people. When there was a great silence, he spoke to them in the Hebrew language, saying,
As I made my journey, and came close to Damascus, about noon, suddenly a great light shone around me from the sky.
When I couldn’t see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of those who were with me, I came into Damascus.
“When I had returned to Jerusalem, and while I prayed in the temple, I fell into a trance,
However he shook off the creature into the fire, and wasn’t harmed.
When they didn’t agree among themselves, they departed after Paul had spoken one word, “The Holy Spirit spoke rightly through Isaiah, the prophet, to our fathers,
“Be it known therefore to you, that the salvation of God is sent to the nations, and they will listen.”












