“For Christ, himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in His own body on the cross, He broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between the Jews and Gentiles by creating Himself one new people from the two groups. Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of His death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death.
He brought us this Good News of peace to you Gentiles who were far away from Him, and peace to the Jews who were near. Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us.” (Ephesians 2: vv 14-18, NLT)
“The night before Peter was to be placed on trial, he was asleep, fastened with two chains between two soldiers. Others stood guard at the prison gate. Suddenly, there was a bright light in the cell, and an angel of the Lord stood before Peter. The angel struck him on the side to awaken him and said, “Quick! Get up!” And the chains fell off his wrists. Then the angel told him, “Get dressed, and put on your sandals.” And he did. “Now put on your coat and follow me, ” the angel ordered.
So Peter left the cell, following the angel. But all the time he thought it was a vision. He didn’t realized it was actually happening. They passed the first and second guard posts and came to the iron gate leading to the city, and this opened for them all by itself. So they passed through and started walking down the street, and then the angel suddenly left him.
Peter finally came to his senses. “It’s really true!” he said. “The Lord has sent His angel and saved me from Herod and from what the jews leaders had planned to do to me!”
When he realized this, he went to the home of Mary, mother of John Mark, where many were gathered for prayer. He knocked at the door in the gate, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to open it. when she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed that, instead of opening the door, she ran back inside and told everyone,” Peter is standing at the door!”
“You’re out of your mind!” they said. When she insisted, they decided, “It must be his angel.”
Meanwhile, Peter continued knocking. When they finally opened the door and saw him, they were amazed. He motioned for them to quiet down and told them how the Lord had led him out of prison “Tell James and the other brothers what happened, ” he said. And then he went to another place.”” (Acts 12:vv 6-17, NLT)
“A glad heart makes a happy face; a broken heart cruise the spirit. A wise person is hungry for knowledge; while the fool feeds on trash. For the despondent, every day brings trouble; for the happy heart, life is a continual feast. ” (Proverbs 15: 13-15, NLT)
“A cheerful look brings joy to the heart; good news makes for good health.” (Proverbs 15: 30, NLT)
“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 were sent to Antioch from Cyprus and Cyrene began preaching to the Gentiles. about the Lord Jesus. The power of the 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 sent Barnabas to Antioch. 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. Barnabas was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and strong in faith. And may were brought to the Lord.
Then Barnabas wen to Tarsus to look for Saul. when he found him, he brought him back to Antioch. Both of them stayed with the church a full year, teaching large crowds of people. (It was the church in Antioch that the believers were first called Christians).” (Acts 11, vv. 19-26, NLT)
“”As I began to speak, ” Peter continued, the Holy Spirit fell on them, just as he fell on us at the beginning. Then I thought of the Lord’s words when he said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. 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?’
When the others heard this, they stopped objecting and began praising God. They said, ‘We can see that God has also given the Gentiles the privilege of repenting of their sins and receiving eternal life.”” (Acts 11: vv. 15-18, NLT)
“”Then Peter replied, “I see very clearly that God shows no favoritism. In every nation He accepts those who fear Him and do what is right. This is the message of Good News for the people of Israel – that there is peace with God through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. You know what happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee, after John began to preach his message of baptism. And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.”” (Acts 10: vv. 34-38, NLT)
“Even as Peter was saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those were were listening to the message. The Jewish believers who came with Peter were amazed that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles, too. For they heard them speaking in other tongues, praising God. (Acts 10: vv 44-46, NLT)
“”Where is the path to the source of light? Where is the home of the east wind? Who created a channel for the torrents of rain? Who laid out the path of the lightning?
Who makes the rain fall on barren land, in a desert where no one lives? Who sends the rain to satisfy the parched ground and make the tender grass spring up?
Does the rain have a father? Who gives birth to the dew? Who is the mother of ice? Who gives birth to the frost from the heavens? For the water turns as hard as a rock, and the surface of the water freezes.
Can you direct the movement of the stars – binding the cluster of the Pleiades or loosening the cords of Orion? Can you direct the sequence of seasons or guide the Bear with her cubs across the heavens? Do you know the laws of the universe? Can you use them to regulate the earth?
Can you shout to the clouds and make it rain? Can you make lightning appear and cause it to strike as you direct? Who gives intuition to the heart and instinct to the mind? And who is wise enough to count all the clouds? Who can tilt the water jars of heaven when the parched ground is dry and the soil has hardened into clods? “” (Job 38: vv. 24-38, NLT)
“But believers who were scattered preached the Good News about Jesus wherever they went. Phillip, for example, went to the city of Samaria and told the people about the Messiah. Crowds listened intently to Phillip because they were eager to hear his message and see the miraculous signs he did. Many evil spirits were cast out, screaming as they left their victims. And many who had been paralyzed or lame were healed. So there was great joy in that city.”
“Saul was one of the witnesses, and he agreed completely with the killing of Stephen.
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. (Some of the devout men came and buried Stephen with great muring). But Saul was going everywhere to destroy the church. He went from house to house, dragging out both men and women to throw them into prison.” (Acts 8: vv. 1-3, NLT)
“Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed amazing miracles and signs among the people. But one day some men from the Synagogue of Freed Slaves, as it was called, started a debate with him. ……None of them could stand against the wisdom and the Spirit with which Stephen spoke.” (Acts 6: vv 8-9a, 10, NLT)
“”The lying witnesses said, “This man is always speaking agains the holy Temple and against the law of Moses. we have heard him say that the Jesus of Nazareth will destroy the Temple and change the customs Moses handed down to us.”
At this point, everyone in the high counsel stared at Stephen, because his face was as bright as an angel’s.”” (Acts 6, vv. 12-15, NLT)
“”You stubborn people! You are heathen at heart and deaf to the truth. Must you forever resist the Holy Spirit? That’s what your ancestors did, and so do you! Name one prophet your ancestors didn’t persecute! They even killed the ones who predicted the coming of the Righteous One – the Messiah whom you betrayed and murdered. You deliberately disobeyed God’s law, even though you received it from angels.”
The Jewish leaders were infuriated by Stephen’s accusation, and they shook their fists at him in rage. But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed steadily into heaven and saw the glory of God, and he saw Jesus standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand. And he told them, “Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man is standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand.!”
They put their hands over their ears and began shouting. They rushed at him and dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. His accusers took off their coats and lad them at the feet of a young man named Saul.
As they stoned him, Stephen prayed, “Lord, Jesus , receive my spirit.” He fell to his knees, shouting, “Lord, Don’t charge them with this sin!” And with that, he died.”” (Acts 7, vv. 51-59, NLT)
