Chapter 38 Acts 1

"Acts" Re-election of the Twelve Apostles After Jesus was victimized, in the full forty days, he used many evidences to show himself to the apostles vividly, and told the apostles the truth of the kingdom of heaven.The apostles asked, "Lord, will you restore the kingdom of Israel at this time?" Jesus charged them, "It is not for you to know the times and dates that the Father has set by his own authority. But when the Holy Spirit comes on you, You will receive power, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." After saying this, a cloud took him up into the sky.

The apostles Peter, John, James, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, James (son of Alphaeus), Simon (Zenalist), Judas (brother James) from Olive set off from the city and went to Jerusalem to complete the mission entrusted by Jesus.In a building in the city, 120 people, including the apostles, Jesus' mother Mary, and Jesus' brothers, gathered together. They prayed earnestly with one heart and soul. At this time, Peter stood up and said, "Brothers, the Holy Spirit spoke through the mouth of David. Judas, who was prophesied in the Bible, who led people to arrest Jesus, must be fulfilled. Judas was originally listed among us, and he also got the office of an apostle. But after he had done evil, he bought a field with the money he had obtained from the betrayal of the Lord, and in this field he fell on the ground, and died with his heart, liver, and lungs burst. All the people who lived in Jerusalem Knowing this, they named that field Azodama, which means Field of Blood in the local language. As it is said in the Psalm: May his dwelling be desolate, and no one shall dwell in it., and He said, "May someone else take his place. Therefore, I must choose an apostle from among those who are always with us, and we will bear the testimony of Jesus' resurrection with us." So, after being elected by all the people, Baboba was elected. Joseph and Matthias, who were also called Justus, were two candidates. They prayed: "Lord, you know the hearts of all people. Please show me who you have chosen from these two people, and call him Receive the office of apostle. Judas has lost this office, and has gone to his own place." After praying, the crowd cast lots and cast out Matthias.

From then on, Matthias was listed as an apostle together with Peter and 11 others. When the day of Pentecost came, the disciples gathered together again. Suddenly, a voice from heaven roared down, like a gust of wind blowing, shaking the room where the disciples were meeting, and tongue-shaped flames appeared and scattered on everyone. on the head.All the people in the seat were filled with the Holy Spirit, and they began to speak foreign languages ​​according to the language ability given by the Holy Spirit. At that time, many Jews from all over the world lived in that Jerusalem.They came out in response, and seeing the disciples speaking in the native dialect of the crowd, they were very puzzled, and they all said in amazement, "Look, isn't this speaker from Galilee? We people from all over the world, how did we hear that?" Are they speaking our tongues? We Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and those who live in Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadomum, Pontus, Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia , Egyptians, and those from Lybia near Cyrene, and travelers from Rome, whether from Judah or Judaizers, from Crete and Arabs, heard that the disciples of Jesus used Our tongues speak of the power of God." The people were amazed and suspicious, and asked each other, "What is going on?" Others mocked, "They are nothing but drunk with new wine." Peter He stood up with the 11 apostles and said in a loud voice, "Jews and all who live in Jerusalem, you should know this, and listen carefully to our words. You think we are drunk, but we are not. No drinking, because the sun has just risen now. The reason for this is that, as the prophet Joel said, God foretold that in the days to come, I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and daughters will prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, and your old age shall dream dreams. In those days I will pour out my Spirit on my servants and handmaidens, that they may prophesy, and in heaven I will show wonders, Under the earth I will show signs: there will be blood, fire, and smoke, the sun will be turned into darkness, and the moon will be turned into blood. All this will be at the second coming of the Lord. Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved O Israel, listen to my words: You know that God has proved Jesus of Nazareth by the miracles, wonders, and miracles he performed among you. In dealing with people, you crucified him by the hands of lawless people. God has explained the pain of his death and resurrected him. Because Jesus was not stumped by death. Our patriarch David said: I saw the Lord always before me, and he was at my right hand, so that I would not be moved. So my heart was filled with joy., Brethren, the patriarch David died and was buried, and he His tomb is still with us today. David was a prophet. He knew that God had sworn to him to choose a leader from among his descendants. David had foretold the resurrection of Jesus. We can also pray for Jesus The resurrection bears witness. The entire nation of Israel should know for certain that God has made him Lord and Christ, the Jesus whom you crucified."

When the crowd heard Peter's words, they were deeply saddened, and they asked Peter and the rest of the apostles, "What shall we do, brothers?" Peter said.Then call each of you to repentance and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, so that you may receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, for the Lord is the one who promised the Holy Spirit to you and to your children. "Peter also testified with many words, exhorting the people, saying, "Save yourselves from this crooked generation. " At that moment, many people who accepted Peter's teaching received baptism.During that day, the number of disciples of Jesus Christ increased by about 3,000, and they all persevered in adhering to the teachings of the apostles, fellowshipping with each other, breaking bread, and praying.They gathered in one place, shared everything, and sold their land and family possessions, taking only a small part of what they needed. They broke bread and ate their meals in the temple and at home with one accord every day, and praised God joyfully.Believers multiplied day by day, (Acts, 2)

Peter works miracles One night during prayer, Peter and John went to the temple.Outside the gate of the temple, they saw a lame man begging for alms from those who entered the temple.Peter and John watched him carefully, and Peter said, "Look at us." The man looked at Peter and John carefully, hoping to get something.Peter said again, "I have neither gold nor silver. I can only give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, I tell you to stand up and walk." After all, he took his right hand and helped him up, and the disabled's feet and ankle bones became stronger immediately.He jumped up, stood still, walked, and entered the temple with Peter and the others. He walked and danced, praising God incessantly.All the people recognized him as the handicapped man who usually sat begging in front of the temple, but now he was walking like flying, full of wonder and amazement.

Peter said to the people, "Men of Israel, why are you astonished at this and why are you staring at us? Do you think we made this disabled man walk by our own ability? We believed in Jesus In the name of Jesus Christ, it was the faith given by Jesus Christ that restored this man to health before you." When the apostles were speaking to the people, the priests, temple guards, and Sadducees all came suddenly. They were very angry when they heard the apostles teaching the people and proclaiming the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and arrested the believers on the spot.Because it was getting late, they had to be detained until the next day.

The next day, the officials, the elders, and the scribes were assembled in Jerusalem, and the high priest Annas and Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and the relatives of the high priest were present. They escorted the apostles to the venue and interrogated them, saying: "By what power have you done these things, and in whose name?" Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, "O rulers and elders who rule over the people, if because we heal the disabled, ask why we do good , then all of you and the people of Israel, know that this man who stands before you is healed in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the stone which you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone , there is salvation in no one but him, for there is no one else under heaven who can save men."

The officials, elders, and scribes were amazed to see that Peter and John were uneducated philistines, but now they were so righteous in theory. They believed that they had followed Jesus. Together, there is really nothing to refute.So they ordered the apostles to be taken down, and they discussed among themselves, "What shall we do with these two men? They performed an obvious miracle, and everyone who lives in Jerusalem knows about it. We can't say that there was no such thing." It’s just that it’s not good if it spreads. We have to scare them and stop preaching in the name of Jesus.” Immediately, they called the apostles to the church and forbade them to preach and teach people in the name of Jesus.Peter and John said: "It is reasonable before God to listen to you and not to God. You can judge for yourself. We have to say what we have seen and heard." Unable to think of a way to punish them, he threatened them again and let them go.

Both were released.So he came to the members of the church and told them what the priests and elders had said. After hearing this, everyone prayed loudly to God with one voice: "O God! You are the God who created the heavens and the earth. From your servant, our ancestor David, say: Why do the Gentiles quarrel, and why do all the peoples pursue vain goals? The kings and rulers of the world will unite against the Lord and His anointed Christ. Now hope The law and Pontius Pilate, the Gentiles and the Israelites are all gathered in this city to attack your anointed holy servant Jesus. They are threatening us, now ask the Lord to watch, on the one hand, ask the Lord to make your servant Be more courageous, and be able to preach with confidence and boldness. On the one hand, I ask you to stretch out your hand to heal the sick, and to cause signs and wonders to be done in the name of your holy servant Jesus." After the prayer, the place where the meeting took place Shocked, everyone was filled with the Holy Spirit, boldly preaching the word of God.

Believers in the church did not divide their property among themselves. Everyone sold their land and houses and put the money at the feet of the apostles, who distributed it according to their needs. A man named Ananias and his wife Sapphira also sold their property, kept some of the money for themselves, and laid the rest at the feet of the apostles.Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit? You are not lying. You are lying to God. "When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. Some of the young men wrapped up the body and carried it out for burial.

About three hours later, Ananias' wife came in, unaware of what had just happened.Peter said to her, "Tell me, is that all you get for selling your fields?" The woman replied, "That's all." Peter said, "Why do you come to test the Spirit of the Lord like your husband? Those who buried your husband will return soon, and they will carry you out too." While speaking, The woman really fell at Peter's feet and died.The young men went up to the door and saw that the woman was dead.And he carried her out again, and buried her beside her husband. All the believers in the church and those who heard about it were terrified. Through the hands of the apostles, God performed many miracles in the world.More and more people were converted to the Lord, and some people even carried the sick to the street, hoping that Peter would heal them when he came over. Even if he did not heal, the patient would recover if Peter's shadow shone on him.The news spread from ten to hundreds, and the cities around Jerusalem came here carrying sick people, and all the sick people were healed by Peter. The high priest and his party, the Sadducees, filled with envy, seized the apostles and put them in prison. In the middle of the night, the angel of God came and opened the prison door and led the apostles out. The angel said, "Go and stand in the temple and tell the people all the words of this life." The apostles accepted the angel's instruction, Go into the temple at dawn and teach the people.The high priest and his party came, called together the Sanhedrin and all the elders of the Israelites, and sent to the prison to bring the apostles to trial.The guard came to the prison, but there was no sign of the apostles, so he hurried back and reported: "We saw that the prison door was tightly shut, and the guards were doing their best, but when the prison door was opened, there was no one inside." When the priests and the chief priests heard this, they were troubled, and at that moment a man came and reported, "You men who were in prison are standing in the temple teaching the people." Immediately, the temple guards and guards rushed to the temple to arrest the apostles, because they were afraid that the people would rebel, so they did not dare to use violence.The apostles obeyed and followed them to the Sanhedrin, and the high priest asked them, "Didn't we strictly forbid you to preach in the name of Jesus, but you spread your teachings so that all Jerusalem knew it? blood on us?" Peter and the apostles replied, "It is right to obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers has raised up Jesus, whom you killed on the gallows, with His right hand. Lift him up as King and Savior of the world, and give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel, of which we are witnesses." When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were very angry and wanted to kill the envoy.But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law respected by the people, stood up from his seat, ordered the people to take the apostle outside for a while, and said to the crowd, "Men of Israel, speaking of this A few people, you should be cautious. In the past, there were four hundred people who followed him when he made a big fuss and was arrogant. After he was killed, his followers scattered like wild animals. , After he perished, the people who followed him scattered. Now, I advise you to leave these people alone and let them go. If their actions are instigated by others, they will be destroyed one day. But if what they do is from God, you cannot corrupt them. If you just blame them, you may commit the crime of attacking God." The people in the Sanhedrin listened to Gamaliel and called the apostles out , beat them up, told them not to preach in the name of Jesus, and released them. The apostles left the Sanhedrin with joy in their hearts, because they were insulted for the Lord, and they continued to teach people and preach the way of Jesus Christ every day in the temple and at home. (Acts 3-5) Stephen and Saul At that time, as the number of disciples increased, Greek-speaking Jews came to complain to the Hebrews that their widows had been neglected in their daily meals.The Twelve Apostles then called all the disciples and said to them, "We should not have delayed our preaching in order to take care of the meals. Therefore, seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit, and resourceful should be selected from among you. Take care of meals." Everyone was very happy with this order, and they elected Stephen and Philip, Procholos, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, who had great faith and were filled with the Holy Spirit, and others who had entered Judaism. Nicolas of Antioch.after the election. The seven stood before the apostles, and the apostles prayed for them and laid their hands on them so that they might receive the Holy Spirit. The word of God prospered, and the number of disciples in that Jerusalem increased a lot, and many priests believed in the word of God. Stephen was a man who had great faith and received the Holy Spirit. He performed many wonders and miracles among the people.Some from the synagogue of Reberdina, who hated him, and some from the synagogues of Cyrene, Alexandria, Cilicia, and Asia Minor rose up and besieged Stephen.Stephen argued with wisdom and the Holy Spirit, and everyone couldn't resist.Those people who were poor at reasoning spent money to bribe a few people to frame Stephen.These bribed people spread rumors and said, "We heard Stephen slandering Moses and God." They incited the people, elders, and scribes, and suddenly arrested Stephen and brought him to the Sanhedrin.In the synagogue, the false witnesses said, "This man speaks incessantly against the sanctuary and the law. We have heard him say, This Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place, and will change the law which was handed down from our father Moses." David The priest asked, "Is this true?" Stephen replied, "Fathers and brothers, listen to this. Before our father Abraham lived in Haran in Mesopotamia, the God of glory appeared to him and said to him: Leave your country and your kindred and go to the place I will show you. So Abraham left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. After his father died, God moved him to the land of Canaan.Here, he has no property, not even a place to stand.But God said: His descendants will live in foreign countries, and the people there will call them slaves, and they will be oppressed for four hundred years.God said again: The country that made them slaves will be punished by me.Afterwards they will leave and come to serve me in the land of Canaan.God gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision.So Abraham begat Isaac.Isaac gave birth to Jacob, and Jacob gave birth to 12 ancestors. The ancestors were jealous of Joseph and sold him to Egypt. However, God was with him and rescued him from all sufferings, and made him get a blessing in front of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. Grace, made Egypt's prime minister.Later, there was a famine in Egypt and Canaan, and our ancestors ran out of food. Jacob sent our ancestors to Egypt to borrow. The brothers recognized each other when they went to borrow food for the second time, so Joseph sent his brothers to invite his father Jacob and 75 members of his family to live in Egypt.Jacob and our 12 ancestors lived in Egypt until they died.Later, the Israelites prospered in Egypt until a new king who did not know Joseph rose up and persecuted our family, telling them to discard their babies and not allow male babies to live.At that time, Moses was born and was very handsome. He was raised by his father's house for three months and had to be abandoned. Fortunately, Pharaoh's daughter picked him up and raised him as his own son.Moses learned all the knowledge of the Egyptians, and he was very talented in speech and deeds. "When Moses was nearly forty years old, he went to visit his brethren in Israel. There he saw an Israelite being oppressed by an Egyptian, and he killed the Egyptian. He thought his brethren would understand that this was God was delivering them by his hand, but his brethren couldn't see why." "The next day, when Moses saw two Israelites fighting, he persuaded them to make peace, and said to them kindly, "You two are brothers. Why do you bully each other?" The man who bullied his brother pushed him away and said, "Who made You come to be our leader and judge?Are you going to kill me, as you killed the Egyptian yesterday? "Moses fled to Midian when he saw that he intended to expose that he had killed the Egyptian. There he bore two sons, and 40 years later, in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, an angel appeared to Moses from a burning bush.When Moses saw the vision, he was amazed. As he was going to look at it, the voice of God said, "I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob."Moses trembled and dared not watch. "Again God said to Moses, Take off your sandals, for the place on which you stand is holy. I have seen the suffering of my people in Egypt; I have heard their groaning and groaning .I command you to go to Egypt and get them out." "This Moses, rejected by his brethren, God sent him to be prince by the hand that appeared in the bush. "Moses received the oracle, and went to lead the people out of Egypt, across the Red Sea, and performed many wonders and miracles during the 40 years. "In a difficult environment, our ancestors refused to follow Moses' guidance and wanted to go back to Egypt, so they made a golden calf to worship. God no longer favored the Israelites, and let them live in the wilderness for 40 years year. "Moses made the ark and the tabernacle according to God's will, and was inherited by Joshua. Until King David prepared the tabernacle and dwelling place, and King Solomon built the temple. As the prophet said: "God said: The sky is mine The seat and the ground are my footstools. What kind of temple do you want to build for me to be so grand? I built my temple.You who stiff-necked and resisted the Holy Spirit, which prophet will not be persecuted by you!Now you are going to betray and kill the righteous man, and you have received the law of the angels, and you have not kept it. "When the members of the Sanhedrin heard Stephen's words, they were extremely angry, and they gritted their teeth and lashed out at Stephen. But Stephen was filled with the Holy Spirit, looked up to the sky, saw the glory of God, and saw Jesus standing on the ground of God. On the right side, he announced in a loud voice, "I saw the heavens opened, and the Son of Man stood at the right hand of God. " The crowd shouted loudly, covered their ears, and rushed forward, pushed Stephen out of the city, and threw stones at him.Those who gave false testimony also handed over their clothes to Saul, a young bystander, in order to participate in the beating of Stephen. Just as the crowd was throwing stones at Stephen, Stephen appealed to the Lord, "Please Lord Jesus, receive my soul!" Then he knelt down and shouted, "Lord, don't blame them for this sin." After saying this, he closed his eyes and fell asleep. Saul, who was on the sidelines, rejoiced that Stephen had been killed. From the day Stephen died, the church in Jerusalem was persecuted.Except for the apostles, the other disciples were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. Some pious people buried Stephen and wept for him; but the young Saul who saw Stephen beating to death with his own eyes participated in the destruction of the church, and he went to every house.To arrest believers and put them in prison.He also went to the high priest and asked for a letter to be sent to the synagogues in Damascus: If any believers were found, regardless of gender, he was allowed to bind them and take them back to Jerusalem. Taking the high priest's letter, Saul set off for Damascus.When he was approaching Damascus, suddenly a ray of light came out from the sky and surrounded him.Saul fell to the ground, and heard a voice say to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" Saul asked, "Who are you?" "I am Jesus you are persecuting. Get up and go into the city! Someone will show you what you should do." Those who were traveling with Saul stood there speechless in astonishment.They all heard voices, but they couldn't see anyone. Saul got up from the ground and opened his eyes, but he couldn't see anything. The companions led the blind Saul to Damascus. For three full days, Saul could not see anything, neither ate nor drank. In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias, and the Lord said to him in a vision: "Ananias, get up, go into the street, and visit a man of Tarsus at the house of Judah, who called Saul, praying now." Ananias answered, "Lord, I have heard many people say that this Saul is a heinous man, that he persecutes your saints in Jerusalem, and that he has come here to obtain a privilege from the chief priests, to bind all who call upon your name." people." The Lord Jesus said to Ananias: "Just go, he is my chosen vessel, and I will use him to declare my name before the Gentiles and kings and before the Israelites. I will also show him that for my name, he must suffer much." Hearing the instruction of the Lord Jesus, Ananias went to the house where Saul lived, laid his hands on Saul, and said, "Brother Saul, the Lord who appeared to you on the way you came is Jesus. He Command me to come and restore your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit." There seemed to be scales covering Saul's eyes, and they fell off one after another, and Saul regained his sight.So Saul was baptized, had enough food and drink, and became healthy. Saul lived with the disciples in Damascus for a while, and then went to preach Jesus in the synagogues, saying that Jesus was the Son of God.Everyone who heard it was amazed and said, "Isn't this the one who persecuted the disciples of Jesus in Jerusalem? He also came here to bind the disciples and ask for credit from the chief priests." But no matter what everyone said, Saul became more and more powerful, constantly refuting the Jews living in Damascus and proving that Jesus is the Christ. After some time, the Jews conspired to kill Saul.Saul saw through their plot, and the frantic Jews waited at the city gate day and night to kill Saul, and Saul's disciples sent Saul out of the city in a basket at night. Saul, who escaped from Damascus, came to Jerusalem and wanted to get in touch with the disciples here.However, due to his bad reputation in the past, the disciples here feared him and did not believe that he would follow the Lord.Only one disciple named Barnabas received him and led him to the apostles. How Saul saw the Lord Jesus on the road, how the Lord Jesus spoke to him, and how he preached in the name of Jesus in Damascus, etc.Tell it out, and obtained the approval of the apostles. From then on.Saul had a close relationship with the disciples in Jerusalem and once again preached in the name of the Lord Jesus.He often argued with the Greek-speaking Jews, and those people couldn't argue with him, so they plotted to murder him. When the disciples learned of this, they escorted him to Caesarea, and bade him go on from there to Tarsus. (Acts 6-9) Peter preaches to the Gentiles At that time, the churches in Judea, Galilee, and Samaria were peaceful, and the number of believers was increasing day by day. The apostle Peter was preaching everywhere, and when he came to the saints living in Lydda, he met a paralyzed man named Aeneas, who had been lying paralyzed on a mattress for eight years.Peter said to him, "Aeneas Jesus Christ has healed you; get up! Make your bed." The paralyzed man miraculously stood up.He excitedly went to spread the word, and everyone who lived in Lydda and Shacang saw him.Inspired by this miracle, they all surrendered to the Lord. In a place not far from Lydda called Joppa, a female disciple named Tabitha fell ill and died.During her lifetime, she did many good deeds and gave a lot of charity.People washed her clean. They parked upstairs, and sent two men to Lydda to find Peter, begging Peter to save the life of this female saint.Immediately Peter came there, knelt down to pray, and turned to the dead man. "Big Big, get up!" Dabita really opened his eyes, saw Peter, and sat up hastily.Peter stretched out his hand to help her stand up, called the saints to come in, and handed them a fresh Tabitha. This matter spread like the wind throughout Joppa.For this reason, many people believed in religion. In Caesarea there was an Italian centurion named Cornelius. He was devout, God-fearing, and often gave to the people.One evening, in a vision, he saw an angel of God speaking to him. "Cornelius, your prayer and your alms have come before God, and have been accepted by God. Now send quickly to Joppa, and call for Simon, who is called Peter, who lives in a town near the sea. The house of Simon the cobbler." Immediately Cornelius called his two families and a soldier who was usually devout to the Lord, told them the matter briefly, and sent them off to Joppa. At noon the next day, Peter was praying on the roof. He felt a little hungry and wanted to come down to eat. When Simon’s house was preparing the meal, Peter was in a trance. He saw the gate of heaven opened, and something fell from the sky. A large piece of cloth, tied at the four corners, is let down on the ground, and inside it are all kinds of animals and insects on the ground, as well as birds in the sky.And a voice said to him, "Get up, Peter, and kill them and eat them." But Peter said, "Lord, it is against the law. I have never eaten anything common or unclean." A second voice came again: "What God has cleansed, you shall not call common." After doing this again and again, the cloth was immediately taken back to the sky. Peter was full of doubts and didn't know what the vision meant. The men sent by Cornelius had visited the door and were shouting outside, "Is there a Simon called Peter living here?" Peter went down, met them and said, "I am the one you are looking for." The man who came said: "The centurion Cornelius is a righteous man. His God-fearing spirit is praised by the whole country of Judea. He was instructed by an angel to invite us to his house so that he can receive your instruction. " Peter accepted the invitation and came to Caesarea.Cornelius had invited relatives and friends to wait here.As soon as Peter entered, Cornelius came up to meet him, fell at his feet and worshiped him. "Get up and worship God instead of man." Peter continued to say to everyone: "You know that it is against the rules of the ancestors for the Jews to associate with people from other countries, but now God has shown me that no matter who It cannot be discriminated against, so as soon as you invite me, I will come without hesitation. Now, I would like to ask you, what are your requirements for inviting me?" Cornelius said, "I was led by the Holy Spirit to invite you. Now we are brothers in the Lord, and we want to hear all that the Lord has commanded you and taught us." "God really does not discriminate against anyone. It turns out that those who fear the Lord and do righteousness among the people of all nations are welcomed by God." Peter said with emotion. "God gave the word of peace to the Israelites through the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and we are witnesses of all that Jesus Christ did in the Jewish settlements and in Jerusalem. But the Jews betrayed the Lord Jesus and hanged him on the cross.Jesus was resurrected on the third day after his death, not to all people, but to those who were pre-selected by God. Whoever believes in him will receive forgiveness of sins through his name. " As Peter spoke these words, the Holy Spirit came upon all who heard the word.Peter also commanded these Gentiles to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.This was the first time the word of Jesus was preached among the Gentiles. Those disciples who were scattered and fled because of Stephen’s case fled to Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch. Although they still only preached among the Jews, some of the people who heard the word were Cyprus Cyrene and the Greeks, so many believed in the Lord.Word of this reached the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to find out.Barnabas saw churches flourish everywhere.Affirmed their practice of preaching to Gentiles.For this reason, many people converted to the Lord. Barnabas went to Tarsus to find Saul, and preached with him in Antioch for a full year.The disciples of Jesus were called Christians from Antioch. At that time, King Herod ordered the persecution of Christians. He killed John's brother James, and in order to further curry favor with the Jews, he went around hunting down Peter.On the Feast of Unleavened Bread, Peter was finally arrested and put in prison, guarded daily by four squads of soldiers, each squad of four men.Herod prepares to have Peter executed after the Passover. On the night before Passover, Peter was chained with two chains and fell asleep between two soldiers, with guards outside the door. Suddenly, an angel stood in the prison, and a light shone in the cell.The angel patted Peter on the shoulder and woke him up: "Get up quickly." The iron chain fell off his hand in response. "Put on your shoes, put on your clothes, and follow me." Peter followed the angel's command and did not think it was a real thing, but just saw a vision.Leaving the cells one by one until the prison gate facing the street opened automatically.Peter followed the angel to the safe street, and the angel left him. At this time, Peter believed and said, "Now I really know that the Lord sent his angel to rescue him from the tiger's mouth." After thinking for a while, he went to the home of Mary, the mother of Mark.He knew that many Christians were meeting and praying there. Peter knocked on the door, and a servant girl named Rhoda came out to inquire, and she heard that it was Peter.She was so happy that she didn't bother to open the door and ran to report to everyone. Everyone thought she was crazy, but the maid tried her best to argue that it was true.Everyone said, "That must be his angel." Peter kept knocking on the door, and everyone went to open the door, and they were shocked when they saw that it was really him.Peter waved his hand to tell everyone to be quiet, told the story again, and ordered James and the other brothers to be informed.So I hid it elsewhere.At dawn, the soldiers panicked. They found that Peter was missing. Herod came to mention Peter and found that he had escaped. He was so angry that he killed all the guarding soldiers. Later, Herod left Judea and moved to Caesarea.He was very angry with the people of Tire and Sidon, because there was no food in those areas, so the people asked the king's servant Blossus to ask Herod for food.On the day when the people came to intercede, Herod put on his court clothes, sat on the throne, and spoke to the people.The people shouted, "This is God's voice, not man's voice." Sirius did not give glory to God, so God's messenger immediately punished him, and dense worms flew down on him and bit him. Yes, Herod died of exhaustion. After Herod's death, the church prospered even more. (Acts 9:32-12:23)