November 19, 2009

Acts 13:4-14:28

4 So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia and from there they sailed to Cyprus.5 When they reached Salamis, they began to proclaim the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews; and they also had John as their helper.6 When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they found a magician, a Jewish false prophet whose name was Bar-Jesus,7 who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence. This man summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God.8 But Elymas the magician (for so his name is translated) was opposing them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith.9 But Saul, who was also known as Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, fixed his gaze on him,10 and said, “You who are full of all deceit and fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease to make crooked the straight ways of the Lord?11 “Now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and not see the sun for a time.” And immediately a mist and a darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking those who would lead him by the hand.
12 Then the proconsul believed when he saw what had happened, being amazed at the teaching of the Lord.
13 Now Paul and his companions put out to sea from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia; but John left them and returned to Jerusalem.14 But going on from Perga, they arrived at Pisidian Antioch, and on the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down.15 After the reading of the Law and the Prophets the synagogue officials sent to them, saying, “Brethren, if you have any word of exhortation for the people, say it.”
16 Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said,
“Men of Israel, and you who fear God, listen:17 “The God of this people Israel chose our fathers and made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with an uplifted arm He led them out from it.18 “For a period of about forty years He put up with them in the wilderness.19 “When He had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, He distributed their land as an inheritance-- all of which took about four hundred and fifty years.20 “After these things He gave them judges until Samuel the prophet.21 “Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years.22 “After He had removed him, He raised up David to be their king, concerning whom He also testified and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My heart , who will do all My will.’23 “From the descendants of this man, according to promise, God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus,24 after John had proclaimed before His coming a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.
25 “And while John was completing his course, he kept saying, ‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not He. But behold, one is coming after me the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.’
26 “Brethren, sons of Abraham’s family, and those among you who fear God, to us the message of this salvation has been sent.27 “For those who live in Jerusalem, and their rulers, recognizing neither Him nor the utterances of the prophets which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled these by condemning Him. 28 “And though they found no ground for putting Him to death, they asked Pilate that He be executed.29 “When they had carried out all that was written concerning Him, they took Him down from the cross and laid Him in a tomb.30 “But God raised Him from the dead;31 and for many days He appeared to those who came up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, the very ones who are now His witnesses to the people.32 “And we preach to you the good news of the promise made to the fathers,33 that God has fulfilled this promise to our children in that He raised up Jesus, as it is also written in the second Psalm, ‘You are My Son ; today i have begotten You .’34 “ As for the fact that He raised Him up from the dead, no longer to return to decay, He has spoken in this way: ‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David .’35 “Therefore He also says in another Psalm, ‘You will not allow Your Holy One to undergo decay .’36 “For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep, and was laid among his fathers and underwent decay;37 but He whom God raised did not undergo decay.38 “Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through Him forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you,39 and through Him everyone who believes is freed from all things, from which you could not be freed through the Law of Moses.40 “Therefore take heed, so that the thing spoken of in the Prophets may not come upon you:
41
‘Behold , you scoffers , and marvel , and perish ;
For I am accomplishing a work in your days ,
A work which you will never believe , though someone should describe it to you .’”
42 As Paul and Barnabas were going out, the people kept begging that these things might be spoken to them the next Sabbath.
43 Now when the meeting of the synagogue had broken up, many of the Jews and of the God-fearing proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who, speaking to them, were urging them to continue in the grace of God.
44 The next Sabbath nearly the whole city assembled to hear the word of the Lord.45 But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began contradicting the things spoken by Paul, and were blaspheming.46 Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first; since you repudiate it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles.
47 “For so the Lord has commanded us,
‘I have placed You as a light for the Gentiles ,
That You may bring salvation to the end of the earth .’”
48 When the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord; and as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.49 And the word of the Lord was being spread through the whole region.50 But the Jews incited the devout women of prominence and the leading men of the city, and instigated a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their district.51 But they shook off the dust of their feet in protest against them and went to Iconium.52 And the disciples were continually filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

Acts 14

1 In Iconium they entered the synagogue of the Jews together, and spoke in such a manner that a large number of people believed, both of Jews and of Greeks.2 But the Jews who disbelieved stirred up the minds of the Gentiles and embittered them against the brethren.3 Therefore they spent a long time there speaking boldly with reliance upon the Lord, who was testifying to the word of His grace, granting that signs and wonders be done by their hands.4 But the people of the city were divided; and some sided with the Jews, and some with the apostles.5 And when an attempt was made by both the Gentiles and the Jews with their rulers, to mistreat and to stone them,6 they became aware of it and fled to the cities of Lycaonia, Lystra and Derbe, and the surrounding region;
7 and there they continued to preach the gospel.
8 At Lystra a man was sitting who had no strength in his feet, lame from his mother’s womb, who had never walked.9 This man was listening to Paul as he spoke, who, when he had fixed his gaze on him and had seen that he had faith to be made well,10 said with a loud voice, “Stand upright on your feet.” And he leaped up and began to walk.11 When the crowds saw what Paul had done, they raised their voice, saying in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have become like men and have come down to us.”12 And they began calling Barnabas, Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker.13 The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates, and wanted to offer sacrifice with the crowds.14 But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it, they tore their robes and rushed out into the crowd, crying out15 and saying, “Men, why are you doing these things? We are also men of the same nature as you, and preach the gospel to you that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them .16 “In the generations gone by He permitted all the nations to go their own ways;17 and yet He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good and gave you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.”
18 Even saying these things, with difficulty they restrained the crowds from offering sacrifice to them.
19 But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having won over the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be dead.20 But while the disciples stood around him, he got up and entered the city. The next day he went away with Barnabas to Derbe.21 After they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch,22 strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying, “Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.”
23 When they had appointed elders for them in every church, having prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed.
24 They passed through Pisidia and came into Pamphylia.25 When they had spoken the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia.26 From there they sailed to Antioch, from which they had been commended to the grace of God for the work that they had accomplished.27 When they had arrived and gathered the church together, they began to report all things that God had done with them and how He had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles.28 And they spent a long time with the disciples.