1 - While Peter and John were speaking to the people, they were confronted by the priests, the captain of the Temple guard, and some of the party of the Sadducees. 2 These leaders were very disturbed that Peter and John were teaching the people that through Jesus there is a resurrection of the dead. 3 They seized Peter and John and because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day. 4 But many who heard the message believed, so the number who believed grew to about five thousand. 5 On the next day the leaders and elders and scribes (lawyers) gathered together in Jerusalem. 6 Annas the high priest was there, along with Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. 7 They had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them: “By what power or what name do you do this?” 8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Leaders and elders of the people! 9 Are we being questioned today because we’ve done a good deed for a crippled man? Do you want to know how he was healed? 10 Let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that he was healed by the powerful name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, the man you crucified! But God raised him from the dead. 11 For Jesus is the one referred to in the Scriptures, where it says, ‘The stone that you builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.’ 12 There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.” 13 When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. 14 And there was nothing they could say, because they saw the man who had been healed, standing there with Peter and John. 15 So they ordered them to leave the council and conferred together. 16 “What should we do with these men?” they asked each other. “We can’t deny that they have performed a miraculous sign, and everybody in Jerusalem knows it. 17 But in order that it may spread no further among the people, let us threaten them, not to speak any more to anyone in this name.” 18 So they called them back in and told them that under no condition were they to speak or to teach in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John replied, “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to listen to you or to listen to God. 20 For we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.” 21 The council then threatened them further, but they finally let them go because they didn’t know how to punish them without starting a riot, for all were praising God for what had happened — 22 because of this miraculous sign, the healing of a man who had been lame for more than forty years.
Very Brief Outline of Acts:
Jesus returns to where he was with the Father before his advent/visit (his brief first one).
The Holy Spirit/Presence of God is poured out on the believers who were in Jerusalem on the late Spring holy day of Pentecost. Peter speaks, there are 3000 new believers that day.
The good news message spreads, Peter is invited and goes to a Roman’s house and all believe. The first record of non Hebrew believers (besides likely some on Pentecost).
Persecution breaks out.. jail. stoning. Pharisee Saul leads the persecution, but on his way to Damascus with papers for arrests, Jesus makes himself seen but is so bright Paul falls to the ground and is blinded. After two days he is healed and is a believer, and soon is called Paul. He wrote many (to most) of the New Testament letters, but spent a few years (it seems to me) exclusively listening to the Lord. He established many ‘churches’ in what’s called three missionary journeys, and met and worked with Mark and Luke, and quite a few others. (Luke wrote this Book of Acts.) His fourth journey is to Rome to trial as a prisoner. There’s a shipwreck on the way.. He wrote many of his letters while in prison and under ‘house’ arrest.
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