34 Then Peter said, “Now I am certain that God treats all alike”. 35 And whoever respects God and does what is right is welcomed by him in every nation. (All the beautiful ethnicities/branches of the human family.) 36 You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. 37 You know what happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee, after John [the baptist and baptizer] began preaching his message of baptism. 38 And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. And he went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. 39 And we apostles are witnesses of all he did throughout Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a cross, 40 but God raised Him on the third day and caused Him to be plainly seen, 41 not to the general public, but to us whom God had chosen in advance to be his witnesses. We were those who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 And he ordered us to preach everywhere and to testify that Jesus is the one appointed by God to be the judge of all, of both the living and the dead. 43 Of him do all the prophets testify, that through his name every one that is believing in him, receives liberty of, and from sins.' (Which word is “hamartia” - “missing the mark”. As opposed to God who iS life, and “is perfect” (Mt.5:48). Jesus is called the “first”/proto. He is God’s prototype. God is writing his law/way on every heart and mind. He calls it “sealing” them. The Holy Spirit in us crying “Abba, Father!” is his stamp/seal of approval and ownership. And right now (?) we are at Rev.7:1,3 during 9,4. But what the pause is veiled by the seals being described as their entire effects, first to last. Not just their first. But don’t panic if the pause is interrupted, it’s not yet the more crucial times.. I could of course, be wrong, however. Never forget, God speaking his word to us, is the truth, or that is, that’s when we understand it as the Truth it is.)
44 Even as Peter was saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who were listening to the message, 45 and the Hebrew believers who came with Peter were amazed that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles. 46 For they heard them speaking in strange tongues and praising God's greatness. Then Peter said, 47 “Can anyone object to their being baptized, now that they have received the Holy Spirit just as we did?” 48 So he gave instructions for them to be baptized in the name of Jesus. Afterward they asked him to stay with them for several days.
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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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