126) JESUS CONTINUES
TO APPEAR TO HIS DISCIPLES
127) JESUS TEACHES FOR
40 DAYS BEFORE HIS ASCENSION
Acts 1:1-11
1 The former treatise have I made, O
Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,
2 Until the day in which he was taken up,
after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles
whom he had chosen:
3 To whom also he shewed himself alive after
his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and
speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:
4 And, being assembled together with them,
commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for
the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.
5 For John truly baptized with water; but
ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.
6 When they therefore were come together,
they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the
kingdom to Israel?
7 And he said unto them, It is not for you
to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own
power.
8 But ye shall receive power, after that the
Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in
Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part
of the earth.
9 And when he had spoken these things, while
they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.
10 And while they looked stedfastly toward
heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;
11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why
stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from
you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into
heaven.
128) DISCIPLES ENDOWED
WITH POWER ON DAY OF PENTACOST
Acts 2:1-47
1 And when the day of Pentecost was
fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven
as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were
sitting.
3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues
like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost,
and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
5 And there were dwelling at Jerusalem
Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.
6 Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude
came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak
in his own language.
7 And they were all amazed and marvelled,
saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans?
8 And how hear we every man in our own tongue,
wherein we were born?
9 Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and
the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus,
and Asia,
10 Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in
the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes,
11 Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak
in our tongues the wonderful works of God.
12 And they were all amazed, and were in doubt,
saying one to another, What meaneth this?
13 Others mocking said, These men are full
of new wine.
14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven,
lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that
dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:
15 For these are not drunken, as ye suppose,
seeing it is but the third hour of the day.
16 But this is that which was spoken by the
prophet Joel;
17 And it shall come to pass in the last days,
saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and
your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and
your old men shall dream dreams:
18 And on my servants and on my handmaidens
I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:
19 And I will shew wonders in heaven above,
and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:
20 The sun shall be turned into darkness,
and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord
come:
21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever
shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
22 Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus
of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and
signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also
know:
23 Him, being delivered by the determinate
counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have
crucified and slain:
24 Whom God hath raised up, having loosed
the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden
of it.
25 For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw
the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should
not be moved:
26 Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my
tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope:
27 Because thou wilt not leave my soul in
hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
28 Thou hast made known to me the ways of
life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance.
29 Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto
you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre
is with us unto this day.
30 Therefore being a prophet, and knowing
that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins,
according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;
31 He seeing this before spake of the resurrection
of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see
corruption.
32 This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof
we all are witnesses.
33 Therefore being by the right hand of God
exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost,
he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.
34 For David is not ascended into the heavens:
but he saith himself, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right
hand,
35 Until I make thy foes thy footstool.
36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know
assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified,
both Lord and Christ.
37 Now when they heard this, they were
pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles,
Men and brethren, what shall we do?
38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and
be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission
of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
39 For the promise is unto you, and to your
children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God
shall call.
40 And with many other words did he testify
and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.
41 Then they that gladly received his word
were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three
thousand souls.
42 And they continued stedfastly in
the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in
prayers.
43 And fear came upon every soul: and many
wonders and signs were done by the apostles.
44 And all that believed were together, and
had all things common;
45 And sold their possessions and goods, and
parted them to all men, as every man had need.
46 And they, continuing daily with one accord
in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat
with gladness and singleness of heart,
47 Praising God, and having favour with all
the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.
129) STEPHEN SEES CHRIST
AS HE IS KILLED BY JEWS
Acts 6:8-15
8 And Stephen, full of faith and power,
did great wonders and miracles among the people.
9 Then there arose certain of the synagogue,
which is called the synagogue of the Libertines, and Cyrenians, and Alexandrians,
and of them of Cilicia and of Asia, disputing with Stephen.
10 And they were not able to resist the wisdom
and the spirit by which he spake.
11 Then they suborned men, which said, We
have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses, and against God.
12 And they stirred up the people, and the
elders, and the scribes, and came upon him, and caught him, and brought
him to the council,
13 And set up false witnesses, which said,
This man ceaseth not to speak blasphemous words against this holy place,
and the law:
14 For we have heard him say, that this Jesus
of Nazareth shall destroy this place, and shall change the customs which
Moses delivered us.
15 And all that sat in the council, looking
stedfastly on him, saw his face as it had been the face of an angel.
Acts 7:1-2
1 Then said the high priest, Are these
things so?
2 And he said, Men, brethren, and fathers,
hearken;
Acts 7:51-60
51 Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised
in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers
did, so do ye.
52 Which of the prophets have not your fathers
persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming
of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers:
53 Who have received the law by the disposition
of angels, and have not kept it.
54 When they heard these things, they
were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth.
55 But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked
up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing
on the right hand of God,
56 And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened,
and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.
57 Then they cried out with a loud voice,
and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord,
58 And cast him out of the city, and stoned
him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose
name was Saul.
59 And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God,
and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.
60 And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud
voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this,
he fell asleep.
130) JESUS APPEARS TO
SAUL
Acts 9:1-27
1 And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings
and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest,
2 And desired of him letters to Damascus to
the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men
or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.
3 And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus:
and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:
4 And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice
saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
5 And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the
Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick
against the pricks.
6 And he trembling and astonished said, Lord,
what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go
into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.
7 And the men which journeyed with him stood
speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man.
8 And Saul arose from the earth; and when
his eyes were opened, he saw no man: but they led him by the hand, and
brought him into Damascus.
9 And he was three days without sight, and
neither did eat nor drink.
10 And there was a certain disciple
at Damascus, named Ananias; and to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias.
And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord.
11 And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and
go into the street which is called Straight, and enquire in the house of
Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth,
12 And hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias
coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight.
13 Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard
by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem:
14 And here he hath authority from the chief
priests to bind all that call on thy name.
15 But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way:
for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles,
and kings, and the children of Israel:
16 For I will shew him how great things he
must suffer for my name's sake.
17 And Ananias went his way, and entered into
the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even
Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me,
that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost.
18 And immediately there fell from his eyes
as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and
was baptized.
19 And when he had received meat, he was strengthened.
Then was Saul certain days with the disciples which were at Damascus.
20 And straightway he preached Christ in the
synagogues, that he is the Son of God.
21 But all that heard him were amazed, and
said; Is not this he that destroyed them which called on this name in Jerusalem,
and came hither for that intent, that he might bring them bound unto the
chief priests?
22 But Saul increased the more in strength,
and confounded the Jews which dwelt at Damascus, proving that this is very
Christ.
23 And after that many days were fulfilled,
the Jews took counsel to kill him:
24 But their laying await was known of Saul.
And they watched the gates day and night to kill him.
25 Then the disciples took him by night, and
let him down by the wall in a basket.
26 And when Saul was come to Jerusalem, he
assayed to join himself to the disciples: but they were all afraid of him,
and believed not that he was a disciple.
27 But Barnabas took him, and brought him
to the apostles, and declared unto them how he had seen the Lord in the
way, and that he had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus
in the name of Jesus.
131) PAUL TESTIFIES
BEFORE KING AGRIPPA
Acts 26:1-29
1 Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Thou
art permitted to speak for thyself. Then Paul stretched forth the hand,
and answered for himself:
2 I think myself happy, king Agrippa, because
I shall answer for myself this day before thee touching all the things
whereof I am accused of the Jews:
3 Especially because I know thee to be expert
in all customs and questions which are among the Jews: wherefore I beseech
thee to hear me patiently.
4 My manner of life from my youth, which was
at the first among mine own nation at Jerusalem, know all the Jews;
5 Which knew me from the beginning, if they
would testify, that after the most straitest sect of our religion I lived
a Pharisee.
6 And now I stand and am judged for the hope
of the promise made of God unto our fathers:
7 Unto which promise our twelve tribes, instantly
serving God day and night, hope to come. For which hope's sake, king Agrippa,
I am accused of the Jews.
8 Why should it be thought a thing incredible
with you, that God should raise the dead?
9 I verily thought with myself, that I ought
to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.
10 Which thing I also did in Jerusalem: and
many of the saints did I shut up in prison, having received authority from
the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against
them.
11 And I punished them oft in every synagogue,
and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against them,
I persecuted them even unto strange cities.
12 Whereupon as I went to Damascus with
authority and commission from the chief priests,
13 At midday, O king, I saw in the way a light
from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and
them which journeyed with me.
14 And when we were all fallen to the earth,
I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul,
Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the
pricks.
15 And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he
said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest.
16 But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for
I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and
a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things
in the which I will appear unto thee;
17 Delivering thee from the people, and from
the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee,
18 To open their eyes, and to turn them from
darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may
receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified
by faith that is in me.
19 Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient
unto the heavenly vision:
20 But shewed first unto them of Damascus,
and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to
the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet
for repentance.
21 For these causes the Jews caught me in
the temple, and went about to kill me.
22 Having therefore obtained help of God,
I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none
other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come:
23 That Christ should suffer, and that he
should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should shew light
unto the people, and to the Gentiles.
24 And as he thus spake for himself,
Festus said with a loud voice, Paul, thou art beside thyself; much learning
doth make thee mad.
25 But he said, I am not mad, most noble Festus;
but speak forth the words of truth and soberness.
26 For the king knoweth of these things, before
whom also I speak freely: for I am persuaded that none of these things
are hidden from him; for this thing was not done in a corner.
27 King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets?
I know that thou believest.
28 Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou
persuadest me to be a Christian.
29 And Paul said, I would to God, that not
only thou, but also all that hear me this day, were both almost, and altogether
such as I am, except these bonds.
132) 500 SEE, LEARN
FROM RESURRECTED CHRIST
1 Corinthians 15:1-8
1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto
you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received,
and wherein ye stand;
2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in
memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
3 For I delivered unto you first of all that
which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the
scriptures;
4 And that he was buried, and that he rose
again the third day according to the scriptures:
5 And that he was seen of Cephas, then of
the twelve:
6 After that, he was seen of above five hundred
brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but
some are fallen asleep.
7 After that, he was seen of James; then of
all the apostles.
8 And last of all he was seen of me also,
as of one born out of due time.
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