READ ME! (2)

WEEK TWO

​ HCSBSo those who accepted his message were baptized, and that day about 3,000 people were added to them. And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to the prayers.

​ HCSBBut many of those who heard the message believed, and the number of the men came to about 5,000.

​ HCSBAnd now, Lord, consider their threats, and grant that Your slaves may speak Your message with complete boldness,

​ HCSBWhen they had prayed, the place where they were assembled was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak God’s message with boldness.

​ HCSBThen the Twelve summoned the whole company of the disciples and said, “It would not be right for us to give up preaching about God to handle financial matters. Therefore, brothers, select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and wisdom, whom we can appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the preaching ministry.”

​ HCSBSo the preaching about God flourished, the number of the disciples in Jerusalem multiplied greatly, and a large group of priests became obedient to the faith.

​ HCSBSo those who were scattered went on their way preaching the message of good news.

​ HCSBWhen the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had welcomed God’s message, they sent Peter and John to them.

​ HCSBThen, after they had testified and spoken the message of the Lord, they traveled back to Jerusalem, evangelizing many villages of the Samaritans.

​ HCSBWhile Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came down on all those who heard the message.

​ HCSBThe apostles and the brothers who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles had welcomed God’s message also.

​ HCSBThose who had been scattered as a result of the persecution that started because of Stephen made their way as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, speaking the message to no one except Jews.

​ HCSBThen God’s message flourished and multiplied.

​ HCSBArriving in Salamis, they proclaimed God’s message in the Jewish synagogues. They also had John as their assistant.

​ HCSBHe was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. This man summoned Barnabas and Saul and desired to hear God’s message.

​ HCSBThe following Sabbath almost the whole town assembled to hear the message of the Lord.

​ HCSBThen Paul and Barnabas boldly said: “It was necessary that God’s message be spoken to you first. But since you reject it and consider yourselves unworthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles!

​ HCSBWhen the Gentiles heard this, they rejoiced and glorified the message of the Lord, and all who had been appointed to eternal life believed. So the message of the Lord spread through the whole region.

​ HCSBAfter they spoke the message in Perga, they went down to Attalia.

​ HCSBBut Paul and Barnabas, along with many others, remained in Antioch teaching and proclaiming the message of the Lord. After some time had passed, Paul said to Barnabas, “Let’s go back and visit the brothers in every town where we have preached the message of the Lord and see how they’re doing.”

​ HCSBThen they spoke the message of the Lord to him along with everyone in his house.

​ HCSBThe people here were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, since they welcomed the message with eagerness and examined the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.

​ HCSBWhen Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul was occupied with preaching the message and solemnly testified to the Jews that Jesus is the Messiah.

​ HCSBAnd he stayed there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.

​ HCSBAnd this went on for two years, so that all the inhabitants of Asia, both Jews and Greeks, heard the message about the Lord.