Acts 15:19

Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, “If you are returning to Yahweh with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you, and direct your hearts to Yahweh, and serve him only; and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.”

“Enter in by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter in by it.

but there isn’t another “good news.” Only there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the Good News of Christ.

The first book I wrote, Theophilus, concerned all that Jesus began both to do and to teach,

throwing down imaginations and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,

But false prophets also arose among the people, as false teachers will also be among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, denying even the Master who bought them, bringing on themselves swift destruction.

if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves, pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

If I cherished sin in my heart, the Lord wouldn’t have listened.

He who conceals his sins doesn’t prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.

I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake; and I will not remember your sins.

I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, your transgressions, and, as a cloud, your sins. Return to me, for I have redeemed you.

Some men came down from Judea and taught the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised after the custom of Moses, you can’t be saved.”

But he said, “I am not crazy, most excellent Festus, but boldly declare words of truth and reasonableness.

Or don’t you know that the unrighteous will not inherit God’s Kingdom? Don’t be deceived. Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor male prostitutes, nor homosexuals,

I have been in travels often, perils of rivers, perils of robbers, perils from my countrymen, perils from the Gentiles, perils in the city, perils in the wilderness, perils in the sea, perils among false brothers;

Stand firm therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and don’t be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.

For there are certain men who crept in secretly, even those who were long ago written about for this condemnation: ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into indecency, and denying our only Master, God, and Lord, Jesus Christ.

But to you I say, to the rest who are in Thyatira, as many as don’t have this teaching, who don’t know what some call ‘the deep things of Satan,’ to you I say, I am not putting any other burden on you.

Yahweh saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of man’s heart was continually only evil.

They lived in Gilead in Bashan, and in its towns, and in all the pasture lands of Sharon, as far as their borders.

Accept, I beg you, the willing offerings of my mouth. Yahweh, teach me your ordinances.

But there is forgiveness with you, therefore you are feared.

But I will sacrifice to you with the voice of thanksgiving. I will pay that which I have vowed. Salvation belongs to Yahweh.”

Therefore produce fruit worthy of repentance!

Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

For they bind heavy burdens that are grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not lift a finger to help them.

All who heard them laid them up in their heart, saying, “What then will this child be?” The hand of the Lord was with him.

Therefore produce fruits worthy of repentance, and don’t begin to say among yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father;’ for I tell you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones!

Even so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner repenting.”

“Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, so that there may come times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord,

He took food and was strengthened. Saul stayed several days with the disciples who were at Damascus.

When Saul had come to Jerusalem, he tried to join himself to the disciples; but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he was a disciple.

For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay no greater burden on you than these necessary things:

“Claudius Lysias to the most excellent governor Felix: Greetings.

For you bear with a man if he brings you into bondage, if he devours you, if he takes you captive, if he exalts himself, or if he strikes you on the face.

I have confidence toward you in the Lord that you will think no other way. But he who troubles you will bear his judgment, whoever he is.

I wish that those who disturb you would cut themselves off.

Now to him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,

For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we have set our trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe.

Through him, then, let’s offer up a sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of lips which proclaim allegiance to his name.

Joshua said, “By this you shall know that the living God is among you, and that he will without fail drive the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Hivite, the Perizzite, the Girgashite, the Amorite, and the Jebusite out from before you.

Offer to God the sacrifice of thanksgiving. Pay your vows to the Most High.

But Ahaz said, “I won’t ask. I won’t tempt Yahweh.”

Is Ephraim my dear son? Is he a darling child? For as often as I speak against him, I still earnestly remember him. therefore my heart yearns for him. I will surely have mercy on him,” says Yahweh.

Again, when I say to the wicked, “You will surely die;” if he turns from his sin, and does that which is lawful and right;

Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.”

for this, my son, was dead, and is alive again. He was lost, and is found.’ Then they began to celebrate.

Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

praising God, and having favor with all the people. The Lord added to the assembly day by day those who were being saved.

This became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed in the Lord.

But Peter began, and explained to them in order, saying,

For he was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith, and many people were added to the Lord.

Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, and said, “It was necessary that God’s word should be spoken to you first. Since indeed you thrust it from yourselves, and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles.

“Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to the living God, who made the sky, the earth, the sea, and all that is in them;

But some of the sect of the Pharisees who believed rose up, saying, “It is necessary to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.”

we accept it in all ways and in all places, most excellent Felix, with all thankfulness.

Was anyone called having been circumcised? Let him not become uncircumcised. Has anyone been called in uncircumcision? Let him not be circumcised.

You know that when you were heathen, you were led away to those mute idols, however you might be led.

being revealed that you are a letter of Christ, served by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tablets of stone, but in tablets that are hearts of flesh.

For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as Christ’s apostles.

So we also, when we were children, were held in bondage under the elemental principles of the world.

For this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and answers to the Jerusalem that exists now, for she is in bondage with her children.

Yahweh says, “Maintain justice and do what is right, for my salvation is near and my righteousness will soon be revealed.

Their feet run to evil, and they hurry to shed innocent blood. Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity. Desolation and destruction are in their paths.

I have spread out my hands all day to a rebellious people, who walk in a way that is not good, after their own thoughts;

Jerusalem, wash your heart from wickedness, that you may be saved. How long will your evil thoughts lodge within you?

Tell them, ‘ “As I live,” says the Lord Yahweh, “I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why will you die, house of Israel?” ’

Now I beg you, brothers, look out for those who are causing the divisions and occasions of stumbling, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and turn away from them.

But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, why do you turn back again to the weak and miserable elemental principles, to which you desire to be in bondage all over again?

This is a symbol of the present age, where gifts and sacrifices are offered that are incapable, concerning the conscience, of making the worshiper perfect,

They went out from us, but they didn’t belong to us; for if they had belonged to us, they would have continued with us. But they left, that they might be revealed that none of them belong to us.

Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts. Let him return to Yahweh, and he will have mercy on him, to our God, for he will freely pardon.

Take words with you, and return to Yahweh. Tell him, “Forgive all our sins, and accept that which is good: so we offer our lips like bulls.

it seemed good to me also, having traced the course of all things accurately from the first, to write to you in order, most excellent Theophilus;

All who lived at Lydda and in Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord.

The hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord.

Now therefore why do you tempt God, that you should put a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?

Because we have heard that some who went out from us have troubled you with words, unsettling your souls, saying, ‘You must be circumcised and keep the law,’ to whom we gave no commandment;

but declared first to them of Damascus, at Jerusalem, and throughout all the country of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, doing works worthy of repentance.

This was because of the false brothers secretly brought in, who stole in to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage,

For they themselves report concerning us what kind of a reception we had from you, and how you turned to God from idols, to serve a living and true God,