Acts 6:5

For God didn’t give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control.

By patience a ruler is persuaded. A soft tongue breaks the bone.

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. You will be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth.”

“Cry aloud! Don’t spare! Lift up your voice like a trumpet! Declare to my people their disobedience, and to the house of Jacob their sins.

Now in these days, prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch.

We have sent therefore Judas and Silas, who themselves will also tell you the same things by word of mouth.

Moreover you shall provide out of all the people able men which fear God: men of truth, hating unjust gain; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.

So I took the heads of your tribes, wise and respected men, and made them heads over you, captains of thousands, captains of hundreds, captains of fifties, captains of tens, and officers, according to your tribes.

Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs it down, but a kind word makes it glad.

A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.

An angry man stirs up strife, and a wrathful man abounds in sin.

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

These are those who were called of the congregation, the princes of the tribes of their fathers; they were the heads of the thousands of Israel.

A man shall be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth. The work of a man’s hands shall be rewarded to him.

The Lord Yahweh has given me the tongue of those who are taught, that I may know how to sustain with words him who is weary. He awakens morning by morning, he awakens my ear to hear as those who are taught.

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

More believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women.

Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and proclaimed to them the Christ.

who, when he had come, and had seen the grace of God, was glad. He exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they should remain near to the Lord.

He gave some to be apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, shepherds and teachers;

But you be sober in all things, suffer hardship, do the work of an evangelist, and fulfill your ministry.

God has delivered into your hand the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb! What was I able to do in comparison with you?” Then their anger was abated toward him when he had said that.

They replied, “If you will be a servant to this people today, and will serve them, and answer them with good words, then they will be your servants forever.”

They spoke to him, saying, “If you are kind to these people, please them, and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever.”

A wrathful man stirs up contention, but one who is slow to anger appeases strife.

For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.

“His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things, I will set you over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’

As they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name, and they compelled him to go with them, that he might carry his cross.

When they lead you away and deliver you up, don’t be anxious beforehand, or premeditate what you will say, but say whatever will be given you in that hour. For it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.

for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to withstand or to contradict.

They put forward two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also called Justus, and Matthias.

Joses, who by the apostles was also called Barnabas (which is, being interpreted, Son of Encouragement), a Levite, a man of Cyprus by race,

Therefore select from among you, brothers, seven men of good report, full of the Holy Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business.

Stephen, full of faith and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people.

But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, looked up steadfastly into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,

But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who, when they had come to Antioch, spoke to the Hellenists, preaching the Lord Jesus.

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

From there they sailed to Antioch, from where they had been committed to the grace of God for the work which they had fulfilled.

They wrote these things by their hand: “The apostles, the elders, and the brothers, to the brothers who are of the Gentiles in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia: greetings.

Judas and Silas, also being prophets themselves, encouraged the brothers with many words and strengthened them.

but Paul chose Silas and went out, being commended by the brothers to the grace of God.

On the next day, we who were Paul’s companions departed, and came to Caesarea. We entered into the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him.

One Ananias, a devout man according to the law, well reported of by all the Jews who lived in Damascus,

Timothy, my fellow worker, greets you, as do Lucius, Jason, and Sosipater, my relatives.

Through Silvanus, our faithful brother, as I consider him, I have written to you briefly, exhorting, and testifying that this is the true grace of God in which you stand.

“I know your works, and your toil and perseverance, and that you can’t tolerate evil men, and have tested those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and found them false.

Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all wrongs.

The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouth of fools gush out folly.

Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.

For, behold, I have made you today a fortified city, an iron pillar, and bronze walls against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, against its princes, against its priests, and against the people of the land.

Therefore I am full of Yahweh’s wrath. I am weary with holding it in. “Pour it out on the children in the street, and on the assembly of young men together; for even the husband with the wife will be taken, the aged with him who is full of days.

Then I arose, and went out into the plain, and behold, Yahweh’s glory stood there, like the glory which I saw by the river Chebar. Then I fell on my face.

But I tell you that everyone who is angry with his brother without a cause will be in danger of the judgment. Whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ will be in danger of the council. Whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of Gehenna.

But when they deliver you up, don’t be anxious how or what you will say, for it will be given you in that hour what you will say.

Therefore behold, I send to you prophets, wise men, and scribes. Some of them you will kill and crucify; and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city;

Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene,

Isaiah said these things when he saw his glory, and spoke of him.

But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things, and will remind you of all that I said to you.

They weren’t able to withstand the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke.

“You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit! As your fathers did, so you do.

But Philip was found at Azotus. Passing through, he preached the Good News to all the cities, until he came to Caesarea.

Now in the assembly that was at Antioch there were some prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen the foster brother of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.

Now when the synagogue broke up, many of the Jews and of the devout proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas; who, speaking to them, urged them to continue in the grace of God.

strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that through many afflictions we must enter into God’s Kingdom.

But Paul and Barnabas stayed in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also.

Some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and not a few of the chief women.

Having found a ship crossing over to Phoenicia, we went aboard, and set sail.

My speech and my preaching were not in persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,

that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him,

Let no corrupt speech proceed out of your mouth, but only what is good for building others up as the need may be, that it may give grace to those who hear.

His Son is the radiance of his glory, the very image of his substance, and upholding all things by the word of his power, who, when he had by himself purified us of our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high,

The thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants.

The report of it was heard in Pharaoh’s house, saying, “Joseph’s brothers have come.” It pleased Pharaoh well, and his servants.

Moses chose able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people, rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.

A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

Joy comes to a man with the reply of his mouth. How good is a word at the right time!

But as for me, I am full of power by Yahweh’s Spirit, and of judgment, and of might, to declare to Jacob his disobedience, and to Israel his sin.

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel around by sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of Gehenna as yourselves.

They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other languages, as the Spirit gave them the ability to speak.

Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, the parts of Libya around Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes,

They therefore who were scattered abroad by the oppression that arose about Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except to Jews only.

When he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they were gathered together with the assembly, and taught many people. The disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.

Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole assembly, to choose men out of their company, and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas: Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, chief men among the brothers.

For those who have served well gain for themselves a good standing, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.

But this you have, that you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

So you also have some who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans likewise.