Acts 8:5

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

With great power, the apostles gave their testimony of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Great grace was on them all.

He said to them, “Go into all the world, and preach the Good News to the whole creation.

in the power of signs and wonders, in the power of God’s Spirit; so that from Jerusalem, and around as far as to Illyricum, I have fully preached the Good News of Christ;

Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

We are his witnesses of these things; and so also is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”

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

But I say, didn’t they hear? Yes, most certainly, “Their sound went out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.”

being built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the chief cornerstone;

For John indeed baptized in water, but you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

Therefore the Lord Yahweh says, “Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone of a sure foundation. He who believes shall not act hastily.

You will also testify, because you have been with me from the beginning.

Then he answered and spoke to me, saying, “This is Yahweh’s word to Zerubbabel, saying, ‘Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says Yahweh of Armies.

and Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary, his mother, “Behold, this child is set for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which is spoken against.

This Jesus God raised up, to which we all are witnesses.

until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a full grown man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,

Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

This Good News of the Kingdom will be preached in the whole world for a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.

Behold, I give you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy. Nothing will in any way hurt you.

beginning from the baptism of John, to the day that he was received up from us, of these one must become a witness with us of his resurrection.”

and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, to which we are witnesses.

There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven that is given among men, by which we must be saved!”

and he was seen for many days by those who came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are his witnesses to the people.

For you will be a witness for him to all men of what you have seen and heard.

Now the natural man doesn’t receive the things of God’s Spirit, for they are foolishness to him, and he can’t know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

But far be it from me to boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

Moreover as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against Yahweh in ceasing to pray for you: but I will instruct you in the good and the right way.

Yahweh has made his holy arm bare in the eyes of all the nations. All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

Yahweh, my strength, and my stronghold, and my refuge in the day of affliction, the nations will come to you from the ends of the earth, and will say, “Our fathers have inherited nothing but lies, vanity and things in which there is no profit.

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.

They urged him, saying, “Stay with us, for it is almost evening, and the day is almost over.” He went in to stay with them.

You are witnesses of these things.

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.

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

that he might present the assembly to himself gloriously, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without defect.

if it is so that you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the Good News which you heard, which is being proclaimed in all creation under heaven, of which I, Paul, was made a servant.

and, “a stumbling stone and a rock of offense.” For they stumble at the word, being disobedient, to which also they were appointed.

All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to Yahweh. All the relatives of the nations shall worship before you.

“I will set a sign among them, and I will send those who escape of them to the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, who draw the bow, to Tubal and Javan, to far-away islands, who have not heard my fame, nor have seen my glory; and they shall declare my glory among the nations.

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

I also tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my assembly, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.

The angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore also the holy one who is born from you will be called the Son of God.

Behold, I send out the promise of my Father on you. But wait in the city of Jerusalem until you are clothed with power from on high.”

Day by day, continuing steadfastly with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread at home, they took their food with gladness and singleness of heart,

These words pleased the whole multitude. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch;

They threw him out of the city and stoned him. The witnesses placed their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul.

So the assemblies throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace, and were built up. They were multiplied, walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit.

When the blood of Stephen, your witness, was shed, I also was standing by, consenting to his death, and guarding the cloaks of those who killed him.’

For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are dying, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another builds on it. But let each man be careful how he builds on it.

But I, brothers, if I still preach circumcision, why am I still persecuted? Then the stumbling block of the cross has been removed.

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

However God’s firm foundation stands, having this seal, “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let every one who names the name of the Lord depart from unrighteousness.”

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

He has remembered his loving kindness and his faithfulness toward the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

Sing to Yahweh a new song, and his praise from the end of the earth, you who go down to the sea, and all that is therein, the islands and their inhabitants.

Therefore don’t be afraid of them, for there is nothing covered that will not be revealed; and hidden that will not be known.

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, and as a pretense you make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.

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.

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,

Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them,

When the brothers knew it, they brought him down to Caesarea, and sent him off to Tarsus.

Now there was a certain man in Caesarea, Cornelius by name, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment,

For so has the Lord commanded us, saying, ‘I have set you as a light for the Gentiles, that you should bring salvation to the uttermost parts of the earth.’ ”

Paul, as was his custom, went in to them, and for three Sabbath days reasoned with them from the Scriptures,

When he had landed at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the assembly, and went down to Antioch.

how I didn’t shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, teaching you publicly and from house to house,

When they came to Caesarea and delivered the letter to the governor, they also presented Paul to him.

However Festus answered that Paul should be kept in custody at Caesarea, and that he himself was about to depart shortly.

For we don’t preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake,

For if he who comes preaches another Jesus, whom we didn’t preach, or if you receive a different spirit, which you didn’t receive, or a different “good news”, which you didn’t accept, you put up with that well enough.

But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, don’t boast and don’t lie against the truth.

Jesus sent these twelve out, and commanded them, saying, “Don’t go among the Gentiles, and don’t enter into any city of the Samaritans.

He answered them, “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man,

Many more believed because of his word.

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

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.

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.”

Every day, in the temple and at home, they never stopped teaching and preaching Jesus, the Christ.

Saul was consenting to his death. A great persecution arose against the assembly which was in Jerusalem in that day. They were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except for the apostles.

Immediately in the synagogues he proclaimed the Christ, that he is the Son 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.

but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews, and foolishness to Greeks,

For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.

For no one can lay any other foundation than that which has been laid, which is Jesus Christ.

We proclaim him, admonishing every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus;

Some indeed preach Christ even out of envy and strife, and some also out of good will.