Bible Study Group

  1 . The apostles and the believers throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God.   2  So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him   3  and said, “You went into the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them.” 4  Starting from the beginning, Peter told them the whole story:   5  “I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision. I saw something like a large sheet being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to where I was.   6  I looked into it and saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, reptiles and birds.   7  Then I heard a voice telling me,  ‘Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.’ 8  “I replied, ‘Surely not, Lord! Nothing impure or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ 9  “The voice spoke from heaven a second time,  ‘Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.’   10  T...

  Cornelius Calls for Peter 1.  At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment.   2  He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly.   3  One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, “Cornelius!” 4  Cornelius stared at him in fear. “What is it, Lord?” he asked. The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God.   5  Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is called Peter.   6  He is staying with Simon the tanner, whose house is by the sea.” 7  When the angel who spoke to him had gone, Cornelius called two of his servants and a devout soldier who was one of his attendants.   8  He told them everything that had happened a...

  Saul’s Conversion 1.  Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest   2  and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.   3  As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.   4  He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him,  “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” 5  “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,”  he replied.   6  “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” 7  The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone.   8  Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the han...

1. And Saul approved of their killing him. The Church Persecuted and Scattered On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scatteredthroughout Judea and Samaria.  2  Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him.   3  But Saul began to destroy the church.Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison. Philip in Samaria 4  Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.  5  Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there.   6  When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said.   7  For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed.  8  So there was great joy in that city. Simon the Sorcerer 9  Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced s...