wmth - Acts:13-14

wmth@Acts:13:1 @ Now there were in Antioch, in the Church there –as Prophets and teachers– barnabas, Symeon surnamed `the black,' Lucius the Cyrenaean, Manaen (who was Herod the Tetrarch's foster-brother), and Saul.

wmth@Acts:13:2 @ While they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, »Set apart for Me, now at once, Barnabas and Saul, for the work to which I have called them.«

wmth@Acts:13:3 @ So, after fasting and prayer and the laying on of hands, they let them go.

wmth@Acts:13:4 @ They therefore, being thus sent out by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleuceia, and from there sailed to Cyprus.

wmth@Acts:13:5 @ Having reached Salamis, they began to announce God's Message in the synagogues of the Jews. And they had John as their assistant.

wmth@Acts:13:6 @ When they had gone through the whole length of the island as far as Paphos, they there met with a Jewish magician and false prophet, Bar-Jesus by name,

wmth@Acts:13:7 @ who was a friend of the Proconsul Sergius Paulus. The Proconsul was a man of keen intelligence. He sent for Barnabas and Saul, and asked to be told God's Message.

wmth@Acts:13:8 @ But Elymas (or `the Magician,' for such is the meaning of the name) opposed them, and tried to prevent the Proconsul from accepting the faith.

wmth@Acts:13:9 @ Then Saul, who is also called Paul, was filled with the Holy Spirit, and, fixing his eyes on Elymas,

wmth@Acts:13:10 @ said, »You who are full of every kind of craftiness and unscrupulous cunning –you son of the Devil and foe to all that is right– will you never cease to misrepresent the straight paths of the Lord?

wmth@Acts:13:11 @ The Lord's hand is now upon you, and you will be blind for a time and unable to see the light of day.« Instantly there fell upon him a mist and a darkness, and, as he walked about, he begged people to lead him by the hand.

wmth@Acts:13:12 @ Then the Proconsul, seeing what had happened, believed, being struck with amazement at the teaching of the Lord.

wmth@Acts:13:13 @ From Paphos, Paul and his party put out to sea and sailed to Perga in Pamphylia. John, however, left them and returned to Jerusalem.

wmth@Acts:13:14 @ But they themselves, passing through from Perga, came to Antioch in Pisidia. Here, on the Sabbath day, they went into the synagogue and sat down.

wmth@Acts:13:15 @ After the reading of the Law and the Prophets, the Wardens of the synagogue sent word to them. »Brethren,« they said, »if you have anything encouraging to say to the people, speak.«

wmth@Acts:13:16 @ So Paul rose, and motioning with his hand for silence, said, »Israelites, and you others who fear God, pay attention to me.

wmth@Acts:13:17 @ The God of this people of Israel chose our forefathers, and made the people great during their stay in Egypt, until with wondrous power He brought them out from that land.

wmth@Acts:13:18 @ For a period of about forty years, He fed them, like a nurse, in the Desert.

wmth@Acts:13:19 @ Then, after overthrowing seven nations in the land of Canaan, He divided that country among them as their inheritance for about four hundred and fifty years;

wmth@Acts:13:20 @ and afterwards He gave them judges down to the time of the Prophet Samuel.

wmth@Acts:13:21 @ Next they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a Benjamite, who reigned forty years.

wmth@Acts:13:22 @ After removing him, He raised up David to be their king, to whom He also bore witness when He said, »`I have found David the son of Jesse, a man I love, who will obey all My commands.'

wmth@Acts:13:23 @ »It is from among David's descendants that God, in fulfilment of His promise, has raised up a Saviour for Israel, even Jesus.«

wmth@Acts:13:24 @ Before the coming of Jesus, John had proclaimed to all the people of Israel a baptism of repentance.

wmth@Acts:13:25 @ But John, towards the end of his career, repeatedly asked the people, »`What do you suppose me to be? I am not the Christ. But there is One coming after me whose sandal I am not worthy to unfasten.'

wmth@Acts:13:26 @ »Brethren, descendants of the family of Abraham, and all among you who fear God, to us has this Message of salvation been sent.«

wmth@Acts:13:27 @ For the people of Jerusalem and their rulers, by the judgement they pronounced on Jesus, have actually fulfilled the predictions of the Prophets which are read Sabbath after Sabbath, through ignorance of those predictions and of Him.

wmth@Acts:13:28 @ Without having found Him guilty of any capital offence they urged Pilate to have Him put to death;

wmth@Acts:13:29 @ and when they had carried out everything which had been written about Him, they took Him down from the cross and laid Him in a tomb.

wmth@Acts:13:30 @ »But God raised Him from the dead.«

wmth@Acts:13:31 @ And, after a few days, He appeared to the people who had gone up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem and are now witnesses concerning Him to the Jews.

wmth@Acts:13:32 @ And we bring you the Good News about the promise made to our forefathers,

wmth@Acts:13:33 @ that God has amply fulfilled it to our children in raising up Jesus; as it is also written in the second Psalm,

wmth@Acts:13:34 @ And as to His having raised Him from among the dead, never again to be in the position of one soon to return to decay, He speaks thus:

wmth@Acts:13:35 @ Because in another Psalm also He says,

wmth@Acts:13:36 @ For David, after having been useful to his own generation in accordance with God's purpose, did fall asleep, was gathered to his forefathers, and did undergo decay.

wmth@Acts:13:37 @ But He whom God raised to life underwent no decay.

wmth@Acts:13:38 @ »Understand therefore, brethren, that through this Jesus forgiveness of sins is announced to you;

wmth@Acts:13:39 @ and in Him every believer is absolved from all offences, from which you could not be absolved under the Law of Moses.«

wmth@Acts:13:40 @ Beware, then, lest what is spoken in the Prophets should come true of you:

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wmth@Acts:13:42 @ As Paul and Barnabas were leaving the synagogue, the people earnestly begged to have all this repeated to them on the following Sabbath.

wmth@Acts:13:43 @ And, when the congregation had broken up, many of the Jews and of the devout converts from heathenism continued with Paul and Barnabas, who talked to them and urged them to hold fast to the grace of God.

wmth@Acts:13:44 @ On the next Sabbath almost the whole population of the city came together to hear the Lord's Message.

wmth@Acts:13:45 @ Seeing the crowds, the Jews, filled with angry jealousy, opposed Paul's statements and abused him.

wmth@Acts:13:46 @ Then, throwing off all reserve, Paul and Barnabas said, »We were bound to proclaim God's Message to you first. But since you spurn it and judge yourselves to be unworthy of the Life of the Ages–well, we turn to the Gentiles.

wmth@Acts:13:47 @ For such is the Lord's command to us. He says of Christ,

wmth@Acts:13:48 @ The Gentiles listened with delight and extolled the Lord's Message; and all who were pre-destined to the Life of the Ages believed.

wmth@Acts:13:49 @ So the Lord's Message spread through the whole district.

wmth@Acts:13:50 @ But the Jews influenced the gentlewomen of rank who worshipped with them, and also the leading men in the city, and stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas and drove them out of the district.

wmth@Acts:13:51 @ But they shook off the dust from their feet as a protest against them and came to Iconium;

wmth@Acts:13:52 @ and as for the disciples, they were more and more filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

wmth@Acts:14:1 @ At Iconium the Apostles went together to the Jewish synagogue and preached, with the result that a great number both of Jews and Greeks believed.

wmth@Acts:14:2 @ But the Jews who had refused obedience stirred up the Gentiles and embittered their minds against the brethren.

wmth@Acts:14:3 @ Yet Paul and Barnabas remained there for a considerable time, speaking freely and relying on the Lord, while He bore witness to the Message of His grace by permitting signs and marvels to be done by them.

wmth@Acts:14:4 @ At length the people of the city split into parties, some siding with the Jews and some with the Apostles.

wmth@Acts:14:5 @ And when a hostile movement was made by both Gentiles and Jews, with the sanction of their magistrates, to maltreat and stone them,

wmth@Acts:14:6 @ the Apostles, having become aware of it, made their escape into the Lycaonian towns of Lystra and Derbe, and the neighbouring country.

wmth@Acts:14:7 @ And there they continued to tell the Good News.

wmth@Acts:14:8 @ Now a man who had no power in his feet used to sit in the streets of Lystra. He had been lame from his birth and had never walked.

wmth@Acts:14:9 @ After this man had listened to one of Paul's sermons, the Apostle, looking steadily at him and perceiving that he had faith to be cured,

wmth@Acts:14:10 @ said in a loud voice, »Stand upright upon your feet!«

wmth@Acts:14:11 @ So he sprang up and began to walk about. Then the crowds, seeing what Paul had done, rent the air with their shouts in the Lycaonian language, saying, »The gods have assumed human form and have come down to us.«

wmth@Acts:14:12 @ They called Barnabas `Zeus,' and Paul, as being the principal speaker, `Hermes.'

wmth@Acts:14:13 @ And the priest of Zeus –the temple of Zeus being at the entrance to the city– brought bullocks and garlands to the gates, and in company with the crowd was intending to offer sacrifices to them.

wmth@Acts:14:14 @ But the Apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of it; and tearing their clothes they rushed out into the middle of the crowd, exclaiming, »Sirs, why are you doing all this?

wmth@Acts:14:15 @ We also are but men, with natures kindred to your own; and we bring you the Good News that you are to turn from these unreal things, to worship the ever-living God, the Creator of earth and sky and sea and of everything that is in them.

wmth@Acts:14:16 @ In times gone by He allowed all the nations to go their own ways;

wmth@Acts:14:17 @ and yet by His beneficence He has not left His existence unattested–His beneficence, I mean, in sending you rain from Heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and joyfulness.«

wmth@Acts:14:18 @ Even with words like these they had difficulty in preventing the thronging crowd from offering sacrifices to them.

wmth@Acts:14:19 @ But now a party of Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and, having won over the crowd, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the town, believing him to be dead.

wmth@Acts:14:20 @ When, however, the disciples had collected round him, he rose and went back into the town. The next day he went with Barnabas to Derbe;

wmth@Acts:14:21 @ and, after proclaiming the Good News to the people there and gaining a large number of converts, they retraced their steps to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch.

wmth@Acts:14:22 @ Everywhere they strengthened the disciples by encouraging them to hold fast to the faith, and warned them saying, »It is through many afflictions that we must make our way into the Kingdom of God.«

wmth@Acts:14:23 @ And in every Church, after prayer and fasting, they selected Elders by show of hands, and commended them to the Lord on whom their faith rested.

wmth@Acts:14:24 @ Then passing through Pisidia they came into Pamphylia;

wmth@Acts:14:25 @ and after telling the Message at Perga they came down to Attaleia.

wmth@Acts:14:26 @ Thence they sailed to Antioch, where they had previously been commended to the grace of God in connexion with the work which they had now completed.

wmth@Acts:14:27 @ Upon their arrival they called the Church together and proceeded to report in detail all that God, working with them, had done, and how He had opened for the Gentiles the door of faith.

wmth@Acts:14:28 @ And they remained a considerable time in Antioch with the disciples.

wmth@Acts:15:1 @ But certain persons who had come down from Judaea tried to convince the brethren, saying, »Unless you are circumcised in accordance with the Mosaic custom, you cannot be saved.«