wmth - Acts:15-16

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.«

wmth@Acts:15:2 @ Between these new comers and Paul and Barnabas there was no little disagreement and controversy, until at last it was decided that Paul and Barnabas and some other brethren should go up to consult the Apostles and Elders in Jerusalem on this matter.

wmth@Acts:15:3 @ So they set out, being accompanied for a short distance by some other members of the Church; and as they passed through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told the whole story of the conversion of the Gentiles and inspired all the brethren with great joy.

wmth@Acts:15:4 @ Upon their arrival in Jerusalem they were cordially received by the Church, the Apostles, and the Elders; and they reported in detail all that God, working with them, had done.

wmth@Acts:15:5 @ But certain men who had belonged to the sect of the Pharisees but were now believers, stood up in the assembly, and said, »Yes, Gentile believers ought to be circumcised and be ordered to keep the Law of Moses.«

wmth@Acts:15:6 @ Then the Apostles and Elders met to consider the matter;

wmth@Acts:15:7 @ and after there had been a long discussion Peter rose to his feet. »It is within your own knowledge,« he said, »that God originally made choice among you that from my lips the Gentiles were to hear the Message of the Good News, and believe.

wmth@Acts:15:8 @ And God, who knows all hearts, gave His testimony in their favour by bestowing the Holy Spirit on them just as He did on us;

wmth@Acts:15:9 @ and He made no difference between us and them, in that He cleansed their hearts by their faith.

wmth@Acts:15:10 @ Now, therefore, why try an experiment upon God, by laying on the necks of these disciples a yoke which neither our forefathers nor we have been able to bear?

wmth@Acts:15:11 @ On the contrary, we believe that it is by the grace of the Lord Jesus that we, as well as they, shall be saved.«

wmth@Acts:15:12 @ Then the whole assembly remained silent while they listened to the statement made by Paul and Barnabas as to all the signs and marvels that God had done among the Gentiles through their instrumentality.

wmth@Acts:15:13 @ When they had finished speaking, James said, »Brethren, listen to me.

wmth@Acts:15:14 @ Symeon has related how God first looked graciously on the Gentiles to take from among them a People to be called by His name.

wmth@Acts:15:15 @ And this is in harmony with the language of the Prophets, which says:

wmth@Acts:15:16 @ `»Afterwards I will return, and will rebuild David's fallen tent. Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will set it up again;

wmth@Acts:15:17 @ In order that the rest of mankind may earnestly seek the Lord–even all the nations which are called by My name,«

wmth@Acts:15:18 @ Says the Lord, who has been making these things known from ages long past.'

wmth@Acts:15:19 @ »My judgement, therefore, is against inflicting unexpected annoyance on those of the Gentiles who are turning to God.

wmth@Acts:15:20 @ Yet let us send them written instructions to abstain from things polluted by connexion with idolatry, from fornication, from meat killed by strangling, and from blood.

wmth@Acts:15:21 @ For Moses from the earliest times has had his preachers in every town, being read, as he is, Sabbath after Sabbath, in the various synagogues.«

wmth@Acts:15:22 @ Thereupon it was decided by the Apostles and Elders, with the approval of the whole Church, to choose suitable persons from among themselves and send them to Antioch, with Paul and Barnabas. Judas, called Bar-sabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brethren, were selected,

wmth@Acts:15:23 @ and they took with them the following letter: »The Apostles and the elder brethren send greeting to the Gentile brethren throughout Antioch, Syria and Cilicia.

wmth@Acts:15:24 @ As we have been informed that certain persons who have gone out from among us have disturbed you by their teaching and have unsettled your minds, without having received any such instructions from us;

wmth@Acts:15:25 @ we have unanimously decided to select certain men and send them to you in company with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul,

wmth@Acts:15:26 @ who have endangered their very lives for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ.

wmth@Acts:15:27 @ We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who are themselves bringing you the same message by word of mouth.

wmth@Acts:15:28 @ For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no burden heavier than these necessary requirements–

wmth@Acts:15:29 @ You must abstain from things sacrificed to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from fornication. Keep yourselves clear of these things, and it will be well with you. Farewell.«

wmth@Acts:15:30 @ They, therefore, having been solemnly sent, came down to Antioch, where they called together the whole assembly and delivered the letter.

wmth@Acts:15:31 @ The people read it, and were delighted with the comfort it brought them.

wmth@Acts:15:32 @ And Judas and Silas, being themselves also Prophets, gave them a long and encouraging talk, and strengthened them in the faith.

wmth@Acts:15:33 @ After spending some time there they received an affectionate farewell from the brethren to return to those who had sent them.

wmth@Acts:15:34 @ []

wmth@Acts:15:35 @ But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, teaching and, in company with many others, telling the Good News of the Lord's Message.

wmth@Acts:15:36 @ After a while Paul said to Barnabas, »Suppose we now revisit the brethren in the various towns in which we have made known the Lord's Message–to see whether they are prospering!«

wmth@Acts:15:37 @ Barnabas, however, was bent on taking with them John, whose other name was Mark,

wmth@Acts:15:38 @ while Paul deemed it undesirable to have as their companion one who had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not gone on with them to the work.

wmth@Acts:15:39 @ So there arose a serious disagreement between them, which resulted in their parting from one another, Barnabas taking Mark and setting sail for Cyprus.

wmth@Acts:15:40 @ But Paul chose Silas as his travelling companion; and set out, after being commended by the brethren to the grace of the Lord;

wmth@Acts:15:41 @ and he passed through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the Churches.

wmth@Acts:16:1 @ He also came to Derbe and to Lystra. At Lystra he found a disciple, Timothy by name–the son of a Christian Jewess, though he had a Greek father.

wmth@Acts:16:2 @ Timothy was well spoken of by the brethren at Lystra and Iconium,

wmth@Acts:16:3 @ and Paul desiring that he should accompany him on his journey, took him and circumcised him on account of the Jews in those parts, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.

wmth@Acts:16:4 @ As they journeyed on from town to town, they handed to the brethren for their observance the decisions which had been arrived at by the Apostles and Elders in Jerusalem.

wmth@Acts:16:5 @ So the Churches went on gaining a stronger faith and growing in numbers from day to day.

wmth@Acts:16:6 @ Then Paul and his companions passed through Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to proclaim the Message in the province of Asia.

wmth@Acts:16:7 @ When they reached the frontier of Mysia, they were about to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not permit this.

wmth@Acts:16:8 @ So, passing along Mysia, they came to Troas.

wmth@Acts:16:9 @ Here, one night, Paul saw a vision. There was a Macedonian who was standing, entreating him and saying, »Come over into Macedonia and help us.«

wmth@Acts:16:10 @ So when he had seen the vision, we immediately looked out for an opportunity of passing on into Macedonia, confidently inferring that God had called us to proclaim the Good News to the people there.

wmth@Acts:16:11 @ Accordingly we put out to sea from Troas, and ran a straight course to Samothrace. The next day we came to Neapolis,

wmth@Acts:16:12 @ and thence to Philippi, which is a city in Macedonia, the first in its district, a Roman colony. And there we stayed some little time.

wmth@Acts:16:13 @ On the Sabbath we went beyond the city gate to the riverside, where we had reason to believe that there was a place for prayer; and sitting down we talked with the women who had come together.

wmth@Acts:16:14 @ Among our hearers was one named Lydia, a dealer in purple goods. She belonged to the city of Thyateira, and was a worshipper of the true God. The Lord opened her heart, so that she gave attention to what Paul was saying.

wmth@Acts:16:15 @ When she and her household had been baptized, she urged us, saying, »If in your judgement I am a believer in the Lord, come and stay at my house.« And she made us go there.

wmth@Acts:16:16 @ One day, as we were on our way to the place of prayer, a slave girl met us who claimed to be inspired and was accustomed to bring her owners large profits by telling fortunes.

wmth@Acts:16:17 @ She kept following close behind Paul and the rest of us, crying aloud, »These men are the bondservants of the Most High God, and are proclaiming to you the way of salvation.«

wmth@Acts:16:18 @ This she persisted in for a considerable time, until Paul, wearied out, turned round and said to the spirit, »I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.« And it came out immediately.

wmth@Acts:16:19 @ But when her owners saw that their hopes of gain were gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them off to the magistrates in the public square.

wmth@Acts:16:20 @ Then they brought them before the praetors. »These men,« they said, »are creating a great disturbance in our city.

wmth@Acts:16:21 @ They are Jews, and are teaching customs which we, as Romans, are not permitted to adopt or practise.«

wmth@Acts:16:22 @ The crowd, too, joined in the outcry against them, till at length the praetors ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods;

wmth@Acts:16:23 @ and, after severely flogging them, they threw them into jail and bade the jailer keep them safely.

wmth@Acts:16:24 @ He, having received an order like that, lodged them in the inner prison, and secured their feet in the stocks.

wmth@Acts:16:25 @ About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them,

wmth@Acts:16:26 @ when suddenly there was such a violent shock of earthquake that the prison shook to its foundations. Instantly the doors all flew open, and the chains fell off from every prisoner.

wmth@Acts:16:27 @ Starting up from sleep and seeing the doors of the jail wide open, the jailer drew his sword and was on the point of killing himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped.

wmth@Acts:16:28 @ But Paul shouted loudly to him, saying, »Do yourself no injury: we are all here.

wmth@Acts:16:29 @ Then, calling for lights, he sprang in and fell trembling at the feet of Paul and Silas;

wmth@Acts:16:30 @ and, bringing them out of the prison, he exclaimed, »O sirs, what must I do to be saved?«

wmth@Acts:16:31 @ »Believe on the Lord Jesus,« they replied, »and both you and your household will be saved.«

wmth@Acts:16:32 @ And they told the Lord's Message to him as well as to all who were in his house.

wmth@Acts:16:33 @ Then he took them, even at that time of night, washed their wounds, and he and all his household were immediately baptized;

wmth@Acts:16:34 @ and bringing the Apostles up into his house, he spread a meal for them, and was filled with gladness, with his whole household, his faith resting on God.

wmth@Acts:16:35 @ In the morning the praetors sent their lictors with the order, »Release those men.«

wmth@Acts:16:36 @ So the jailer brought Paul word, saying, »The praetors have sent orders for you to be released. Now therefore you can go, and proceed on your way in peace.«

wmth@Acts:16:37 @ But Paul said to them, »After cruelly beating us in public, without trial, Roman citizens though we are, they have thrown us into prison, and are they now going to send us away privately? No, indeed! Let them come in person and fetch us out.«

wmth@Acts:16:38 @ This answer the lictors took back to the praetors, who were alarmed when they were told that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens.

wmth@Acts:16:39 @ Accordingly they came and apologized to them; and, bringing them out, asked them to leave the city.

wmth@Acts:16:40 @ Then Paul and Silas, having come out of the prison, went to Lydia's house; and, after seeing the brethren and encouraging them, they left Philippi.

wmth@Acts:17:1 @ Then, passing through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they went to Thessalonica. Here there was a synagogue of the Jews.