3Peter and John went to the Temple one afternoon to take part in the three o'clock prayer service.G1161G4074G2532G2491G305G1909G846G1519G2411G5610G4335G17662As they approached the Temple, a man lame from birth was being carried in. Each day he was put beside the Temple gate, the one called the Beautiful Gate, so he could beg from the people going into the Temple.G2532G5100G435G5225G5560G1537G846G3384G2836G941G3739G5087G2250G2596G4314G2374G2411G3588G3004G5611G154G1654G3844G1531G1519G24113When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for some money.G3739G1492G4074G2532G2491G3195G1524G1519G2411G2065G2983G16544Peter and John looked at him intently, and Peter said, "Look at us!"G1161G4074G816G1519G846G4862G2491G2036G991G1519G22485The lame man looked at them eagerly, expecting some money.G1161G1907G846G4328G2983G5100G3844G8466But Peter said, "I don't have any silver or gold for you. But I'll give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk!"G1161G4074G2036G694G2532G5553G5225G3427G3756G1161G3739G5124G2192G1325G4671G1722G3686G2424G5547G3480G1453G2532G40437Then Peter took the lame man by the right hand and helped him up. And as he did, the man's feet and ankles were instantly healed and strengthened.G2532G4084G846G1188G5495G1453G1161G3916G846G939G2532G4974G47328He jumped up, stood on his feet, and began to walk! Then, walking, leaping, and praising God, he went into the Temple with them.G2532G1814G2476G2532G4043G2532G1525G4862G846G1519G2411G4043G2532G242G2532G134G23169All the people saw him walking and heard him praising God.G2532G3956G2992G1492G846G4043G2532G134G231610When they realized he was the lame beggar they had seen so often at the Beautiful Gate, they were absolutely astounded!G5037G1921G3754G846G2258G3778G3588G2521G4314G1654G1909G5611G4439G2411G2532G4130G2285G2532G1611G1909G4819G84611They all rushed out in amazement to Solomon's Colonnade, where the man was holding tightly to Peter and John.G1161G5560G2390G2902G4074G2532G2491G3956G2992G4936G4314G846G1909G4745G2564G4672G1569
Peter Preaches in the Temple
12Peter saw his opportunity and addressed the crowd. "People of Israel," he said, "what is so surprising about this? And why stare at us as though we had made this man walk by our own power or godliness?G1161G4074G1492G611G4314G2992G435G2475G5101G2296G1909G5129G2228G5101G816G2254G5613G2398G1411G2228G2150G4160G846G404313For it is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—the God of all our ancestors—who has brought glory to his servant Jesus by doing this. This is the same Jesus whom you handed over and rejected before Pilate, despite Pilate's decision to release him.G2316G11G2532G2464G2532G2384G2316G2257G3962G1392G846G3816G2424G3739G5210G3860G2532G720G846G2596G4383G4091G2919G630G1565G63014You rejected this holy, righteous one and instead demanded the release of a murderer.G1161G5210G720G40G2532G1342G2532G154G5406G435G5483G521315You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. And we are witnesses of this fact!G1161G615G747G2222G3739G2316G1453G1537G3498G3739G2249G2070G314416"Through faith in the name of Jesus, this man was healed—and you know how crippled he was before. Faith in Jesus' name has healed him before your very eyes.G2532G846G3686G1909G4102G846G3686G4732G5026G4732G3739G2334G2532G1492G2532G4102G1325G1223G846G1325G846G5126G3647G561G5216G395617"Friends, I realize that what you and your leaders did to Jesus was done in ignorance.G2532G3568G80G1492G3754G2596G52G4238G5618G2532G5216G75818But God was fulfilling what all the prophets had foretold about the Messiah—that he must suffer these things.G1161G3739G2316G4293G1223G4750G3956G846G4396G5547G3958G4137G3779G413719Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away.G3340G3767G2532G1994G1519G5216G266G1813G3704G2540G403G302G2064G575G4383G296220Then times of refreshment will come from the presence of the Lord, and he will again send you Jesus, your appointed Messiah.G2532G649G2424G5547G4296G521321For he must remain in heaven until the time for the final restoration of all things, as God promised long ago through his holy prophets.G3739G3772G3303G1163G1209G891G5550G605G3956G3739G2316G2980G1223G4750G3956G846G40G4396G575G16522Moses said, 'The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from among your own people. Listen carefully to everything he tells you.'G1063G3475G3303G2036G4314G3962G3754G4396G450G2962G5216G2316G450G5213G1537G5216G80G5613G1691G846G191G2596G3956G3745G302G2980G4314G520923Then Moses said, 'Anyone who will not listen to that Prophet will be completely cut off from God's people.'G1161G2071G3956G5590G3748G302G191G3361G191G1565G4396G1842G1537G299224"Starting with Samuel, every prophet spoke about what is happening today.G2532G1161G3956G4396G575G4545G2532G2517G3745G2980G4293G2532G4293G5025G225025You are the children of those prophets, and you are included in the covenant God promised to your ancestors. For God said to Abraham, 'Through your descendants all the families on earth will be blessed.'G5210G2075G5207G4396G2532G1242G3739G2316G1303G4314G2257G3962G3004G4314G11G2532G4675G4690G1757G3956G3965G1093G175726When God raised up his servant, Jesus, he sent him first to you people of Israel, to bless you by turning each of you back from your sinful ways."G5213G4412G2316G450G846G3816G2424G649G846G2127G5209G1722G654G1538G5216G575G4189
Peter and John before the Council
4While Peter and John were speaking to the people, they were confronted by the priests, the captain of the Temple guard, and some of the Sadducees.G1161G846G2980G4314G2992G2409G2532G4755G2411G2532G4523G2186G8462These leaders were very disturbed that Peter and John were teaching the people that through Jesus there is a resurrection of the dead.G1278G1223G846G1321G2992G2532G2605G1722G2424G386G1537G34983They arrested them and, since it was already evening, put them in jail until morning.G2532G1911G5495G846G2532G5087G1519G5084G1519G839G1063G2258G2235G20734But many of the people who heard their message believed it, so the number of believers now totaled about 5,000 men, not counting women and children.G1161G4183G191G3056G4100G2532G706G435G1096G5616G4002G55055The next day the council of all the rulers and elders and teachers of religious law met in Jerusalem.G1161G1096G1909G839G846G758G2532G4245G2532G11226Annas the high priest was there, along with Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and other relatives of the high priest.G2532G452G749G2532G2533G2532G2491G2532G223G2532G3745G2258G1537G1085G748G4863G1519G24197They brought in the two disciples and demanded, "By what power, or in whose name, have you done this?"G2532G2476G846G1722G3319G4441G1722G4169G1411G2228G1722G4169G3686G4160G5210G4160G51248Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, "Rulers and elders of our people,G5119G4074G4130G40G4151G2036G4314G846G758G2992G2532G4245G24749are we being questioned today because we've done a good deed for a crippled man? Do you want to know how he was healed?G1487G2249G4594G350G1909G2108G772G444G1722G5101G3778G498210Let me clearly state to all of you and to all the people of Israel that he was healed by the powerful name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, the man you crucified but whom God raised from the dead.G2077G1110G5213G3956G2532G3956G2992G2474G3754G1722G3686G2424G5547G3480G3739G5210G4717G3739G2316G1453G1537G3498G1722G5129G3936G3778G3936G1799G5216G519911For Jesus is the one referred to in the Scriptures, where it says, 'The stone that you builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.'G3778G2076G3037G3588G1848G5259G5216G3618G3588G1096G2776G1519G113712There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved."G2532G3756G2076G4991G1722G3762G243G1063G2076G3777G2087G3686G5259G3772G1325G1722G444G1722G3739G2248G1163G498213The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus.G1161G2334G3954G4074G2532G2491G2532G2638G3754G1526G62G2532G2399G444G2296G5037G1921G846G3754G2258G4862G242414But since they could see the man who had been healed standing right there among them, there was nothing the council could say.G1161G991G444G2323G2476G4862G846G2192G471G3762G47115So they ordered Peter and John out of the council chamber and conferred among themselves.G1161G2753G846G565G1854G4892G4820G4314G24016"What should we do with these men?" they asked each other. "We can't deny that they have performed a miraculous sign, and everybody in Jerusalem knows about it.G3004G5101G4160G5125G444G1063G3754G3303G1110G4592G1096G1223G846G5318G3956G2730G2419G2532G3756G1410G72017But to keep them from spreading their propaganda any further, we must warn them not to speak to anyone in Jesus' name again."G235G3363G1268G3363G1909G4119G1519G2992G547G546G846G2980G3371G3367G444G1909G5129G368618So they called the apostles back in and commanded them never again to speak or teach in the name of Jesus.G2532G2564G846G3853G846G3361G5350G2527G3366G1321G1909G3686G242419But Peter and John replied, "Do you think God wants us to obey you rather than him?G1161G4074G2532G2491G611G2036G4314G846G1487G2076G1342G1799G2316G191G5216G3123G2228G2316G291920We cannot stop telling about everything we have seen and heard."G1063G2249G3756G1410G3361G2980G3739G1492G2532G19121The council then threatened them further, but they finally let them go because they didn't know how to punish them without starting a riot. For everyone was praising GodG1161G4324G630G846G630G2147G3367G4459G2849G846G1223G2992G3754G3956G1392G2316G1909G109622for this miraculous sign—the healing of a man who had been lame for more than forty years.G1063G444G2258G4119G5062G2094G1909G3739G5124G4592G2392G1096
The Believers Pray for Courage
23As soon as they were freed, Peter and John returned to the other believers and told them what the leading priests and elders had said.G1161G630G2064G4314G2398G2532G518G3745G749G2532G4245G2036G4314G84624When they heard the report, all the believers lifted their voices together in prayer to God: "O Sovereign Lord, Creator of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them?G1161G191G142G5456G4314G2316G3661G2532G2036G1203G4771G2316G3588G4160G3772G2532G1093G2532G2281G2532G3956G1722G84625you spoke long ago by the Holy Spirit through our ancestor David, your servant, saying, 'Why were the nations so angry? Why did they waste their time with futile plans?G3588G1223G4750G4675G3816G1138G2036G2444G5433G1484G5433G2532G2992G3191G275626The kings of the earth prepared for battle; the rulers gathered together against the LORD and against his Messiah.'G935G1093G3936G2532G758G4863G1909G846G2596G2962G2532G2596G846G554727"In fact, this has happened here in this very city! For Herod Antipas, Pontius Pilate the governor, the Gentiles, and the people of Israel were all united against Jesus, your holy servant, whom you anointed.G1063G1909G225G1909G4675G40G3816G2424G3739G5548G5037G2264G2532G4194G4091G4862G1484G2532G2992G2474G486328But everything they did was determined beforehand according to your will.G4160G3745G4675G5495G2532G4675G1012G4309G109629And now, O Lord, hear their threats, and give us, your servants, great boldness in preaching your word.G2532G3569G2962G1896G1909G846G547G2532G1325G4675G1401G3326G3956G3954G2980G4675G305630Stretch out your hand with healing power; may miraculous signs and wonders be done through the name of your holy servant Jesus."G1722G4571G1614G4675G5495G1519G2392G2532G4592G2532G5059G1096G1223G3686G4675G40G3816G242431After this prayer, the meeting place shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they preached the word of God with boldness.G2532G846G1189G5117G4531G1722G3739G2258G4863G2532G4130G537G4130G40G4151G2532G2980G3056G2316G3326G3954
The Believers Share Their Possessions
32All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had.G1161G4128G4100G2258G2588G2532G3391G5590G2532G3761G3004G1520G5100G846G5224G1511G2398G235G846G2258G537G283933The apostles testified powerfully to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God's great blessing was upon them all.G2532G3173G1411G591G652G3142G386G2962G2424G5037G3173G5485G2258G1909G846G395634There were no needy people among them, because those who owned land or houses would sell themG3761G1063G5225G5100G1722G846G1729G1063G3745G5225G2935G5564G2228G3614G4453G5342G5092G409735and bring the money to the apostles to give to those in need.G2532G5087G3844G652G4228G1161G1239G1538G2530G302G2192G5100G553236For instance, there was Joseph, the one the apostles nicknamed Barnabas (which means "Son of Encouragement"). He was from the tribe of Levi and came from the island of Cyprus.G1161G2500G3588G5259G652G1941G921G3739G2076G3177G5207G3874G3019G1085G295337He sold a field he owned and brought the money to the apostles.G5225G846G68G4453G5342G5536G2532G5087G3844G652G4228
120[A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem.] I took my troubles to the Lord; I cried out to him, and he answered my prayer.H7892H4609H6869H7121H3068H60302Rescue me, O Lord, from liars and from all deceitful people.H5337H5315H3068H8267H8193H7423H39563O deceptive tongue, what will God do to you? How will he increase your punishment?H5414H3254H7423H39564You will be pierced with sharp arrows and burned with glowing coals.H8150H2671H1368H1513H75745How I suffer in far-off Meshech. It pains me to live in distant Kedar.H190H1481H4902H7931H168H69386I am tired of living among people who hate peace.H5315H7227H7931H8130H79657I search for peace; but when I speak of peace, they want war!H7965H1696H4421
Dublin, OH
, get up and walk!"G1161
