Study Desk

Then God gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision, and Abraham became the father of Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day. And Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve patriarchs.

Because the patriarchs were jealous of Joseph, they sold him as a slave into Egypt. But God was with him

As the time drew near for God to fulfill His promise to Abraham, our people in Egypt increased greatly in number.

At that time Moses was born, and he was beautiful in the sight of God. For three months he was nurtured in his father's house.

He assumed his brothers would understand that God was using him to deliver them, but they did not.

'I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.' Moses trembled with fear and did not dare to look.

This Moses, whom they had rejected with the words, 'Who made you ruler and judge?' is the one God sent to be their ruler and redeemer, through the angel who appeared to him in the bush.

This is the same Moses who told the Israelites, 'God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers.'

But God turned away from them and gave them over to the worship of the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets: 'Did you bring Me sacrifices and offerings forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel?

You have taken along the tabernacle of Moloch and the star of your god Rephan, the idols you made to worship. Therefore I will send you into exile beyond Babylon.'

Our fathers had the tabernacle of the testimony with them in the wilderness. It was constructed exactly as God had directed Moses, according to the pattern he had seen.

And our fathers who received it brought it in with Joshua when they dispossessed the nations God drove out before them. It remained until the time of David,

who found favor in the sight of God and asked to provide a dwelling place for the God of Jacob.

But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked intently into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.

"Look," he said, "I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God."

God-fearing men buried Stephen and mourned deeply over him.

But when they believed Philip as he preached the gospel of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.

When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them.

But Peter replied, "May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money!

You have no part or share in our ministry, because your heart is not right before God.