Study Desk

Since we are God's children, you must not think that God is like something that people imagine or make from gold, silver, or rock.

In the past, people did not understand God, and he ignored this. But now, God tells all people in the world to change their hearts and lives.

God has set a day that he will judge all the world with fairness, by the man he chose long ago. And God has proved this to everyone by raising that man from the dead!"

Paul left the synagogue and moved into the home of Titius Justus, next to the synagogue. This man worshiped God.

They said, "This man is teaching people to worship God in a way that is against our law."

Paul stayed with the believers for many more days. Then he left and sailed for Syria, with Priscilla and Aquila. At Cenchrea Paul cut off his hair, because he had made a promise to God.

But as he left, he said, "I will come back to you again if God wants me to." And so he sailed away from Ephesus.

Apollos began to speak very boldly in the synagogue, and when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him to their home and helped him better understand the way of God.

Paul went into the synagogue and spoke out boldly for three months. He talked with the people and persuaded them to accept the things he said about the kingdom of God.

God used Paul to do some very special miracles.

I warned both Jews and Greeks to change their lives and turn to God and believe in our Lord Jesus.

"And now, I know that none of you among whom I was preaching the kingdom of God will ever see me again.

because I have told you everything God wants you to know.

Be careful for yourselves and for all the people the Holy Spirit has given to you to oversee. You must be like shepherds to the church of God, which he bought with the death of his own son.

"Now I am putting you in the care of God and the message about his grace. It is able to give you strength, and it will give you the blessings God has for all his holy people.

Paul greeted them and told them everything God had done among the other nations through him.

When they heard this, they praised God. Then they said to Paul, "Brother, you can see that many thousands of our people have become believers. And they think it is very important to obey the law of Moses.

So we will tell you what to do: Four of our men have made a promise to God.

"I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in the country of Cilicia, but I grew up in this city. I was a student of Gamaliel, who carefully taught me everything about the law of our ancestors. I was very serious about serving God, just as are all of you here today.

He said, ‘The God of our ancestors chose you long ago to know his plan, to see the Righteous One, and to hear words from him.