Study Desk

So Peter went downstairs and said to them, "I think I'm the man you are looking for. Why did you come here?"

The men said, "A holy angel told Cornelius to invite you to his house. He is an army officer. He is a good man, one who worships God, and all the Jewish people respect him. The angel told him to invite you to his house so that he can listen to what you have to say."

So send some men to the city of Joppa and tell Simon Peter to come. He is staying with another man named Simon, a leatherworker who has a house beside the sea.'

So I sent for you immediately. It was very good of you to come here. Now we are all here before God to hear everything the Lord has commanded you to tell us."

So Peter told them to baptize Cornelius and his relatives and friends in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days.

So Peter explained the whole story to them.

God gave these people the same gift he gave us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ. So how could I object to what God wanted to do?"

When the Jewish believers heard this, they stopped arguing. They praised God and said, "So God is also allowing even those who are not Jews to change their hearts so that they can have the life he gives!"

Herod saw that many of the Jews liked this, so he decided to arrest Peter too. This happened during the Festival of Unleavened Bread.

So Peter was kept in jail, but the church was constantly praying to God for him.

So the angel went out and Peter followed. He did not know if the angel was really doing this. He thought he might be seeing a vision.

The believers said to her, "You are crazy!" But she continued to say that it was true. So they said, "It must be Peter's angel."

Herod looked everywhere for him but could not find him. So he questioned the guards and then ordered that they be killed. Later, Herod moved from Judea. He went to the city of Caesarea and stayed there a while.

Herod was very angry with the people from the cities of Tyre and Sidon. But these cities needed food from his country, so a group of them came to ask him for peace. They were able to get Blastus, the king's personal servant, on their side.

Herod did not give the glory to God. So an angel of the Lord caused him to get sick. He was eaten by worms inside him, and he died.

So the church fasted and prayed. They laid their hands on Barnabas and Saul and sent them out.

God raised Jesus from death. Jesus will never go back to the grave and become dust. So God said, ‘I will give you the true and holy promises that I made to David.'

So be careful! Don't let what the prophets said happen to you:

But Paul and Barnabas spoke very boldly. They said, "We had to tell God's message to you Jews first, but you refuse to listen. You have made it clear that you are not worthy of having eternal life. So we will now go to those who are not Jews.

And so the message of the Lord was being told throughout the whole country.