Study Desk

"And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.

"And if he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, he is to be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.

And great fear came over the whole church, and over all who heard about these things.

Now Saul approved of putting Stephen to death. And on that day a great persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except for the apostles.

But Saul began ravaging the church, entering house after house; and he would drag away men and women and put them in prison.

So the church throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria enjoyed peace, as it was being built up; and as it continued in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it kept increasing.

The news about them reached the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas off to Antioch.

and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. And for an entire year they met with the church and taught considerable numbers of people; and the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.

Now about that time Herod the king laid hands on some who belonged to the church, to do them harm.

So Peter was kept in the prison, but prayer for him was being made to God intensely by the church.

Now there were prophets and teachers at Antioch, in the church that was there: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.

When they had appointed elders for them in every church, having prayed with fasting, they entrusted them to the Lord in whom they had believed.

When they had arrived and gathered the church together, they began to report all the things that God had done with them and how He had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles.

Therefore, after being sent on their way by the church, they were passing through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and they were bringing great joy to all the brothers and sisters.

When they arrived in Jerusalem, they were received by the church, the apostles, and the elders, and they reported all that God had done with them.

Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them to send to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas: Judas who was called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brothers,

When he had landed in Caesarea, he went up to Jerusalem and greeted the church, and went down to Antioch.

From Miletus he sent word to Ephesus and called to himself the elders of the church.

"Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.

I recommend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea,