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The Lord heard her prayer. As she was being led
to execution, God stirred up the holy spirit of a young boy named
Daniel, and he cried aloud: "I will have no part in the death
of this woman." All the people turned and asked him,
"What is this you are saying?" He stood in their midst
and continued, "Are you such fools, O Israelites! To condemn
a woman of Israel without examination and without clear evidence?
Return to court, for they have testified falsely against
her." Then all the people returned in haste. To Daniel the
elders said, "Come, sit with us and inform us, since God has
given you the prestige of old age." [DAN 13:44-50]
They consult their piece of wood, and their wand
makes pronouncements for them, For the spirit of harlotry has led
them astray; they commit harlotry, forsaking their God. [HOSEA
4:12]
Their deeds do not allow them to return to their
God; For the spirit of harlotry is in them, and they do not
recognize the LORD. [HOSEA 5:4]
They have come, the days of punishment! they
have come, the days of recompense! Let Israel know it! "The
prophet is a fool, the man of the spirit is mad!" Because
your iniquity is great, great, too, is your hostility. [HOSEA 9:7]
Then afterward I will pour out my spirit upon
all mankind. Your sons and daughters shall prophesy, your old men
shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions; Even upon
the servants and the handmaids, in those days, I will pour out my
spirit. And I will work wonders in the heavens and on the earth,
blood, fire, and columns of smoke; The sun will be turned to
darkness, and the moon to blood, At the coming of the Day of the
LORD, the great and terrible day. Then everyone shall be rescued
who calls on the name of the LORD; For on Mount Zion there shall
be a remnant, as the LORD has said, And in Jerusalem survivors
whom the LORD shall call. [JOEL 3:1-5]
Thus says the LORD regarding the prophets who
lead my people astray; Who, when their teeth have something to
bite, announce peace, But when one fails to put something in their
mouth, proclaim war against him. Therefore you shall have night,
not vision, darkness, not divination; The sun shall go down upon
the prophets, and the day shall be dark for them. Then shall the
seers be put to shame, and the diviners confounded; They shall
cover their lips, all of them, because there is no answer from
God. But as for me, I am filled with power, with the spirit of the
LORD, with authority and with might; To declare to Jacob his
crimes and to Israel his sins. [MICAH 3:5-8]
And the LORD'S messenger, Haggai, proclaimed to
the people as the message of the LORD: I am with you, says the
LORD. Then the LORD stirred up the spirit of the governor of
Judah, Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, and the spirit of the high
priest Joshua, son of Jehozadak, and the spirit of all the remnant
of the people, so that they came and set to work on the house of
the LORD of hosts, their God, on the twenty-fourth day of the
sixth month. [HAG 1:13-15]
This is the pact that I made with you when you
came out of Egypt, And my spirit continues in your midst; do not
fear! [HAG 2:5]
Then he said to me, "This is the LORD'S
message to Zerubbabel: Not by an army, nor by might, but by my
spirit, says the LORD of hosts. What are you, O great mountain?
Before Zerubbabel you are but a plain. He shall bring out the
capstone amid exclamations of 'Hail, Hail' to it." [ZECH 4:6-7]
As these strong horses emerged, eager to set about patrolling the earth, he said, "Go, patrol the earth!" Then, as they patrolled the earth, he called out to me and said, "See, they that go forth to the land of the north will make my spirit rest in the land of the north."
[ZECH 6:7-8]
Thus says the LORD of hosts: Render true
judgment, and show kindness and compassion toward each other. Do
not oppress the widow or the orphan, the alien or the poor; do not
plot evil against one another in your hearts. But they refused to
listen; they stubbornly turned their backs and stopped their ears
so as not to hear. And they made their hearts diamond hard so as
not to hear the teaching and the message that the LORD of hosts
had sent by his spirit through the former prophets. Then the LORD
of hosts in his great anger said that, as they had not listened
when he called, so he would not listen when they called, but would
scatter them with a whirlwind among all the nations that they did
not know. Thus the land was left desolate after them with no one
traveling to and fro; they made the pleasant land into a desert. [ZECH
7:9-14]
An oracle: the word of the LORD concerning
Israel. Thus says the LORD, who spreads out the heavens, lays the
foundations of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him:
See, I will make Jerusalem a bowl to stupefy all peoples round
about. (Judah will be besieged, even Jerusalem.) On that day I
will make Jerusalem a weighty stone for all peoples. All who
attempt to lift it shall injure themselves badly, and all the
nations of the earth shall be gathered against her. [ZECH 12:1-3]
I will pour out on the house of David and on the
inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and petition; and they
shall look on him whom they have thrust through, and they shall
mourn for him as one mourns for an only son, and they shall grieve
over him as one grieves over a first-born. On that day the
mourning in Jerusalem shall be as great as the mourning of
Hadadrimmon in the plain of Megiddo. And the land shall mourn,
each family apart: the family of the house of David, and their
wives; the family of the house of Nathan, and their wives; the
family of the house of Levi, and their wives; the family of Shemei,
and their wives; and all the rest of the families, each family
apart, and the wives apart. [ZECH 12:10-14]
On that day, says the LORD of hosts, I will
destroy the names of the idols from the land, so that they shall
be mentioned no more; I will also take away the prophets and the
spirit of uncleanness from the land. [ZECH 13:2]
And you say, "Why is it?" - Because
the LORD is witness between you and the wife of your youth, With
whom you have broken faith though she is your companion, your
betrothed wife. Did he not make one being, with flesh and spirit:
and what does that one require but godly offspring? You must then
safeguard life that is your own, and not break faith with the wife
of your youth. For I hate divorce, says the LORD, the God of
Israel, And covering one's garment with injustice, says the LORD
of hosts; You must then safeguard life that is your own, and not
break faith. [MAL 2:14-16]
Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came
about. When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before
they lived together, she was found with child through the Holy Spirit. Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet
unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly.
Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord
appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph, son of David,
do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is
through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her.
She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will
save his people from their sins." All this took place to
fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: "Behold,
the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name
him Emmanuel," which means "God is with us." When
Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him
and took his wife into his home. [MT 1:18-24]
I am baptizing you with water, for repentance,
but the one who is coming after me is mightier than I. I am not
worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy
Spirit and fire. [MT 3:11]
Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the
Jordan to be baptized by him. John tried to prevent him, saying,
"I need to be baptized by you, and yet you are coming to
me?" Jesus said to him in reply, "Allow it now, for thus
it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he
allowed him. After Jesus was baptized, he came up from the water
and behold, the heavens were opened (for him), and he saw the
Spirit of God descending like a dove (and) coming upon him. And a
voice came from the heavens, saying, "This is my beloved Son,
with whom I am well pleased." [MT 3:13-17]
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert
to be tempted by the devil. [MT 4:1]
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs
is the kingdom of heaven." [MT 5:3]
When it was evening, they brought him many who
were possessed by demons, and he drove out the spirits by a word
and cured all the sick, to fulfill what had been said by Isaiah
the prophet: "He took away our infirmities and bore our
diseases." [MT 8:16-17]
Then he summoned his twelve disciples and gave
them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out and to cure
every disease and every illness. [MT 10:1]
"Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the
midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves. But
beware of people, for they will hand you over to courts and
scourge you in their synagogues, and you will be led before
governors and kings for my sake as a witness before them and the
pagans. When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to
speak or what you are to say. You will be given at that moment
what you are to say. For it will not be you who speak but the
Spirit of your Father speaking through you." [MT 10:16-20]
But the Pharisees went out and took counsel
against him to put him to death. When Jesus realized this, he
withdrew from that place. Many (people) followed him, and he cured
them all, but he warned them not to make him known. This was to
fulfill what had been spoken through Isaiah the prophet:
"Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved in whom I
delight; I shall place my spirit upon him, and he will proclaim
justice to the Gentiles. He will not contend or cry out, nor will
anyone hear his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not
break, a smoldering wick he will not quench, until he brings
justice to victory. And in his name the Gentiles will hope." [MT
12:14-21]
Then they brought to him a demoniac who was
blind and mute. He cured the mute person so that he could speak
and see. All the crowd was astounded, and said, "Could this
perhaps be the Son of David?" But when the Pharisees heard
this, they said, "This man drives out demons only by the
power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons." But he knew what
they were thinking and said to them, "Every kingdom divided
against itself will be laid waste, and no town or house divided
against itself will stand. And if Satan drives out Satan, he is
divided against himself; how, then, will his kingdom stand? And if
I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your own people drive
them out? Therefore they will be your judges. But if it is by the
Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has
come upon you. How can anyone enter a strong man's house and steal
his property, unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can
plunder his house. Whoever is not with me is against me, and
whoever does not gather with me scatters. Therefore, I say to you,
every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but blasphemy
against the Spirit will not be forgiven. And whoever speaks a word
against the Son of Man will be forgiven; but whoever speaks
against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age
or in the age to come." [MT 12:22-32]
"When an unclean spirit goes out of a
person it roams through arid regions searching for rest but finds
none. Then it says, 'I will return to my home from which I came.'
But upon returning, it finds it empty, swept clean, and put in
order. Then it goes and brings back with itself seven other
spirits more evil than itself, and they move in and dwell there;
and the last condition of that person is worse than the first.
Thus it will be with this evil generation." [MT 12:43-45]
While the Pharisees were gathered together,
Jesus questioned them, saying, "What is your opinion about
the Messiah? Whose son is he?" They replied,
"David's." He said to them, "How, then, does David,
inspired by the Spirit, call him 'lord,' saying: 'The Lord said to
my lord, "Sit at my right hand until I place your enemies
under your feet"'? If David calls him 'lord,' how can he be
his son?" No one was able to answer him a word, nor from that
day on did anyone dare to ask him any more questions. [MT 22:41-46]
When he returned to his disciples he found them asleep. He said to Peter, "So you could not keep watch with me for one hour? Watch and pray that you may not undergo the test.
The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."
[MT 26:40-41]
From noon onward, darkness came over the whole
land until three in the afternoon. And about three o'clock Jesus
cried out in a loud voice, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?"
which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
Some of the bystanders who heard it said, "This one is
calling for Elijah." Immediately one of them ran to get a
sponge; he soaked it in wine, and putting it on a reed, gave it to
him to drink. But the rest said, "Wait, let us see if Elijah
comes to save him." But Jesus cried out again in a loud
voice, and gave up his spirit. And behold, the veil of the
sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth quaked,
rocks were split, tombs were opened, and the bodies of many saints
who had fallen asleep were raised. And coming forth from their
tombs after his resurrection, they entered the holy city and
appeared to many. The centurion and the men with him who were
keeping watch over Jesus feared greatly when they saw the
earthquake and all that was happening, and they said, "Truly,
this was the Son of God!" [MT 27:45-54]
Then Jesus approached and said to them,
"All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go,
therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in
the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And
behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age." [MT
28:18-20]
And this is what [John the Baptist] proclaimed: "One mightier than I is coming after me. I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; he will baptize you with the
Holy Spirit." [Taken from MK 1:7-8]
It happened in those days that Jesus came from
Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized in the Jordan by John. On
coming up out of the water he saw the heavens being torn open and
the Spirit, like a dove, descending upon him. And a voice came
from the heavens, "You are my beloved Son; with you I am well
pleased." At once the Spirit drove him out into the desert,
and he remained in the desert for forty days, tempted by Satan. He
was among wild beasts, and the angels ministered to him. [MK 1:9-13]
Then they came to Capernaum, and on the sabbath
he entered the synagogue and taught. The people were astonished at
his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority and not
as the scribes. In their synagogue was a man with an unclean
spirit; he cried out, "What have you to do with us, Jesus of
Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are - the
Holy One of God!" Jesus rebuked him and said, "Quiet!
Come out of him!" The unclean spirit convulsed him and with a
loud cry came out of him. All were amazed and asked one another,
"What is this? A new teaching with authority. He commands
even the unclean spirits and they obey him." His fame spread
everywhere throughout the whole region of Galilee. [MK 1:21-28]
He had cured many and, as a result, those who had diseases were pressing upon him to touch him. And whenever unclean spirits saw him they would fall down before him and shout, "You are the Son of God." He warned them sternly not to make him known.
[MK 3:10-12]
"Amen, I say to you, all sins and all blasphemies that people utter will be forgiven them. But whoever blasphemes against the
Holy Spirit will never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an everlasting sin." For they had said, "He has an unclean spirit."
[MK 3:28-30]
They came to the other side of the sea, to the
territory of the Gerasenes. When he got out of the boat, at once a
man from the tombs who had an unclean spirit met him. The man had
been dwelling among the tombs, and no one could restrain him any
longer, even with a chain. In fact, he had frequently been bound
with shackles and chains, but the chains had been pulled apart by
him and the shackles smashed, and no one was strong enough to
subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and on the hillsides he
was always crying out and bruising himself with stones. Catching
sight of Jesus from a distance, he ran up and prostrated himself
before him, crying out in a loud voice, "What have you to do
with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do
not torment me!" (He had been saying to him, "Unclean
spirit, come out of the man!") He asked him, "What is
your name?" He replied, "Legion is my name. There are
many of us." And he pleaded earnestly with him not to drive
them away from that territory. [Taken from MK 5:1-10]
He summoned the Twelve and began to send them
out two by two and gave them authority over unclean spirits. [MK
6:7]
From that place he went off to the district of
Tyre. He entered a house and wanted no one to know about it, but
he could not escape notice. Soon a woman whose daughter had an
unclean spirit heard about him. She came and fell at his feet. The
woman was a Greek, a Syrophoenician by birth, and she begged him
to drive the demon out of her daughter. He said to her, "Let
the children be fed first. For it is not right to take the food of
the children and throw it to the dogs." She replied and said
to him, "Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the
children's scraps." Then he said to her, "For saying
this, you may go. The demon has gone out of your daughter."
When the woman went home, she found the child lying in bed and the
demon gone. [MK 7:24-30]
The Pharisees came forward and began to argue
with him, seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him. He
sighed from the depth of his spirit and said, "Why does this
generation seek a sign? Amen, I say to you, no sign will be given
to this generation." Then he left them, got into the boat
again, and went off to the other shore. [MK 8:11-13]
He asked them, "What are you arguing about
with them?" Someone from the crowd answered him,
"Teacher, I have brought to you my son possessed by a mute
spirit. Wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at
the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes rigid. I asked your
disciples to drive it out, but they were unable to do so." He
said to them in reply, "O faithless generation, how long will
I be with you? How long will I endure you? Bring him to me."
They brought the boy to him. And when he saw him, the spirit
immediately threw the boy into convulsions. As he fell to the
ground, he began to roll around and foam at the mouth. Then he
questioned his father, "How long has this been happening to
him?" He replied, "Since childhood. It has often thrown
him into fire and into water to kill him. But if you can do
anything, have compassion on us and help us." Jesus said to
him, " 'If you can!' Everything is possible to one who has
faith." Then the boy's father cried out, "I do believe,
help my unbelief!" Jesus, on seeing a crowd rapidly
gathering, rebuked the unclean spirit and said to it, "Mute
and deaf spirit, I command you: come out of him and never enter
him again!" Shouting and throwing the boy into convulsions,
it came out. He became like a corpse, which caused many to say,
"He is dead!" But Jesus took him by the hand, raised
him, and he stood up. When he entered the house, his disciples
asked him in private, "Why could we not drive it out?"
He said to them, "This kind can only come out through
prayer." [MK 9:16-29]
As Jesus was teaching in the temple area he
said, "How do the scribes claim that the Messiah is the son
of David? David himself, inspired by the Holy Spirit, said: 'The
Lord said to my lord, "Sit at my right hand until I place
your enemies under your feet."' David himself calls him
'lord'; so how is he his son?" (The) great crowd heard this
with delight. [MK 12:35-37]
"Watch out for yourselves. They will hand
you over to the courts. You will be beaten in synagogues. You will
be arraigned before governors and kings because of me, as a
witness before them. But the gospel must first be preached to all
nations. When they lead you away and hand you over, do not worry
beforehand about what you are to say. But say whatever will be
given to you at that hour. For it will not be you who are speaking
but the Holy Spirit." [MK 13:9-11]
When he returned he found them asleep. He said to Peter, "Simon, are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour? Watch and pray that you may not undergo the test. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak."
[MK 14:37-38]
In the days of Herod, King of Judea, there was a
priest named Zechariah of the priestly division of Abijah; his
wife was from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.
Both were righteous in the eyes of God, observing all the
commandments and ordinances of the Lord blamelessly. But they had
no child, because Elizabeth was barren and both were advanced in
years. Once when he was serving as priest in his division's turn
before God, according to the practice of the priestly service, he
was chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary of the Lord to burn
incense. Then, when the whole assembly of the people was praying
outside at the hour of the incense offering, the angel of the Lord
appeared to him, standing at the right of the altar of incense.
Zechariah was troubled by what he saw, and fear came upon him. But
the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because
your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a
son, and you shall name him John. And you will have joy and
gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great
in the sight of (the) Lord. He will drink neither wine nor strong
drink. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his
mother's womb, and he will turn many of the children of Israel to
the Lord their God. He will go before him in the spirit and power
of Elijah to turn the hearts of fathers toward children and the
disobedient to the understanding of the righteous, to prepare a
people fit for the Lord." [LK 1:5-17]
And in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was
sent from God into a city of Galilee, called Nazareth, To a virgin
espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David;
and the virgin's name was Mary. And the angel being come in, said
unto her: Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art
thou among women. Who having heard, was troubled at his saying,
and thought with herself what manner of salutation this should be.
And the angel said to her: Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found
grace with God. Behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt
bring forth a son; and thou shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be
great, and shall be called the Son of the most High; and the Lord
God shall give unto him the throne of David his father; and he
shall reign in the house of Jacob for ever. And of his kingdom
there shall be no end. And Mary said to the angel: How shall this
be done, because I know not man? And the angel answering, said to
her: The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the
most High shall overshadow thee. And therefore also the Holy which
shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. And behold
thy cousin Elizabeth, she also hath conceived a son in her old
age; and this is the sixth month with her that is called barren:
Because no word shall be impossible with God. And Mary said:
Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to thy
word. And the angel departed from her. [LK 1:26-38]
During those days Mary set out and traveled to
the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered
the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard
Mary's greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth,
filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said,
"Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit
of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of
my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your
greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy.
Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the
Lord would be fulfilled." [LK 1:39-45]
And Mary said: "My soul proclaims the
greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior. For he
has looked upon his handmaid's lowliness; behold, from now on will
all ages call me blessed. The Mighty One has done great things for
me, and holy is his name. His mercy is from age to age to those
who fear him. He has shown might with his arm, dispersed the
arrogant of mind and heart. He has thrown down the rulers from
their thrones but lifted up the lowly. The hungry he has filled
with good things; the rich he has sent away empty. He has helped
Israel his servant, remembering his mercy, according to his
promise to our fathers, to Abraham and to his descendants forever."
[LK 1:46-55]
Then Zechariah his father, filled with the Holy Spirit, prophesied, saying: "Blessed be the Lord, the God of
Israel, for he has visited and brought redemption to his people.
He has raised up a horn for our salvation within the house of
David his servant, even as he promised through the mouth of his
holy prophets from of old: salvation from our enemies and from the
hand of all who hate us, to show mercy to our fathers and to be
mindful of his holy covenant and of the oath he swore to Abraham
our father, and to grant us that, rescued from the hand of
enemies, without fear we might worship him in holiness and
righteousness before him all our days. And you, child, will be
called prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord
to prepare his ways, to give his people knowledge of salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy
of our God by which the daybreak from on high will visit us to
shine on those who sit in darkness and death's shadow, to guide
our feet into the path of peace." The child grew and became
strong in spirit, and he was in the desert until the day of his
manifestation to Israel. [LK 1:67-80]
Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was
Simeon. This man was righteous and devout, awaiting the
consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had
been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see
death before he had seen the Messiah of the Lord. He came in the
Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child
Jesus to perform the custom of the law in regard to him, he took
him into his arms and blessed God, saying: "Now, Master, you
may let your servant go in peace, according to your word, for my
eyes have seen your salvation, which you prepared in sight of all
the peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for
your people Israel." [LK 2:25-32]
Now the people were filled with expectation, and
all were asking in their hearts whether John might be the Messiah.
John answered them all, saying, "I am baptizing you with
water, but one mightier than I is coming. I am not worthy to
loosen the thongs of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit
and fire. His winnowing fan is in his hand to clear
his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the
chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire." [LK 3:15-17]
After all the people had been baptized and Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, heaven was opened and the
Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, "You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased."
[LK 3:21-22]
Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days,
to be tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and when they were over he was hungry.
[LK 4:1-2]
Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the
Spirit, and news of him spread throughout the whole region. He
taught in their synagogues and was praised by all. He came to
Nazareth, where he had grown up, and went according to his custom
into the synagogue on the sabbath day. He stood up to read and was
handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and
found the passage where it was written: "The Spirit of the
Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings
to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and
recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and
to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord." Rolling up the
scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down, and the
eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him. He said to
them, "Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your
hearing." [LK 4:14-21]
Jesus then went down to Capernaum, a town of
Galilee. He taught them on the sabbath, and they were astonished
at his teaching because he spoke with authority. In the synagogue
there was a man with the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried
out in a loud voice, "Ha! What have you to do with us, Jesus
of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are - the
Holy One of God!" Jesus rebuked him and said, "Be quiet!
Come out of him!" Then the demon threw the man down in front
of them and came out of him without doing him any harm. They were
all amazed and said to one another, "What is there about his
word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean
spirits, and they come out." And news of him spread
everywhere in the surrounding region. [LK 4:31-37]
And he came down with them and stood on a
stretch of level ground. A great crowd of his disciples and a
large number of the people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the
coastal region of Tyre and Sidon came to hear him and to be healed
of their diseases; and even those who were tormented by unclean
spirits were cured. Everyone in the crowd sought to touch him
because power came forth from him and healed them all. [LK 6:17-19]
The disciples of John told him about all these
things. John summoned two of his disciples and sent them to the
Lord to ask, "Are you the one who is to come, or should we
look for another?" When the men came to him, they said,
"John the Baptist has sent us to you to ask, 'Are you the one
who is to come, or should we look for another?'" At that time
he cured many of their diseases, sufferings, and evil spirits; he
also granted sight to many who were blind. And he said to them in
reply, "Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the
blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the
deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the good news
proclaimed to them. And blessed is the one who takes no offense at
me." [LK 7:18-23]
Afterward he journeyed from one town and village
to another, preaching and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom
of God. Accompanying him were the Twelve and some women who had
been cured of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary, called
Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, Joanna, the wife
of Herod's steward Chuza, Susanna, and many others who provided
for them out of their resources. [LK 8:1-3]
When he came ashore a man from the town who was
possessed by demons met him. For a long time he had not worn
clothes; he did not live in a house, but lived among the tombs.
When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him; in a
loud voice he shouted, "What have you to do with me, Jesus,
son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me!" For
he had ordered the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (It had
taken hold of him many times, and he used to be bound with chains
and shackles as a restraint, but he would break his bonds and be
driven by the demon into deserted places.) Then Jesus asked him,
"What is your name?" He replied, "Legion,"
because many demons had entered him. [Taken from LK 8:27-30]
On the next day, when they came down from the
mountain, a large crowd met him. There was a man in the crowd who
cried out, "Teacher, I beg you, look at my son; he is my only
child. For a spirit seizes him and he suddenly screams and it
convulses him until he foams at the mouth; it releases him only
with difficulty, wearing him out. I begged your disciples to cast
it out but they could not." Jesus said in reply, "O
faithless and perverse generation, how long will I be with you and
endure you? Bring your son here." As he was coming forward,
the demon threw him to the ground in a convulsion; but Jesus
rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the boy, and returned him to
his father. [LK 9:37-42]
The seventy (-two) returned rejoicing, and said,
"Lord, even the demons are subject to us because of your
name." Jesus said, "I have observed Satan fall like
lightning from the sky. Behold, I have given you the power 'to
tread upon serpents' and scorpions and upon the full force of the
enemy and nothing will harm you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice
because the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice because your
names are written in heaven." At that very moment he rejoiced
(in) the Holy Spirit and said, "I give you praise, Father,
Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these
things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the
childlike. Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will. All
things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows who
the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son
and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him." [LK 10:17-22]
"And I tell you, ask and you will receive;
seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and
to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. What father among
you would hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish? Or hand
him a scorpion when he asks for an egg? If you then, who are
wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much
more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who
ask him?" [LK 11:9-13]
"When an unclean spirit goes out of
someone, it roams through arid regions searching for rest but,
finding none, it says, 'I shall return to my home from which I
came.' But upon returning, it finds it swept clean and put in
order. Then it goes and brings back seven other spirits more
wicked than itself who move in and dwell there, and the last
condition of that person is worse than the first." [LK 11:24-26]
"Everyone who speaks a word against the Son
of Man will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the
Holy Spirit will not be forgiven." [LK 12:10]
"When they take you before synagogues and before rulers and authorities, do not worry about how or what your defense will be or about what you are to say. For the
Holy Spirit will teach you at that moment what you should say." [LK 12:11-12]
He was teaching in a synagogue on the sabbath.
And a woman was there who for eighteen years had been crippled by
a spirit; she was bent over, completely incapable of standing
erect. When Jesus saw her, he called to her and said, "Woman,
you are set free of your infirmity." He laid his hands on
her, and she at once stood up straight and glorified God. But the
leader of the synagogue, indignant that Jesus had cured on the
sabbath, said to the crowd in reply, "There are six days when
work should be done. Come on those days to be cured, not on the
sabbath day." The Lord said to him in reply,
"Hypocrites! Does not each one of you on the sabbath untie
his ox or his ass from the manger and lead it out for watering?
This daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound for eighteen years
now, ought she not to have been set free on the sabbath day from
this bondage?" When he said this, all his adversaries were
humiliated; and the whole crowd rejoiced at all the splendid deeds
done by him. [LK 13:10-17]
It was now about noon and darkness came over the
whole land until three in the afternoon because of an eclipse of
the sun. Then the veil of the temple was torn down the middle.
Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I
commend my spirit"; and when he had said this he breathed his
last. The centurion who witnessed what had happened glorified God
and said, "This man was innocent beyond doubt." [LK 23:44-47]
The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and
said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the
world. He is the one of whom I said, 'A man is coming after me who
ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.' I did not know
him, but the reason why I came baptizing with water was that he
might be made known to Israel." John testified further,
saying, "I saw the Spirit come down like a dove from the sky
and remain upon him. I did not know him, but the one who sent me
to baptize with water told me, 'On whomever you see the Spirit
come down and remain, he is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.' Now I have seen and testified that he is the Son of
God." [JN 1:29-34]
Jesus answered and said to him, "Amen,
amen, I say to you, no one can see the kingdom of God without
being born from above." Nicodemus said to him, "How can
a person once grown old be born again? Surely he cannot reenter
his mother's womb and be born again, can he?" Jesus answered,
"Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can enter the kingdom of
God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of flesh
is flesh and what is born of spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed
that I told you, 'You must be born from above.' The wind blows
where it wills, and you can hear the sound it makes, but you do
not know where it comes from or where it goes; so it is with
everyone who is born of the Spirit." [JN 3:3-8]
For the one whom God sent speaks the words of
God. He does not ration his gift of the Spirit. [JN 3:34]
The woman said to him, "Sir, I can see that
you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain; but
you people say that the place to worship is in Jerusalem."
Jesus said to her, "Believe me, woman, the hour is coming
when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in
Jerusalem. You people worship what you do not understand; we
worship what we understand, because salvation is from the Jews.
But the hour is coming, and is now here, when true worshipers will
worship the Father in Spirit and truth; and indeed the Father
seeks such people to worship him. God is Spirit, and those who
worship him must worship in Spirit and truth." The woman said
to him, "I know that the Messiah is coming, the one called
the Anointed; when he comes, he will tell us everything."
Jesus said to her, "I am he, the one who is speaking with
you." [Taken from JN 4:19-26]
It is the spirit that gives life, while the
flesh is of no avail. The words I have spoken to you are spirit
and life. [JN 6:63]
On the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus
stood up and exclaimed, "Let anyone who thirsts come to me
and drink. Whoever believes in me, as scripture says: 'Rivers of
living water will flow from within him.'" He said this in
reference to the Spirit that those who came to believe in him were
to receive. There was, of course, no Spirit yet, because Jesus had
not yet been glorified. [JN 7:37-39]
"If you love me, you will keep my
commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you
another Advocate to be with you always, the Spirit of truth, which
the world cannot accept, because it neither sees nor knows it. But
you know it, because it remains with you, and will be in you. I
will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. In a little while
the world will no longer see me, but you will see me, because I
live and you will live. On that day you will realize that I am in
my Father and you are in me and I in you. Whoever has my
commandments and observes them is the one who loves me. And
whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him
and reveal myself to him." Judas, not the Iscariot, said to
him, "Master, (then) what happened that you will reveal
yourself to us and not to the world?" Jesus answered and said
to him, "Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father
will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with
him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; yet the word
you hear is not mine but that of the Father who sent me. I
have told you this while I am with you. The Advocate, the Holy Spirit
that the Father will send in my name - he will teach you
everything and remind you of all that (I) told you." [Taken from JN
14:15-26]
"When the Advocate comes whom I will send
you from the Father, the Spirit of truth that proceeds from the
Father, he will testify to me." [JN 15:26]
"I have much more to tell you, but you
cannot bear it now. But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he
will guide you to all truth. He will not speak on his own, but he
will speak what he hears, and will declare to you the things that
are coming. He will glorify me, because he will take from what is
mine and declare it to you. Everything that the Father has is
mine; for this reason I told you that he will take from what is
mine and declare it to you." [Taken from JN 16:12-15]
Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother
and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of
Magdala. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he
loved, he said to his mother, "Woman, behold, your son."
Then he said to the disciple, "Behold, your mother." And
from that hour the disciple took her into his home. After this,
aware that everything was now finished, in order that the
scripture might be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I thirst."
There was a vessel filled with common wine. So they put a sponge
soaked in wine on a sprig of hyssop and put it up to his mouth.
When Jesus had taken the wine, he said, "It is
finished." And bowing his head, he handed over the spirit. [JN
19:25-30]
On the evening of that first day of the week,
when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of
the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them,
"Peace be with you." When he had said this, he showed
them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw
the Lord. (Jesus) said to them again, "Peace be with you. As
the Father has sent me, so I send you." And when he had said
this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins
you retain are retained." [JN 20:19-23]
In the first book, Theophilus, I dealt with all
that Jesus did and taught until the day he was taken up, after
giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom
he had chosen. He presented himself alive to them by many proofs
after he had suffered, appearing to them during forty days and
speaking about the kingdom of God. While meeting with them, he
enjoined them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for
"the promise of the Father about which you have heard me
speak; for John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be
baptized with the Holy Spirit." When they had gathered
together they asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to
restore the kingdom to Israel?" He answered them, "It is
not for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has
established by his own authority. But you will receive power when
the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in
Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the
earth." When he had said this, as they were looking on, he
was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight. While they
were looking intently at the sky as he was going, suddenly two men
dressed in white garments stood beside them. They said, "Men
of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky? This
Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will return in
the same way as you have seen him going into heaven." [ACTS
1:1-11]
"My brothers, the scripture had to be
fulfilled which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand through the mouth
of David, concerning Judas, who was the guide for those who
arrested Jesus." [ACTS 1:16]
When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they
were all in one place together. And suddenly there came from the
sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire
house in which they were. Then there appeared to them tongues as
of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. And
they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in
different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim. Now
there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven staying in
Jerusalem. At this sound, they gathered in a large crowd, but they
were confused because each one heard them speaking in his own
language. They were astounded, and in amazement they asked,
"Are not all these people who are speaking Galileans? Then
how does each of us hear them in his own native language? We are
Parthians, Medes, and Elamites, inhabitants of Mesopotamia, Judea
and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and
the districts of Libya near Cyrene, as well as travelers from
Rome, both Jews and converts to Judaism, Cretans and Arabs, yet we
hear them speaking in our own tongues of the mighty acts of
God." They were all astounded and bewildered, and said to one
another, "What does this mean?" But others said,
scoffing, "They have had too much new wine." Then Peter
stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice, and proclaimed to
them, "You who are Jews, indeed all of you staying in
Jerusalem. Let this be known to you, and listen to my words. These
people are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o'clock
in the morning. No, this is what was spoken through the prophet
Joel: 'It will come to pass in the last days,' God says, 'that I
will pour out a portion of my spirit upon all flesh. Your sons and
your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions,
your old men shall dream dreams. Indeed, upon my servants and my
handmaids I will pour out a portion of my spirit in those days,
and they shall prophesy. And I will work wonders in the heavens
above and signs on the earth below: blood, fire, and a cloud of
smoke. The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood,
before the coming of the great and splendid day of the Lord, and
it shall be that everyone shall be saved who calls on the name of
the Lord.'" [Taken from ACTS 2:1-21]
"God raised this Jesus; of this we are all
witnesses. Exalted at the right hand of God, he received the
promise of the Holy Spirit from the Father and poured it forth, as
you (both) see and hear. For David did not go up into heaven, but
he himself said: 'The Lord said to my Lord, "Sit at my right
hand until I make your enemies your footstool."' Therefore
let the whole house of Israel know for certain that God has made
him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified."
Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and they
asked Peter and the other apostles, "What are we to do, my
brothers?" Peter (said) to them, "Repent and be
baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the
forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is made to you and to your children
and to all those far off, whomever the Lord our God will
call." He testified with many other arguments, and was
exhorting them, "Save yourselves from this corrupt
generation." Those who accepted his message were baptized,
and about three thousand persons were added that day. [Taken from
ACTS 2:32-41]
They brought them into their presence and
questioned them, "By what power or by what name have you done
this?" Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, answered
them, "Leaders of the people and elders: If we are being
examined today about a good deed done to a cripple, namely, by
what means he was saved, then all of you and all the people of
Israel should know that it was in the name of Jesus Christ the
Nazorean whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead; in his
name this man stands before you healed. He is 'the stone rejected
by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone.' There is
no salvation through anyone else, nor is there any other name
under heaven given to the human race by which we are to be
saved." [ACTS 4:7-12]
After their release they went back to their own
people and reported what the chief priests and elders had told
them. And when they heard it, they raised their voices to God with
one accord and said, "Sovereign Lord, maker of heaven and
earth and the sea and all that is in them, you said by the Holy Spirit
through the mouth of our father David, your servant: 'Why
did the Gentiles rage and the peoples entertain folly? The kings
of the earth took their stand and the princes gathered together
against the Lord and against his anointed.' Indeed they gathered
in this city against your holy servant Jesus whom you anointed,
Herod and Pontius Pilate, together with the Gentiles and the
peoples of Israel, to do what your hand and (your) will had long
ago planned to take place. And now, Lord, take note of their
threats, and enable your servants to speak your word with all
boldness, as you stretch forth (your) hand to heal, and signs and
wonders are done through the name of your holy servant
Jesus." As they prayed, the place where they were gathered
shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued
to speak the word of God with boldness. [ACTS 4:23-31]
A man named Ananias, however, with his wife
Sapphira, sold a piece of property. He retained for himself, with
his wife's knowledge, some of the purchase price, took the
remainder, and put it at the feet of the apostles. But Peter said,
"Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart so that you lied to
the Holy Spirit and retained part of the price of the land? While
it remained unsold, did it not remain yours? And when it was sold,
was it not still under your control? Why did you contrive this
deed? You have lied not to human beings, but to God." When
Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last, and
great fear came upon all who heard of it. The young men came and
wrapped him up, then carried him out and buried him. After an
interval of about three hours, his wife came in, unaware of what
had happened. Peter said to her, "Tell me, did you sell the
land for this amount?" She answered, "Yes, for that
amount." Then Peter said to her, "Why did you agree to
test the Spirit of the Lord? Listen, the footsteps of those who
have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you
out." At once, she fell down at his feet and breathed her
last. When the young men entered they found her dead, so they
carried her out and buried her beside her husband. And great fear
came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things.
[ACTS 5:1-11]
Many signs and wonders were done among the
people at the hands of the apostles. They were all together in
Solomon's portico. None of the others dared to join them, but the
people esteemed them. Yet more than ever, believers in the Lord,
great numbers of men and women, were added to them. Thus they even
carried the sick out into the streets and laid them on cots and
mats so that when Peter came by, at least his shadow might fall on
one or another of them. A large number of people from the towns in
the vicinity of Jerusalem also gathered, bringing the sick and
those disturbed by unclean spirits, and they were all cured. [ACTS
5:12-16]
When they had brought them in and made them
stand before the Sanhedrin, the high priest questioned them,
"We gave you strict orders (did we not?) to stop teaching in
that name. Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and
want to bring this man's blood upon us." But Peter and the
apostles said in reply, "We must obey God rather than men.
The God of our ancestors raised Jesus, though you had him killed
by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him at his right hand as
leader and savior to grant Israel repentance and forgiveness of
sins. We are witnesses of these things, as is the Holy Spirit that
God has given to those who obey him." When they heard this,
they became infuriated and wanted to put them to death. [ACTS 5:27-33]
At that time, as the number of disciples
continued to grow, the Hellenists complained against the Hebrews
because their widows were being neglected in the daily
distribution. So the Twelve called together the community of the
disciples and said, "It is not right for us to neglect the
word of God to serve at table. Brothers, select from among you
seven reputable men, filled with the Spirit and wisdom, whom we
shall appoint to this task, whereas we shall devote ourselves to
prayer and to the ministry of the word." The proposal was
acceptable to the whole community, so they chose Stephen, a man
filled with faith and the Holy Spirit, also Philip, Prochorus,
Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicholas of Antioch, a convert to
Judaism. They presented these men to the apostles who prayed and
laid hands on them. The word of God continued to spread, and the
number of the disciples in Jerusalem increased greatly; even a
large group of priests were becoming obedient to the faith. [ACTS
6:1-7]
Now Stephen, filled with grace and power, was
working great wonders and signs among the people. Certain members
of the so-called Synagogue of Freedmen, Cyrenians, and
Alexandrians, and people from Cilicia and Asia, came forward and
debated with Stephen, but they could not withstand the wisdom and
the spirit with which he spoke. Then they instigated some men to
say, "We have heard him speaking blasphemous words against
Moses and God." They stirred up the people, the elders, and
the scribes, accosted him, seized him, and brought him before the
Sanhedrin. They presented false witnesses who testified,
"This man never stops saying things against (this) holy place
and the law. For we have heard him claim that this Jesus the
Nazorean will destroy this place and change the customs that Moses
handed down to us." All those who sat in the Sanhedrin looked
intently at him and saw that his face was like the face of an
angel. [ACTS 6:8-15]
"You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in
heart and ears, you always oppose the Holy Spirit; you are just
like your ancestors. Which of the prophets did your ancestors not
persecute? They put to death those who foretold the coming of the
righteous one, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become.
You received the law as transmitted by angels, but you did not
observe it." When they heard this, they were infuriated, and
they ground their teeth at him. But he, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked up intently to heaven and saw the glory of God and
Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and he said,
"Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing
at the right hand of God." But they cried out in a loud
voice, covered their ears, and rushed upon him together. They
threw him out of the city, and began to stone him. The witnesses
laid down their cloaks at the feet of a young man named Saul. As
they were stoning Stephen, he called out, "Lord Jesus,
receive my spirit." Then he fell to his knees and cried out
in a loud voice, "Lord, do not hold this sin against
them"; and when he said this, he fell asleep. [ACTS 7:51-60]
Thus Philip went down to (the) city of Samaria
and proclaimed the Messiah to them. With one accord, the crowds
paid attention to what was said by Philip when they heard it and
saw the signs he was doing. For unclean spirits, crying out in a
loud voice, came out of many possessed people, and many paralyzed
and crippled people were cured. There was great joy in that city.
[ACTS 8:5-8]
Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that
Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent them Peter and
John, who went down and prayed for them, that they might receive
the Holy Spirit, for it had not yet fallen upon any of them; they
had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they
laid hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. When Simon
saw that the Spirit was conferred by the laying on of the
apostles' hands, he offered them money and said, "Give me
this power too, so that anyone upon whom I lay my hands may
receive the Holy Spirit." But Peter said to him, "May
your money perish with you, because you thought that you could buy
the gift of God with money. You have no share or lot in this
matter, for your heart is not upright before God. Repent of this
wickedness of yours and pray to the Lord that, if possible, your
intention may be forgiven. For I see that you are filled with
bitter gall and are in the bonds of iniquity." Simon said in
reply, "Pray for me to the Lord, that nothing of what you
have said may come upon me." So when they had testified and
proclaimed the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem and
preached the good news to many Samaritan villages. [ACTS 8:14-25]
Then the angel of the Lord spoke to Philip,
"Get up and head south on the road that goes down from
Jerusalem to Gaza, the desert route." So he got up and set
out. Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of the
Candace, that is, the queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of her
entire treasury, who had come to Jerusalem to worship, and was
returning home. Seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet
Isaiah. The Spirit said to Philip, "Go and join up with that
chariot." Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the
prophet and said, "Do you understand what you are
reading?" He replied, "How can I, unless someone
instructs me?" So he invited Philip to get in and sit with
him. [Taken from ACTS 8:26-31]
As they traveled along the road they came to
some water, and the eunuch said, "Look, there is water. What
is to prevent my being baptized?" Then he ordered the chariot
to stop, and Philip and the eunuch both went down into the water,
and he baptized him. When they came out of the water, the Spirit
of the Lord snatched Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more,
but continued on his way rejoicing. [ACTS 8:36-39]
So Ananias went and entered the house; laying
his hands on him, he said, "Saul, my brother, the Lord has
sent me, Jesus who appeared to you on the way by which you came,
that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit." Immediately things like scales fell from his eyes
and he regained his sight. He got up and was baptized, and when he
had eaten, he recovered his strength. [Taken from ACTS 9:17-19]
The church throughout all Judea, Galilee, and
Samaria was at peace. It was being built up and walked in the fear
of the Lord, and with the consolation of the Holy Spirit it grew
in numbers. [ACTS 9:31]
While Peter was in doubt about the meaning of
the vision he had seen, the men sent by Cornelius asked for
Simon's house and arrived at the entrance. They called out
inquiring whether Simon, who is called Peter, was staying there.
As Peter was pondering the vision, the Spirit said (to him),
"There are three men here looking for you. So get up, go
downstairs, and accompany them without hesitation, because I have
sent them." [ACTS 10:17-20]
Then Peter proceeded to speak and said, "In
truth, I see that God shows no partiality. Rather, in every nation
whoever fears him and acts uprightly is acceptable to him. You
know the word (that) he sent to the Israelites as he proclaimed
peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all, what has happened
all over Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John
preached, how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power. He went about doing good and healing all those
oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. We are witnesses of
all that he did both in the country of the Jews and (in)
Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree. This
man God raised (on) the third day and granted that he be visible,
not to all the people, but to us, the witnesses chosen by God in
advance, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.
He commissioned us to preach to the people and testify that he is
the one appointed by God as judge of the living and the dead. To
him all the prophets bear witness, that everyone who believes in
him will receive forgiveness of sins through his name." While
Peter was still speaking these things, the Holy Spirit fell upon
all who were listening to the word. The circumcised believers who
had accompanied Peter were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit
should have been poured out on the Gentiles also, for they
could hear them speaking in tongues and glorifying God. Then Peter
responded, "Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these
people, who have received the Holy Spirit even as we have?"
He ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then
they invited him to stay for a few days. [ACTS 10:34-49]
"This happened three times, and then everything
was drawn up again into the sky. Just then three men appeared at
the house where we were, who had been sent to me from Caesarea.
The Spirit told me to accompany them without discriminating. These
six brothers also went with me, and we entered the man's house. He
related to us how he had seen (the) angel standing in his house,
saying, 'Send someone to Joppa and summon Simon, who is called
Peter, who will speak words to you by which you and all your
household will be saved.' As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them as it had upon us at the beginning, and I
remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said, 'John baptized
with water but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.' If then
God gave them the same gift he gave to us when we came to believe
in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to be able to hinder
God?" When they heard this, they stopped objecting and
glorified God, saying, "God has then granted life-giving
repentance to the Gentiles too." [Taken from ACTS 11:10-18]
The news about them reached the ears of the
church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas (to go) to Antioch.
When he arrived and saw the grace of God, he rejoiced and
encouraged them all to remain faithful to the Lord in firmness of
heart, for he was a good man, filled with the Holy Spirit and
faith. And a large number of people was added to the Lord. Then he
went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he had found him he
brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church
and taught a large number of people, and it was in Antioch that
the disciples were first called Christians. At that time some
prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch, and one of them
named Agabus stood up and predicted by the Spirit that there would
be a severe famine all over the world, and it happened under
Claudius. So the disciples determined that, according to ability,
each should send relief to the brothers who lived in Judea. This
they did, sending it to the presbyters in care of Barnabas and
Saul. [ACTS 11:22-30]
While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting,
the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for
the work to which I have called them." Then, completing their
fasting and prayer, they laid hands on them and sent them off. So
they, sent forth by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and
from there sailed to Cyprus. When they arrived in Salamis, they
proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. They had John
also as their assistant. When they had traveled through the whole
island as far as Paphos, they met a magician named Bar-Jesus who
was a Jewish false prophet. He was with the proconsul Sergius
Paulus, a man of intelligence, who had summoned Barnabas and Saul
and wanted to hear the word of God. But Elymas the magician (for
that is what his name means) opposed them in an attempt to turn
the proconsul away from the faith. But Saul, also known as Paul,
filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him and said,
"You son of the devil, you enemy of all that is right, full
of every sort of deceit and fraud. Will you not stop twisting the
straight paths of (the) Lord? Even now the hand of the Lord is
upon you. You will be blind, and unable to see the sun for a
time." Immediately a dark mist fell upon him, and he went
about seeking people to lead him by the hand. When the proconsul
saw what had happened, he came to believe, for he was astonished
by the teaching about the Lord. [ACTS 13:2-12]
The disciples were filled with joy and the Holy
Spirit. [ACTS 13:52]
They strengthened the spirits of the disciples
and exhorted them to persevere in the faith, saying, "It is
necessary for us to undergo many hardships to enter the kingdom of
God." [ACTS 14:22]
After much debate had taken place, Peter got up
and said to them, "My brothers, you are well aware that from
early days God made his choice among you that through my mouth the
Gentiles would hear the word of the gospel and believe. And God,
who knows the heart, bore witness by granting them the Holy Spirit
just as he did us. He made no distinction between us and them, for
by faith he purified their hearts. Why, then, are you now putting
God to the test by placing on the shoulders of the disciples a
yoke that neither our ancestors nor we have been able to bear? On
the contrary, we believe that we are saved through the grace of
the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they." [ACTS 15:7-11]
'It is the decision of the Holy Spirit and of us
not to place on you any burden beyond these necessities...' [Taken
from ACTS
15:28]
They traveled through the Phrygian and Galatian
territory because they had been prevented by the Holy Spirit from
preaching the message in the province of Asia. When they came to
Mysia, they tried to go on into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus
did not allow them, so they crossed through Mysia and came down to
Troas. During (the) night Paul had a vision. A Macedonian stood
before him and implored him with these words, "Come over to
Macedonia and help us." When he had seen the vision, we
sought passage to Macedonia at once, concluding that God had
called us to proclaim the good news to them. [ACTS 16:6-10]
As we were going to the place of prayer, we met
a slave girl with an oracular spirit, who used to bring a large
profit to her owners through her fortune-telling. She began to
follow Paul and us, shouting, "These people are slaves of the
Most High God, who proclaim to you a way of salvation." She
did this for many days. Paul became annoyed, turned, and said to
the spirit, "I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to
come out of her." Then it came out at that moment. When her
owners saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul
and Silas and dragged them to the public square before the local
authorities. [ACTS 16:16-19]
A Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, an
eloquent speaker, arrived in Ephesus. He was an authority on the
scriptures. He had been instructed in the Way of the Lord and,
with ardent spirit, spoke and taught accurately about Jesus,
although he knew only the baptism of John. He began to speak
boldly in the synagogue; but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him,
they took him aside and explained to him the Way (of God) more
accurately. And when he wanted to cross to Achaia, the brothers
encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him.
After his arrival he gave great assistance to those who had come
to believe through grace. He vigorously refuted the Jews in
public, establishing from the scriptures that the Messiah is Jesus.
[ACTS 18:24-28]
While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled
through the interior of the country and came (down) to Ephesus
where he found some disciples. He said to them, "Did you
receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?" They
answered him, "We have never even heard that there is a Holy Spirit." H聥 said, "How were you baptized?" They
replied, "With the baptism of John." Paul then said,
"John baptized with a baptism of repentance, telling the
people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is,
in Jesus." When they heard this, they were baptized in the
name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul laid (his) hands on them,
the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues and
prophesied. [ACTS 19:1-6]
So extraordinary were the mighty deeds God
accomplished at the hands of Paul that when face cloths or aprons
that touched his skin were applied to the sick, their diseases
left them and the evil spirits came out of them. Then some
itinerant Jewish exorcists tried to invoke the name of the Lord
Jesus over those with evil spirits, saying, "I adjure you by
the Jesus whom Paul preaches." When the seven sons of Sceva,
a Jewish high priest, tried to do this, the evil spirit said to
them in reply, "Jesus I recognize, Paul I know, but who are
you?" The person with the evil spirit then sprang at them and
subdued them all. He so overpowered them that they fled naked and
wounded from that house. When this became known to all the Jews
and Greeks who lived in Ephesus, fear fell upon them all, and the
name of the Lord Jesus was held in great esteem. Many of those who
had become believers came forward and openly acknowledged their
former practices. [ACTS 19:11-18]
I served the Lord with all humility and with the
tears and trials that came to me because of the plots of the Jews,
and I did not at all shrink from telling you what was for your
benefit, or from teaching you in public or in your homes. I
earnestly bore witness for both Jews and Greeks to repentance
before God and to faith in our Lord Jesus. But now, compelled by
the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem. What will happen to me there
I do not know, except that in one city after another the Holy Spirit
has been warning me that imprisonment and hardships await
me. Yet I consider life of no importance to me, if only I may
finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord
Jesus, to bear witness to the gospel of God's grace. "But now
I know that none of you to whom I preached the kingdom during my
travels will ever see my face again. And so I solemnly declare to
you this day that I am not responsible for the blood of any of
you, for I did not shrink from proclaiming to you the entire plan
of God. Keep watch over yourselves and over the whole flock of
which the Holy Spirit has appointed you overseers, in which you
tend the church of God that he acquired with his own blood. I know
that after my departure savage wolves will come among you, and
they will not spare the flock. And from your own group, men will
come forward perverting the truth to draw the disciples away after
them. So be vigilant and remember that for three years, night and
day, I unceasingly admonished each of you with tears." [Taken from
ACTS 20:19-31]
There we sought out the disciples and stayed for
a week. They kept telling Paul through the Spirit not to embark
for Jerusalem. [ACTS 21:4]
We had been there several days when a prophet named Agabus
came down from Judea. He came up to us, took Paul's belt, bound his own feet and hands with it, and said, "Thus says the
Holy Spirit: This is the way the Jews will bind the owner of this belt in Jerusalem, and they will hand him over to the
Gentiles." [ACTS 21:10-11]
When he said this, a dispute broke out between
the Pharisees and Sadducees, and the group became divided. For the
Sadducees say that there is no resurrection or angels or spirits,
while the Pharisees acknowledge all three. A great uproar
occurred, and some scribes belonging to the Pharisee party stood
up and sharply argued, "We find nothing wrong with this man.
Suppose a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?" The dispute
was so serious that the commander, afraid that Paul would be torn
to pieces by them, ordered his troops to go down and rescue him
from their midst and take him into the compound. The following
night the Lord stood by him and said, "Take courage. For just
as you have borne witness to my cause in Jerusalem, so you must
also bear witness in Rome." [Taken from ACTS 23:7-11]
Without reaching any agreement among themselves
they began to leave; then Paul made one final statement.
"Well did the Holy Spirit speak to your ancestors through the
prophet Isaiah, saying: 'Go to this people and say: You shall
indeed hear but not understand. You shall indeed look but never
see. Gross is the heart of this people; they will not hear with
their ears; they have closed their eyes, so they may not see with
their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their
heart and be converted, and I heal them.' Let it be known to you
that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they
will listen." [ACTS 28:25-28]
Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, called to be an
apostle and set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised
previously through his prophets in the holy scriptures, the gospel
about his Son, descended from David according to the flesh, but
established as Son of God in power according to the spirit of
holiness through resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our
Lord. [ROM 1:1-4]
God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit
in proclaiming the gospel of his Son, that I remember you
constantly, always asking in my prayers that somehow by God's will
I may at last find my way clear to come to you. For I long to see
you, that I may share with you some spiritual gift so that you may
be strengthened, that is, that you and I may be mutually
encouraged by one another's faith, yours and mine. [ROM 1:9-12]
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