The Early Church

When the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, for he was astonished at the teaching about the Lord.

After setting sail from Paphos, Paul and his companions came to Perga in Pamphylia, where John left them to return to Jerusalem.

And from Perga, they traveled inland to Pisidian Antioch, where they entered the synagogue on the Sabbath and sat down.

After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the synagogue leaders sent word to them: “Brothers, if you have a word of encouragement for the people, please speak.”

Paul stood up, motioned with his hand, and began to speak: “Men of Israel and you Gentiles who fear God, listen to me!

The God of the people of Israel chose our fathers. He made them into a great people during their stay in Egypt, and with an uplifted arm He led them out of that land.

He endured their conduct for about forty years in the wilderness.

And having vanquished seven nations in Canaan, He gave their land to His people as an inheritance.

All this took about 450 years. After this, God gave them judges until the time of Samuel the prophet.

Then the people asked for a king, and God gave them forty years under Saul son of Kish, from the tribe of Benjamin.

After removing Saul, He raised up David as their king and testified about him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse a man after My own heart; he will carry out My will in its entirety.’

From the descendants of this man, God has brought to Israel the Savior Jesus, as He promised.

Before the arrival of Jesus, John preached a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.

As John was completing his course, he said, ‘Who do you suppose I am? I am not that One. But He is coming after me whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.’

Brothers, children of Abraham, and you Gentiles who fear God, it is to us that this message of salvation has been sent.

The people of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize Jesus, yet in condemning Him they fulfilled the words of the prophets that are read every Sabbath.

And though they found no ground for a death sentence, they asked Pilate to have Him executed.

When they had carried out all that was written about Him, they took Him down from the tree and laid Him in a tomb.

But God raised Him from the dead,

and for many days He was seen by those who had accompanied Him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They are now His witnesses to our people.

And now we proclaim to you the good news: What God promised our fathers

He has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus. As it is written in the second Psalm: ‘You are My Son; today I have become Your Father.’

In fact, God raised Him from the dead, never to see decay. As He has said: ‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings promised to David.’

So also, He says in another Psalm: ‘You will not let Your Holy One see decay.’

For when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep. His body was buried with his fathers and saw decay.