The Early Church

Y’hudah and Sila, who were also prophets, said much to encourage and strengthen the brothers.

After they had spent some time there, they were sent off with a greeting of “Shalom!” from the brothers to those who had sent them.

Notwithstanding it pleased Silas to abide there still.

But Sha’ul and Bar-Nabba stayed in Antioch, where they and many others taught and proclaimed the Good News of the message about the Lord.

After some time, Sha’ul said to Bar-Nabba, “Let’s go back and visit the brothers in all the towns where we proclaimed the message about the Lord, and see how they’re doing.”

Now Bar-Nabba wanted to take with them Yochanan, the one called Mark.

But Sha’ul thought it would be unwise to take this man with them, since he had gone off and left them in Pamphylia to do the work by themselves.

There was such sharp disagreement over this that they separated from each other, with Bar-Nabba taking Mark and sailing off to Cyprus.

However, Sha’ul chose Sila and left, after the brothers had committed him to the love and kindness of the Lord.

He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the congregations.

Sha’ul came down to Derbe and went on to Lystra, where there lived a talmid named Timothy. He was the son of a Jewish woman who had come to trust, and a Greek father.

All the brothers in Lystra and Iconium spoke well of Timothy.

Sha’ul wanted Timothy to accompany him; so he took him and did a b’rit-milah, because of the Jews living in those areas; for they all knew that his father had been a Greek.

As they went on through the towns, they delivered to the people the decisions reached by the emissaries and the elders in Yerushalayim for them to observe.

Accordingly, the congregations were strengthened in the faith and increased in number day by day.

They traveled through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, because they had been prevented by the Ruach HaKodesh from speaking the message in the province of Asia.

When they came to the frontier of Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia; but the Spirit of Yeshua would not let them.

So, after passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas.

There a vision appeared to Sha’ul at night. A man from Macedonia was standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us!”

As soon as he had seen the vision, we lost no time getting ready to leave for Macedonia; for we concluded that God had called us to proclaim the Good News to them.

Sailing from Troas, we made a straight run to Samothrace; the next day we went to Neapolis;

and from there, we went on to Philippi, a Roman colony and the leading city of that part of Macedonia. We spent a few days in this city;

then on Shabbat, we went outside the gate to the riverside, where we understood a minyan met. We sat down and began speaking to the women who had gathered there.

One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in fine purple cloth. She was already a “God-fearer,” and the Lord opened up her heart to respond to what Sha’ul was saying.

After she and the members of her household had been immersed, she gave us this invitation: “If you consider me to be faithful to the Lord, come and stay in my house.” And she insisted till we went.