Daily Bread Pastor Mike Anderson

Peter and John Before the Sanhedrin 4  The priests and the captain of the temple guard  and the Sadducees  came up to Peter and John while they were speaking to the people. 2  They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people, proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead.   3  They seized Peter and John and, because it was evening, they put them in jail  until the next day.   4  But many who heard the message believed; so the number of men who believed grew  to about five thousand. 5  The next day the rulers,  the elders and the teachers of the law met in Jerusalem.   6  Annas the high priest was there, and so were Caiaphas, John, Alexander and others of the high priest’s family.   7  They had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them: “By what power or what name did you do this?”  8  Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit,  said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people!   9  If we are being called to account today for an act of kin

Acts 7 -The Stoning of Stephen 54  When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious  and gnashed their teeth at him.   55  But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit,  looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.   56  “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open  and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”  57  At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him,   58  dragged him out of the city  and began to stone him.  Meanwhile, the witnesses  laid their coats  at the feet of a young man named Saul.  59  While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”   60  Then he fell on his knees  and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.”  When he had said this, he fell asleep. Stephen is the first Christian martyr.  He was one of the seven deacons appointed to make sure the Greek speaking Jewish widows got their share of the food distribution. H

The Choosing of the Seven 6  In those days when the number of disciples was increasing,  the Hellenistic Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows  were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food.   2  So the Twelve gathered all the disciples  together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God  in order to wait on tables.   3  Brothers and sisters,  choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit  and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them   4  and will give our attention to prayer  and the ministry of the word.” 5  This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen,  a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit;  also Philip,  Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism.   6  They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed  and laid their hands on them. 7  So the word of God spread.  The number of disciples in Jer

The Apostles Persecuted  At daybreak they entered the temple courts, as they had been told, and began to teach the people.  When the high priest and his associates  arrived, they called together the Sanhedrin —the full assembly of the elders of Israel—and sent to the jail for the apostles.   22  But on arriving at the jail, the officers did not find them there.  So they went back and reported,   23  “We found the jail securely locked, with the guards standing at the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside.”   24  On hearing this report, the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests  were at a loss, wondering what this might lead to.  25  Then someone came and said, “Look! The men you put in jail are standing in the temple courts teaching the people.”   26  At that, the captain went with his officers and brought the apostles. They did not use force, because they feared that the people  would stone them.  27  The apostles were brought in and made to appear be

Peter Speaks to the Onlookers 11  While the man held on to Peter and John,  all the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called Solomon’s Colonnade.   12  When Peter saw this, he said to them: “Fellow Israelites, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?   13  The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,  the God of our fathers,  has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over  to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go.   14  You disowned the Holy  and Righteous One  and asked that a murderer be released to you.   15  You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead.  We are witnesses  of this.   16  By faith in the name of Jesus,  this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has completely healed him, as you can all see. This story comes right after Peter saw a beggar

Peter Addresses the Crowd 14  Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say.   15  These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning!   16  No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 17  “‘In the last days, God says,      I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy,      your young men will see visions,      your old men will dream dreams. 18  Even on my servants, both men and women,      I will pour out my Spirit in those days,      and they will prophesy. 19  I will show wonders in the heavens above      and signs on the earth below,      blood and fire and billows of smoke. 20  The sun will be turned to darkness      and the moon to blood      before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. 21  And everyone who calls      on the name of the Lord  will be saved

J esus Taken Up Into Heaven 1  In my former book,  Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach   2  until the day he was taken up to heaven,  after giving instructions  through the Holy Spirit to the apostles  he had chosen. 3  After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them  over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.   4  On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command:  “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait  for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.   5  For John baptized with water,  but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”  6  Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore  the kingdom to Israel?”  7  He said to them:  “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.   8  But you will receive power when the Holy Spi

Jesus Reinstates Peter 15  When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter,  “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”  “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said,  “Feed my lambs.”  16  Again Jesus said,  “Simon son of John, do you love me?”  He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said,  “Take care of my sheep.”  17  The third time he said to him,  “Simon son of John, do you love me?”  Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time,  “Do you love me?”  He said, “Lord, you know all things;  you know that I love you.”  Jesus said,  “Feed my sheep.   18  Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.”  19  Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death  by which Peter would glorify God.  Then he said to him,  “Follow me!” In the last chapter of John,