Quotes About Community

Then someone came in and announced, “Look, the men you put in jail are standing in the temple courts teaching the people!”

At that point, the captain went with the officers and brought the apostles—but not by force, for fear the people would stone them.

“Men of Israel,” he said, “consider carefully what you are about to do to these men.

Every day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they did not stop teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ.

In those days when the disciples were increasing in number, the Grecian Jews among them began to grumble against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food.

So the Twelve summoned all the disciples and said, “It is unacceptable for us to neglect the word of God in order to wait on tables.

Therefore, brothers, select from among you seven men confirmed to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will appoint this responsibility to them

and will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”

This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, as well as Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism.

They presented these seven to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.

So the word of God continued to spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem grew rapidly, and a great number of priests became obedient to the faith.

But resistance arose from what was called the Synagogue of the Freedmen, including Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and men from the provinces of Cilicia and Asia. They began to argue with Stephen,

So they stirred up the people, elders, and scribes and confronted Stephen. They seized him and brought him before the Sanhedrin,

The next day he came upon two Israelites who were fighting, and he tried to reconcile them, saying, ëMen, you are brothers. Why are you mistreating each other?í

But the man who was abusing his neighbor pushed Moses aside and said, ëWho made you ruler and judge over us?

They said to Aaron, ëMake us gods who will go before us! As for this Moses who led us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him.í

God-fearing men buried Stephen and mourned deeply over him.

Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.

So there was great joy in that city.

and all the people, from the least to the greatest, heeded his words and said, “This man is the divine power called the Great Power.”

On their arrival, they prayed for them to receive the Holy Spirit.

For the Holy Spirit had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.

Then Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

“How can I,” he said, “unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.