Hello, everyone. This is Ainsley Earhart. Thank you for joining me for the 25th episode of the 52-episode podcast series, The Life of Jesus. We will continue our journey through the book of Acts in this podcast. Michael York faithfully portrays Luke as a logical, reasoning man who has researched the facts surrounding Jesus and his followers and is presenting them in accurate detail. We will begin this podcast in chapter 5 of Luke's continuing account of Jesus and the church that formed, after he sent the Holy Spirit. Jesus' followers had increased substantially, and the religious leaders were jealous of their power and feared their influence over the people. Let's find out more about how the Christian church came to be. You're listening to The Life of Jesus. We'll be right back. But the high priest rose up, and all who were with him, that is, the party of the Sadducees, and filled with jealousy, they arrested the apostles and put them in the common prison. At night, an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out. Go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this life. When they heard this, they entered the temple at daybreak and taught. Now the high priest came and those who were with him and called together the council and all the senate of Israel and sent to the prison to have them brought. But when the officers came, they did not find them in the prison, and they returned and reported. We found the prison securely locked and the sentries standing at the doors, but when we opened it, we found no one inside. Now when the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these words, they were much perplexed about them, wondering what this would come to. And someone came and told them. The men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people. Then the captain with the officers went and brought them, but without violence, for they were afraid of being stoned by the people. When they had brought them, they set them before the council, and the high priest questioned them. We strictly charge you not to teach in this name. Yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man's blood upon us. But Peter and the apostles answered, We must obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him at his right hand as leader and savior to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. We are witnesses to these things. And so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him. When they heard this, they were enraged and wanted to kill him. But a Pharisee in the council named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law held in honor by all the people, stood up and ordered the men to be put outside for a while. Men of Israel, take care what you do with these men. For before these days, Thudus arose, giving himself out to be somebody. A number of men, about 400, joined him. But he was slain, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing. After him, Judas the Galilean arose in the days of the census and drew away some of the people after him. He also perished, and all who followed him were scattered. So in the present case I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone. For if this plan or this undertaking is of men, it will fail. But if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God. So they took his advice, and when they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus and let them go. Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. And every day in the temple and at home, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ. Now, in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, the Hellenists murmured against the Hebrews because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution. The twelve summoned the body of the disciples. It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore, brethren, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word. What they said pleased the whole multitude. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. These they set before the apostles. They prayed and laid their hands upon them, and the word of God increased. the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith. Stephen, full of grace and power, did great wonders and signs among the people. Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the freedmen, as it was called, and of the Cyrenians, and of the Alexandrians, and of those from Cilicia and Asia, arose and disputed with Stephen. But they could not withstand the wisdom and the spirit with which he spoke. Then they secretly instigated men, who said, We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God. They stirred up the people and the elders and the scribes and they came upon Stephen seized him brought him before the council and set up false witnesses This man never ceases to speak words against this holy place and the law, for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and will change the customs which Moses delivered to us. And gazing at him, all who sat in the council saw that Stephen's face was like the face of an angel. The High Priest said, Is this so? Stephen said, Brethren and fathers, hear me. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, and said to him, Depart from your land and from your kindred and go into the land which I will show you. Then he departed from the land of the Chaldeans and lived in Haran. After his father died, God removed him from there into this land in which you are now living. Yet he gave him no inheritance in it, not even a foot's length, but promised to give it to him in possession and to his posterity after him, though he had no child. God spoke to this effect, that his posterity would be aliens in a land belonging to others, who would enslave them and ill-treat them four hundred years. But I will judge the nation which they serve, said God, and after that they shall come out and worship me in this place. And he gave him the covenant of circumcision. So Abraham became the father of Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day, and Isaac became the father of Jacob and Jacob of the twelve patriarchs. The patriarchs, jealous of Joseph, sold him into Egypt, But God was with him and rescued him out of all his afflictions and gave him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who made him governor over Egypt and over all his household. Now there came a famine throughout all Egypt and Canaan and great affliction, and our fathers could find no food. But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent forth our fathers the first time. And at the second visit, Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and Joseph's family became known to Pharaoh. Joseph sent and called to him Jacob his father, and all his kindred, seventy-five souls. And Jacob went down into Egypt. And he died, himself and our fathers, and they were carried back to Shechem, and laid in the tomb that Abraham had bought for a sum of silver from the sons of Hamar in Shechem. But as the time of the promise drew near, which God had granted to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt till there arose over Egypt another king who had not known Joseph. He dealt craftily with our race and forced our fathers to expose their infants that they might not be kept alive. At this time, Moses was born and was beautiful before God. He was brought up for three months in his father's house, and when he was exposed, Pharaoh's daughter adopted him and brought him up as her own son. Moses was instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and he was mighty in his words and deeds. When he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren, the sons of Israel. Seeing one of them being wronged, he defended the oppressed man and avenged him by striking the Egyptian. He supposed that his brethren understood that God was giving them deliverance by his hand, but they did not understand. And on the following day, he appeared to them as they were quarreling and would have reconciled them, saying, Men, you are brethren. Why do you wrong each other? But the man who was wronging his neighbor thrust him aside, saying, Who made you a ruler and a judge over us? Do you want to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday? At this retort, Moses fled and became an exile in the land of Midian, where he became the father of two sons. Now when forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai in a flame of fire in a bush. When Moses saw it, he wondered at the sight, and as he drew near to look, the voice of the Lord came. I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob. And Moses trembled and did not dare to look. The Lord said to him, Take off the shoes from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground. I have surely seen the ill-treatment of my people that are in Egypt, and heard their groaning, and I have come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send you to Egypt. This Moses, whom they refused, saying, Who made you a ruler and a judge? God sent as both ruler and deliverer by the hand of the angel that appeared to him in the bush. He led them out, having performed wonders and signs in Egypt and at the Red Sea and in the wilderness for forty years. This is the Moses who said to the Israelites, God will raise up for you a prophet from your brethren as he raised me up. This is he who was in the congregation in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him at Mount Sinai and with our fathers, and he received living oracles to give to us. Our fathers refused to obey him but thrust him aside and in their hearts they turned to Egypt saying to Aaron, Make for us gods to go before us. As for this Moses who led us out from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him. And they made a calf in those days and offered a sacrifice to the idol and rejoiced in the works of their hands. But God turned and gave them over to worship the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets. Did you offer to me slain beasts and sacrifices forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel? And you took up the tent of Moloch and the star of the god Rephan, the figures which you made to worship. And I will remove you beyond Babylon Our fathers had the tent of witness in the wilderness even as he who spoke to Moses directed him to make it according to the pattern that he had seen. Our fathers, in turn, brought it in with Joshua when they dispossessed the nations which God thrust out before our fathers. So it was, until the days of David, who found favor in the sight of God and asked leave to find a habitation for the God of Jacob. But it was Solomon who built a house for him. Yet the Most High does not dwell in houses made with hands. As the prophet says, Heaven is my throne and earth my footstool. What house will you build for me, says the Lord, or what is the place of my rest? Did not my hand make all these things? You stiff-necked people, Uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did not your fathers persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered, you who received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it. Now when they heard these things, they were enraged, and they ground their teeth against him. But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God. But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together upon him. Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. The witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. And as they were stoning Stephen, he prayed. Lord Jesus! Receive my spirit. And he knelt down and cried with a loud voice. Lord, do not hold this sin against them. And when he had said this, he fell asleep. Saul was consenting to his death. On that day, a great persecution arose against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the region of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him. But Saul was ravaging the church. Entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison. Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word. Philip went down to a city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ. And the multitudes with one accord gave heed to what was said by Philip when they heard him and saw the signs which he did. For unclean spirits came out of many who were possessed, crying with a loud voice, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. So there was much joy in that city. But there was a man named Simon who had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the nation of Samaria, saying that he himself was somebody great. They all gave heed to him from the least to the greatest. This man is that power of God, which is called great. And they gave heed to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic. But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Even Simon himself believed, and after being baptized, he continued with Philip. Seeing signs and great miracles performed, he was amazed. Now, when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, for it had not yet fallen on any of them. But they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. When Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles' hands, He offered them money. Give me also this power, that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit. But Peter said to him, Your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money. You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you, for I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity. Pray for me to the Lord that nothing of what you have said may come upon me. Now when they had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel to many villages of the Samaritans. But an angel of the Lord said to Philip, Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza. This is a desert road. Philip rose and went. And behold, an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a minister of the Candacy, queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of all her treasure, had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning. Seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah. The spirit said to Philip, Go up and join this chariot So Philip ran to him He heard him reading Isaiah the prophet Do you understand what you are reading? How can I, unless someone guides me? He invited Philip to come up and sit with him. Now the passage of the scripture which he was reading was this. As a sheep led to the slaughter, or a lamb before its shearer is dumb, so he opens not his mouth. In his humiliation, justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken up from the earth. The eunuch said to Philip, About whom, pray, does the prophet say this? About himself or about someone else? Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this scripture, he told him the good news of Jesus. As they went along the road, they came to some water. See, here is water. What is to prevent my being baptized? He commanded the chariot to stop. And they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch. And he baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught up Philip, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. But Philip was found at Azotus, and passing on, he preached the gospel to all the towns till he came to Caesarea. Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest, and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. Now as he journeyed, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed about him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice. Saul. Saul. Why do you persecute me? Who are you, Lord? I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do. The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. Saul arose from the ground, and when his eyes were opened, he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. For three days he was without sight and neither ate nor drank. Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, Ananias, here I am, Lord. Rise and go to the street called Straight and inquire in the house of Judas for a man of Tarsus named Saul. For behold, he is praying, and he has seen a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight. Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to thy saints at Jerusalem, and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call upon thy name. Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name. So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on Saul, he said, Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit. Immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized and took food and was strengthened. For several days he was with the disciples at Damascus, and in the synagogues immediately he proclaimed Jesus. He is the Son of God. All who heard him were amazed. Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem of those who called on this name? And he has come here for this purpose, to bring them bound before the chief priests. But Saul increased all the more in strength and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ. I'm Emily Campagnol. I hope this podcast deepens your faith and leaves you with hope and joy. Thank you for listening. We'll be back with more after this. Have you ever heard the biblical saying, there is nothing new under the sun? These words were penned by King Solomon around 930 BC. The statement was true over 3,000 years ago and remains true today. The trappings of modern life may appear entirely different, but the heart of a man remains entirely unchanged. There are no new sins and there are no new virtues. Jealousy, like that seen in The Religious Leaders, about whom Luke writes, is no less damaging today than it was then. Such jealousy leads to all manner of aggressive behaviors, threats, intimidation, cruelty. Its end is often ruined lives. Reading of the consequences of jealousy on innocent lives should cause us to examine our own hearts. This sinful heart attitude can destroy everything it touches, just as it brought destruction to the life of Stephen, the very first martyr. Father, reveal any sin within my heart, especially envy and jealousy. Help me turn from such destructive attitudes. Help me rejoice with those whose lives are blessed. Thank you for listening to episode 25 of the 52-episode podcast series, The Life of Jesus. Make sure to spread the word. Listen ad-free with a Fox News Podcast Plus subscription on Apple Podcasts. Amazon Prime members can listen ad-free on the Amazon Music app.
