Good evening, and welcome to Bedtime Bible Stories for Adults. I would like to thank Nancy, Natasha, Leslie, Bo, Aubrey, Keisha, Tanti, Stacy, Deja, Stein, Amy Jennifer Debra and Bladeria for their support of this podcast a special thank you to Robert Christopher and Austin for their generous donations I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas with friends and family and a safe and happy New Year's. 2026. Can you believe it? The podcast is three years old. I'm so thankful that God has made it possible for me to keep doing this. Tonight's episode is the story of the good news. Salvation is available to all, every man and woman, whether Jew or Gentile. If you haven't already invited Jesus into your heart and accepted his gift of salvation, His free gift. What a great start to the new year that would be. Sweet dreams. Tonight, we are not in a rush. We are not in a rush to fall asleep. We are not going to force it. We are going to welcome it. We welcome sleep when it's ready to come. Our entire body can relax both inside and outside. God is not worried about anything. He is here next to us. Jesus is next to us. And so is our angel. so we give ourselves permission to fully relax our muscles and everything inside our body and we allow sleep to come whether it's during the first story or we have to hear a second story we are not going to stress about it sleep will come and we welcome it As Peter traveled about the country he went to visit the Lord's people who lived in Lydda. There he found a man named Aeneas who was paralyzed and had been bedridden for eight years. Aeneas, Peter said to him, Jesus Christ heals you. get up and roll up your mat. Immediately Aeneas got up. All those who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord. In Joppa, there was a disciple named Tabitha. In Greek, her name is Dorcas. She was always doing good and helping the poor. About that time, she became sick and died And her body was washed and placed in an upstairs room Lida was near Joppa So when the disciples heard that Peter was in Lida They sent two men to him and urged him, Please come at once. Peter went with them, and when he arrived, he was taken upstairs to the room. All the widows stood around him crying and showing him the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them Peter sent them all out of the room Then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, Tabitha, get up. She opened her eyes and seeing Peter, she sat up. He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet. Then he called for the believers, especially the widows, and presented her to them alive. This became known all over Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord. Peter stayed in Joppa for some time with a tanner named Simon. At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius A Centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment He and all his family were devout and God-fearing. He gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly. One day, at about three in the afternoon, he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, Cornelius. Cornelius stared at him in fear. What is it, Lord? he asked. The angel answered Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God. Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon, who is called Peter. He is staying with Simon the Tanner, whose house is by the sea. When the angel who spoke to him had gone, Cornelius called two of his servants and a devout soldier who was one of his attendants. He told them everything that had happened and sent them to Joppa. About noon the following day, as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. He became hungry and wanted something to eat. And while the meal was being prepared he fell into a trance. He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. It contained all kinds of four-footed animals as well as reptiles and birds. Then a voice told him, Get up, Peter. kill and eat surely not Lord Peter replied I have never eaten anything impure or unclean the voice spoke to him a second time do not call anything impure that God has made clean. This happened three times and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven. While Peter was wondering about the meaning of the vision, the men sent by Cornelius found out where Simon's house was and stopped at the gate. They called out asking if Simon who was known as Peter was staying there. While Peter was still thinking about the vision the spirit said to him Simon three men are looking for you so get up and go downstairs do not hesitate to go with them for I have sent them. Peter went down and said to the men, I'm the one you're looking for. Why have you come? The men replied, We have come from Cornelius the Centurion. He is a righteous and God-fearing man who is respected by all the Jewish people. A holy angel told him to ask you to come to his house so that he could hear what you have to say. Then Peter invited the men into the house to be his guests. The next day, Peter started out with them and some of the believers from Joppa went along. The following day, he arrived in Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. As Peter entered the house, Cornelius met him and fell at his feet in reverence. But Peter made him get up. Stand up, he said. I am only a man myself. While talking with him, Peter went inside and found a large gathering of people. He said to them, You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile. But God has shown me that I should not call anyone impure or unclean. So when I was sent for I came without raising any objection May I ask why you sent for me? Cornelius answered Three days ago I was in my house praying at this hour at three in the afternoon. Suddenly, a man in shining clothes stood before me and said, Cornelius, God has heard your prayer and remembered your gifts to the poor. Send to Joppa for Simon, who is called Peter He is a guest in the home of Simon the Tanner who lives by the sea So I sent for you immediately, and it was good of you to come. Now we are all here in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has commanded you to tell us Then Peter began to speak I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right. You know the message God sent to the people of Israel announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ who is Lord of all. You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached. How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power. And how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil. Because God was with him. we are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem they killed him by hanging him on a cross but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen, by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name. While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles. for they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. Then Peter said, Surely no one can stand in the way of their being baptized with water. They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have. So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days. The apostles and the believers throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God. So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him and said, You went into the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them. Starting from the beginning, Peter told them the whole story. I was in the city of Joppa praying and in a trance I saw a vision I saw something like a large sheet being let down from heaven by its four corners and it came down to where I was. I looked into it and saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, reptiles, and birds. Then I heard a voice telling me, Get up, Peter. Kill and eat. I replied, Surely not, Lord. Nothing impure or unclean has ever entered my mouth. The voice spoke from heaven a second time. Do not call anything impure that God has made clean. This happened three times, and then it was all pulled up to heaven again. Right then, three men who had been sent to me from Caesarea stopped at the house where I was staying. The Spirit told me to have no hesitation about going with them. These six brothers also went with me, and we entered the man's house. He told us how he had seen an angel appear in his house and say, Send to Joppa for Simon, who is called Peter. He will bring you a message through which you and all your household will be saved. As I began to speak the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning Then I remembered what the Lord had said. John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. so if God gave them the same gift he gave us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ who was I to think that I could stand in God's way when they heard this they had no further objections and praised God saying so then even to Gentiles God has granted repentance that leads to life Now those who had been scattered by the persecution that broke out when Stephen was killed traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch spreading the word only among Jews. Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus. The Lord's hand was with them and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord. News of this reached the church in Jerusalem and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he arrived and saw what the grace of God had done, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith. and a great number of people were brought to the Lord. Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year, Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch. During this time, some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. One of them, named Agabus, stood up and through the Spirit predicted that a severe famine would spread over the entire Roman world. This happened during the reign of Claudius. The disciples, as each one was able, decided to provide help for the brothers and sisters living in Judea. This they did Sending their gift to the elders By Barnabas and Saul Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
