Youth Story

 Read Acts 16:1-15 Paul came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where a disciple named Timothy lived, whose mother was Jewish and a believer but whose father was a Greek.   2  The believers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him.   3  Paul wanted to take him along on the journey, so he circumcised him because of the Jews who lived in that area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.   4  As they traveled from town to town, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey.   5  So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers. 6  Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia.   7  When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to.   8  So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas.   9  During the night Paul had a vision of a ma

  Read Acts 15:22-41 Then the apostles and elders, with the whole church, decided to choose some of their own men and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They chose Judas (called Barsabbas) and Silas, men who were leaders among the believers.   23  With them they sent the following letter: The apostles and elders, your brothers, To the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia: Greetings. 24  We have heard that some went out from us without our authorization and disturbed you, troubling your minds by what they said.   25  So we all agreed to choose some men and send them to you with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul—   26  men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.   27  Therefore we are sending Judas and Silas to confirm by word of mouth what we are writing.   28  It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements:   29  You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, f

  Read Acts 15:1-21 Certain people came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the believers: “Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.”   2  This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question.   3  The church sent them on their way, and as they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted. This news made all the believers very glad.   4  When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them. 5  Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, “The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to keep the law of Moses.” 6  The apostles and elders met to consider this question.   7  After much discussi

  Read Acts 14 At Iconium Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue. There they spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Greeks believed.   2  But the Jews who refused to believe stirred up the other Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers.  3  So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord, who confirmed the message of his grace by enabling them to perform signs and wonders.  4  The people of the city were divided; some sided with the Jews, others with the apostles.  5  There was a plot afoot among both Gentiles and Jews,together with their leaders, to mistreat them and stone them.  6  But they found out about it and fled to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbe and to the surrounding country,   7  where they continued to preach the gospel. In Lystra and Derbe 8  In Lystra there sat a man who was lame. He had been that way from birth and had never walked.   9  He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul l

  Read Acts 13:13-52 From Paphos, Paul and his companions sailed to Perga in Pamphylia, where John left them to return to Jerusalem.   14  From Perga they went on to Pisidian Antioch. On the Sabbath they entered the synagogue and sat down.   15  After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the leaders of the synagogue sent word to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have a word of exhortation for the people, please speak.” 16  Standing up, Paul motioned with his hand and said: “Fellow Israelites and you Gentiles who worship God, listen to me!   17  The God of the people of Israel chose our ancestors; he made the people prosper during their stay in Egypt; with mighty power he led them out of that country;  18  for about forty years he endured their conduct [ a ]  in the wilderness;  19  and he overthrew seven nations in Canaan, giving their land to his people as their inheritance.  20  All this took about 450 years. “After this, God gave them judges until the time of Samuel the prophet.

  Read Acts 13:1-12 Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. 2  While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”  3  So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off. On Cyprus 4  The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus.  5  When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. John was with them as their helper. 6  They traveled through the whole island until they came to Paphos. There they met a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-Jesus, 7  who was an attendant of the proconsul,Sergius Paulus. The proconsul, an intelligent man, sent for Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear the word of God.   8  B