Acts:
This book, by the same writer as the book of Luke, tells
what happened after Jesus' crucifixion -- Jesus appearances to
the apostles (disciples) for forty days after the
crucifixion. Then, Jesus rose into the sky into a cloud.
Another disciple, Matthias, was chosen to replace Judas
Iscariot (who had betrayed Jesus and then killed himself), so
that the disciples/apostles were again twelve.
In Acts, there was mention of a soul (i.e., Jesus) being in hell
until the resurrection (Acts 2:27-31, from King James'
Version). The disciple, Simon Peter (or, just Peter)
healed a crippled beggar. The Sadducees (who disbelieved in
resurrection of the dead) were upset over the disciples Peter and
John telling of Jesus' rising from the dead. The disciples kept
speaking of Jesus as the Messiah and as the "the stone
you builders rejected, which has become the capstone,"
saying further that "Salvation is found in no one
else..." (Acts 4:11-12) The disciples/apostles were arrested
and put in jail often, yet they preached on -- once released from
jail by an angel (Acts 5:19). Administrators (i.e., deacons) were
picked for handling many of the duties of the church, so that the
disciples could spend their time preaching.
Stephen Stoned to Death (Acts 7):
Stephen, a believer in Jesus, was brought to the high priest and
spoke to the Jewish leaders, saying that "...I see...the Son
of Man (i.e., Jesus the Messiah) standing at the right hand of
God." Stephen was stoned to death and martyred (died,
arousing sympathy to his beliefs).
As Peter and John preached, a Roman citizen and Jew named Saul (or Paul) of Tarsus was persecuting all believers in
Jesus, until near Damascus, when the voice of Jesus spoke to Paul
and blinded him for three days, after which Ananias (a Damascus
believer in Jesus instructed to heal Paul) touched Paul to give
him his sight back. Paul then became a believer in Jesus, was
baptised and preached that Jesus was the Christ (i.e., the
Messiah; Son of God). (Acts 9)
Peter healed a man bedridden for 8 years and then brought a dead
woman (Dorcas) back to life (Acts 9:32-42). Then Peter had a
vision that showed him that people other than Jews are valued by
God. (Acts 10:9-15:34-35) So, the early church then came to the
thought, "...God has granted even the Gentiles repentance
unto life." (Acts 11:18)
Barnabus and Paul at Tarsus (at Antioch) preached to the people
-- there first called "Christians." (Acts 11:26) The
apostle James was killed; Peter was arrested but rescued by an
angel, who unchained him. (Acts 12:6-10)
Paul and Barnabus preached to many that both Jews and Gentiles
could accept Jesus. In Jerusalem, Peter said that Gentiles were
welcome and that they did not have to obey Jewish laws
(circumcision was not required), except that they should abstain
from eating meat sacrificed to idols, from eating unbled meat
from strangled animals, and from fornication (having sex outside
of marriage). (Acts 15) Paul then preached with Silas, Timothy,
and others in many places, often in Greece -- at Corinth. There
were many riots and attacks on Paul by jealous Jewish leaders
wherever he went. At Philippi, Paul and Silas were beaten and
jailed, then released from prison by an earthquake that caused
their chains to fall off, after which the jailer was baptized.
(Acts 16:22-33) Paul healed a young man after a fatal fall during
a sermon in Troas (in Turkey) (Acts 20:7-12). Paul went back to Jerusalem and told the people again of his experience on the road nearing
Damascus (Acts 22:6-16). Paul was arrested and was charged by
Ananias (the Jerusalem High Priest) as worthy of execution. (Acts
21-28) Paul would have been set free (Acts 26:32), but he
"appealed to Caesar" (being a Roman citizen) --
requiring that he be sent to Rome for trial. Paul's trip to Rome
was detailed, with an account of his being bitten by a poisonous
snake without effect. (Acts 28:3-6)