21. All the people who heard him were amazed. They said, “This is the man who was in Jerusalem. He was trying to destroy those who trust in this name! He came here to do the same thing. He came here to arrest the followers of Jesus and take them back to the leading priests.”
22. But Saul became more and more powerful. His proofs that Jesus is the Christ were so strong that the Jews in Damascus could not argue with him.
23. After many days, the Jews made plans to kill Saul.
24. They were watching the city gates day and night. They wanted to kill him, but Saul learned about their plan.
25. One night some followers of Saul helped him leave the city. They lowered him in a basket through an opening in the city wall.
26. Then Saul went to Jerusalem. He tried to join the group of followers, but they were all afraid of him. They did not believe that he was really a follower.
27. But Barnabas accepted Saul and took him to the apostles. Barnabas told them that Saul had seen the Lord on the road. He explained how the Lord had spoken to Saul. Then he told them how boldly Saul had preached in the name of Jesus in Damascus.
28. And so Saul stayed with the followers. He went everywhere in Jerusalem, preaching boldly in the name of Jesus.
29. He would often talk and argue with the Jews who spoke Greek. But they were trying to kill him.
30. When the brothers learned about this, they took Saul to Caesarea. From there they sent him to Tarsus.
31. The church everywhere in Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had a time of peace. With the help of the Holy Spirit, the group became stronger. The believers showed that they respected the Lord by the way they lived. Because of this, the group of believers grew larger and larger.
32. As Peter was traveling through all the area, he visited God’s people who lived in Lydda.
33. There he met a paralyzed man named Aeneas. Aeneas had not been able to leave his bed for the past eight years.
34. Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you. Stand up and make your bed!” Aeneas stood up immediately.
35. All the people living in Lydda and on the Plain of Sharon saw him. These people turned to the Lord.
36. In the city of Joppa there was a follower named Tabitha. (Her Greek name, Dorcas, means “a deer.”) She was always doing good and helping the poor.
37. While Peter was in Lydda, Tabitha became sick and died. Her body was washed and put in a room upstairs.