-
Matthew 10:20
because you are not speaking, but the Spirit of your Father is speaking through you.
-
Luke 21:15
for I will give you such words and a wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict.
-
Acts 4:8
Then Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit and said to them,“ Rulers of the people and elders:
-
Exodus 4:11
Yahweh said to him,“ Who made the human mouth? Who makes him mute or deaf, seeing or blind? Is it not I, Yahweh?
-
Acts 6:10
But they were unable to stand up against his wisdom and the Spirit by whom he was speaking.
-
Acts 7:2-53
“ Brothers and fathers,” he said,“ listen: The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he settled in Haran,and said to him: Get out of your country and away from your relatives, and come to the land that I will show you.“ Then he came out of the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. From there, after his father died, God had him move to this land you now live in.He didn’t give him an inheritance in it, not even a foot of ground, but He promised to give it to him as a possession, and to his descendants after him, even though he was childless.God spoke in this way: His descendants would be strangers in a foreign country, and they would enslave and oppress them 400 years.I will judge the nation that they will serve as slaves, God said. After this, they will come out and worship Me in this place.Then He gave him the covenant of circumcision. After this, he fathered Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day; Isaac did the same with Jacob, and Jacob with the 12 patriarchs.“ The patriarchs became jealous of Joseph and sold him into Egypt, but God was with himand rescued him out of all his troubles. He gave him favor and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who appointed him ruler over Egypt and over his whole household.Then a famine and great suffering came over all of Egypt and Canaan, and our ancestors could find no food.When Jacob heard there was grain in Egypt, he sent our ancestors the first time.The second time, Joseph was revealed to his brothers, and Joseph’s family became known to Pharaoh.Joseph then invited his father Jacob and all his relatives, 75 people in all,and Jacob went down to Egypt. He and our ancestors died there,were carried back to Shechem, and were placed in the tomb that Abraham had bought for a sum of silver from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.“ As the time was drawing near to fulfill the promise that God had made to Abraham, the people flourished and multiplied in Egyptuntil a different king who did not know Joseph ruled over Egypt.He dealt deceitfully with our race and oppressed our ancestors by making them leave their infants outside, so they wouldn’t survive.At this time Moses was born, and he was beautiful in God’s sight. He was cared for in his father’s home three months,and when he was left outside, Pharaoh’s daughter adopted and raised him as her own son.So Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in his speech and actions.“ As he was approaching the age of 40, he decided to visit his brothers, the Israelites.When he saw one of them being mistreated, he came to his rescue and avenged the oppressed man by striking down the Egyptian.He assumed his brothers would understand that God would give them deliverance through him, but they did not understand.The next day he showed up while they were fighting and tried to reconcile them peacefully, saying,‘ Men, you are brothers. Why are you mistreating each other?’“ But the one who was mistreating his neighbor pushed him away, saying: Who appointed you a ruler and a judge over us?Do you want to kill me, the same way you killed the Egyptian yesterday?“ At this disclosure, Moses fled and became an exile in the land of Midian, where he fathered two sons.After 40 years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in the flame of a burning bush.When Moses saw it, he was amazed at the sight. As he was approaching to look at it, the voice of the Lord came:I am the God of your fathers— the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob. So Moses began to tremble and did not dare to look.“ Then the Lord said to him: Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.I have observed the oppression of My people in Egypt; I have heard their groaning and have come down to rescue them. And now, come, I will send you to Egypt.“ This Moses, whom they rejected when they said, Who appointed you a ruler and a judge?— this one God sent as a ruler and a redeemer by means of the angel who appeared to him in the bush.This man led them out and performed wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, at the Red Sea, and in the wilderness 40 years.“ This is the Moses who said to the Israelites, God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from among your brothers.He is the one who was in the congregation in the wilderness together with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our ancestors. He received living oracles to give to us.Our ancestors were unwilling to obey him, but pushed him away, and in their hearts turned back to Egypt.They told Aaron: Make us gods who will go before us. As for this Moses who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we don’t know what’s happened to him.They even made a calf in those days, offered sacrifice to the idol, and were celebrating what their hands had made.Then God turned away and gave them up to worship the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets: House of Israel, did you bring Me offerings and sacrifices 40 years in the wilderness?No, you took up the tent of Moloch and the star of your god Rephan, the images that you made to worship. So I will deport you beyond Babylon!“ Our ancestors had the tabernacle of the testimony in the wilderness, just as He who spoke to Moses commanded him to make it according to the pattern he had seen.Our ancestors in turn received it and with Joshua brought it in when they dispossessed the nations that God drove out before our fathers, until the days of David.He found favor in God’s sight and asked that he might provide a dwelling place for the God of Jacob.But it was Solomon who built Him a house.However, the Most High does not dwell in sanctuaries made with hands, as the prophet says:Heaven is My throne, and earth My footstool. What sort of house will you build for Me? says the Lord, or what is My resting place?Did not My hand make all these things?“ You stiff-necked people with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are always resisting the Holy Spirit; as your ancestors did, so do you.Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They even killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become.You received the law under the direction of angels and yet have not kept it.”
-
Acts 7:55
But Stephen, filled by the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven. He saw God’s glory, with Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and he said,
-
Acts 26:1-32
Agrippa said to Paul,“ It is permitted for you to speak for yourself.” Then Paul stretched out his hand and began his defense:“ I consider myself fortunate, King Agrippa, that today I am going to make a defense before you about everything I am accused of by the Jews,especially since you are an expert in all the Jewish customs and controversies. Therefore I beg you to listen to me patiently.“ All the Jews know my way of life from my youth, which was spent from the beginning among my own nation and in Jerusalem.They had previously known me for quite some time, if they were willing to testify, that according to the strictest party of our religion I lived as a Pharisee.And now I stand on trial for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers,the promise our 12 tribes hope to attain as they earnestly serve Him night and day. King Agrippa, I am being accused by the Jews because of this hope.Why is it considered incredible by any of you that God raises the dead?In fact, I myself supposed it was necessary to do many things in opposition to the name of Jesus the Nazarene.I actually did this in Jerusalem, and I locked up many of the saints in prison, since I had received authority for that from the chief priests. When they were put to death, I cast my vote against them.In all the synagogues I often tried to make them blaspheme by punishing them. I even pursued them to foreign cities since I was greatly enraged at them.“ I was traveling to Damascus under these circumstances with authority and a commission from the chief priests.King Agrippa, while on the road at midday, I saw a light from heaven brighter than the sun, shining around me and those traveling with me.We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice speaking to me in the Hebrew language,‘ Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’“ Then I said,‘ Who are You, Lord?’“ And the Lord replied:‘ I am Jesus, the One you are persecuting.But get up and stand on your feet. For I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and a witness of what you have seen and of what I will reveal to you.I will rescue you from the people and from the Gentiles. I now send you to themto open their eyes so they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that by faith in Me they may receive forgiveness of sins and a share among those who are sanctified.’“ Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision.Instead, I preached to those in Damascus first, and to those in Jerusalem and in all the region of Judea, and to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works worthy of repentance.For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple complex and were trying to kill me.To this very day, I have obtained help that comes from God, and I stand and testify to both small and great, saying nothing else than what the prophets and Moses said would take place—that the Messiah must suffer, and that as the first to rise from the dead, He would proclaim light to our people and to the Gentiles.”As he was making his defense this way, Festus exclaimed in a loud voice,“ You’re out of your mind, Paul! Too much study is driving you mad!”But Paul replied,“ I’m not out of my mind, most excellent Festus. On the contrary, I’m speaking words of truth and good judgment.For the king knows about these matters. It is to him I am actually speaking boldly. For I am convinced that none of these things escapes his notice, since this was not done in a corner.King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you believe.”Then Agrippa said to Paul,“ Are you going to persuade me to become a Christian so easily?”“ I wish before God,” replied Paul,“ that whether easily or with difficulty, not only you but all who listen to me today might become as I am— except for these chains.”So the king, the governor, Bernice, and those sitting with them got up,and when they had left they talked with each other and said,“ This man is doing nothing that deserves death or chains.”Then Agrippa said to Festus,“ This man could have been released if he had not appealed to Caesar.”
