The Bible in Poetry: The Acts of the Apostles 1

 

Extracted from the Bible In Poetry

From Genesis to Revelation

The Acts of the Apostles 1

 

Many signs and wonders by the apostles had been done,

The believers stood together and had all things common;

And they all continued daily with one accord in the temple,

Praising God and having favour with all believing people.

  

Peter and John went to the temple during the time of prayer,

They saw a very lamed man lying at the temple gate there;

Reaching out his hand to them he was expecting something,

Silver or gold he never received but in Jesus’ name, healing.

Lifting him by the right hand strength entered every bone,

Leaping, jumping and walking, now he could stand alone;

“Why the marvel?” Peter asked; "why are you looking at us?

This was not by our own power but by the power of Jesus.

The God of Abraham and Isaac is now glorifying His Son,

The one that you delivered up the Just and the Holy One;

You desired a murderer and the Prince of life you killed,

God raised him from the dead; we are his witnesses still."

Annas and Caiaphas questioned the power and the name

And told them that they should from such behavior refrain;

But Peter and John answering asked them which was right,

Obedience to God or them or to be faithful in God’s sight?

And they had all in common and none of them had lack,

For they sold all they had and to the church gave back;

And many who were possessors their property had sold

And at the apostles’ feet laid down their silver and gold.

But Ananias and Sapphira laid part at the apostles’ feet,

Satan had filled their heart to devise this gross deceit;

Before they sold the land it still had been all their own

And after the sale was complete it was also theirs alone.

They sold it for one price and pretended it was another,

To consider the Holy Spirit they clearly did not bother.

Both of them dropped dead for clearly they had colluded,

In terms of God’s judgment neither of them was excluded.

Great fear was on the church and upon all who had heard

And many more believers had been added to the Lord;

There was also a multitude of the cities around Jerusalem,

Their sick and possessed were healed; every one of them.

  The apostles were beaten for speaking in Jesus’ name

But still they would minister in the name of Christ again;

A situation arose between the Hebrews and Grecians,

Honest men were chosen to solve the feeding problem.

These men were not only honest but also full of the Spirit,

And in the serving of the tables they were able to cope with it;

At preaching of the word the disciples greatly increased,

Also obedient to the faith was a great company of priests.

Some in the synagogue started to dispute with Stephen,

Stirring up strife against him they also bribed some men;

In his own defence he preached from Abraham to Christ,

In their bitterness against him they then resorted to vice.

The things that they had heard had cut them to the heart,

They determined in their anger it was time he must depart;

Taken out of the city and stoned while on God he called,

Some laid their clothes at the feet of the young man Saul.

 

Gazing steadfastly to heaven Stephen saw God’s glory,

Present too was Jesus whom he also longed to see;

He prayed for their forgiveness; after this he fell asleep,

With confident belief and trust in God his soul to keep.

Stewart Russell © 2013