The Apostles' Acts - in Verse

By James Vasquez

The book of Acts is no doubt the most action-filled book in the Bible. Vasquez has highlighted the events in each of the twenty-eight chapters in elegant, rhymed literature, faithfully telling the story found in each chapter.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Dec 11, 2012
• ISBN: 9781449777470

James Vasquez

James Vasquez served as a missionary in Latin America and holds an MDiv from Fuller Seminary and PhD from UCLA. He retired from the University of Washington faculty and has published six books of poetry, based on persons and accounts in the Bible. Website: http://jamesvasquez.tateauthor.com

Book preview

Acts of the Spirit

(Acts 1-28)

My dear Theophilus, I write

Of things you scarce have heard,

But which, I solemnly avow,

The world itself have stirred.

I tell not of courageous men

Who, ’spite the foe, withstood

Grave perils which their very lives

Demanded if they could.

For those who gathered in that place

With fear and dread were filled.

And fasting, praying met as one

Just as the Lord had willed.

For Jesus had to them declared

The promised gift would come,

And they would be his witnesses,

Their tongues no longer dumb.

And thus abiding quietly

They cast a lot to see

Just who in fallen Judas’ place,

One of the twelve might be.

Now for some days they carried on

In fasting and in prayer,

With doubts and deep uncertainties

As they awaited there.

And on the day of Pentecost,

As Joel did foretell,

With violent sounds of rushing wind

The Holy Spirit fell.

Bright tongues of fire sat on each

Endowing them with power,

And thus the church, the bride of Christ,

Was born that very hour.

And many, gathered in the town,

Then heard the voices raised

Of all who by the Spirit filled

God’s many wonders praised.

What can this mean? they fearf’ly asked,

"For each in our own tongue

Now hears these men adore their God,

And all his praises sung."

Then Peter rose and said to them

That what they saw and heard,

Had long been writ and clearly shown

In the prophetic Word.

And laying blame full at their feet,

The one you killed, he said,

"Is he whom God anointed Christ

And raised from ’mongst the dead."

Now Peter’s bold and piercing words

Were strangely heard that day,

For he till then was known to fear

And even to betray.

And if this first of miracles

That day was Peter’s own,

A second followed closely then,

Of many to be known.

For multitudes on hearing him

Were cut right to the heart,

And desperate to return to God,

Implored what was their part.

Now none, I’m confident, can claim

That what occurred that hour,

Could by another means have come

Than by the Spirit’s power.

And such his gracious pouring out

Of faith, conviction, love,

Three thousand souls were added to

The Book of Life above.

And now I tell, Theophilus,

Just why with hand to pen,

This brief account I write to you,

Of women and of men.

They were not stalwarts from the first,

And one and all were flawed,

Yet by their words and deeds the world

Was overcome and awed.

For in them was a fire lit

By God’s great Spirit who

To lives of virtue beckoned them,

And purged them through and through.

But some who trifled in the work,

Or worse, were prone to lie,

As Ananias quickly found,

Had but one end – to die.

Now Stephen was a common man

Till by the Spirit filled,

And from that time great wonders wrought,

And signs that God had willed.

And common, yet a wisdom knew

That learned Jews confused,

And thus before the Sanhedrin

He stood alone, accused.

And asked to answer what was charged

He calmly then replied,

Rehearsing their vast history,

The root of all their pride.

He knew it well, too well, it seemed,

For Israel oft did stray,

Their rulers leading quite amiss

The people till that day.

And finally then the point he reached,

"Just as your fathers did,

You also fail to heed God’s way

And those who would, forbid."

Now hearing Stephen, quickly they

Were anguished to the core,

And chose not to believe his words

Nor wished he utter more.

But Stephen cast his eyes above

As heav’n was opened and,

I see the Son of Man, he said,

Enthroned at God’s right hand.

At this the people stopped their ears

And screaming in their strife,

They bore him from the town and there,

By stoning, took his life.

You think this act a tragedy?

Perhaps, but there a man

Was witness to what came to pass,

In God’s most wondrous plan.

For by the Spirit’s wisdom Saul,

A man of some renown,

Observed this great injustice though

With hardly scowl or frown.

Yet mem’ries of such wrongs as these

Would one day haunt his thought,

While urging that he follow Christ,

Repenting as he ought.

Now through the Spirit’s leading, doors

Once closed were opened wide,

Including one most firmly sealed,

As Peter testified.

For he, while praying in a trance,

Was told what God made clean,

Was not by him to be despised

As vulgar or as mean.

And shortly in Cornelius’ house

The vision was made clear.

The gospel was for Gentiles too,

Who ought God’s name to fear.

Now Peter, hardened in his ways,

Would ne’er have spoken to

A Gentile like Cornelius,

Nor would a proper Jew,

Had not the Spirit said to him

By vision clear and bright,

That Jesus would to all be Lord,

And to the Gentiles, light.

And by the self same Spirit he

Though once beset with guilt,

Ere long was like a rock on which

Christ’s church would yet be built.

Now Saul was also witness to

The power of God to move

Within a sinner’s life, that he

Might then Christ’s way approve.

As worst of sinners he confessed

He lived his life, until

Upon a lonely road the Lord

Revealed his gracious will.

And such the changes wrought in him,

He traveled far and wide,

Withholding naught from Jesus who

Upon the cross had died.

He raised the dead, he healed the sick,

He cast out demons vile,

And countless times he risked his life

Rejoicing all the while.

And if this work had been of men,

Then men alone would be

The only persons we now owe

For this rich legacy.

But as of God the work was born,

We count mongst women some

Who also labored in the field,

By whom these feats had come.

Thus Lydia, when born of faith,

A deep conversion knew,

Befriending many of the Way,

And oft played hostess too.

And then Priscilla, with her mate,

Was by the Spirit used

To set aright the preaching of

A man who was confused.

Yes, even famed Apollos was

Deficient in his day.

She took him in and taught him more

Of Jesus’ better way.

And Timothy owed much to some

Through whom his lineage traced,

For by his mother (and her own)

True faith he first embraced.

Now truly here a door was shut

That no man by his power,

Would dared have thought to open wide

In that or any hour.

For women in our history

Were by and large forgot,

And few among the Jews were men

Who gave them any thought.

It was indeed God’s Spirit who

With sovereign, certain choice,

Then lifted them to prominence

And gave them weighty voice.

Now time escapes me, dearest friend,

Although there’s much to tell

Of further acts the Spirit did,

Before I bid farewell.

Allow me leave with one last word:

The world itself has bowed

Before the gospel preached by those

The Spirit has endowed,

With wisdom, strength and endless love

In such profuse degree,

It shan’t be long ere Jesus comes,

Whom every eye will see.

When First I Wrote

(Acts 1:1-11)

When first I wrote, Theophilus,

I told of all the wondrous things

That Jesus did and taught before

He entered his deep