Acts 11

Peter’s Report to the Church at Jerusalem

11The apostles and the other believers throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God.G1161G652G2532G80G5607G2596G2449G191G3754G1484G1209G2532G1209G3056G23162When Peter went to Jerusalem, those who were in favor of circumcising Gentiles criticized him, saying,G2532G3753G4074G305G1519G2414G1537G4061G1252G4314G8463"You were a guest in the home of uncircumcised Gentiles, and you even ate with them!"G3004G3754G1525G4314G435G203G2192G2532G4906G8464So Peter gave them a complete account of what had happened from the very beginning:G1161G4074G756G1620G2517G846G30045"While I was praying in the city of Joppa, I had a vision. I saw something coming down that looked like a large sheet being lowered by its four corners from heaven, and it stopped next to me.G1473G2252G1722G4172G2445G4336G2532G1722G1611G1492G3705G5100G4632G2597G5613G3173G3607G2524G1537G3772G5064G746G2532G2064G891G17006I looked closely inside and saw domesticated and wild animals, reptiles, and wild birds.G1519G3739G816G2657G2532G1492G5074G1093G2532G2342G2532G2062G2532G4071G37727Then I heard a voice saying to me, 'Get up, Peter; kill and eat!'G1161G191G5456G3004G3427G450G4074G2380G2532G53158But I said, 'Certainly not, Lord! No ritually unclean or defiled food has ever entered my mouth.'G1161G2036G3365G2962G3754G3956G2839G2228G169G1525G3763G1525G1519G3450G47509The voice spoke again from heaven, 'Do not consider anything unclean that God has declared clean.'G1161G5456G611G3427G1537G1208G1537G3772G3739G2316G2511G2840G3361G4771G284010This happened three times, and finally the whole thing was drawn back up into heaven.G1161G5124G1096G1909G5151G2532G537G385G3825G1519G377211At that very moment three men who had been sent to me from Caesarea arrived at the house where I was staying.G2532G2400G1824G2186G5140G435G1824G2186G1909G3614G1722G3739G3739G2252G649G575G2542G4314G316512The Spirit told me to go with them without hesitation. These six fellow believers from Joppa accompanied me to Caesarea, and we all went into the house of Cornelius.G1161G4151G2036G3427G4905G846G3367G1252G1161G2532G3778G1803G80G4862G2064G1698G2532G1525G1519G435G362413He told us how he had seen an angel standing in his house, who said to him, 'Send someone to Joppa for a man whose full name is Simon Peter.G5037G518G2254G4459G1492G32G1722G846G3624G2476G2532G2036G846G649G435G1519G2445G2532G3343G4613G1941G407414He will speak words to you by which you and all your family will be saved.'G3739G2980G4314G4571G4487G1722G3739G4771G2532G3956G4675G3624G498215And when I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came down on them just as on us at the beginning.G1161G1722G3165G756G2980G40G4151G1968G1909G846G5618G2532G1909G2248G1722G74616Then I remembered what the Lord had said: 'John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.'G1161G3415G4487G2962G5613G3004G2491G3303G907G5204G1161G5210G907G1722G40G415117It is clear that God gave those Gentiles the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ; who was I, then, to try to stop God!"G1487G3767G5613G2316G1325G846G2470G1431G2532G2254G4100G1909G2962G2424G5547G1161G5101G2252G1473G1415G2967G231618When they heard this, they stopped their criticism and praised God, saying, "Then God has given to the Gentiles also the opportunity to repent and live!"G1161G191G5023G2270G2532G1392G2316G3004G686G1325G2316G2534G1484G1325G3341G1519G2222

The Church at Antioch

19Some of the believers who were scattered by the persecution which took place when Stephen was killed went as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, telling the message to Jews only.G3767G3303G1289G575G2347G1096G1909G4736G1330G2193G5403G2532G2954G2532G490G2980G3056G3367G1508G2453G344020But other believers, who were from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and proclaimed the message to Gentiles also, telling them the Good News about the Lord Jesus.G1161G5100G1537G846G2258G435G2953G2532G2956G3748G1525G1519G490G2980G4314G1675G2097G2962G242421The Lord's power was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.G2532G5495G2962G2258G3326G846G5037G4183G706G4100G1994G1909G296222The news about this reached the church in Jerusalem, so they sent Barnabas to Antioch.G1161G3056G4012G846G191G1519G3775G1577G3588G1722G2414G2532G1821G921G1330G2193G49023When he arrived and saw how God had blessed the people, he was glad and urged them all to be faithful and true to the Lord with all their hearts.G3739G3854G2532G1492G5485G2316G5463G2532G3870G3956G4286G2588G4357G296224Barnabas was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and many people were brought to the Lord.G3754G2258G18G435G2532G4134G40G4151G2532G4102G2532G2425G3793G4369G296225Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul.G1161G1831G921G1519G5019G327G456926When he found him, he took him to Antioch, and for a whole year the two met with the people of the church and taught a large group. It was at Antioch that the believers were first called Christians.G2532G2147G846G71G846G1519G490G1161G1096G3650G1763G846G4863G1722G1577G2532G1321G2425G3793G5037G3101G5537G5546G4412G1722G49027About that time some prophets went from Jerusalem to Antioch.G1161G1722G5025G2250G2718G4396G575G2414G1519G49028One of them, named Agabus, stood up and by the power of the Spirit predicted that a severe famine was about to come over all the earth. (It came when Claudius was emperor.)G1161G450G1520G1537G846G3686G13G4591G1223G4151G3195G1510G3173G3042G1909G3650G3625G3748G2532G1096G1909G2804G254129The disciples decided that they each would send as much as they could to help their fellow believers who lived in Judea.G1161G3101G1538G846G2531G2141G5100G3724G3992G1248G1519G80G2730G1722G244930They did this, then, and sent the money to the church elders by Barnabas and Saul.G3739G2532G4160G649G4314G4245G1223G5495G921G2532G4569