Acts 11

Peter Explains His Actions

11Soon the news reached the apostles and other believers

in Judea that the Gentiles had received the word of God.G1161G652G2532G80G5607G2596G2449G191G3754G1484G1209G2532G1209G3056G23162But when Peter arrived back in Jerusalem, the Jewish believers

criticized him.G2532G3753G4074G305G1519G2414G1537G4061G1252G4314G8463"You entered the home of Gentiles

and even ate with them!" they said.G3004G3754G1525G4314G435G203G2192G2532G4906G8464Then Peter told them exactly what had happened.G1161G4074G756G1620G2517G846G30045"I was in the town of Joppa," he said, "and while I was praying, I went into a trance and saw a vision. Something like a large sheet was let down by its four corners from the sky. And it came right down to me.G1473G2252G1722G4172G2445G4336G2532G1722G1611G1492G3705G5100G4632G2597G5613G3173G3607G2524G1537G3772G5064G746G2532G2064G891G17006When I looked inside the sheet, I saw all sorts of small animals, wild animals, reptiles, and birds.G1519G3739G816G2657G2532G1492G5074G1093G2532G2342G2532G2062G2532G4071G37727And I heard a voice say, 'Get up, Peter; kill and eat them.'G1161G191G5456G3004G3427G450G4074G2380G2532G53158"'No, Lord,' I replied. 'I have never eaten anything that our Jewish laws have declared impure or unclean

.'G1161G2036G3365G2962G3754G3956G2839G2228G169G1525G3763G1525G1519G3450G47509"But the voice from heaven spoke again: 'Do not call something unclean if God has made it clean.'G1161G5456G611G3427G1537G1208G1537G3772G3739G2316G2511G2840G3361G4771G284010This happened three times before the sheet and all it contained was pulled back up to heaven.G1161G5124G1096G1909G5151G2532G537G385G3825G1519G377211"Just then three men who had been sent from Caesarea arrived at the house where we were staying.G2532G2400G1824G2186G5140G435G1824G2186G1909G3614G1722G3739G3739G2252G649G575G2542G4314G316512The Holy Spirit told me to go with them and not to worry that they were Gentiles. These six brothers here accompanied me, and we soon entered the home of the man who had sent for us.G1161G4151G2036G3427G4905G846G3367G1252G1161G2532G3778G1803G80G4862G2064G1698G2532G1525G1519G435G362413He told us how an angel had appeared to him in his home and had told him, 'Send messengers to Joppa, and summon a man named Simon Peter.G5037G518G2254G4459G1492G32G1722G846G3624G2476G2532G2036G846G649G435G1519G2445G2532G3343G4613G1941G407414He will tell you how you and everyone in your household can be saved!'G3739G2980G4314G4571G4487G1722G3739G4771G2532G3956G4675G3624G498215"As I began to speak," Peter continued, "the Holy Spirit fell on them, just as he fell on us at the beginning.G1161G1722G3165G756G2980G40G4151G1968G1909G846G5618G2532G1909G2248G1722G74616Then I thought of the Lord's words when he said, 'John baptized with

water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.'G1161G3415G4487G2962G5613G3004G2491G3303G907G5204G1161G5210G907G1722G40G415117And since God gave these Gentiles the same gift he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to stand in God's way?"G1487G3767G5613G2316G1325G846G2470G1431G2532G2254G4100G1909G2962G2424G5547G1161G5101G2252G1473G1415G2967G231618When the others heard this, they stopped objecting and began praising God. They said, "We can see that God has also given the Gentiles the privilege of repenting of their sins and receiving eternal life."G1161G191G5023G2270G2532G1392G2316G3004G686G1325G2316G2534G1484G1325G3341G1519G2222

The Church in Antioch of Syria

19Meanwhile, the believers who had been scattered during the persecution after Stephen's death traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch of Syria. They preached the word of God, but only to Jews.G3767G3303G1289G575G2347G1096G1909G4736G1330G2193G5403G2532G2954G2532G490G2980G3056G3367G1508G2453G344020However, some of the believers who went to Antioch from Cyprus and Cyrene began preaching to the Gentiles

about the Lord Jesus.G1161G5100G1537G846G2258G435G2953G2532G2956G3748G1525G1519G490G2980G4314G1675G2097G2962G242421The power of the Lord was with them, and a large number of these Gentiles believed and turned to the Lord.G2532G5495G2962G2258G3326G846G5037G4183G706G4100G1994G1909G296222When the church at Jerusalem heard what had happened, they sent Barnabas to Antioch.G1161G3056G4012G846G191G1519G3775G1577G3588G1722G2414G2532G1821G921G1330G2193G49023When he arrived and saw this evidence of God's blessing, he was filled with joy, and he encouraged the believers to stay true to the Lord.G3739G3854G2532G1492G5485G2316G5463G2532G3870G3956G4286G2588G4357G296224Barnabas was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and strong in faith. And many people were brought to the Lord.G3754G2258G18G435G2532G4134G40G4151G2532G4102G2532G2425G3793G4369G296225Then Barnabas went on to Tarsus to look for Saul.G1161G1831G921G1519G5019G327G456926When he found him, he brought him back to Antioch. Both of them stayed there with the church for a full year, teaching large crowds of people. (It was at Antioch that the believers

were first called Christians.)G2532G2147G846G71G846G1519G490G1161G1096G3650G1763G846G4863G1722G1577G2532G1321G2425G3793G5037G3101G5537G5546G4412G1722G49027During this time some prophets traveled from Jerusalem to Antioch.G1161G1722G5025G2250G2718G4396G575G2414G1519G49028One of them named Agabus stood up in one of the meetings and predicted by the Spirit that a great famine was coming upon the entire Roman world. (This was fulfilled during the reign of Claudius.)G1161G450G1520G1537G846G3686G13G4591G1223G4151G3195G1510G3173G3042G1909G3650G3625G3748G2532G1096G1909G2804G254129So the believers in Antioch decided to send relief to the brothers and sisters

in Judea, everyone giving as much as they could.G1161G3101G1538G846G2531G2141G5100G3724G3992G1248G1519G80G2730G1722G244930This they did, entrusting their gifts to Barnabas and Saul to take to the elders of the church in Jerusalem.G3739G2532G4160G649G4314G4245G1223G5495G921G2532G4569