Acts 11

Peter Explains the Gospel Expansion

1Now the apostles and the siblings who were in Judea heard that the ethnic groups had also received the word of God. 2When Peter went up to Jerusalem, those who were circumcised criticized him, 3saying, “You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them!”

4But Peter narrated the story from the beginning, saying, 5“I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision, something like a huge sheet descending by its four corners down from heaven, and it came to me. 6When I had looked into it closely and considered it, I saw the four-footed animals of the earth, wild animals, reptiles, and birds of the sky. 7Then I heard a voice telling me, ‘Get up, Peter! Kill and eat!’ 8But I said, ‘“Never, Lord! For nothing profane or ritually unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ 9But a voice answered me the second time out of heaven, ‘What God has made clean, you must not consider profane.’ 10This happened three times, and then everything was drawn up into heaven again.

11“Just then, three men sent to me from Caesarea stood in front of the house where I was staying. 12The Spirit told me to go with them without hesitation. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we went into the man’s house. 13He told us how he had seen an angel standing in his house and saying, ‘Send to Joppa and get Simon, who is called Peter. 14He will speak a message to you through which you will be saved, you and all your house.’ 15As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came down upon them, just as on us at the beginning. 16Then I remembered the word of the Lord, how he used to say, ‘John baptized with water, but y’all will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ 17So if God gave them the same gift as us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who am I to try to hinder God?”

18When they heard this, they ceased their objections and glorified God, saying, “Then God has also granted repentance to life even to the ethnic groups!”

The Church in Antioch

19Now those who had been scattered by the persecution that arose because of Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, speaking the word only to the Jews. 20But there were some men from Cyprus and Cyrene, who went to Antioch and spoke to the Greeks also, proclaiming the good news about the Lord Jesus. 21The hand of the Lord was with them, and a large number believed and turned to the Lord. 22The news about them came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, so they sent Barnabas to go to Antioch. 23When he arrived and saw the grace of God, he rejoiced and exhorted them all to remain true to the Lord with purpose in their hearts. 24For he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith, and a considerable number of people were added to the Lord.

25Then Barnabas went out to Tarsus to look for Saul, 26and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year, they met together with the church and taught a considerable number of people. The disciples were first called ‘Christians’ in Antioch.

27At that time, some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28One of them named Agabus stood up and through the Spirit predicted that there would be a great famine all over the inhabited world. (This happened during the reign of Claudius.) 29The disciples decided to send help to the siblings living in Judea, each according to their means. 30They did this, sending their aid to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul.

Currently Selected:

Acts 11: YALL

Highlight

Copy