Acts 11
11
Gentile Salvation Defended
1The apostles and the brothers and sisters who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God. 2When Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcision party criticized him,#Ac 10:45; Col 4:11; 1Tm 1:10 3saying, “You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them.”#Ac 10:28; Gl 2:12
4Peter began to explain to them step by step, 5“I#Ac 10:9–32 was in the town of Joppa praying, and I saw, in a trance, an object that resembled a large sheet coming down, being lowered by its four corners from heaven, and it came to me. 6When I looked closely and considered it, I saw the four-footed animals of the earth, the wild beasts, the reptiles, and the birds of the sky. 7I also heard a voice telling me, ‘Get up, Peter; kill and eat.’
8“‘No, Lord! ’ I said. ‘For nothing impure or ritually unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ 9But a voice answered from heaven a second time, ‘What God has made clean, you must not call impure.’
10“Now this happened three times, and everything was drawn up again into heaven. 11At that very moment, three men who had been sent to me from Caesarea arrived at the house where we were. 12The Spirit told me to accompany them with no doubts at all. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we went into the man’s house.#Ac 8:29; 10:23; 15:9 13He reported to us how he had seen the angel standing in his house and saying, ‘Send to Joppa, and call for Simon, who is also named Peter. 14He will speak a message to you by which you and all your household#Jn 4:53; Ac 10:2; 16:15,31–34; 18:8; 1Co 1:16 will be saved.’
15“As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came down on them, just as on us at the beginning.#Ac 2:4; 10:44 16I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’#Mt 3:11; Mk 1:8; Lk 3:16; Jn 1:33; Ac 1:5 17If, then, God gave them the same gift that he also gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, how could I possibly hinder God?” #Ac 5:39; 10:45,47
18When they heard this they became silent. And they glorified God, saying, “So then, God has given repentance resulting in life even to the Gentiles.”#Rm 10:12–13; 2Co 7:10
The Church in Antioch
19Now those who had been scattered as a result of the persecution that started because of Stephen made their way as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch,#Ac 6:5; 13:1; 14:26; 15:22–23,30,35; 18:22; Gl 2:11 speaking the word to no one except Jews. 20But there were some of them, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, who came to Antioch and began speaking to the Greeks#11:20 Lit Hellenists also, proclaiming the good news about the Lord Jesus.#Mt 27:32; Ac 4:36 21The Lord’s hand was with them, and a large number who believed turned to the Lord.#Lk 1:66; Ac 2:47; 9:35 22News about them reached#11:22 Lit reached the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent out Barnabas to travel#11:22 Other mss omit to travel as far as Antioch. 23When he arrived and saw the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged all of them to remain true to the Lord with devoted hearts,#Ac 13:43; 14:26; 15:40; 20:24,32 24for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit#Lk 4:1; Ac 6:5; 7:55 and of faith. And large numbers of people were added#Ac 2:41,47; 5:14 to the Lord.
25Then he went to Tarsus to search for Saul, 26and when he found him he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught large numbers. The disciples#Ac 6:1; 9:1; 13:52; 14:20; 15:10; 16:1; 19:1 were first called Christians at Antioch.#Ac 26:28; 1Pt 4:16
Famine Relief
27In those days some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch.#Ac 13:1; 15:32; 1Co 12:28; Eph 4:11 28One of them, named Agabus, stood up and predicted by the Spirit that there would be a severe famine throughout the Roman world.#11:28 Or the whole world This took place during the reign of Claudius.#Mt 24:14; Ac 18:2; 21:10; Gl 2:2 29Each of the disciples, according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brothers and sisters who lived in Judea.#Rm 15:26; 2Co 9:1–2; Gl 2:10 30They did this, sending it to the elders#Ac 14:23; 15:2; 16:4; 20:17; 21:18; 1Tm 5:17,19; Jms 5:14; 2Jn 1 by means of Barnabas and Saul.
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© 2017 Holman Bible Publishers
Acts 11
11
Peter Explains His Actions
1The apostles and the believers all through Judea heard that Gentiles had also received God’s word. 2Peter went up to Jerusalem. There the Jewish believers found fault with him. 3They said, “You went into the house of Gentiles. You ate with them.”
4Starting from the beginning, Peter told them the whole story. 5“I was in the city of Joppa praying,” he said. “There I had a vision. I saw something that looked like a large sheet. It was being let down from heaven by its four corners. It came down to where I was. 6I looked into it and saw four-footed animals of the earth. There were also wild animals, reptiles and birds. 7Then I heard a voice speaking to me. ‘Get up, Peter,’ the voice said. ‘Kill and eat.’
8“I replied, ‘No, Lord! I will not! Nothing that is not pure and “clean” has ever entered my mouth.’
9“A second time the voice spoke from heaven. The voice said, ‘Do not say anything is not pure that God has made “clean.” ’ 10This happened three times. Then the sheet was pulled up into heaven.
11“Just then three men stopped at the house where I was staying. They had been sent to me from Caesarea. 12The Holy Spirit told me not to let anything keep me from going with them. These six brothers here went with me. We entered the man’s house. 13He told us how he had seen an angel appear in his house. The angel said, ‘Send to Joppa for Simon Peter. 14He has a message to bring to you. You and your whole family will be saved through it.’
15“As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them. He came just as he had come on us at the beginning. 16Then I remembered the Lord’s words. ‘John baptized with water,’ he had said. ‘But you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ 17God gave them the same gift he gave those of us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ. So who was I to think that I could stand in God’s way?”
18When they heard this, they didn’t object anymore. They praised God. They said, “So then, God has allowed even Gentiles to turn away from their sins. He did this so that they could live.”
The Believers in Antioch
19Some believers had been scattered by the suffering that unbelievers had caused them. They were scattered after Stephen was killed. Those believers traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch. But they spread the word only among Jews. 20Some believers from Cyprus and Cyrene went to Antioch. There they began to speak to Greeks also. They told them the good news about the Lord Jesus. 21The Lord’s power was with them. Large numbers of people believed and turned to the Lord.
22The church in Jerusalem heard about this. So they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 23When he arrived and saw what the grace of God had done, he was glad. He told them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. 24Barnabas was a good man. He was full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. Large numbers of people came to know the Lord.
25Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul. 26He found him there. Then he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church. They taught large numbers of people. At Antioch the believers were called Christians for the first time.
27In those days some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28One of them was named Agabus. He stood up and spoke through the Spirit. He said there would not be nearly enough food anywhere in the Roman world. This happened while Claudius was the emperor. 29The believers decided to provide help for the brothers and sisters living in Judea. All of them helped as much as they could. 30They sent their gift to the elders through Barnabas and Saul.
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