Acts 11
11
1The apostles and brothers in Judea heard that foreigners had also accepted the word of God. 2When Peter arrived back in Jerusalem, those who believed circumcision#11:2. Literally, “those of the circumcision,” which could mean simply “Jews.” However, from the context it would appear that these were Jewish Christians concerned over relationships with “foreigners.” was still essential argued with him. 3“You went into the homes of uncircumcised men, and ate with them,” they said.
4Peter began to explain to them everything that had happened. 5“While I was in the town of Joppa I was praying, and in a trance I saw a vision. Something that looked like a large sheet was being let down by its four corners from heaven, and it came down to me. 6When I looked inside I saw animals, wild beasts, reptiles, and birds.
7Then I heard a voice that told me, ‘Get up, Peter, kill and eat.’
8But I replied, ‘Absolutely not, Lord! Nothing impure or unclean has ever entered my mouth!’
9The voice from heaven spoke again, and said, ‘Don't you call unclean what God has made clean!’ 10This happened three times, and then it was all taken back into heaven. 11At that very moment three men were standing in front of the house where we were staying. They had been sent from Caesarea to see me. 12The Spirit told me to go with them, and not to worry about who they were. These six brothers here also went with me, and we went into the man's house. 13He explained to us how an angel had appeared to him in his house, who told him, ‘Send someone to Joppa, and fetch Simon, also called Peter, 14who will tell you what you need to hear so you can be saved—you and your whole household.’
15When I started speaking, the Holy Spirit fell on them, just as happened to us in the beginning. 16Then I remembered what the Lord said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ 17Since God gave them the same gift as he gave us when we trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ, what power did I have to oppose God?”
18After they had heard this explanation, they didn't argue with him anymore, and praised God, saying, “Now God has granted the opportunity to repent and have eternal life to foreigners as well.”
19Now those who had been scattered by the persecution that happened when Stephen was killed, traveled all the way to Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch. They only spread the good news among the Jews. 20But when some of them who were from Cyprus and Cyrene arrived in Antioch, they shared the good news with the Greeks too, telling them about the Lord Jesus. 21The power of the Lord was with them and a large number trusted in the Lord and turned to him.
22News about what had happened reached the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 23When he arrived and saw for himself how God's grace was working, he was delighted. He encouraged all of them to completely dedicate themselves to God and to stay true. 24Barnabas was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit, who put his whole trust in God. Many people were brought to the Lord. 25Then Barnabas went on to Tarsus to look for Saul, 26and when he found him, he took Saul back with him to Antioch. Over the course of the next year they worked together with the church, teaching the message to crowds of people. It was in Antioch that the believers were first called “Christians.”
27It was during this time that some prophets went from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28One of them called Agabus stood up and gave a prophetic warning by the Spirit that there would be a terrible famine that would affect the known world.#11:28. Literally, “the inhabited world,” basically referring to the Roman Empire. (This came true in the reign of Emperor Claudius.) 29The believers decided to send funds to help the brothers that lived in Judea, with everyone giving according to what they had. 30So they did this and sent the money with Barnabas and Saul to the church leaders there.
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Dr. Jonathan Gallagher. Released under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. Version 4.3. For corrections send email to jonathangallagherfbv@gmail.com
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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