Acts 11
11
1 Now the Apostles and brothers who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also received the Word of God.
2 Then, when Peter had gone up to Jerusalem, those who were of the circumcision argued against him,
3 saying, "Why did you enter to uncircumcised men, and why did you eat with them?"
4 And Peter began to explain to them, in an orderly manner, saying:
5 "I was in the city of Joppa praying, and I saw, in an ecstasy of mind, a vision: a certain container descending, like a great linen sheet being let down from heaven by its four corners. And it drew near to me.
6 And looking into it, I considered and saw the four-footed beasts of the earth, and the wild beasts, and the reptiles, and the flying things of the air.
7 Then I also heard a voice saying to me: 'Rise up, Peter. Kill and eat.'
8 But I said: 'Never, lord! For what is common or unclean has never entered into my mouth.'
9 Then the voice responded a second time from heaven, 'What God has cleansed, you shall not call common.'
10 Now this was done three times. And then everything was taken up again into heaven.
11 And behold, immediately there were three men standing near the house where I was, having been sent to me from Caesarea.
12 Then the Spirit told me that I should go with them, doubting nothing. And these six brothers went with me also. And we entered into the house of the man.
13 And he described for us how he had seen an Angel in his house, standing and saying to him: 'Send to Joppa and summon Simon, who is surnamed Peter.
14 And he shall speak to you words, by which you shall be saved with your whole house.'
15 And when I had begun to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, just as upon us also, in the beginning.
16 Then I remembered the words of the Lord, just as he himself said: 'John, indeed, baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.'
17 Therefore, if God gave them the same grace, as also to us, who have believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I, that I would be able to prohibit God?"
18 Having heard these things, they were silent. And they glorified God, saying: "So has God also given to the Gentiles repentance unto life."
19 And some of them, having been dispersed by the persecution that had occurred under Stephen, traveled around, even to Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the Word to no one, except to Jews only.
20 But some of these men from Cyprus and Cyrene, when they had entered into Antioch, were speaking also to the Greeks, announcing the Lord Jesus.
21 And the hand of the Lord was with them. And a great number believed and were converted to the Lord.
22 Now the news came to the ears of the Church at Jerusalem about these things, and they sent Barnabas as far as Antioch.
23 And when he had arrived there and had seen the grace of God, he was gladdened. And he exhorted them all to continue in the Lord with a resolute heart.
24 For he was a good man, and he was filled with the Holy Spirit and with faith. And a great multitude was added to the Lord.
25 Then Barnabas set out for Tarsus, so that he might seek Saul. And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch.
26 And they were conversing there in the Church for an entire year. And they taught such a great multitude, that it was at Antioch that the disciples were first known by the name of Christian.
27 Now in these days, prophets from Jerusalem went over to Antioch.
28 And one of them, named Agabus, rising up, signified through the Spirit that there was going to be a great famine over the entire world, which did happen under Claudius.
29 Then the disciples declared, according to what each one possessed, what they would offer to be sent to the brothers living in Judea.
30 And so they did, sending it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul.
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Acts 11
11
God Has Broken Through
1-3The news traveled fast and in no time the leaders and friends back in Jerusalem heard about it—heard that the non-Jewish “outsiders” were now “in.” When Peter got back to Jerusalem, some of his old associates, concerned about circumcision, called him on the carpet: “What do you think you’re doing rubbing shoulders with that crowd, eating what is prohibited and ruining our good name?”
4-6So Peter, starting from the beginning, laid it out for them step-by-step: “Recently I was in the town of Joppa praying. I fell into a trance and saw a vision: Something like a huge blanket, lowered by ropes at its four corners, came down out of heaven and settled on the ground in front of me. Milling around on the blanket were farm animals, wild animals, reptiles, birds—you name it, it was there. Fascinated, I took it all in.
7-10“Then I heard a voice: ‘Go to it, Peter—kill and eat.’ I said, ‘Oh, no, Master. I’ve never so much as tasted food that wasn’t kosher.’ The voice spoke again: ‘If God says it’s okay, it’s okay.’ This happened three times, and then the blanket was pulled back up into the sky.
11-14“Just then three men showed up at the house where I was staying, sent from Caesarea to get me. The Spirit told me to go with them, no questions asked. So I went with them, I and six friends, to the man who had sent for me. He told us how he had seen an angel right in his own house, real as his next-door neighbor, saying, ‘Send to Joppa and get Simon, the one they call Peter. He’ll tell you something that will save your life—in fact, you and everyone you care for.’
15-17“So I started in, talking. Before I’d spoken half a dozen sentences, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as he did on us the first time. I remembered Jesus’ words: ‘John baptized with water; you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ So I ask you: If God gave the same exact gift to them as to us when we believed in the Master Jesus Christ, how could I object to God?”
18Hearing it all laid out like that, they quieted down. And then, as it sank in, they started praising God. “It’s really happened! God has broken through to the other nations, opened them up to Life!”
19-21Those who had been scattered by the persecution triggered by Stephen’s death traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, but they were still only speaking and dealing with their fellow Jews. Then some of the men from Cyprus and Cyrene who had come to Antioch started talking to Greeks, giving them the Message of the Master Jesus. God was pleased with what they were doing and put his stamp of approval on it—quite a number of the Greeks believed and turned to the Master.
22-24When the church in Jerusalem got wind of this, they sent Barnabas to Antioch to check on things. As soon as he arrived, he saw that God was behind and in it all. He threw himself in with them, got behind them, urging them to stay with it the rest of their lives. He was a good man that way, enthusiastic and confident in the Holy Spirit’s ways. The community grew large and strong in the Master.
25-26Then Barnabas went on to Tarsus to look for Saul. He found him and brought him back to Antioch. They were there a whole year, meeting with the church and teaching a lot of people. It was in Antioch that the disciples were for the first time called Christians.
27-30It was about this same time that some prophets came to Antioch from Jerusalem. One of them named Agabus stood up one day and, prompted by the Spirit, warned that a severe famine was about to devastate the country. (The famine eventually came during the rule of Claudius.) So the disciples decided that each of them would send whatever they could to their fellow Christians in Judea to help out. They sent Barnabas and Saul to deliver the collection to the leaders in Jerusalem.
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THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved. Used by permission of NavPress. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers.