Acts 11

Peter Explains His Actions

1 The apostles and the believers in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also accepted God’s word.

2 But when Peter came back to Jerusalem, the Jewish believers were heated and said,

3 “You went into a house with uncircumcised men and even ate with them, What is that about?”

4 So Peter broke it down for them step by step, explaining what happened.

5 “I was praying in the city of Joppa, and I had a vision. I saw something like a big sheet being let down from heaven by its corners, and it came right to me.

6 When I looked inside, I saw all kinds of animals, four-footed ones, wild ones, reptiles, and birds.

7 Then I heard a voice tell me, ‘Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.’

8 I said, ‘No way, Lord! I have never eaten anything that is unclean or against our rules.’

9 But the voice from heaven spoke again, ‘Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.’

10 This happened three times, and then it was all pulled back up to heaven.

11 Right then, three men sent to me from Caesarea showed up at the house where I was staying.

12 The Spirit told me not to hesitate to go with them. These six brothers here went with me, and we entered the man’s house.

13 The man told us how he had seen an angel standing in his house, saying, ‘Send for Peter, who is staying in Joppa.

14 He will bring you a message through which you and your whole household will be saved.’

15 As I started speaking, the Holy Spirit came on them just like He did on us at the beginning.

16 Then I remembered what the Lord had said: ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’

17 If God gave them the same gift He gave us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think I could stand in God’s way?”

18 When they heard this, they calmed down and praised God, saying, “So God has given even the Gentiles the chance to turn to Him and live!”

The Church in Antioch

19 Meanwhile, the believers who had scattered during the persecution after Stephen’s death traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch. They spread the word, but only to Jews.

20 But some believers from Cyprus and Cyrene went to Antioch and started talking to Greeks too, telling them the good news about Jesus.

21 The Lord was with them, and a large number of people believed and turned to the Lord.

22 When the church in Jerusalem heard about this, they sent Barnabas to Antioch.

23 When Barnabas got there and saw how God was blessing the people, he was hyped. He encouraged them all to stay true to the Lord with all their hearts.

24 Barnabas was a good dude, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a lot of people were brought to the Lord.

25 Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul.

26 When he found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year, they hung out with the church and taught a lot of people. It was in Antioch that followers of Jesus were first called “Christians.”

27 During this time, some prophets came from Jerusalem to Antioch.

28 One of them, named Agabus, stood up and, through the Spirit, predicted that a severe famine would spread over the whole Roman world (this happened during the reign of Claudius).

29 The believers decided to send help to their brothers and sisters in Judea, each giving what they could.

30 They sent their gift to the elders by Barnabas and Saul.