Acts 11:1
The apostles and brothers throughout Judea soon heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God.
Acts 11:2
So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers took issue with him
Acts 11:3
and said, “You visited uncircumcised men and ate with them.”
Acts 11:4
But Peter began and explained to them the whole sequence of events:
Acts 11:5
“I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision of something like a large sheet being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came right down to me.
Acts 11:6
I looked at it closely and saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, reptiles, and birds of the air.
Acts 11:7
Then I heard a voice saying to me, ‘Get up, Peter, kill and eat.’
Acts 11:8
‘No, Lord,’ I said, ‘for nothing impure or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’
Acts 11:9
But the voice spoke from heaven a second time, ‘Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.’
Acts 11:10
This happened three times, and everything was drawn back up into heaven.
Acts 11:11
Just then three men sent to me from Caesarea stopped at the house where I was staying.
Acts 11:12
The Spirit told me to accompany them without hesitation. These six brothers also went with me, and we entered the man’s home.
Acts 11:13
He told us how he had seen an angel standing in his house and saying, ‘Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter.
Acts 11:14
He will convey to you a message by which you and all your household will be saved.’
Acts 11:15
As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, just as He had fallen upon us at the beginning.
Acts 11:16
Then I remembered the word of the Lord, how He said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’
Acts 11:17
So if God gave them the same gift He gave us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to hinder the work of God?”
Acts 11:18
When they heard this, they had no further objections, and they glorified God, saying, “So then, God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life.”
Acts 11:19
Meanwhile those scattered by the persecution that began with Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, speaking the message only to Jews.
Acts 11:20
But some of them, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began speaking to the Greeks as well, proclaiming the good news about the Lord Jesus.
Acts 11:21
The hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.
Acts 11:22
When news of this reached the ears of the church in Jerusalem, they sent Barnabas to Antioch.
Acts 11:23
When he arrived and saw the grace of God, he rejoiced and encouraged them all to abide in the Lord with all their hearts.
Acts 11:24
Barnabas was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord.
Acts 11:25
Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul,
Acts 11:26
and when he found him, he brought him back to Antioch. So for a full year they met together with the church and taught large numbers of people. The disciples were first called Christians at Antioch.
Acts 11:27
In those days some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch.
Acts 11:28
One of them named Agabus stood up and predicted through the Spirit that a great famine would sweep across the whole world. (This happened under Claudius.)
Acts 11:29
So the disciples, each according to his ability, decided to send relief to the brothers living in Judea.
Acts 11:30
This they did, sending their gifts to the elders with Barnabas and Saul.