Our Father Receives the Gentiles
11 1 The apostles and brothers in Judea heard that Gentiles too had received our Father's word. 2 So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, those of the circumcision party criticized him, 3 saying, "You visited uncircumcised men and ate with them."
4 But Peter explained it to them step by step: 5 Praying in the city of Joppa, I fell into a trance and saw a vision: a huge sheet-like object, lowered from heaven by its four corners, reaching me. 6 Looking closely at it, I saw four-legged animals, wild beasts, reptiles, and birds. 7 And I heard a voice saying to me, 'Get up, Peter; kill and eat.' 8 But I said, 'By no means, Lord; for nothing impure or unclean has ever entered my mouth.' 9 But the voice answered a second time from heaven, 'What our Father has made clean, do not call impure.' 10 This happened three times, and all of it was drawn up again into heaven. 11 Right then three men, sent to me from Caesarea, arrived at the house where we stayed. 12 The Spirit told me to go with them, making no distinction. These six brothers also went with me, and we entered the man's house. 13 He told us how he saw the angel standing in his house and saying, 'Send to Joppa and bring Simon called Peter.' 14 he will bring you a message by which you will be saved, you and all your household.' 15 When I began speaking, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as on us at first. 16 Then I remembered what our Lord Jesus said: 'John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.' 17 If our Father gave them the same gift he gave us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to stand in our Father's way?
18 Hearing this, they quieted down and praised our Father, saying, "So our Father has granted repentance that leads to life even to the Gentiles."
Our Father's Family Grows in Antioch
19 Those scattered by the persecution over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, speaking the message to no one but Jews. 20 But some of them—men from Cyprus and Cyrene—reached Antioch and spoke to Hellenists too, telling the good news about the Lord Jesus. a a v20 Hellenists: Greek-speaking people, likely Gentiles in this context. 21 The hand of our Lord Jesus was with them, and many believed and turned to the Lord. 22 The church in Jerusalem heard about this and sent Barnabas to Antioch. 23 Arriving, he saw our Father's grace and rejoiced, urging all to remain devoted to the Lord with firm hearts. 24 For he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a large crowd was added to the Lord.
25 So Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, 26 Finding him, he brought him to Antioch. For a full year they met with the church and taught a large crowd, and in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians. b b v26 The name Christians means "those belonging to Christ" — the first time followers of Jesus were called by his name.
27 In these days prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28 One of them, named Agabus, stood up and predicted through the Spirit that a great famine would come over the whole world—it happened in Claudius's days. 29 The disciples decided, each according to ability, to send relief to the brothers living in Judea. 30 And they did so, sending it to the elders through Barnabas and Saul.
