Now the apostles and the brothers who were throughout Judea heard
that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. So when Peter
went up to Jerusalem, the circumcision party criticized him,
saying, “You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them.” But
Peter began and explained it to them in order: “I was in the city
of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision, something like a
great sheet descending, being let down from heaven by its four
corners, and it came down to me. Looking at it closely, I observed
animals and beasts of prey and reptiles and birds of the air. And I
heard a voice saying to me, ‘Rise, Peter; kill and eat.’ But I
said, ‘By no means, Lord; for nothing common or unclean has ever
entered my mouth.’ But the voice answered a second time from
heaven, ‘What God has made clean, do not call common.’ This
happened three times, and all was drawn up again into heaven. And
behold, at that very moment three men arrived at the house in which
we were, sent to me from Caesarea. And the Spirit told me to go
with them, making no distinction. These six brothers also
accompanied me, and we entered the man's house. And he told us how
he had seen the angel stand in his house and say, ‘Send to Joppa
and bring Simon who is called Peter; he will declare to you a
message by which you will be saved, you and all your household.’ As
I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as on us at the
beginning. And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said,
‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy
Spirit.’ If then God gave the same gift to them as he gave to us
when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could
stand in God's way?” When they heard these things they fell silent.
And they glorified God, saying, “Then to the Gentiles also God has
granted repentance that leads to life.”
Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that
arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and
Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews. But there were
some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch
spoke to the Hellenists also, preaching the Lord Jesus. And the
hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed
turned to the Lord. The report of this came to the ears of the
church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he
came and saw the grace of God, he was glad, and he exhorted them
all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose, for he
was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great
many people were added to the Lord. So Barnabas went to Tarsus to
look for Saul, and when he had found him, he brought him to
Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a
great many people. And in Antioch the disciples were first called
Christians.
Now in these days prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch.
And one of them named Agabus stood up and foretold by the Spirit
that there would be a great famine over all the world (this took
place in the days of Claudius). So the disciples determined, every
one according to his ability, to send relief to the brothers living
in Judea. And they did so, sending it to the elders by the hand of
Barnabas and Saul.
