Read the Bible

Gentile Salvation Defended

¹ The apostles and the brothers and sisters who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God. ² When Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcision party criticized him,^{(C1) 3} saying, “You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them.”^(C1)

⁴ Peter began to explain to them step by step: ⁵ “I^(C1) was in the town of Joppa praying, and I saw, in a trance, an object that resembled a large sheet coming down, being lowered by its four corners from heaven, and it came to me. ⁶ When I looked closely and considered it, I saw the four-footed animals of the earth, the wild beasts, the reptiles, and the birds of the sky. ⁷ I also heard a voice telling me, ‘Get up, Peter; kill and eat.’

⁸ “‘No, Lord!’ I said. ‘For nothing impure or ritually unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ ⁹ But a voice answered from heaven a second time, ‘What God has made clean, you must not call impure.’

¹⁰ “Now this happened three times, and everything was drawn up again into heaven. ¹¹ At that very moment, three men who had been sent to me from Caesarea arrived at the house where we were. ¹² The Spirit told me to accompany them with no doubts at all. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we went into the man’s house.^{(C1) 13} He reported to us how he had seen the angel standing in his house and saying, ‘Send^(F1) to Joppa, and call for Simon, who is also named Peter. ¹⁴ He will speak a message to you by which you and all your household^(C1) will be saved.’

¹⁵ “As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came down on them, just as on us at the beginning.^{(C1) 16} I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’¹⁷ If, then, God gave them the same gift that he also gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, how could I possibly hinder God?” ^(C1)

¹⁸ When they heard this they became silent. And they glorified God, saying, “So then, God has given repentance resulting in life even to the Gentiles.”^(C1)

The Church in Antioch

¹⁹ Now those who had been scattered as a result of the persecution that started because of Stephen made their way as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch,^(C1) speaking the word to no one except Jews. ²⁰ But there were some of them, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, who came to Antioch and began speaking to the Greeks^(F1) also, proclaiming the good news about the Lord Jesus.^{(C1) 21} The Lord’s hand was with them, and a large number who believed turned to the Lord.^{(C1) 22} News about them reached^(F1) the church in Jerusalem, and they sent out Barnabas to travel^(F2) as far as Antioch. ²³ When he arrived and saw the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged all of them to remain true to the Lord with devoted hearts,^{(C1) 24} for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit^(C1) and of faith. And large numbers of people were added^(C2) to the Lord.

²⁵ Then he^(F1) went to Tarsus to search for Saul, ²⁶ and when he found him he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught large numbers. The disciples^(C1) were first called Christians at Antioch.^(C2)

Famine Relief

²⁷ In those days some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch.^{(C1) 28} One of them, named Agabus, stood up and predicted by the Spirit that there would be a severe famine throughout the Roman world.^(F1) This took place during the reign of Claudius.^{(C1) 29} Each of the disciples, according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brothers and sisters who lived in Judea.^{(C1) 30} They did this, sending it to the elders^(C1) by means of Barnabas and Saul.