Acts

Peter’s Report in Jerusalem

News reached the apostles and the brothers and sisters in Judea that even foreigners had accepted the word of God.

So, when Peter traveled to Jerusalem, these Jewish believers started to argue with him:

“You went to the home of uncircumcised people and ate with them!”

So Peter began to share the facts as they had happened:

“I was praying in the city of Joppa when, in a trance, I saw a vision. Something like a large sheet came down from the sky and drew near to me, landing on the ground by its four corners.

As I stared at it, I saw four-footed creatures of the earth, wild beasts, reptiles, and birds of the sky.

Then I heard a voice saying to me: ‘Get up, Peter, kill and eat!’

I replied, ‘Certainly not, Lord! No common or unclean creature has ever entered my mouth.’

A second time, the voice from the heavens said, ‘What God has made clean, you must not call unclean.’

This happened three times, and then it was all lifted back into the sky.

At that moment, three men who had been sent to me from Caesarea arrived at the house where we were staying.

The Spirit told me to go with them without hesitation; so these six brothers went with me, and we entered the man’s house.

He told us how he had seen an angel standing in his house and telling him, ‘Send someone to Joppa and fetch Simon, also known as Peter.

He will bring you a message that will save you and your entire household.’

I had begun to address them when suddenly the Holy Spirit came upon them, just as it had come upon us at the beginning.

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

If then, God had given them the same gift that he had given us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to resist God?

When they heard this, they calmed their minds and praised God, saying:

“Then God has granted life-giving repentance to the pagan nations as well.”

The Church at Antioch

Those who had been scattered because of the persecution over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, proclaiming the message but only to the Jews.

However, some natives of Cyprus and Cyrene were among them and, when they came to Antioch, also spoke to the Greeks, sharing the good news of the Lord Jesus.

The hand of the Lord was with them, so many believed and turned to the Lord.

News of this reached the Church in Jerusalem, so they sent Barnabas to Antioch.

When he arrived and saw the clear signs of God’s favor, he rejoiced and encouraged them all to remain faithfully committed to the Lord;

for he himself was a good man, filled with the Holy Spirit and faith. As a result, large crowds came to know the Lord.

Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul;

and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year, they gathered with the church and taught many people.

It was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians.

At that time, some prophets went from Jerusalem to Antioch;

and one named Agabus, inspired by the Holy Spirit, predicted that a severe famine would affect the entire world. This indeed happened during the reign of Emperor Claudius.

So, the disciples resolved, within their ability, to set aside some resources and send relief to the brothers and sisters in Judea.

They did this by sending their donations to the elders through Barnabas and Saul.