Fluent Translation · Read & Reflect
Acts 11
Peter Explains the Gentile Inclusion
The apostles and the brothers and sisters throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received God’s word. So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, those from the circumcision group criticized him, saying, “You went into the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them.” Peter began explaining everything to them step by step: “I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision: something like a large sheet was being lowered from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to me. I looked closely at it and saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild animals, reptiles, and birds of the sky. I also heard a voice saying to me, ‘Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.’ But I said, ‘Certainly not, Lord! Nothing common or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ The voice answered from heaven a second time, ‘What God has made clean, you must not call common.’ This happened three times, and everything was pulled back into heaven. At that very moment three men who had been sent to me from Caesarea stood at the house where we were. The Spirit told me to go with them without making distinctions. These six brothers also went with me, and we entered the man’s house. He told us how he had seen an angel standing in his house who said, ‘Send to Joppa and bring Simon who is called Peter. He will speak words to you by which you and your whole household will be saved.’ As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as he had fallen on us at the beginning. Then I remembered the Lord’s word: ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ Therefore, if God gave them the same gift he gave us when we trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to stand in God’s way?” When they heard these things, they became quiet and glorified God, saying, “Then God has granted even to the Gentiles repentance that leads to life.”
The Church in Antioch
Those who had been scattered because of the persecution that began over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, speaking the word only to Jewish people. But some of them, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, came to Antioch and began speaking also to Greeks, announcing the good news of the Lord Jesus. The Lord’s hand was with them, and a large number trusted and turned to the Lord. News about them reached the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he arrived and saw God’s grace, he rejoiced and encouraged everyone to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose of heart. Barnabas was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a considerable crowd was added to 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 met with the church and taught a considerable crowd. It was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians.
Relief Is Sent to Judea
In those days prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. One of them, named Agabus, stood up and indicated through the Spirit that a severe famine was about to come over the whole inhabited world. This happened during the reign of Claudius. So the disciples decided, each according to their ability, to send relief to the brothers and sisters living in Judea. They did this, sending it to the elders through Barnabas and Saul.