Peter Reports to the Church in Jerusalem

1Now the apostles and the brothers who were in Judea heard that the gentiles had also accepted the word of God. 2But when Peter went up to Jerusalem, those who emphasized circumcisiona disagreed with him. 3They said, “You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them!”

4Then Peter began to explain to them point by point what had happened. He said, 5“I was in the town of Joppa praying when in a trance I saw a vision: Something like a large linen sheet descended down from heaven, lowered by its four corners, and it came right down to me. 6When I examined it closely, I saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild animals, reptiles, and birds of the air. 7I also heard a voice telling me, ‘Get up, Peter! Kill something and eat it.’ 8But I replied, ‘Absolutely not, Lord, for nothing common or unclean has ever entered my mouth!’ 9Then the voice from heaven answered a second time, ‘You must stop calling common what God has made clean!’ 10This happened three times. Then everything was pulled back up to heaven.

11“At that very moment three men arrived at the house where we were staying. They had been sent to me from Caesarea. 12The Spirit told me to go with them without hesitating. These six brothers went with me, too, and we entered the house of the man from Caesarea.b 13Then he told us how he had seen an angel standing in his home and saying, ‘Send messengersc to Joppa and summon Simon, who is called Peter. 14He will discuss with you how you and your entire household will be saved.’

15“When I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as he was first given to us. 16Then I remembered what the Lord had said: ‘John baptized withd water, but you will be baptized withe the Holy Spirit.’ 17Now if God gave them the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus, the Messiah,f who was I to try to stop God?”

18When they heard this, they calmed down, and praised God by saying, “So God has given repentance that leads to life even to gentiles.”

The New Church in Antioch

19Now the people who were scattered by the persecution that started because of Stephen went as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews. 20But among them were some men from Cyprus and Cyrene, who came to Antioch and began proclaiming the Lord Jesus even to the Hellenistic Jews.g

22When the church in Jerusalem heard this news, they sent Barnabas all the way to Antioch. 23When he arrived, he rejoiced to see what the grace of God had done,h and with hearty determination he kept encouraging all of them to remain faithful to the Lord, 24because he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith. And so a large number of people was brought to the Lord.

25Then Barnabas left for Tarsus to look for Saul. 26When he found him, he brought him to Antioch, and for a whole year they were guests of the church and taught many people. It was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians.

27At that time some prophets from Jerusalem came down to Antioch. 28One of them named Agabus got up and predicted by the Spirit that there would be a severe famine all over the world. This happened during the reign of Claudius. 29So all of the disciples decided they would send a contribution to the brothers living in Judea, as they were able, 30by sending it throughi Barnabas and Saul to the elders.