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📚And the apostles and brethren who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God. 2 📚✭And when Peter came up to Jerusalem, those believers who were circumcised opposed him, 3 📚✭saying, “You went in to uncircumcised men and ate with them”.4 📚But Peter started from the beginning and explained the matter to them in an orderly way, saying, 5 📚“I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision. A certain object like a large sheet descended, let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came to me. 6 📚As I looked intently into it, I saw four-footed animals of the earth, and wild beasts and creeping things and birds of the air. 7 And I heard a voice saying to me, ‘Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.’
8 📚“But I said, ‘Not so, Lord, for nothing unholy or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’
9 📚“But the voice from heaven responded to me again, ‘What God has cleansed, do not call unholy.’ 10 📚And this was done three times, and everything was taken up again to heaven.
Peter tells other believers what happened in Cornelius’ house
11 📚“And see, at that moment three men arrived at the house where I was, sent to me from Caesarea. 12 📚And the Spirit told me to go with them, without doubting at all. Also these six brethren accompanied me, and we entered the man’s house. 13 📚And he told us how he had seen an angel in his house, who stood and said to him, ‘Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon, who is called Peter. 14 📚✭He will tell you words by which you and all your household will be saved.’
15 📚“And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them as he had on us at the beginning. 16 📚Then I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, ‘John indeed baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ 17 📚Since, then, God gave them the same gift as he did to us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could withstand God?”
18 📚✭When they heard these things, they fell silent, and then glorified God, saying “Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance unto life✭”.
Christ’s Church in Antioch
19 📚✭Now those who were scattered by the persecution that arose about Stephen travelled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, preaching the word to no one except the Jews. 20 📚✭And some of them were men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who, when they had come to Antioch, spoke to the Grecians, preaching the Lord Jesus. 21 📚✭And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed, and turned to the Lord.
22 📚Then news of these things came to the ears of the church which was in Jerusalem. And they sent out Barnabas✭ to go as far as Antioch. 23 📚✭When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all that with purpose of heart they should stay close to the Lord. 24 📚✭For he was a good man and full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and many people were added to the Lord.
25 📚Then Barnabas departed to Tarsus to seek for Saul. 26 📚✭And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. And it came about that for a whole year they met together with the church, and taught many people. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.
27 📚✭And in those days prophets came from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28 📚✭And one of them, named Agabus, stood up and indicated by the Spirit that there would be a great famine throughout the whole world. This came to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar. 29 📚✭Then the disciples, each one according to his ability, decided to send relief to the brethren who lived in Judea. 30 📚✭This they also did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul.