Peter Reports to the Church
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Now the apostles and 1the brothersa who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God.
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But Peter began and explained it to them in order:
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5"I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision, something like a great sheet descending, being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to me.
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Looking at it closely, I observed animals and beasts of prey and reptiles and birds of the air.
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And I heard a voice saying to me, 'Rise, Peter; kill and eat.'
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But I said, 'By no means, Lord; for nothing common or unclean has ever entered my mouth.'
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But the voice answered a second time from heaven, 'What God has made clean, do not call common.'
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This happened three times, and all was drawn up again into heaven.
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And behold, at that very moment three men arrived at the house in which we were, sent to me from Caesarea.
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And the Spirit told me to go with them, 6making no distinction. 7These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered the man's house.
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And he told us how he had seen the angel stand in his house and say, 'Send to Joppa and bring Simon who is called Peter;
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And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, 12'John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.'
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If then 13God gave 14the same gift to them as he gave to us 15when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, 16who was I 17that I could stand in God's way?"
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When they heard these things they fell silent. And they 18glorified God, saying, 19"Then to the Gentiles also God has 20granted 21repentance that leads to life."
The Church in Antioch
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22Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews.
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But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Hellenistsb also, 23preaching the Lord Jesus.
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The report of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch.
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When he came and saw 26the grace of God, he was glad, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord 27with steadfast purpose,
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for he was a good man, 28full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people 29were added to the Lord.
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and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch the disciples were first called 31Christians.
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And one of them named 33Agabus stood up and foretold 34by the Spirit that there would be a great 35famine over all the world (this took place in the days of 36Claudius).
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.
(English Standard Version - The Holy Bible Online)