Acts 11

²⁷All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord. All the families of the nations will bow down before Him.

¹¹For My name will be great among the nations, from where the sun rises to where it sets. In every place, incense and pure offerings will be presented in My name, because My name will be great among the nations,” says the Lord of Hosts.

⁷Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring glory to God.

⁸For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the circumcised on behalf of God’s truth, to confirm the promises made to the patriarchs,

¹⁵until the Spirit is poured out upon us from on high. Then the desert will be an orchard, and the orchard will seem like a forest.

²⁷When they arrived, they gathered the church together and reported all that God had done through them, and how He had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.

⁶He says: “It is not enough for You to be My Servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the protected ones of Israel. I will also make You a light for the nations, to bring My salvation to the ends of the earth.”

⁴⁵All the circumcised believers who had accompanied Peter were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles.

¹Then some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.”

¹²For before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself, for fear of those in the circumcision group.

¹³The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray.

²⁰When they heard this, they glorified God. Then they said to Paul, “You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews have believed, and all of them are zealous for the law.

²¹But they are under the impression that you teach all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or observe our customs.

⁹The next day at about the sixth hour, as the men were approaching the city on their journey, Peter went up on the roof to pray.

⁵But some believers from the party of the Pharisees stood up and declared, “The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to obey the law of Moses.”

²⁸He said to them, “You know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with a foreigner or visit him. But God has shown me that I should not call any man impure or unclean.

¹²For before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself, for fear of those in the circumcision group.

²So the Pharisees and scribes began to grumble: “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

²³So Peter invited them in as his guests. And the next day he got ready and went with them, accompanied by some of the brothers from Joppa.

¹¹But now I am writing you not to associate with anyone who claims to be a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a verbal abuser, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat.

¹⁰If anyone comes to you but does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your home or even greet him.

³Therefore, having carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus,

²⁷When they arrived, they gathered the church together and reported all that God had done through them, and how He had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.

²¹Then the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh answered the leaders of the clans of Israel:

²²“The Lord, the Mighty One, is God! The Lord, the Mighty One, is God! He knows, and may Israel also know. If this was in rebellion or breach of faith against the Lord, do not spare us today.

¹A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

⁹The next day at about the sixth hour, as the men were approaching the city on their journey, Peter went up on the roof to pray.

¹⁰He became hungry and wanted something to eat, but while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance.

²“Amos, what do you see?” He asked. “A basket of summer fruit,” I replied. So the Lord said to me, “The end has come for My people Israel; I will no longer spare them.”

¹⁷Later, when I had returned to Jerusalem and was praying at the temple, I fell into a trance

⁴This is what the Lord God showed me: The Lord God was calling for judgment by fire. It consumed the great deep and devoured the land.

⁵Then I said, “Lord God, please stop! How will Jacob survive, since he is so small?”

¹⁰In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord spoke to him in a vision, “Ananias!” “Here I am, Lord,” he answered.

⁹Then I looked and saw a hand reaching out to me, and in it was a scroll,

²⁰Then He rolled up the scroll, returned it to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed on Him,

⁴Peter looked directly at him, as did John. “Look at us!” said Peter.

¹⁴I am convinced and fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean.

¹⁴For the unbelieving husband is sanctified through his believing wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy.

³They will not remain in the land of the Lord; Ephraim will return to Egypt and eat unclean food in Assyria.

¹⁰You must distinguish between the holy and the common, between the clean and the unclean,

⁴⁷You must distinguish between the unclean and the clean, between animals that may be eaten and those that may not.’”

²and they saw some of His disciples eating with hands that were defiled—that is, unwashed.

⁹He made no distinction between us and them, for He cleansed their hearts by faith.

¹³For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that their bodies are clean,

¹⁴how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself unblemished to God, purify our consciences from works of death, so that we may serve the living God!

³⁴Then Peter began to speak: “I now truly understand that God does not show favoritism,

³⁵but welcomes those from every nation who fear Him and do what is right.

²⁸He said to them, “You know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with a foreigner or visit him. But God has shown me that I should not call any man impure or unclean.

⁵because it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.

¹⁵The voice spoke to him a second time: “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”

³⁸“Will you lay down your life for Me?” Jesus replied. “Truly, truly, I tell you, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.

¹⁷Jesus asked a third time, “Simon son of John, do you love Me?” Peter was deeply hurt that Jesus had asked him a third time, “Do you love Me?” “Lord, You know all things,” he replied. “You know I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep.

¹⁰Then Balak’s anger burned against Balaam, and he struck his hands together and said to Balaam, “I summoned you to curse my enemies, but behold, you have persisted in blessing them these three times.

⁸Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.

¹⁰In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord spoke to him in a vision, “Ananias!” “Here I am, Lord,” he answered.

¹¹“Get up!” the Lord told him. “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying.

²⁷Meanwhile, the Lord had said to Aaron, “Go and meet Moses in the wilderness.” So he went and met Moses at the mountain of God and kissed him.

¹⁴Then the anger of the Lord burned against Moses, and He said, “Is not Aaron the Levite your brother? I know that he can speak well, and he is now on his way to meet you. When he sees you, he will be glad in his heart.

¹⁷While Peter was puzzling over the meaning of the vision, the men sent by Cornelius found Simon’s house and approached the gate.

¹⁸They called out to ask if Simon called Peter was staying there.

²⁹The Spirit said to Philip, “Go over to that chariot and stay by it.”

²²And this righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no distinction,

²not to be easily disconcerted or alarmed by any spirit or message or letter seeming to be from us, alleging that the Day of the Lord has already come.

²³So Peter invited them in as his guests. And the next day he got ready and went with them, accompanied by some of the brothers from Joppa.

⁴⁵All the circumcised believers who had accompanied Peter were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles.

¹³However, when the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. For He will not speak on His own, but He will speak what He hears, and He will declare to you what is to come.

³⁰Cornelius answered: “Four days ago I was in my house praying at this, the ninth hour. Suddenly a man in radiant clothing stood before me

³¹and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your gifts to the poor have been remembered before God.

²²“Cornelius the centurion has sent us,” they said. “He is a righteous and God-fearing man with a good reputation among the whole Jewish nation. A holy angel instructed him to request your presence in his home so he could hear a message from you.”

⁴³And Peter stayed for several days in Joppa with a tanner named Simon.

³One day at about the ninth hour, he had a clear vision of an angel of God who came to him and said, “Cornelius!”

⁴Cornelius stared at him in fear and asked, “What is it, Lord?” The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have ascended as a memorial offering before God.

¹¹Then Peter came to himself and said, “Now I know for sure that the Lord has sent His angel and rescued me from Herod’s grasp and from everything the Jewish people were anticipating.”

¹⁴Are not the angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?

¹⁵And when she and her household had been baptized, she urged us, “If you consider me a believer in the Lord, come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us.

²²“Cornelius the centurion has sent us,” they said. “He is a righteous and God-fearing man with a good reputation among the whole Jewish nation. A holy angel instructed him to request your presence in his home so he could hear a message from you.”

³¹They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, you and your household.”

³²Then Paul and Silas spoke the word of the Lord to him and to everyone in his house.

²He and all his household were devout and God-fearing. He gave generously to the people and prayed to God regularly.

⁷I will establish My covenant as an everlasting covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.

³¹But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.

⁶And when Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.

³⁴Then Peter began to speak: “I now truly understand that God does not show favoritism,

³⁵but welcomes those from every nation who fear Him and do what is right.

²Suddenly a sound like a mighty rushing wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.

³They saw tongues like flames of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.

³¹After they had prayed, their meeting place was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.

⁵For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

⁸I baptize you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

²³If you had repented at my rebuke, then surely I would have poured out my spirit on you; I would have made my words known to you.

¹⁶John answered all of them: “I baptize you with water, but One more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.

¹¹I baptize you with water for repentance, but after me will come One more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.

²⁶But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have told you.

⁴⁷“Can anyone withhold the water to baptize these people? They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have!”

²⁰But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? Shall what is formed say to Him who formed it, “Why did You make me like this?”

²¹Does not the potter have the right to make from the same lump of clay one vessel for special occasions and another for common use?

³⁴“Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been His counselor?”

³⁵“Who has first given to God, that God should repay him?”

¹³Why do you complain to Him that He answers nothing a man asks?

⁸And God, who knows the heart, showed His approval by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as He did to us.

⁹He made no distinction between us and them, for He cleansed their hearts by faith.

³⁵All the peoples of the earth are counted as nothing, and He does as He pleases with the army of heaven and the peoples of the earth. There is no one who can restrain His hand or say to Him, ‘What have You done?’”

¹²For there is no difference between Jew and Greek: The same Lord is Lord of all, and gives richly to all who call on Him,

¹³for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

¹⁰Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation without regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.

²⁶I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.

²⁵He must gently reprove those who oppose him, in the hope that God may grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth.

²⁶Then they will come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, who has taken them captive to his will.

²¹testifying to Jews and Greeks alike about repentance to God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

³¹God exalted Him to His right hand as Prince and Savior, in order to grant repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel.

³⁵But Paul and Barnabas remained at Antioch, along with many others, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord.

³Sent on their way by the church, they passed through Phoenicia and Samaria, recounting the conversion of the Gentiles and bringing great joy to all the brothers.

²Finding a ship crossing over to Phoenicia, we boarded it and set sail.

³⁶Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (meaning Son of Encouragement),

²²Then the apostles and elders, with the whole church, decided to select men from among them to send to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They chose Judas called Barsabbas and Silas, two leaders among the brothers,

⁴⁶Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: “It was necessary to speak the word of God to you first. But since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles.

¹Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch), and Saul.

³²Along the way they found a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross of Jesus.

⁸Though I am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,

⁹But resistance arose from what was called the Synagogue of the Freedmen, including Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and men from the provinces of Cilicia and Asia. They disputed with Stephen,

¹⁰Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome,

²³but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,

²⁴but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

⁴⁷praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

⁶⁶And all who heard this wondered in their hearts and asked, “What then will this child become?” For the Lord’s hand was with him.

¹⁴Yet more and more believers were brought to the Lord—large numbers of both men and women.

⁵because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power, in the Holy Spirit, and with great conviction—just as you know we lived among you for your sake.

³⁵and all who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord.

⁶I planted the seed and Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.

⁷So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.

²⁷Then Barnabas brought him to the apostles and described how Saul had seen the Lord, who had spoken to him on the road to Damascus, and how Saul had spoken boldly in that city in the name of Jesus.

²²Then the apostles and elders, with the whole church, decided to select men from among them to send to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They chose Judas called Barsabbas and Silas, two leaders among the brothers,

¹⁴When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them.

¹The apostles and brothers throughout Judea soon heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God.

⁶But just now, Timothy has returned from his visit with the good news about your faith, your love, and the fond memories you have preserved, longing to see us just as we long to see you.

¹Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch), and Saul.

²While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”

⁵⁸Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast and immovable. Always excel in the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

²²strengthening the souls of the disciples and encouraging them to continue in the faith. “We must endure many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” they said.

²⁸And now, little children, remain in Christ, so that when He appears, we may be confident and unashamed before Him at His coming.

⁴³After the synagogue was dismissed, many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who spoke to them and urged them to continue in the grace of God.

¹⁰You, however, have observed my teaching, my conduct, my purpose, my faith, my patience, my love, my perseverance,

⁸Instead, you shall hold fast to the Lord your God, as you have done to this day.

¹⁴Yet more and more believers were brought to the Lord—large numbers of both men and women.

²¹The hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.

⁵It is well with the man who is generous and lends freely, whose affairs are guided by justice.

³¹Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria experienced a time of peace. It grew in strength and numbers, living in the fear of the Lord and the encouragement of the Holy Spirit.

⁵This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, as well as Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism.

¹⁵However, I have written you a bold reminder on some points, because of the grace God has given me

¹¹“Get up!” the Lord told him. “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying.

³⁰When the brothers learned of this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.

²⁷Then Barnabas brought him to the apostles and described how Saul had seen the Lord, who had spoken to him on the road to Damascus, and how Saul had spoken boldly in that city in the name of Jesus.

³⁹But Paul answered, “I am a Jew from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no ordinary city. Now I beg you to allow me to speak to the people.”

¹⁶But if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but glorify God that you bear that name.

²⁸Then Agrippa said to Paul, “Can you persuade me in such a short time to become a Christian?”

¹⁴If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.

¹⁷That is why I have sent you Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which is exactly what I teach everywhere in every church.

¹²The body is a unit, though it is composed of many parts. And although its parts are many, they all form one body. So it is with Christ.

²⁷And as for you, the anointing you received from Him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But just as His true and genuine anointing teaches you about all things, so remain in Him as you have been taught.

¹Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch), and Saul.

²⁸And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, and those with gifts of healing, helping, administration, and various tongues.

¹¹And it was He who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers,

³⁴Because of this, I am sending you prophets and wise men and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify, and others you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town.

³²Judas and Silas, who themselves were prophets, said much to encourage and strengthen the brothers.

¹⁷‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out My Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.

¹⁰After we had been there several days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea.

²There he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla because Claudius had ordered all the Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to visit them,

¹Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that a census should be taken of the whole empire.

¹In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, while Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene,

¹Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was among the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As surely as the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there will be neither dew nor rain in these years except at my word!”

²Then a revelation from the Lord came to Elijah:

³⁰but seven years of famine will follow them. Then all the abundance in the land of Egypt will be forgotten, and the famine will devastate the land.

³¹The abundance in the land will not be remembered, since the famine that follows it will be so severe.

¹²For if the eagerness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have.

¹³It is not our intention that others may be relieved while you are burdened, but that there may be equality.

²In the terrible ordeal they suffered, their abundant joy and deep poverty overflowed into rich generosity.

³For I testify that they gave according to their ability and even beyond it. Of their own accord,

¹⁰They only asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.

¹Now about the collection for the saints, you are to do as I directed the churches of Galatia:

²On the first day of every week, each of you should set aside a portion of his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will be needed.

²⁵Now, however, I am on my way to Jerusalem to serve the saints there.

²⁶For Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem.

⁵It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no account of wrongs.

²⁵When Barnabas and Saul had fulfilled their mission to Jerusalem, they returned, bringing with them John, also called Mark.

²³Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church, praying and fasting as they entrusted them to the Lord, in whom they had believed.

¹⁷Elders who lead effectively are worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching.

⁶So the apostles and elders met to look into this matter.

⁴On their arrival in Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and apostles and elders, to whom they reported all that God had done through them.

⁴As they went from town to town, they delivered the decisions handed down by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey.