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Acts 11

God grants Gentiles repentance and the Holy Spirit, while the growing church at Antioch takes shape through teaching and shared aid.

Peter returns to Jerusalem and faces criticism for entering the home of uncircumcised men and eating with them. He recounts his vision and the Spirit’s coming upon Gentiles, and his listeners respond by praising God. The account then shifts to Antioch, where scattered believers preach Jesus and many turn to the Lord. Barnabas brings Saul to help teach the growing assembly. When Agabus foretells a famine, the disciples send aid to believers in Judea.

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1Now the apostles and the brothers who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God.
2When Peter had come up to Jerusalem, those who were of the circumcision contended with him,
3saying, “You went in to uncircumcised men and ate with them!”
4But Peter began, and explained to them in order, saying,
5“I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision: a certain container descending, like it was a great sheet let down from heaven by four corners. It came as far as me.
8But I said, ‘Not so, Lord, for nothing unholy or unclean has ever entered into my mouth.’
9But a voice answered me the second time out of heaven, ‘What God has cleansed, don’t you call unclean.’
10This was done three times, and all were drawn up again into heaven.
11Behold, immediately three men stood before the house where I was, having been sent from Caesarea to me.
12The Spirit told me to go with them without discriminating. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered into the man’s house.
13He told us how he had seen the angel standing in his house and saying to him, ‘Send to Joppa and get Simon, who is called Peter,
14who will speak to you words by which you will be saved, you and all your house.’
15As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them, even as on us at the beginning.
16I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, ‘John indeed baptized in water, but you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit.’
17If then God gave to them the same gift as us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I, that I could withstand God?”
18When they heard these things, they held their peace and glorified God, saying, “Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life!”
19They therefore who were scattered abroad by the oppression that arose about Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except to Jews only.
20But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who, when they had come to Antioch, spoke to the Hellenists, preaching the Lord Jesus.
21The hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord.
22The report concerning them came to the ears of the assembly which was in Jerusalem. They sent out Barnabas to go as far as Antioch,
23who, when he had come, and had seen the grace of God, was glad. He exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they should remain near to the Lord.
24For he was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith, and many people were added to the Lord.
25Barnabas went out to Tarsus to look for Saul.
26When he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they were gathered together with the assembly, and taught many people. The disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.
27Now in these days, prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch.
28One of them named Agabus stood up and indicated by the Spirit that there should be a great famine all over the world, which also happened in the days of Claudius.
29As any of the disciples had plenty, each determined to send relief to the brothers who lived in Judea;
30which they also did, sending it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul.
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Key verses
Acts 11:15The Spirit’s coming upon Gentiles matches the disciples’ first experience, grounding Peter’s defense in what God has done.
Acts 11:18The dispute ends in praise as Peter’s hearers recognize that God has granted Gentiles repentance leading to life.
Acts 11:23Barnabas recognizes God’s grace in Antioch and urges the new believers to remain near to the Lord.
Where this chapter reaches

Peter’s recollection of Jesus’ promise connects with Luke’s account of John distinguishing water baptism from the coming baptism in the Holy Spirit. The same gift received by Jewish and Gentile believers connects with 1 Corinthians, where one Spirit joins Jews and Greeks into one body.

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Notice

After reading the whole chapter

What stands out about how Peter explains his actions and how his critics respond?

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How might Antioch’s response to the famine shape your view of sharing resources with other believers?

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Questions people ask about Acts 11

Why was Peter criticized in Acts 11?

The stated complaint is that Peter entered the home of uncircumcised men and ate with them. His critics were concerned with crossing that boundary. Peter responds by recounting God’s direction and the gift of the Holy Spirit to Gentiles. After hearing him, they stop objecting and glorify God.

Where were the disciples first called Christians?

Acts 11 identifies Antioch as the place where the disciples were first called Christians. The notice follows Barnabas bringing Saul there and their year of teaching together. The text does not say who coined the name or whether it began as praise, a neutral label, or an insult.

What famine did Agabus predict in Acts 11?

Agabus predicts a great famine across the world, and the narrator says it occurred during the reign of Claudius. The chapter gives no exact year or account of its spread. Its closing focus is the Antioch disciples’ decision to send relief to believers in Judea through Barnabas and Saul.

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Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).