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11 : 1 Now the apostles andthe brotherswho were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God.
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11 : 2 So when Peter went up to Jerusalem,the circumcision partycriticized him, saying,
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11 : 3 You went to uncircumcised men andate with them.
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11 : 4 But Peter began and explained it to them in order:
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11 : 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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11 : 6 Looking at it closely, I observed animals and beasts of prey and reptiles and birds of the air.
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11 : 7 And I heard a voice saying to me,Rise, Peter; kill and eat.
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11 : 8 But I said,By no means, Lord; for nothing common or unclean has ever entered my mouth.
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11 : 9 But the voice answered a second time from heaven,What God has made clean, do not call common.
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11 : 10 This happened three times, and all was drawn up again into heaven.
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11 : 11 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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11 : 12 And the Spirit told me to go with them,making no distinction.These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered the man's house.
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11 : 13 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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11 : 14 he will declare to you a message by whichyou will be saved, you and all your household.
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11 : 15 As I began to speak,the Holy Spirit fell on themjust as on us at the beginning.
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11 : 16 And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said,John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.
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11 : 17 If thenGod gavethe same gift to them as he gave to uswhen we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ,who was Ithat I could stand in God's way?
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11 : 18 When they heard these things they fell silent. And theyglorified God, saying,Then to the Gentiles also God hasgrantedrepentance that leads to life.
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11 : 19 Now 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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11 : 20 But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Hellenistsalso,preaching the Lord Jesus.
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11 : 21 Andthe hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believedturned to the Lord.
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11 : 22 The report of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch.
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11 : 23 When he came and sawthe grace of God, he was glad, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lordwith steadfast purpose,
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11 : 24 for he was a good man,full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many peoplewere added to the Lord.
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11 : 25 So Barnabas went toTarsus to look for Saul,
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11 : 26 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 calledChristians.
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11 : 27 Now in these daysprophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch.
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11 : 28 And one of them namedAgabus stood up and foretoldby the Spirit that there would be a greatfamine over all the world (this took place in the days ofClaudius).
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11 : 29 So the disciples determined, every one according to his ability,to send relief tothe brothersliving in Judea.
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11 : 30 And they did so, sending it tothe elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul.
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