Acts 11:15-25

15 "As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came down on them, just as on us at the beginning.
16 Then I remembered the word of the Lord, how He said, 'John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.' [a]
17 Therefore, if God gave them the same gift that He also gave to us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, how could I possibly hinder God?"
18 When they heard this they became silent. Then they glorified God, saying, "So God has granted repentance resulting in life[b] to even the Gentiles!"

The Church in Antioch

19 Those who had been scattered as a result of the persecution that started because of Stephen made their way as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, speaking the message to no one except Jews.
20 But there were some of them, Cypriot and Cyrenian men, who came to Antioch and began speaking to the Hellenists,[c] [d] proclaiming the good news about the Lord Jesus.
21 The Lord's hand was with them, and a large number who believed turned to the Lord.
22 Then the report about them reached the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent out Barnabas to travel[e] as far as Antioch.
23 When he arrived and saw the grace of God, he was glad, and he encouraged all of them to remain true to the Lord with a firm resolve of the heart-
24 for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith-and large numbers of people were added to the Lord.
25 Then he[f] went to Tarsus to search for Saul,

Footnotes 6

  • [a]. Mt 3:11; Mk 1:8; Lk 3:16; Ac 1:5
  • [b]. Or repentance to life
  • [c]. Other mss read Greeks
  • [d]. In this context, a non-Jewish person who spoke Gk
  • [e]. Other mss omit to travel
  • [f]. Other mss read Barnabas
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