15
"As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them. He came just as he had come on us at the beginning.
16
Then I remembered the Lord's words. 'John baptized with water,' he had said. 'But you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.'
17
God gave them the same gift he gave those of us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ. So who was I to think that I could oppose God?"
18
When they heard this, they didn't object anymore. They praised God. They said, "So then, God has allowed even those who aren't Jews to turn away from their sins and live."
Believers Are Called Christians for the First Time
19 Some believers had been scattered by the suffering that came to them after Stephen's death. They traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch. But they told the message only to Jews.
20
Some believers from Cyprus and Cyrene went to Antioch. There they began to speak to Greeks also. They told them the good news about the Lord Jesus.
21
The Lord's power was with them. Large numbers of people believed and turned to the Lord.
22
The church in Jerusalem heard about this. So they sent Barnabas to Antioch.
23
When he arrived and saw what the grace of God had done, he was glad. He told them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts.
24
Barnabas was a good man. He was full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. Large numbers of people came to know the Lord.
25
Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul.