New International Reader s Version - NIrV - 1996
Acts 11
1
The apostles and the believers all through Judea heard that people who were not Jews had also received God's word.
Reference
2
Peter went up to Jerusalem. There the Jewish believers found fault with him.
Reference
References Peter
Acts 10:45
4
Peter explained everything to them. He told them exactly what had happened.
Reference
Parallel theme
Luke 1:3
5
"I was in the city of Joppa praying," he said. "There I had a vision. I saw something that looked like a large sheet. It was being let down from heaven by its four corners. It came down to where I was.
6
I looked into it and saw four-footed animals of the earth. There were also wild animals, reptiles and birds.
Reference
Parallel theme
Luke 4:20
7
Then I heard a voice speaking to me. 'Get up, Peter,' the voice said. 'Kill and eat.'
8
"I replied, 'No, Lord! I will not! Nothing that is not pure and "clean" has ever entered my mouth.'
Reference
9
"A second time the voice spoke from heaven. 'Do not say anything is not pure that God has made "clean," ' the voice said.
Reference
Parallel theme
Acts 15:9
10
This happened three times. Then the sheet was pulled up into heaven.
11
"Just then three men stopped at the house where I was staying. They had been sent to me from Caesarea.
12
The Holy Spirit told me not to let anything keep me from going with them. These six brothers here went with me. We entered the man's house.
Reference
13
He told us how he had seen an angel appear in his house. The angel said, 'Send to Joppa for Simon Peter.
14
He has a message to bring to you. You and your whole family will be saved through it.'
Reference
Parallel theme
Acts 16:15
Acts 10:2
Acts 10:6
Acts 2:39
John 20:31
Genesis 17:7
Psalm 103:17
Psalm 112:2
Proverbs 20:7
Word
Acts 10:22
15
"As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them. He came just as he had come on us at the beginning.
Reference
Holy
Acts 19:6
16
Then I remembered the Lord's words. 'John baptized with water,' he had said. 'But you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.'
Reference
Holy
Acts 1:5
Mark 1:8
Matthew 3:11
John 14:26
Luke 3:16
Parallel theme
2 Peter 3:1
John 16:4
Spirit
Proverbs 1:23
1 Corinthians 12:13
Word
Acts 20:35
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?"
Reference
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."
Reference
Glory
Isaiah 61:3
Acts 21:20
2 Corinthians 3:18
Parallel theme
Ezekiel 36:26
References God
Acts 3:26
Repentance
2 Corinthians 7:10
Acts 5:31
Acts 20:21
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.
Reference
📍 Phoenicia
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.
Reference
21
The Lord's power was with them. Large numbers of people believed and turned to the Lord.
Reference
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.
Reference
Grace
Colossians 1:6
Acts 13:43
Acts 14:26
Acts 20:24
Parallel theme
1 John 2:28
2 Timothy 3:10
Matthew 16:24
John 15:4
References God
Acts 14:22
References Lord
1 Corinthians 15:58
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.
Reference
26
He found him there. Then he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church. They taught large numbers of people. At Antioch the believers were called Christians for the first time.
Reference
Parallel theme
1 John 2:27
Acts 14:27
Ephesians 3:15
1 Corinthians 14:23
1 Corinthians 11:18
Matthew 28:19
References Christ
1 Peter 4:16
Acts 26:28
1 Corinthians 12:12
1 Corinthians 4:17
28
One of them was named Agabus. He stood up and spoke through the Spirit. He said there would not be nearly enough food anywhere in the Roman world. This happened while Claudius was the emperor.
Reference
People
29
The believers decided to provide help for the brothers and sisters living in Judea. All of them helped as much as they could.
Reference
Parallel theme
Galatians 2:10
Acts 11:26
Acts 4:34
Acts 11:1
Nehemiah 5:8
1 Corinthians 13:5
Ezra 2:69
Summary of Acts 11
Acts 11 explains how the early church begins to understand that God's salvation is also for Gentiles, while showing how the Christian community in Antioch becomes an important center for the growing movement.
When Peter returns to Jerusalem after visiting Cornelius, some Jewish believers criticize him because he entered a Gentile home and ate with Gentiles, so Peter carefully explains everything that happened, beginning with his vision of the sheet filled with animals and continuing through the arrival of Cornelius's messengers.
Peter explains that God told him not to call anything impure if God had made it clean, and when he entered Cornelius's house, the Holy Spirit came upon the Gentiles just as He had come upon the Jewish believers.
Peter therefore concludes that he could not oppose something God Himself had chosen to do, and when the Jerusalem believers hear his explanation, they stop criticizing him and praise God for giving Gentiles the opportunity to repent and receive life.
The chapter then moves from Cornelius's household to Antioch, where believers who were scattered because of persecution begin preaching the Gospel to Greek-speaking people, and many people believe in Jesus and turn to the Lord.
The church in Jerusalem sends Barnabas to Antioch, and when he sees the work God is doing, he is encouraged and begins strengthening the new believers.
Barnabas then travels to Tarsus to find Saul, brings him back to Antioch, and together they spend a year teaching the growing church.
It is in Antioch that the disciples are first called Christians, giving the followers of Jesus a name that will eventually become known throughout the Roman world.
The chapter ends by showing that the growing church is not only concerned with preaching but also with helping people in need.
When the prophet Agabus warns of a coming famine during the reign of Emperor Claudius, the believers decide to collect money according to what each person can afford and send the support to Christians in Judea through Barnabas and Saul.
The main message of Acts 11 is that God is breaking down the old barriers between Jews and Gentiles and creating one community of believers who are united by faith in Jesus rather than by nationality or religious background.
The chapter also shows that the church is becoming increasingly connected across different cities, with Jerusalem, Antioch, Tarsus, and Judea working together through preaching, teaching, leadership, and practical help.
Most importantly, Acts 11 shows that the Gospel is beginning to move from being mainly a movement within Judaism toward becoming a worldwide Christian movement, with Antioch emerging as one of the most important centers for this new stage of the church's mission.
When Peter returns to Jerusalem after visiting Cornelius, some Jewish believers criticize him because he entered a Gentile home and ate with Gentiles, so Peter carefully explains everything that happened, beginning with his vision of the sheet filled with animals and continuing through the arrival of Cornelius's messengers.
Peter explains that God told him not to call anything impure if God had made it clean, and when he entered Cornelius's house, the Holy Spirit came upon the Gentiles just as He had come upon the Jewish believers.
Peter therefore concludes that he could not oppose something God Himself had chosen to do, and when the Jerusalem believers hear his explanation, they stop criticizing him and praise God for giving Gentiles the opportunity to repent and receive life.
The chapter then moves from Cornelius's household to Antioch, where believers who were scattered because of persecution begin preaching the Gospel to Greek-speaking people, and many people believe in Jesus and turn to the Lord.
The church in Jerusalem sends Barnabas to Antioch, and when he sees the work God is doing, he is encouraged and begins strengthening the new believers.
Barnabas then travels to Tarsus to find Saul, brings him back to Antioch, and together they spend a year teaching the growing church.
It is in Antioch that the disciples are first called Christians, giving the followers of Jesus a name that will eventually become known throughout the Roman world.
The chapter ends by showing that the growing church is not only concerned with preaching but also with helping people in need.
When the prophet Agabus warns of a coming famine during the reign of Emperor Claudius, the believers decide to collect money according to what each person can afford and send the support to Christians in Judea through Barnabas and Saul.
The main message of Acts 11 is that God is breaking down the old barriers between Jews and Gentiles and creating one community of believers who are united by faith in Jesus rather than by nationality or religious background.
The chapter also shows that the church is becoming increasingly connected across different cities, with Jerusalem, Antioch, Tarsus, and Judea working together through preaching, teaching, leadership, and practical help.
Most importantly, Acts 11 shows that the Gospel is beginning to move from being mainly a movement within Judaism toward becoming a worldwide Christian movement, with Antioch emerging as one of the most important centers for this new stage of the church's mission.