Acts 11:1-18
[1]The apostles and the other believers throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God.
[2]When Peter went to Jerusalem, those who were in favour of circumcising Gentiles criticized him, saying,
[3]“You were a guest in the home of uncircumcised Gentiles, and you even ate with them!”
[4]So Peter gave them a complete account of what had happened from the very beginning:
[5]“While I was praying in the city of Joppa, I had a vision. I saw something coming down that looked like a large sheet being lowered by its four corners from heaven, and it stopped next to me.
[6]I looked closely inside and saw domesticated and wild animals, reptiles, and wild birds.
[7]Then I heard a voice saying to me, ‘Get up, Peter; kill and eat!’
[8]But I said, ‘Certainly not, Lord! No ritually unclean or defiled food has ever entered my mouth.’
[9]The voice spoke again from heaven, ‘Do not consider anything unclean that God has declared clean.’
[10]This happened three times, and finally the whole thing was drawn back up into heaven.
[11]At that very moment three men who had been sent to me from Caesarea arrived at the house where I was staying.
[12]The Spirit told me to go with them without hesitation. These six fellow-believers from Joppa accompanied me to Caesarea, and we all went into the house of Cornelius.
[13]He told us how he had seen an angel standing in his house, who said to him, ‘Send someone to Joppa for a man whose full name is Simon Peter.
[14]He will speak words to you by which you and all your family will be saved.’
[15]And when I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came down on them just as on us at the beginning.
[16]Then I remembered what the Lord had said: ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’
[17]It is clear that God gave those Gentiles the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ; who was I, then, to try to stop God!”
[18]When they heard this, they stopped their criticism and praised God, saying, “Then God has given to the Gentiles also the opportunity to repent and live!”
Summary key points:
Vs 5 & 13 God communicate via vision and through His angel;
Vs 6 can eat all types of animals, birds, reptiles previously deemed unclean;
Vs 9 what God made clean, do not call it impure;
Vs 15 the Holy Spirit came upon the repentant Gentiles;
– same gift as the repentant Jews vs 17 – God is impartial to all human beings;
VS 17 Sovereignty of God who can oppose Him