Word soon reached the apostles and brothers in Jerusalem about gentiles receiving the Holy Spirit in the house of Cornelius and this generated criticism from the circumcised believers. So Peter set about explaining about his vision and how he had been sought out my representatives of Cornelius who had also had a vision. So, said Peter, "who was I to think that I could oppose God?" Peter's explanation satisfied the circumcised and they praised God that the Gospel was now open to the gentiles. And so the gospel spread to Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch initially to Jews but then also to Greeks and "a great number believed and turned to the Lord". So the Jerusalem church sent Barnabas to check things out and he was happy to see the move was of God, and many more there came to Christ under his ministry. Barnabas then sought out Saul at Tarsus and they came to Antioch and ministered there for a year, and "the disciples were first called Christians at Antioch". Then Agabus prophesied through the Spirit that there would be a famine in the Roman world and so the Christians helped the brethren living in Judea and they sent gifts to help through Barnabas and Saul.
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