19 Over time, due to the persecution that began with Stephen’s killing, the ones who had moved away went as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, but they only shared Yeshua’s teaching with other Jews. 20 However, some of the believers were from Cyprus and Cyrene, and when they got to Antioch they proclaimed the good news from the master Yeshua to the Greeks. 21 Yahweh caused their efforts to prosper, so a large number of Greeks believed and decided to follow the master.

22 News about this reached the assembly in Yerushalem, so they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 23 When he arrived and saw how God’s grace was spreading, he was elated and encouraged them all to earnestly continue to follow the master. 24 Barnabas was good man and full of the holy spirit and full of faith in God, and a large number of people decided to follow Yeshua.

25 So Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, 26 and when he found him, he brought him back to Antioch. Then for a whole year they met with the assembly and regularly taught a large crowd. It was there in Antioch that the believers were first called Christians.

27 In those days, some prophets from Yerushalem went to Antioch, 28 and one of them named Agabus when he was prompted by the spirit, stood up and predicted that the world would experience a severe famine (and this happened later during the reign of Claudius). 29 The believers decided to send assistance to their fellow believers who lived in Yudea—each one according to his means—30 and so they did, sending their contributions with Barnabas and Saul to take to the elders.