So Paul and Silas were freed, and they went to Lydia’s house. They met with the brothers and sisters there and encouraged them. Then they left Philippi.
But Paul and Barnabas found out about their plan and escaped north to the region of Lycaonia. There they continued to preach the good news in the cities of Lystra and Derbe and in the area around them.
Peter motioned with his hands for them to be quiet. Then he explained how the Lord had freed him from prison. “Tell James and the other brothers and sisters about this,” he said, and then he went to a different place.
When he found him, he brought him back with him to Antioch. For a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught large numbers of people. It was there at Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians.
There they strengthened the disciples, encouraging them to remain faithful to what they’d been taught. “We have to go through many hard times to enter the kingdom of God,” they explained.