“Paul’s Second Letter to Timothy — The Great Transition, The Glorious Sweep of God’s Abundant Grace — The Great Transition Gains Substance as Saul is Received by Peter and is then Sent Forth
 in Apostolic Ministry to the Gentiles"

The Jews that had believed in Antioch were the first that had come to know of God’s great mercy and grace as God’s great enemy Saul was gloriously saved.  They received him willingly upon hearing the story.  But what about the Jewish believers in Jerusalem and Judea?  Would they be as willing?  Today we have the privilege of seeing how through an abundance of signs and wonders Peter does accept Saul.  But then, because others of the church in Jerusalem continued to be fearful of him, and perhaps even more of his actions and preaching, God saves miraculously a Roman centurion named Cornelius with his family.  Peter and the others are convinced by the sheer miracle of this that God is unmistakably now saving Gentiles.  The historical account in chapter 11 proceeds with missionaries being sent to Gentile lands even though to this point the outreach had only been to the Jews.  This leads directly to Barnabas traveling to Tarsus to find Saul who has gone there for his own protection from unbelieving Jewish leaders in Jerusalem.  This sets the stage for the refocus on Antioch and not Jerusalem any longer where the next chapter will begin.  Next time, Saul and others will be sent forth on their first missionary journey to the Gentile.