Acts 10:24-48

                                             Acts 10:24-48

The next day he rose and went away with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa accompanied him.  And on the following day they entered Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. When Peter entered, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him.  But Peter lifted him up, saying, “Stand up; I too am a man.” And as he talked with him, he went in and found many persons gathered.  And he said to them, “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean.  So when I was sent for, I came without objection. I ask then why you sent for me.”

And Cornelius said, “Four days ago, about this hour, I was praying in my house at the ninth hour,^[d] and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing ³¹ and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your alms have been remembered before God.  Send therefore to Joppa and ask for Simon who is called Peter. He is lodging in the house of Simon, a tanner, by the sea.’  So I sent for you at once, and you have been kind enough to come. Now therefore we are all here in the presence of God to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord.”

So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all),  you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed:  how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.  And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree,  but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear, not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead.  To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles.  For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter declared, “Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?”  And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to remain for some days.

Peter and the men who came to call him travel to the home of Cornelius.  In anticipation of Peter’s arrival, the house has been prepared and Cornelius has invited his entire household, family and friends.  He knew that God was going to do something, and he instinctively knew that everyone he knew needed to know what he was about to learn.  The Spirit is already working in his heart, so he instinctively knows that he has a responsibility to share what has happened to him through the vision he received.  Therefore, the message that is on its way is even more important and must be shared with all.  When we are believes, the Spirit is at work in us to motivate us to share the Gospel with others.

 

CORNELIUS RECEIVES PETER: When Peter and his Jewish traveling companions arrive at the home of Cornelius, they are surprised to see a house full of people.  Cornelius welcomes them into his home and then falls at the feet of Peter and worships him.  For a Roman soldier to bow down and worship a Jewish man demonstrates just how hungry he was to know the truth.  Peter refuses to receive this worship and makes it clear to his host that he is only a man and was not to be the object of worship.  Peter then goes on to tell them that, as a Jew, he would not be permitted to come to this home an associate with Gentiles.  However, he tells them that God had revealed to him that he was no longer to make any racial distinction.  Peter is being rather offensive in his speech but is also demonstrating that he is on a mission from God and not one of his own choosing.  God has called us to every nation.  We are to share the truth with all people everywhere for the glory of God and because of His love for the nations.

 

CORNELIUS RECEIVES TRUTH: Peter proclaims the truth about Jesus to his audience.  He makes it clear to them that God does not make a distinction between people but reaches out to every person of every race.  Peter proclaims Jesus to them as the promised Messiah who God had appointed as sacrifice for sin and judgment.  He proclaims that Jesus died for the sins of men and that He rose again and that all who believed on Him would be forgiven of sin.  Peter preaches the Gospel and calls on the people to believe the Gospel. This is the message that we have been called to proclaim wherever we go.  People will either believe the message or reject the message, but it is our responsibility to let them know who Jesus is, what He has done, and that they need to believe solely upon Jesus so they can be saved and forgiven of all their sin.  Jesus is our only hope and the only hope of the world.

 

CORENELIUS RECEIVES THE SPIRIT: As Cornelius and his household hear the Gospel of Jesus, they believe.  The reality of their belief is evidenced by the Holy Spirit coming upon them and they begin to speak in tongues as the apostles had done on the day of Pentecost.  This was an important manifestation of the Spirit’s arrival to prove to the Jews that the Gentiles had truly been saved.  It is interesting that the Spirit did not wait for the hearers to say a prayer, raise their hand, come forward or any other sort of signal.  As soon as His work in their lives through His work in Peter’s words brought about genuine faith, He filled their hearts with His indwelling presence and power.  We are called to proclaim the Word in dependence on the Spirit’s power.  He is responsible to transform their lives and bring them to faith in Jesus.  Our responsibility is to speak, His responsibility is to save.

 

CORENELIUS RECEIVES BAPTISM: Peter is blessed to see the Spirit come upon these new Gentile believers.  He traveling companions are surprised by this development and must have been amazed when Peter asked if anyone had a reason to prevent Baptism.  It is interesting to see that in the early church, baptism immediately followed a decision to trust Christ.  In today’s church we tend to wait until there is evidence of fruit and then we have a class that the candidate takes before being baptized.  Perhaps, this is due to the way the Gospel is communicated today, but it is most likely a result of the persecution of that day.  There was no peer pleasure or familial encouragement to make such a decision.  Instead, coming to Christ would likely bring many negative consequences to their lives.  Decisions were consequential and therefore were not entered into lightly.  As we share Christ it is important to share with people about the costs of following Jesus.

 

APPLICATION: Actively share our faith with the people the Lord puts in our path.  Be proactive about going to those to whom the Lord directs us to go.  Make the Gospel clear and trust the Spirit to do His work in their hearts.  Lovingly accept those who place their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.  Do not expect the path of bringing people to faith in Christ will be easy for us or for those who are saved.  Expect persecution, rejection and misunderstanding.