READ | ACTS CHAPTER 10
Cornelius Calls for Peter
10 At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. 2 He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly. 3 One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, “Cornelius!”
4 Cornelius stared at him in fear. “What is it, Lord?” he asked.
The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God. 5 Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is called Peter. 6 He is staying with Simon the tanner, whose house is by the sea.”
7 When the angel who spoke to him had gone, Cornelius called two of his servants and a devout soldier who was one of his attendants. 8 He told them everything that had happened and sent them to Joppa.
Peter’s Vision
9 About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. 10 He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. 11 He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. 12 It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles and birds. 13 Then a voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.”
14 “Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.”
15 The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”
16 This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven.
17 While Peter was wondering about the meaning of the vision, the men sent by Cornelius found out where Simon’s house was and stopped at the gate. 18 They called out, asking if Simon who was known as Peter was staying there.
19 While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Simon, three[a] men are looking for you. 20 So get up and go downstairs. Do not hesitate to go with them, for I have sent them.”
21 Peter went down and said to the men, “I’m the one you’re looking for. Why have you come?”
22 The men replied, “We have come from Cornelius the centurion. He is a righteous and God-fearing man, who is respected by all the Jewish people. A holy angel told him to ask you to come to his house so that he could hear what you have to say.” 23 Then Peter invited the men into the house to be his guests.
Peter at Cornelius’s House
The next day Peter started out with them, and some of the believers from Joppa went along. 24 The following day he arrived in Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. 25 As Peter entered the house, Cornelius met him and fell at his feet in reverence. 26 But Peter made him get up. “Stand up,” he said, “I am only a man myself.”
27 While talking with him, Peter went inside and found a large gathering of people. 28 He said to them: “You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile. But God has shown me that I should not call anyone impure or unclean. 29 So when I was sent for, I came without raising any objection. May I ask why you sent for me?”
30 Cornelius answered: “Three days ago I was in my house praying at this hour, at three in the afternoon. Suddenly a man in shining clothes stood before me 31 and said, ‘Cornelius, God has heard your prayer and remembered your gifts to the poor. 32 Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter. He is a guest in the home of Simon the tanner, who lives by the sea.’ 33 So I sent for you immediately, and it was good of you to come. Now we are all here in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has commanded you to tell us.”
34 Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism 35 but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right. 36 You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. 37 You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached— 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.
39 “We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a cross, 40 but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. 41 He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. 43 All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. 45 The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles. 46 For they heard them speaking in tongues[b] and praising God.
Then Peter said, 47 “Surely no one can stand in the way of their being baptized with water. They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.” 48 So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days.
10 At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. 2 He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly. 3 One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, “Cornelius!”
4 Cornelius stared at him in fear. “What is it, Lord?” he asked.
The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God. 5 Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is called Peter. 6 He is staying with Simon the tanner, whose house is by the sea.”
7 When the angel who spoke to him had gone, Cornelius called two of his servants and a devout soldier who was one of his attendants. 8 He told them everything that had happened and sent them to Joppa.
Peter’s Vision
9 About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. 10 He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. 11 He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. 12 It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles and birds. 13 Then a voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.”
14 “Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.”
15 The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”
16 This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven.
17 While Peter was wondering about the meaning of the vision, the men sent by Cornelius found out where Simon’s house was and stopped at the gate. 18 They called out, asking if Simon who was known as Peter was staying there.
19 While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Simon, three[a] men are looking for you. 20 So get up and go downstairs. Do not hesitate to go with them, for I have sent them.”
21 Peter went down and said to the men, “I’m the one you’re looking for. Why have you come?”
22 The men replied, “We have come from Cornelius the centurion. He is a righteous and God-fearing man, who is respected by all the Jewish people. A holy angel told him to ask you to come to his house so that he could hear what you have to say.” 23 Then Peter invited the men into the house to be his guests.
Peter at Cornelius’s House
The next day Peter started out with them, and some of the believers from Joppa went along. 24 The following day he arrived in Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. 25 As Peter entered the house, Cornelius met him and fell at his feet in reverence. 26 But Peter made him get up. “Stand up,” he said, “I am only a man myself.”
27 While talking with him, Peter went inside and found a large gathering of people. 28 He said to them: “You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile. But God has shown me that I should not call anyone impure or unclean. 29 So when I was sent for, I came without raising any objection. May I ask why you sent for me?”
30 Cornelius answered: “Three days ago I was in my house praying at this hour, at three in the afternoon. Suddenly a man in shining clothes stood before me 31 and said, ‘Cornelius, God has heard your prayer and remembered your gifts to the poor. 32 Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter. He is a guest in the home of Simon the tanner, who lives by the sea.’ 33 So I sent for you immediately, and it was good of you to come. Now we are all here in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has commanded you to tell us.”
34 Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism 35 but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right. 36 You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. 37 You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached— 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.
39 “We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a cross, 40 but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. 41 He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. 43 All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. 45 The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles. 46 For they heard them speaking in tongues[b] and praising God.
Then Peter said, 47 “Surely no one can stand in the way of their being baptized with water. They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.” 48 So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days.
DEVOTIONAL
The best way to understand what is happening in the New Testament is to see it through the lens of the Old Testament. The story of the day of Pentecost in Acts Chapter 2 is a great example of this. To the untrained eye, it would be a strange sight to experience violent wind followed by tongues of fire coming to rest over each person in the room. What does this mean? How is this happening? What do we do now? But when we look at this event through the lens of the Old Testament the whole scene begins to make a lot more sense and what we are reading becomes that much more rich and engaging.
Two thousand years earlier, in the book of Exodus, we find the story of Moses and how he led the Israelites out of captivity in Egypt and eventually to the edge of the promised land. By day, the traveling Israelites were led by a pillar of cloud, and by night, a pillar of fire. Later, when the tabernacle was built, the presence of God would fall into the Holy of Holies and come to rest over the mercy seat, which was the golden lid of the Ark of the Covenant. The key here is that the pillar of fire, which moved in front of the Israelites as they traveled, represented and symbolized the presence and provision of God. That same presence of God, falling in the Holy of Holies within the tabernacle and later the temple, symbolized the holiness of God and His desire to dwell among the people he loved. Even the word tabernacle itself means “to dwell”. The tabernacle made it possible for a perfect and holy God to dwell among an imperfect and unholy people.
Fast-forward to Acts Chapter 2 and the day of Pentecost. Let’s view these strange events again through an Old Testament lens. The violent wind whipping through the upper room represents the breath of God being breathed out onto his people. Then the presence of God falls and that pillar of fire of old now separates and comes to rest over each person in the room. This visual is a recreation of the events that first occurred in Exodus thousands of years earlier. The significance of what was happening, both at the time and to us today, is stunning. First, God is communicating that his presence will no longer fall in only tabernacles or temples built by human hands. From this point on, because of the work of Jesus on the cross, we are the temples of God, and his presence falls on each of us. We, as followers of Jesus, are now a royal priesthood, able to enter into and commune with the Most High without any need for a human intercessor and without fear of death or divine reprisal. This is only made possible through the blood of Jesus. Jesus made a way for a perfect and holy God to not only dwell among his people, but in his people. The manifest presence of God, which was once confined within this earthly realm to the tabernacle, now flows out and indwells in a new temple… the body of a Christian. Think about that. We are now the temples of God, and His holy fire dwells within us!
Not only did the presence of God fall, but the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit, filled the believers. This filling enabled them, among other things, to speak in other languages. This was such an important aspect of this event which is often overlooked or seen as minor. Jesus himself had told the disciples to wait until this indwelling happened before they set out to accomplish what he had commissioned them to do. Jesus knew that the huge, amazing plans that he had set out before the Disciples could never be accomplished through human skill and talent alone. The Church and kingdom of God on earth could only be built and become what it was intended to be through the infilling of the Holy Spirit. It was on this day of Pentecost that many travelers coming to Jerusalem from other countries would return and bring the message of Jesus with them. The gospel was already being taken to the ends of the earth and the Spirit of God was behind it all.
Think about this in your own life. You cannot do what God created you to do on your own! You will always only be able to fulfill a partial version of God’s plans for your life in your own strength and talent. Each of us has been called to be spirit filled, spirit led and spirit empowered in order to fulfill the plans God created you for. You need your own Pentecost moment! As a church, we need our own Pentecost moment! It may not look the same. God rarely works the same way in every situation. But each of us are invited to pray that we too would be filled with the holy fire of God and it would flow through us and from us in order to supernaturally change the world for Jesus.
Two thousand years earlier, in the book of Exodus, we find the story of Moses and how he led the Israelites out of captivity in Egypt and eventually to the edge of the promised land. By day, the traveling Israelites were led by a pillar of cloud, and by night, a pillar of fire. Later, when the tabernacle was built, the presence of God would fall into the Holy of Holies and come to rest over the mercy seat, which was the golden lid of the Ark of the Covenant. The key here is that the pillar of fire, which moved in front of the Israelites as they traveled, represented and symbolized the presence and provision of God. That same presence of God, falling in the Holy of Holies within the tabernacle and later the temple, symbolized the holiness of God and His desire to dwell among the people he loved. Even the word tabernacle itself means “to dwell”. The tabernacle made it possible for a perfect and holy God to dwell among an imperfect and unholy people.
Fast-forward to Acts Chapter 2 and the day of Pentecost. Let’s view these strange events again through an Old Testament lens. The violent wind whipping through the upper room represents the breath of God being breathed out onto his people. Then the presence of God falls and that pillar of fire of old now separates and comes to rest over each person in the room. This visual is a recreation of the events that first occurred in Exodus thousands of years earlier. The significance of what was happening, both at the time and to us today, is stunning. First, God is communicating that his presence will no longer fall in only tabernacles or temples built by human hands. From this point on, because of the work of Jesus on the cross, we are the temples of God, and his presence falls on each of us. We, as followers of Jesus, are now a royal priesthood, able to enter into and commune with the Most High without any need for a human intercessor and without fear of death or divine reprisal. This is only made possible through the blood of Jesus. Jesus made a way for a perfect and holy God to not only dwell among his people, but in his people. The manifest presence of God, which was once confined within this earthly realm to the tabernacle, now flows out and indwells in a new temple… the body of a Christian. Think about that. We are now the temples of God, and His holy fire dwells within us!
Not only did the presence of God fall, but the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit, filled the believers. This filling enabled them, among other things, to speak in other languages. This was such an important aspect of this event which is often overlooked or seen as minor. Jesus himself had told the disciples to wait until this indwelling happened before they set out to accomplish what he had commissioned them to do. Jesus knew that the huge, amazing plans that he had set out before the Disciples could never be accomplished through human skill and talent alone. The Church and kingdom of God on earth could only be built and become what it was intended to be through the infilling of the Holy Spirit. It was on this day of Pentecost that many travelers coming to Jerusalem from other countries would return and bring the message of Jesus with them. The gospel was already being taken to the ends of the earth and the Spirit of God was behind it all.
Think about this in your own life. You cannot do what God created you to do on your own! You will always only be able to fulfill a partial version of God’s plans for your life in your own strength and talent. Each of us has been called to be spirit filled, spirit led and spirit empowered in order to fulfill the plans God created you for. You need your own Pentecost moment! As a church, we need our own Pentecost moment! It may not look the same. God rarely works the same way in every situation. But each of us are invited to pray that we too would be filled with the holy fire of God and it would flow through us and from us in order to supernaturally change the world for Jesus.
