Peter and Cornelius (Acts 10)
12:30 AM
I love the story of
Peter and Cornelius. It is an amazingly well orchestrated and pivotal event
full of supernatural wonder and revelation. When I read this story, several
things stand out to me.
- The importance of our personal prayer life.
- God’s sovereign intervention in the details of our
lives.
- God’s desire to unite His people to accomplish amazing
things.
Let’s explore each
point.
Personal Prayer Time:
Have you ever wondered if your prayer life really mattered to God? In this
story, God not only noticed that these men were fervent in praying, but
communicated to them in astounding ways during their prayer
time. The Scriptures tell us Cornelius was “a devout man who feared
God with all his household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed
continually to God.”(v2) It was during his prayer time that God sent an angel
to Cornelius and the angel said “Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your
alms have been remembered before God.” (v31) That lets us know that God pays
attention to our devotion to Him and it matters to Him. God communicated to
Peter also during his prayer time with a very visual and symbolic vision meant
to get Peter’s attention and impact his thinking in a bold, new way.
God is in the details:
The timing of Peter’s vision is orchestrated by God. First, he communicates to
Cornelius and Cornelius dispatches men to find Peter some 30 miles or so away.
Then he sends the vision to Peter at just the right time to really get his
attention and let him know that God is truly directing him. “Now while Peter
was inwardly perplexed as to what the vision that he had seen might mean,
behold, the men who were sent by Cornelius, having made inquiry for Simon's
house, stood at the gate and called out to ask whether Simon who was called
Peter was lodging there. And while Peter was pondering the vision, the Spirit
said to him, "Behold, three men are looking for you. Rise and go down and
accompany them without hesitation, for I have sent them."” (v17-20) When
he meets Cornelius, he is told the details given by the angel: “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.'” (v32) How amazing is that? God took two
strangers, inhabitants of two different places, members of two
different religious affiliations ( one Jew and one Gentile) and
overrode the barriers that would otherwise have kept them isolated from each
other. “And he (Peter)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.” (v28)
God’s desire to unite
His people: Before Christ ascended into heaven, he commissioned the disciples
“And he said to them, "Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to
the whole creation.” (Mark 16:15) Peter knew God wanted the gospel message
preached abroad but this was the first time that Peter would understand that
God wanted the Gentiles to be accepted as they were ( without conforming first
to Jewish custom and religious observance.) “”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.””
(v34-35) Because of God bringing Peter and Cornelius together, many were
impacted in a radical way. Cornelius had gathered relatives and friends and
Peter also brought companions. “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.”
(v44-45) And because
of what was witnessed that day, the world was never the same.
This story should
encourage each of us. It should increase our faith in prayer and remind us that
our personal prayer lives are important in the grand scheme of things. It
should increase our confidence, knowing that God orchestrates the details of our
lives, to include the people he may choose to bring into our lives. And
finally, it should cause us celebration because this event bridged Christian
Jews and Christians Gentiles into one unified church, equally blessed and
accepted by God.
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