Acts 10 - The Holy Spirit Does Not Discriminate!
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.
Cornelius was a military leader. A centurion had 100 soldiers that reported to them. He feared God, which was shown by his generosity toward those in need and his fervent prayer life. As he sought God out on this day the Lord revealed himself to him through an angel.
An angel appeared to him and called out his name. As is the case when anyone in the bible encounters an angel, their first reaction is fear. Angels are fearsome because they are messengers of God, with divine like qualities. The angel told Cornelius that his good deeds, which were the fruit of his prayer life, had gotten God's attention. The angel told him to send some of his men to Joppa to Simon' the Tanner's house, where another man named Simon was saying there. This Simon was also called Peter. I.e. the apostle Peter. So, he sent his three servants 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.
The next day Peter went up on his rooftop to pray. He saw a vision of a large sheet coming down from heaven containing all kinds of animals and creatures that were considered unclean in Jewish law I.e. four foot animals, birds, and reptiles. A voice from heaven told him to kill and eat. Peter immediately refused to do so account of Jewish purity laws he strictly observed. But the voice said,
"Do not call anything unclean which God has made clean!"
This happened three times, and the sheet was brought back into heaven. Three was an important number in Peter's life. Three times he denied Jesus. Three times Jesus restored him with the words, "Feed my sheep". And now the voice told him three times that if God decided something was clean to eat, it was clean. Finally, the Spirit, who we can assume was the voice speaking to Peter before, told Peter three men were looking for him and were downstairs. You guessed it "three men".
The three men told the story of how Cornelius had sent them to Peter's house and now had invited him to his home to "hear what they had to say".
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?”
When Peter came to Cornelius' house the next day, Cornelius fell down to worship Peter. Peter reminded him he was only a man himself, albeit a very important man who was about to receive a life changing message. Cornelius had invited all of his friends and family to meet the man he had been given a vision about. Peter briefly recounted that although by the Law he should not have been associating or visiting them, God told him to go so he was there.
I like how it when Peter says, "I came without any objection!" We often put up many objections when God calls us to do something. Sometimes we have so many objections, we end up being paralyzed by them and end up doing nothing. Peter had learned to obey God. He already seen God do amazing things, so he wasn't about to stop trusting God now.
Peter was curious to know why Cornelius had sent for him.
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.”
Cornelius then recounted his story as to how God has appeared to him in a vision and told him to send for Peter at the tanner's house. Like Peter, Cornelius instantly obeyed God. Once again this demonstrated that although Cornelius was not yet a Christian, he was following God's leading and guidance. He had shown a heart open to God and now God was going to reveal himself in a more bigger way.
Cornelius said something every preacher would die to hear, "Now we are all here in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has commanded us to tell you." This is what we call an "open door" for the gospel.
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.
For Peter's part he now realized that through this open door he was about to have a paradigm shift in how he viewed his calling and mission. Peter learned that anybody who fears God, follows Him, and does what is right is already favored by God. God is the God of both the Jews and Gentiles and loves them equally.
Peter then summarized the gospel of Jesus. God sent Jesus to the people of Israel to announce that God's peace had come through him. God had anointed His Son with the power of the Holy Spirit, which was evidenced by all of the good he did, and by healing people who were under the devil's influence.
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.”
Peter himself was an eyewitness of the powerful things Jesus had done in Jerusalem among the Jewish people. But the people killed him by hanging him on a cross. Jesus rose from the dead and caused him to be seen. Peter was one of those who saw the resurrected Jesus. Peter's eyewitness testimony also included the fact that he ate and drank with Jesus. It was not just a ghost but a living person. Peter's call was to preach how Jesus was appointed by God to judge the living and the dead.
This was not a new message, but one the prophets had foretold. And by the way the prophets had also foretold that God's promise and blessings would go to all nations not just the Jews. Importantly those who believe in Jesus will receive forgiveness in His name. There is one thing Jews and Gentiles have in common, they are sinners in the eyes of a holy and perfect God.
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.
The Holy Spirit took Peter's message and all those who heard it became filled with the Spirit. The Jewish believers were astonished that the same Holy Spirit they saw fall on them at Pentecost had now fallen on these Gentiles. They were speaking in foreign tongues just like they had. They were praising God in tongues just like they had. So Peter declared that since they had received the Holy Spirit just like they had, they should be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.
Note once again the connection between baptism and the Holy Spirit. In the previous instance someone was baptized then received the Holy Spirit. In this instance the Holy Spirit fell upon them and THEN they were baptized. It was not the order that counted but that both happened. Notice too that they did not choose to be baptized. Peter ordered them to be baptized after seeing they had come to believe and received the Holy Spirit!
So why did Peter do this?
"This showed their full acceptance into the community of those who followed Jesus. Their baptism showed they were accepted as Gentile followers of Jesus." - Guzik
God promised Abraham and his descendants that the blessing that came through him would extend to all nations (Genesis 12:1-4). Here, we see Jesus – the greatest blessing from Abraham – extended to the nations. The first Gentile Jesus dealt with in His public ministry was a Roman centurion from Capernaum. When Jesus healed that centurion’s servant, He declared that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 8:5-13). - Guzik
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