Podcast Introduction

Today is Gospel Saturday and we’ll read Acts 9-10. I'll have some comments after we’ve read. Then there’s an on this date in church history. Also I have a giant praise for our prayer time today. I’m calling today’s episode “The Righteous Roman.“ 

Design: Steve Webb | Photo: Craig Zdanowicz on Unsplash

Comments on Acts 10

In Acts 10, we are introduced to Cornelius, a Roman centurion, an officer in the Roman army. This was not a typical Roman, though. He was a devout believer in the God of the Jews, even though, being a Gentile, the average Jew would have very little to do with him. As a matter of fact, most Jews would have a strong dislike for, or even hate him. After all, Rome was an occupying force in Israel, and most of them treated the Jews with disdain.

But Cornelius was what the Jews of the time called a God-fearer, a Gentile who loved the God of Israel, but who did not become Jewish in how they lived their lives, or in circumcision. Jews came to respect them, but they could not fully embrace them because they were Gentiles, and had not become Jewish converts.

We know that God loved and heard Cornelius' prayers, because God gave him a vision of an angel while he was in prayer, with a message telling him to send some men to Joppa to bring Peter to speak to him.

And the next day, while Peter was praying God spoke to him in a vision. Peter was shown a large sheet filled with all kinds of animals, some which Peter would consider kosher and some that were not. God told Peter to kill and eat some of them. And then, in typical Peter fashion, he said, "No, Lord! I have never eaten anything that wasn't kosher!" God told him, "What I have made clean you must not call unclean." This happened three times, and then the sheet with the animals was taken back up to heaven.

Peter had a limited view of God, and what it was to be godly. And now God was going to shake Peter up to change his thinking. He can do the same for us. Listen to what Charles Spurgeon said about this: "Shake yourself up a little, my brother. If you are too precise may the Lord set you on fire, and consume your bonds of red tape! If you have become so improperly proper that you cannot commit a proper impropriety, then pray God to help you be less proper, for there are many who will never be saved by your instrumentality while you study propriety."

Isn't it interesting that at this point in Peter's life, God had used him mightily for His (God's) kingdom. Remember Peter's first sermon? About three thousand souls believed and were saved. And every day, souls were added to the church because of how God was using him. But Peter was still Peter. God uses us despite our own personalities, idiosyncrasies and imperfections. If we are willing to follow, He is willing to use us.

So this vision was shown to Peter three times. Reminds me of the three times Peter denied Jesus on the night He was betrayed. I believe God repeated this three times so that Peter would get the idea that God was serious, and to make him see that God was not just talking about food. 

And while Peter was thinking about this, the men sent by Cornelius showed up looking for him. And the Holy Spirit told him to go to them, doubting nothing, because they were sent by Him.

By then, Peter seems to have gotten the larger message that what God declares clean, Peter should not call unclean. He invited these Gentiles into his home, which is something no Jew would have done. Remember, Peter is now a Christian, but he is also a Jew. And God, on this day, had enlarged Peter's heart to embrace the Gentiles.

The next day, Peter went with these men to the home of Cornelius, who was waiting and prepared to meet him. He had even invited guests to hear what Peter had to say. When Peter arrived, Cornelius fell at his feet and begins to worship him, but Peter stopped him and lifted him up, saying, "Stand up. I'm a man just like you."

You see. Peter gets it.