The Movement is Crossing Barriers
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We continue our study of the Book of Acts and this morning we are going to take up Acts chapter 10. In Acts 9 we looked at the Conversion of Paul, the worst persecutor of the Church got converted, got saved and became the best planter of the Church. Today we are going to see yet another conversion of an influential man, this time, a Gentile. We are going to study the conversion of a Roman Centurion.
Movement to the Gentiles
Luke now begins to tell the story of a fundamental turning point in the history of the early church. So far, the Movement has spread as it should be, from Jerusalem (Acts 2-7), and has now reached Judea and Samaria (Acts 8-9). But Jesus’ mandate was to witness for Him to the ends of the earth, that means the Gentile world. That is something outrageous for any Jew to conceive because according to their belief system, entering a Gentile home, much more starting a religious relationship with them is forbidden and will cause them to be unclean.
So up to this time, the barrier between Jew and Gentile has not been breached. The Church has been preaching and converting Jewish communities. Now the time has come to crash through the “barrier wall.” The gospel is taken directly to Gentiles, and questions about their eligibility to be among the people of God have to be dealt with head-on.
A test case is needed to show God’s will in this matter: Can Gentiles become Christians, and what is the path toward their becoming disciples? As it turns out, God uses this Roman centurion, his family, and friends to break down the barrier to the Gentile world.
For the first time Gentiles will be directly evangelized and admitted into fellowship with Jewish Christians. As a result, the church will not remain just an offshoot of an ethnic religion (Judaism). It will become a universal body embracing people from every nation and race. Jesus’ projection of the movement will be completed beginning in this chapter.
Luke takes great pains to show that this change in the church is the result of God’s will and providence. It does not come about through some human-devised program. This section shows that God, through the Holy Spirit, is bringing the Gentiles into the Movement, His spiritual body, the church. We will see this in verse after verse describing the account of Cornelius’ conversion as a supernatural operation of God.
This chapter teaches us Three Fundamental Truths About God’s Saving Heart.
This long chapter can be divided into three sections. Each portion teaches us one fundamental truth about our God and His heart to save men.
Let’s begin with the first portion of the narrative.
I. Cornelius’ Vision (v.1-8)
1 At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment.
Caesarea was a beautiful seaport city located on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, 32 miles north of Joppa. Caesarea is the largest and most important port city on the Mediterranean in Palestine and served as the capital of the Roman province of Judea. This was the first city to have Gentile Christians and a non-Jewish church.
Cornelius (meaning, “like a horn” or “strong-willed”, from Latin Cornu meaning "horn") was a high-ranking military officer, in charge of 100 men. Incidentally, centurions are always depicted in a positive light in Scripture.
2 He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly.
Four Character Traits About Cornelius and his family
He was devout (Gk. Eusebes). This means he was a reverent man, religious man.
He feared God. This was not just a description of his character, but this was a technical term used by the Jews to those Gentiles who worshipped with them in their synagogues but had not been circumcised. Basically, he was a Gentile who worshiped the Jewish God. He was a moral man but not yet saved. God-fearers were not full converts but had left their idolatrous ways.
He was generous. He gave generously to those in need.
He was prayerful. He not only gave gifts to others, but also gazed toward heaven as he offered his prayers to God throughout the day.
In our study of Acts we find repeatedly that great things happen when people are in prayer. God moved on the Church when they prayed. Peter was miraculously released from the prison cell when the church prayed. God moved on Cornelius when he was in prayer. You’re going to see in a minute that it was Peter, when he was praying, that God moved on as well. Prayer’s a great place to be, on your knees before God, for God to speak, and here it happens.
He was unsaved. In spite his goodness before God, he was still a sinner that needs to respond to the gospel and be saved.
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.
This is where we take the first lesson.
LESSON # 1. God Responds to Anyone Who COMMITS TO Him.
Do you know something? You know that anywhere in the world, in the darkest spot of the world, in the uttermost parts of the world no matter how remote and detached they are from information, God sees and reads the heart of every single individual. Do you know that? Don’t you ever believe for a minute that God doesn’t know what’s going on in the heart of every human being; and if that man is truly seeking God whom he doesn’t personally know, God will move on him in supernatural ways.
Like smoke ascending from a fire, Cornelius’ prayers and his generosity have risen up to the nostrils of God, and He considers it a sweet-smelling savor, and God is moving in response to it. Cornelius had accepted the belief in God, and God had accepted Cornelius’ honest heart, but notice He couldn’t save him still apart from the right presentation of the gospel, and so God had to move, not only in response, but He had to give him the right information.
For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.
(2 Chron. 16:9)
Cornelius is committed to the God in the Bible and so God is about to move on his behalf.” Because forever, to whoever that man is who lives up to that light, God responds.
And then the angel gives him specific instructions.
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.
Let’s synthesize what’s happening here. So Cornelius was a Gentile, but a God-fearing, godly, generous, and prayerful man, but not yet saved because he doesn’t know about Jesus yet. But God took notice of him.
God responds to those who seek Him. Cornelius, even though a Gentile, sought the God of the Jews. So God responds to him by telling him what to do to be saved.
Some important truths:
A Person is not saved by his godliness or good works.
God’s attention is caught by a person’s desire for Him.
Before moving on to the scene, let’s reflect on the fact God could have sent Philip to Cornelius because he was living in Caesarea at the time (see Acts 8:40). But in His sovereign plan, the Lord wanted Peter because he was a key leader of the church, who held some keys. This goes back to Matthew 16:19 when Jesus said to Peter: “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven.” God used Peter to unlock three doors for gospel proclamation among three key groups of people:
• Jews (Acts 2)
• Samaritans (Acts 8)
• Gentiles (Acts 10)
Having prepared Cornelius to hear the gospel, God now has to prepare Peter to go and explain the gospel to a hated Gentile. But for that to happen God had to deal with a huge racial issue Peter had. It would be difficult for Peter to turn this key to unlock this last door.
II. Peter’s Vision (v.9-23)
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.
“Trance,” the Greek word is Ekstasis. His senses were suspended is what it means. That is, he could not really comprehend sensually what was going on, and at that point, God invaded his consciousness with a vision. And it’s interesting how that it’s a vision involving eating, so God accompanied it to his hunger.
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.”
According to Jewish law, certain animals were forbidden to be eaten because they were unclean (see Leviticus 11). The food laws made it difficult for Jews to eat with Gentiles without risking defilement. In fact, the Gentiles themselves were deemed as “unclean” by the jews.
14 “Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.”
Peter, all his life had been strictly kosher, and you know this thing, seeing this whole bag full of all these mixed up animals was a terrible thing for him to have to look at, much more eat. Peter was a devout Jew and was sincerely following the Mosaic dietary standards that God had set up.
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,
Now, what does this vision mean for Peter? Was God changing the Old Testament dietary requirements? Can Jews now eat unclean meat like pork? Now we have to be very careful in untangling this mystery. Certain truths must be understood here.
Christ’s death and resurrection made the whole transition from Old Testament principles to New Testament. Remember that everything about their ceremonial laws find their perfect meaning and fulfillment in Christ. So when Christ came, their purpose were fulfilled already.
Jesus said in Mark 7:18-19:
“Are you so dull?” he asked. “Don’t you see that nothing that enters a person from the outside can defile them? For it doesn’t go into their heart but into their stomach, and then out of the body.” (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean.)
1 Timothy 4:4 adds,
“For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving.”
2. God’s kingdom is not a matter of eating and drinking (Rom. 14:17).
Meaning, God wasn’t asking Peter to eat unclean physical food but spiritual. Just like what Jesus said in John 4:32,34
“I have food to eat that you know nothing about.” “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of Him who sent me and to finish his work.
LESSON # 2. God Rejects No One Who COMES TO Him.
That’s what Peter’s vision is all about. God doesn’t want to reject anyone who comes to Him, regardless of their race or religious background.
So the clean and unclean animals in Peter’s vision represent Jews and Gentile. The Jew is represented by the clean animal, the Gentile by the unclean. And what’s God saying? He’s saying, “Jew and Gentile are to be treated equally in the church.” God created both Jews and Gentiles in His image. Therefore, Peter should not reject Gentiles who are coming to God.
Peter’s vision meant that he should not look upon the Gentiles as inferior people whom God would not redeem. Before having the vision, Peter would have thought that a Gentile Roman officer could not become a follower of Christ. Afterward, he understood that it was his responsibility to go with the messengers into a Gentile home and tell Cornelius the Good News of salvation in Jesus Christ.
“Those the Father has given Me will come to Me, and I will never reject them.” (John 6:37 NLT)
Now let’s go back to the passage.
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 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.”
I’m sure Peter now linked his vision with what the angel had revealed to Cornelius. He didn’t understand everything before, but he obeyed anyway. Some of us wait until everything makes sense or we have all our questions answered before we obey God. Here’s a principle to ponder – understanding often comes after obedience. That’s what Jesus said in John 7:17:
“Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own.”
23 Then Peter invited the men into the house to be his guests.
Now Peter is beginning to let his prejudices go. Normally Jews would not invite Gentiles into their homes and would certainly not have a meal with them, but now Peter offers them a bed and breakfast. Peter just crushed the barrier. The religious and racial wall has just been torn down by Peter’s obedience to the Holy Spirit.
III. Peter at Cornelius House (v.23-48)
23 The next day Peter started out with them, and some of the believers from Joppa went along.
Later on, we will see the significance of these other believers who come with Peter. According to Acts 11:12, there were 6 of them who came with Peter. These 6 were pure Jews who became Christians.
24 The following day he arrived in Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends.
Notice how excited Cornelius is to hear the good news that Peter was about to preach. Notice also the heart of this man. He gathered all his relatives and friends to hear this good news from God. We ought to have the same spirit as Cornelius.
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.”
This is very important to note that Peter himself recognizes that even he as an Apostle of Jesus doesn’t deserve to be revered or venerated. He corrected Cornelius’ wrong belief to revere and venerate Peter.
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?”
From verses 30 to 33, Cornelius simply told everyone about the vision from God that came to him 3 days before.
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.
Again, God rejects no one who comes to Him. Jew and Gentiles are welcome to be part of God’s Church. And here’s our third and last point…
LESSON # 3. God Requires Faith in Jesus Who CALLS ON Him.
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.
This is really the crux of all truths, the heart of the matter—that salvation is only through faith in Jesus Christ. That’s the good news that Cornelius and his family needed to hear to be saved.
From verse 36 to 43, Peter preached the gospel to Cornelius and his family. From this speech of Peter, we can draw the six essential elements of the Gospel.
Six Essential Elements of the Gospel
1. Assert that Jesus alone brings peace with God
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.
Rom. 5:1, Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
2. Acknowledge Jesus as Lord of all.
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.
3. Absorb all Jesus said and did.
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.
4. Affirm that Jesus died and rose from the grave.
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.
5. Admit that you deserve to be judged because of sin.
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.
6. Accept Christ by faith to receive forgiveness of sins.
43 All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
Listen and ponder on this verse, forgiveness of sins is available to everyone who is God-fearing? Generous? Religious? No. The verse says to everyone who believes in Him.
Luke 24:47, “and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.”
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 and praising God.
The coming of the Holy Spirit upon these Gentiles confirm their salvation, meaning to say, they believed in Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
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.
Again, what follows faith in Jesus is…? Baptism. Baptism seals their faith in Jesus Christ. These Gentiles were baptized after they received the Holy Spirit, publicly declaring their allegiance to Christ and identification with the Christian Movement.
This mass family conversion is so crucial and pivotal to the history of the church because this demolishes the barrier between Jews and Gentiles.
Colossians 3:11, Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.
Indeed, God responds to anyone who commits to Him. God rejects no one who comes to Him, but God requires faith in Jesus those who call on Him.
Rom. 10:13, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”