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!’ Acts 10
Cornelius, a Roman centurion, was devout and God-fearing and had an angelic visitation, telling him to send for Peter and where he was staying.
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…
Peter too received a vision from heaven telling him;
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.’
Peter’s whole mindset, as a practicing Jew, was about to be changed and God had ordained it. Heaven’s viewpoint is often much higher than ours and may challenge beliefs we’ve been holding for a long time, so it was with the apostle Peter.
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.
PETER HAD LITTLE TIME TO CONSIDER THE VISION before three men were standing at the gate. God may want us to move quickly once He has begun something – don’t delay!
Peter took six others with him, Acts 11:12 and set out for Cornelius. God’s Spirit may well have ordained that seven Jewish believers should be present at Cornelius’ household. (The circumcised, ‘Jewish believers’, later criticised Peter for visiting gentiles and eating with them Acts 11:3, they hadn’t received any revelation.)
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.’
Peter had been the leader in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost and now the Holy Spirit sent him to Cornelius. This gathering at the house of a Roman centurion was the birth place of the Gentiles in the Church, God’s Covenant people. Another dispensation began right in this meeting!
44 While Peter was still speaking these words, THE HOLY SPIRIT CAME ON ALL WHO HEARD THE MESSAGE (Faith comes by Hearing). 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.
Peter ordered the ‘new believers’ (Peter received them into the Church right then) be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ. Acts 10:48
When Peter shared these events with the Jewish believers in Jerusalem they accepted what God had done. Revelation came to them through their leader, yet before they’d heard his report they’d criticised him with the old mindset. God is moving powerfully in this day and things may never be the same again. We too need to be mindful of what the Spirit wants at this time.
God bless and keep you today.