Michael continues: This old wine skin of not associating with gentiles kept Peter from wanting to minister to a “heathen.” However, Peter said, “when I was called, I came without objection.” Verse 31 tells about how God revealed to him that he should go see Cornelius. Actually, Cornelius the unbeliever was more willing to act on God’s revelation than many Christians. Christians often think they should pray about God’s instructions rather than simply acting by believing faith on God’s revelation. Cornelius invited Peter into his home. When you’re around people who think that you’re special because you have done things on behalf of God, Peter had to correct their theology and said, “I’m just a man like you.”
Cornelius said, “we (our whole household) have gathered together in the presence of God to hear everything that the Lord has commanded you to tell us.” They wanted to know the truth of the word of God. They weren’t afraid to understand God’s righteousness, judgement, and holiness. They wanted to be set free from everything that was imprisoning them. They did not want a watered-down message of “easy believism.”
Jesus had said to his disciples, “Go into all the world ... teaching them to observe all things I have commanded you.” According to Corinthians, we are not as those who water down the word of God. In Acts 10: 34-43, Peter preached to Cornelius and his household the gospel message of deliverance from sin’s bondage of this world and salvation through Jesus Christ. According to Romans 12, the Bible says, recompense to no man evil for evil, provide all things honest in the sight of all men. Be not overcome of evil but overcome evil with good.
While Peter was preaching, the Holy Spirit fell upon Cornelius and his household and the Jews who were with Peter were all amazed. The gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out on Cornelius and his Gentile household just as it had fallen on Peter and the Jews who were with him. The emphasis is to meet with people. We’re living connected together despite the storms of life so that there is a healthy connection of believers within our own households. The church ministry in the home was one of the hallmarks of the first century church in the book of Acts. The harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few. One of the harvest fields is in the homes of people who need to have an encounter with the risen Lord.
New means new. The new is completely different from the old normal. This is a time of renewal to change what was wrong with our lives. The devil works through distraction. Now is the time to set our affections on things above and not on the things of this world. The time is ripe for the harvest. As Christian believers, God is opening the minds of those he’s calling to receive the seed of the Word of truth. We’ve been called to plant, to water, and to bring in the harvest in the mission field of the hearts he’s prepared for us. That He alone may be glorified and that we may be to the praise of the glory of His grace. Live.
Your brother in Christ, Michael
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