0410 DID YOU SAY GENTILES?!?

DID YOU SAY GENTILES?!

Today we are reading one of the most detailed accounts of the Holy Spirit working in the early church. He appears to Cornelius in a daytime vision. This is especially significant because Cornelius is a Roman centurion who was a God-fearer, but clearly was a Gentile. Not that God never spoke to Gentiles in a dream, but this is a vision from an angel calling him by name! (Notice how often God has called to someone using their name?) And this is aimed specifically at the salvation of Cornelius and his household.

Cornelius is a God fearer. He has prayed Jewish prayers, and has given generously to the poor. He has been as good a Jew as most Jews are. That doesn’t mean he has earned anything, but that his heart is already right with God.

The angels tells him specifics: send men to Joppa. Find Simon Peter. He is staying at Simon the tanner’s house by the seaside. He sends three God-fearing men.

Meanwhile, God is speaking to Peter. He goes up onto the (flat) roof of the house to pray. He was hungry, and the tanner was downstairs preparing a meal. But this was not just a hunger dream for peter. He sees animals, which are unclean and forbidden for him to eat, he is told to rise and eat. He says no to the invitation. Then has the vision happen two more times, and go back up to heaven. 

Peter is inwardly perplexed by this confusing message. Why would God tell him to eat unclean meat? Oh, right! He said, “Do not call unclean what I have made clean.” Maybe that’s a significant detail. Why didn’t God explain himself? What is this all about? 

He’s still thinking about it when the message comes from downstairs: three men are at the door, specifically asking for you by name. Could this be related to the strange vision? Hmm. Peter goes downstairs.

The men explain Cornelius’ vision. Could this be related? It must be, but how? He invites the men to stay the night and tells them he will go with them in the morning. 

They enter Caesarea and go to Cornelius’ house. At this point, Peter would normally just call to him from outside his house, because a Gentile’s house is unclean. But something about the clean/unclean line has blurred in the last day for him. 

He enters the house and Cornelius falls down to honor Peter. The apostle tells him to stand up, because he is a man just like him. It turns out that the house is filled with family and friends that Cornelius has invited. And Peter tells them his life-changing story. He says it’s against their laws for him to enter a Gentile home or to associate with them. But (here Peter has put the puzzle together for the first time): “God has shown me that I should no longer think of anyone as impure or unclean.” (It was PEOPLE, not animals, that God was talking about!)

So, there is Cornelius. There is Peter. And Peter begins by sharing his new insight that “God shows no favoritism.” He then delivers a 60-second presentation of the Gospel to those in the house. 

Then, even as he is saying these things, the Holy Spirit falls upon all those who were listening to the message. They are speaking in other tongues and praising God. And it’s clear that this was the same thing that happened on Pentecost to the apostles and other Jewish believers. Peter and his Jewish companions are dumbfounded. In fact, they had received the Holy Spirit before they had even been baptized! 

So Peter concludes, can anyone object to these people being baptized when they receive the Holy Spirit the same as we did? And they baptized the whole household of people, and stayed for several days—in the home of a Gentile (who is a BROTHER!)! They teach. They share. They fellowship. As one body in Christ.

The barrier has been broken, and it took supernatural revelation to bring it about. But the church is now, and forever, ONE BODY! This will not go without being questioned and tested, because it is such a profound change. But the answer from the Lord is, “Enlarge the circle! These people, also, are my people!”