The Conversion of Cornelius the Gentile - Part 1

please take your Bible and turn to Acts chapter 10. I have missed being here in Acts. The last couple of weeks I have been studying here and reading here some, although we took a break for I believe two important messages. Now tonight we will be in verses one to 16, but really all of the chapter goes together. All of the chapter can be titled almost the same thing. All of these verses are about the conversion of Cornelius. We're gonna see that he was a Gentile. We're gonna see that he was a soldier. And we're gonna see that there's a lot going on with this individual Cornelius who was converted to Christ.

Now we are back in our study of the book of Acts and I wanna remind you what the book of Acts is all about. The book of Acts is all about the Acts and the actions of the Holy Spirit in spreading the gospel, in reaching the lost, in birthing the church as we'll see tonight, and also spreading the work of the church as we'll continue to see throughout our study. Of course this is really all about the Acts and the actions of the apostles. And not just the apostles, those men and women who were close to the apostles. Men like Stephen and Philip that we have studied. Actually this is all about the Holy Spirit working through them.

So if we say this is the acts or the actions of the apostles or the acts or the actions of the Holy Spirit, we are correct. And I remind us of the theme of the book because here in chapter 10 we will see how God the Holy Spirit worked in a new way. God the Holy Spirit worked in a new way through Peter to take the gospel to the Gentiles and to birth the church among the Gentiles. Now in the last half of chapter nine we have seen quite a bit of change for the church. I will not go back into all of those changes. The great persecution of the church that was plaguing the church died down for two reasons.

First, the politics of the day changed so the Jews were not as free to persecute the church. And then second, Saul the lightning rod of this particular persecution was off the scene and he was out of Jerusalem. So these changes enabled the church to enter a time of peace and security. And the church grew and prospered spiritually and numerically. Of course we have learned that even in persecution they grew spiritually and numerically. But because of this peace and security, many of the believers who had scattered because of the persecution came back to Jerusalem because of that peace and security.

And the apostles who remained there in Jerusalem, they were able to move openly and freely in and out of Jerusalem preaching the gospel and doing what we would call apostolic ministry. Look back at chapter nine verse 31 and 32. You'll see what I mean by the change there. Verse 31, so the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up in walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit it multiplied. Now contrast that with the persecution they were experiencing. And then verse 32, now as Peter went here and there among them all, he came down also to the saints who lived at Lyda.

We studied that a couple of weeks ago. So as a result of this great prosperity and peace, Peter enjoyed a time of ministry. We saw there in Lyda and Joppa. We saw there in verses 32 to 43 how God used Peter in those two cities and how that actually set up Peter for what was about to come in chapter 10. Couple of weeks ago I pointed out how these events put Peter in the house of Simon the Tanner. We saw that in verse 43. And that in staying in the home of the Tanner made him unclean. Peter may not have seen it at first but these events really prepared him for. They set him up for this next step and that was going into the house of a Gentile.

And this should not have surprised Peter but of course it did. God had been preparing him for this day for quite some time. The gospel had already been taken to Samaria through Philip and God purposely used Peter and John as apostles to come down from Jerusalem to participate in those events and to pray that they would receive the Holy Spirit. And they did. So if Peter had been paying attention he should have seen that God was preparing him for this day and this time when he would take the gospel to the Gentiles so that this Jew Gentile dividing wall would be broken down and so that the Gentile church would be born.

Now before we get into our verses I wanna point out what we have here in Acts 10 and 11. I have been saying that Peter would fade into the background and that Paul would rise really to be more of the main character throughout the book. Of course we know that Peter stayed there in Jerusalem. He was just not the central focus after a point in time. That's gonna happen soon right after these events. But here we have the last great event where God used Peter to birth the church. Let me restate that then I'll explain. Right here in chapter 10 we have the last great event where God used Peter in the birth of the church.

We have seen that God used Peter to open the door to saving faith first for the Jews. We saw these events back in Acts chapter two verses one to 47 when Peter preached Jesus and the gospel to those Jews at the day of Pentecost. 3000 people were born again then they were baptized and the church was born. We could call Acts two verses one to 47 as the birth of the Jewish church. That would be accurate. We have seen that God used Peter to open the door to saving faith second for the Samaritans. We saw these events in Acts chapter eight verses one to 40 when Philip actually preached the gospel and Jesus in Samaria and many believe.

God then sent Peter and John to investigate as apostles sent from Jerusalem. That would have been the mother church in Jerusalem. They saw that the Samaritans had truly believed but they had not yet received the spirit. So Peter and John, they laid their hands on them and they prayed that they may receive the spirit and they did. We could call Acts eight verses one to 40 the birth of the Samaritan church. And as we will see, God used Peter to open the door of saving faith third to the Gentiles.

We will see how Peter preached the gospel to Cornelius the centurion and as a result, he believed as well as others who were with him, some in his household. They were baptized just like the Jews and just like the Samaritans who had believed. We could call Acts 10 verses one to 48 the birth of the Gentile church. But God used Peter as the apostle to the Jews in these events because God was not birthing three separate churches. He was birthing one church which was comprised of Jew and Gentile and those in between. Let me restate that.

God used Peter as the apostle to the Jews in these events because God was about birthing not three separate churches. He was birthing one church that was comprised of Jew and Gentile and those in between. So notice what we're seeing. Acts 10 is not the completion of three churches. Acts chapter 10 is not the birth of a third church. This is the completion, the completion of Galatians 3.28 which says there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female for you are all one in Christ. So the important thing to see right here is this.

God was about using the apostle Peter to open the door of saving faith to the Gentiles. Therefore, including them into the church, not creating a new church or a different church. Just imagine with me here. Just imagine if there was a Jewish church, what their music would look like. If there was a Samaritan church, what their music would look like. If there was a Gentile church, what their music would look like. One would be very traditional and one would be pretty wild I'm sure. But there's a lesson here folks. When God brings someone different in the life of our church and they're born again, we're all one.

We're all one although we are different. What did Galatians say? What did Paul say in Galatians 3.28? There's neither Jew nor Greek. There is neither slave nor free nor male or female. We are all as born again believers, one in Christ. So remember now when God brings different people into the life of our church and they're born again, we're all one although we're different. And then also remember when God does connect us and I believe he will with churches around the world more personally, we're gonna see that they're different but yet we're all one.

We might feel like we're a little more on the Jewish side, more on the traditional side and they're a little more on the Gentile side, kind of out there on the edge. Well, we're still all one and chances are they look at us the same way or they will. Now let's turn our attention to our verses and what we have before us. Here we see how God took Peter to and into the house of a Gentile. So this is all about the conversion of Cornelius, the conversion of Cornelius the centurion, the conversion of Cornelius the Gentile and the conversion of quite a few Gentiles. So this leads me to the title of the message.

The conversion of Cornelius the Gentile. This is a part one because we won't cover all of this tonight. The conversion of Cornelius the Gentile. Let's read verses one to 16 and then I'll explain to you how we'll cover what's before us. At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of what was known as the Italian cohort. A devout man who feared God with all his household gave alms generously to the people and prayed continually or consistently to God. About the ninth hour of the day, he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God come in and say to him, Cornelius.

And he stared at him in terror and said, "What is it Lord?" And he said to him, "Your prayers and your alms "have ascended as a memorial before God. "And now send men to Joppa and bring one Simon "who is called Peter. "He is lodging or staying with one Simon the Tanner "whose house is by the sea. "When the angel who spoke to him had departed, "he called two of his servants and a devout soldier "from among those who attended him "and having related everything to them, "he sent them to Joppa." Verse nine, "The next day as they were on their journey "and approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop "about the sixth hour to pray.

"And he became hungry and wanted something to eat. "But while they were preparing it, he fell into a trance "and saw the heavens open in something "like a great sheep descending, "being let down by its four corners upon the earth. "And in it were all kinds of animals and reptiles "and birds of the air. "And there came a voice to him, "Rise Peter, kill and eat. "But Peter said, 'By no means Lord, "'for I have never eaten anything "'that is common or unclean.' "And the voice came to him again a second time. "'What God has made clean, do not call common or unclean,' "some translations may say.

"This happened three times "and the thing was taken up at once to heaven." Now, we will not cover all of these verses, but I'll go ahead and tell you the breakdown. First, I want us to see how God sovereignly prepared Cornelius. We see that in verses one to eight. Second, I want us to see how God sovereignly prepared Peter. We see that in verses nine to 16. Now, next week we'll pick up right here and we'll see this meeting between Peter and the Gentiles. And that covers verses 17 to 23. Fourth, how Peter preached the gospel to the Gentiles in verses 34 to 43.

Then last, how the Gentiles believed they were saved, baptized, and added to the church, verses 44 to 48. So let's get started. Number one, I want us to see God's preparation of Cornelius. Verses one to eight. God's preparation of Cornelius. Now, before we get started, there are two facts that need to be pointed out. First, the work of God in this man's life. And then second, a question that automatically comes up. The question of the salvation. What I'm aiming at here is this. We can clearly see that God was at work in this man's life before Peter came and preached the gospel. There is no doubt about it.

God was at work in a great way in this man's life, in Cornelius' life. And Cornelius was certainly seeking God, the text says. And this brings out a question that needs to be answered. Was Cornelius saved before Peter came and preached the gospel? The text says he was devout. The text says he did some wonderful, what we would call Christian things. So was Cornelius already saved before Peter came? We'll get to that. Now, in getting started, really in the verses, I want to make several observations, quite a few out of the verses. Some of these will be rather short. First, the man Cornelius. Let's look at this man Cornelius.

Cornelius lived in Caesarea, which was an important city that was about 30 miles north of Joppa. Caesarea was the capital city of the Roman province of Judea, which is why a large Roman garrison was stationed there. And that's why Cornelius was there as well. But Cornelius was a centurion in what is called the Italian cohort. And the Italian cohort would have been made up of soldiers from Italy, not from the provinces of Rome. And a Roman legion was comprised of 6,000 men when it was fully staffed. And it was divided into 10 cohorts of 600 men. A centurion was in command of 100 of these men. And each legion was comprised of 60 centurions.

Now, this is my point here. Cornelius was a Roman soldier who was in charge of about 100 men. And he would have achieved this position by very hard work through years of faithful service and demonstrating that he had the ability to lead men and he had the responsibility to even lead them in battle. And then second, notice his devotion to God. Here we see that he was more than a devoted soldier, more than a devoted leader in the military, we see that he was a devout man who feared God along with all of his household, the text says. Now there are some who propose that he may have been a convert to Judaism or what is called a proselyte.

There really is no evidence that he was expressly stated here. The others never refer to him as a proselyte. If you chose to believe he was a proselyte, I wouldn't have a problem with that. But it seems that he was simply a Gentile who it is safe to say was affected by Judaism, I believe we will see. But all the translations tell us that he was a devout man who feared God. And being devout here, this means he was pious, he was dutiful, he was devoted in his religion and in his religious affections and religious duties.

And this fearing God here, this means he was seized with fear, he was seized with awe, he was gripped with a reverential fear or a fear of God that moved him to devotion to God and service for God. This was not an immobilizing fear. So third, his service to God. Here we see in his devotion to God and in his fear of God, this mobilized him to do certain religious works. He gave alms or offerings to the poor and he prayed consistently. I think Warren Wiersby gives a good description of what this man's service to God looked like. Now he shows us that he potentially could have really been affected by Judaism and maybe a proselyte.

Wiersby says, and I'm quoting, "Certainly Cornelius was sincere in his obedience to God's law. His fasting and his generosity to the Jewish people, he was not permitted to offer sacrifices in the temple, so he presented his prayers to God as his sacrifices. In every way, he was a model of religious respectability." I agree with that. In every way, he was a model of religious respectability. But a question, that same question, was he already saved? Was he already saved long before Peter came to his home and preached the gospel? One could make a case that he was indeed saved, but that is not the case. And it can't be for two reasons.

First, we know that Cornelius was not saved because he was not saved until Peter arrived. Peter preached the gospel, preached the gospel even to those in his household. Luke tells us that Peter preached the gospel. Cornelius and others believed. The Spirit fell upon them. They were baptized and they were always baptized after they were converted to Christ. And all of those things point to conversion when Peter preached. And then second, we see that Cornelius was not saved because of the right understanding of this word devout. Devout does not mean accepted by God or justified in the sight of God.

Devout means acceptable as compared to everyone else and even compared to who he used to be. I like how the Bible scholar John Stott explains this. He says, and I'm quoting, "What Peter emphatically did here, "it did not seem to be saying that anybody "or any nation or any religious people who were devout, "that would be fearing God were upright "and therefore justified." What Stott is saying is, this is not some kind of a universalism. And he goes on to point out that believing Cornelius was already saved would have contradicted Paul's gospel preaching and Luke's gospel preaching found here in Acts.

So the point I'm trying to make here is this. We can't be mistaken here and believe that Cornelius was already born again. Cornelius was devoted to God and he walked in the fear of God. He prayed consistently, he gave money and gifts to the poor. But at this point of the story, Cornelius still desperately needed to be saved. He needed to hear the gospel, he needed to repent and believe in Jesus. Then and only then could God save him by grace and forgive his sin. Then and only then could it be baptized and identified with the believers. Now there's a lesson here and this is a hard lesson for some.

There are many who have a devotion to God and a fear of God, but they are not born again. There are many, even many that we know who were just like Cornelius. They're devoted to God and they have a true and legitimate fear of God, but they are not born again. There are many who fear God, they're devoted and their fear and their devotion lead them to open service to God, but they've not been converted to Christ. It is an awful thing to be what's called an almost Christian. That's what Cornelius was, the almost Christian. The almost Christian is the man of the woman who's devoted to God.

They even walk in a fear of God, a healthy reverential fear of God, but they're not born of God, even though they do religious works of service for God. They're just a lost person, much like Cornelius. We have tons of that today, sadly, because we live in a day where easy believe-ism is preached and so prevalent, decisionism is so rampant, and we live in a day of cultural Christianity. But let me move on. Fourth, I want us to see his vision. Here we see that Cornelius received a vision of or a visitation from an angel of God which took place at the ninth hour, which was one of the most important times of Jewish prayer.

Again, this is where some believe he was affected by Judaism or maybe a proselyte. But here Cornelius was seized with fear because of this visitation from an angel of God or a vision from God. One commentator points out that these types of visions in Scripture, old in New Testament, always produced this fear, this terror, which is completely different from the casual flippancy that we see with so many today that say they have visions from God. Think about that. So many say they have visions from God. They're casual, they're flippant, they're happy-go-lucky, but that's not what we see in Scripture.

Both old and New Testament, when we see people who have these visions of God, they were gripped with fear and with terror. But then fifth, his recognition before God. Here we see that God recognized Cornelius' devotion to God. And he brought this to the attention of Cornelius. We can say that God bragged on Cornelius to Cornelius. He bragged on, God bragged on Cornelius to Cornelius. And what we see here is this. Cornelius had responded to the light that he had received. He worshiped God as best as he knew. He was devoted to God and lived in the fear of God as best as he knew according to the truth that he possessed.

He responded positively and wholeheartedly to the light and the truth that he had received. And remember now, it was an incomplete light and an incomplete truth. But he was still not justified before God. Again, he was the almost Christian. But the important thing to see here is this. Cornelius was recognized before God in this way because he responded positively to the light that he knew and all of the light and all of the truth that he knew. He did not resist or reject any light or any truth. He had not resisted or rejected any light or any truth that he had received. Questions here I want us to ponder.

Are we as born again Christians receiving and obeying all the light and truth that we have received? Has born again Christians today who possess a full copy of God's word in Revelation now, are we receiving and obeying all of the light and all the truth that we have? Was Cornelius more obedient and faithful to the limited amount of God's truth and light that he had? That which he knew? Then we are with the truth and the light that we have received? Now remember, he was a lost man. It's hard for some folks to get their mind around that. He was a lost man, but he was faithful to all of the light and all of the truth that he had.

And we have to ask, are we as faithful and obedient to the light and the truth that we have? Should be kind of convicting for us all. Sixth, his instructions from God. We see that the angel of the Lord called Cornelius to send men to Joppa, to the homeless sign of the tanner and to bring Peter back, that's rather clear. But notice the angel of God gave no explanation. He offered no hint about what these things were about. He just gave instructions. Seventh, his obedience to God. Here we see that Cornelius obeyed. He sent two servants and a devout soldier to do what the angel of God had commanded.

Now notice one small detail that tells us a lot. Cornelius sent two servants and one devout soldier. In other words, there was a soldier under Cornelius who was a devout God-ferer as well. Maybe, just maybe, Cornelius was a great evangelist. Maybe, just maybe, he was a great evangelist. Therefore, that soldier who was connected to him or under him brought into the position where he was a God-ferer as well. And think about it, he was not even born again. Is that convicting for us? So, I know we've zoomed through quite a lot here, but here in verses one to eight, we see how God prepared this devout God-fearing Gentile for his plans.

You see, we see how God sovereignly, providentially worked in this God-fearing Gentile for his plans, God's plans. Yes, Cornelius was responsible for the light and truth that he received. Yes, he was faithful and devoted to God, but we must say that God was behind all of these things. God was at work to bring this man into contact with another man who would tell him the full truth of the gospel in Jesus. Of course, we know the rest of the story. Now, there's one truth in fact that I want us to see before we move on. When someone comes to faith in Christ, it is because God chose to work to bring him to that place of faith in Christ.

You see, God was behind all of these things with Cornelius. And when we see someone come to faith in Christ, it is because God chose to bring them to that place. And when someone is seeking after Christ, when someone is seeking the truth of Christ, and when they're seeking to find the true Christian life, yet they're still not born again yet. It is God who is calling them. It is God who is drawing them. It is God who is enabling them to come towards the gospel in saving faith. That was God doing all this with Cornelius. And he goes on today. This just echoes what Jesus says in John 644.

Jesus says, "No one can come to me "unless the Father who sent me draws him." So we have the totality of God's word, and we can look into the Scripture and say, "Yeah, that was God the Father doing all that work "to get Cornelius to that place, "and now we're gonna see Peter to that place." So just like Cornelius, today, lost sinners need God the Father to draw them to Christ. And that should motivate us to energize our prayer life more and more for the lost. Number two, God's preparation of Peter. Now we see God's preparation or sovereign preparation of Peter.

Here we see a sovereign work of God now in Peter's life, and this work was just the same, but completely different than the work that God did in Cornelius' life. Both Cornelius and Peter were experiencing the sovereign work of God in their lives according to God's plan to take the gospel to the Gentiles. God was the puppet master. Cornelius and Peter were God's puppets. But the difference was this. God was working to save and to redeem Cornelius, but in Peter, God was working to sanctify, change, and mature Peter to get him to a place where he could be the one to bring the gospel to Cornelius and saving faith to Cornelius.

MacArthur says that God was preparing a sinner in Cornelius and God was preparing a preacher in Peter. You see how God was working? Much the same, but yet completely different. Now let's read verses nine to 16 again, and then we will make four observations here, nine to 16. Now the next day as they were on their journey, that would have been the men that Simon, or excuse me, that Cornelius sent, Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray, and he became hungry and he wanted something to eat.

But while they were preparing it, that would be the food, he fell into a trance, and he saw the heavens opened up and something like a great sheet descending, being let down by its four corners upon the earth. In it were all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds of the air, and there came a voice to him, "Rise, Peter, kill, and eat." Peter said, "By no means, Lord, "for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean." And the voice came to him again a second time, "What God has made clean do not call common." This happened three times, and the thing was taken up at once into heaven. Now four observations here. First, the vision.

It is obvious this was a strange vision for sure, but when the parts of the vision are explained, it really makes sense. The sheet here contained all kinds of animals that represented all kinds of people, but to the Jew, there were two kinds of people represented here. Clean animals are clean people. The Jews represented by those clean animals, and the unclean animals are unclean people. Well, those were the Gentiles, you see? And the clean and unclean animals in the sheet speak of the Old Testament commands which God gave to the Jews pertaining to the dietary laws and restrictions. We see this in Leviticus.

Leviticus 20, verses 25 to 26 tell us the reason for those dietary laws and regulations. I'll read those two verses. "You shall therefore separate the clean beast "from the unclean. "In the unclean bird from the clean, "you shall not make yourselves detestable "by beast or by bird or by anything "with which the ground crawls, "which I have set apart for you to hold unclean." Here's the reason. "You shall be holy to me, "for I the Lord am holy, "and I have separated you from the peoples "that you should be mine." So the point was very simple. They, the Jews, were commanded by God to keep themselves separated from their pagan neighbors.

And those dietary laws and regulations would have kept the Jewish people separated from those pagan peoples. So the vision is rather simple once it's understood. But the point of the vision, second, we see the point of the vision in Peter's response in God's answer back. We see the point in this dialogue. It's really a back and forth. When God called Peter to take and to eat, Peter responded, I'm putting in my words, no way, Lord, no way. I know the Old Testament, and I've never eaten anything unclean, but what does God say back? He says, "Do not call anything unclean "that I have deemed clean." And we see that this happened three times.

And the point here is rather simple. It was difficult for Peter to see and accept, but it's simple. In and under the new covenant, which was being unfolded before Peter's eyes, God was calling him to be a willing participant in this unfolding now of the new covenant. In and under the new covenant, the days of restrictions were over. They were done, they were done away with. What God was trying to explain to Peter here is clearly seen in Galatians 3.28 that says, there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, you are all one in Christ.

We could actually say that Galatians 3.28 says, there is neither clean nor unclean, for all who are born again are one in Christ. And the point in the vision would be soon made known to Peter when the unclean Gentiles, Cornelius and some of his family, and some they were there with him, when they savingly believed in Christ, the spirit was poured out, they were baptized and they were added to the church. And there's a lesson right here, church, that's simple. The gospel is for everyone. Remember, the gospel is for everyone.

The gospel is for Cornelius, the Gentile Roman soldier, the gospel is for the Phoenician woman we studied last week, the Serophoenician woman, and the gospel is for good Jews like Peter, you see. Third, the purpose of the vision. Now I've already touched on the purpose of the vision some, the vision was meant to help Peter to see a new day had come. The unclean Gentiles were about to be included in the new covenant, and then this new society of people, what was the new society of people? The church. But the purpose of the vision was to change Peter. The purpose of God here was to correct Peter.

God's purpose was to correct, change and prepare Peter for the work that was right there at hand. Simply, if he had not embraced God's purpose in these things, he would have missed God and missed God's purpose for him and for all that God was doing with Cornelius. I like how John MacArthur explains the purpose of the vision. He says the meaning of the purpose was twofold, one side negative and one side positive, and I'm quoting him here, on the negative side, it was signified, it signified the abolishing of the Old Testament dietary restrictions.

So on the negative side, it, the vision, signified the abolishing of the Old Testament dietary regulations and restrictions. On the positive side, the vision pictured the inclusion of both the Gentiles, symbolized by the unclean animals and the Jews symbolized by the clean ones into one body. And then fourth, the response of Peter. Notice that as soon as Peter heard these things, he jumped up to obey God. Is that what Peter did? No. Verse 16 says that these happened three times, that this happened three times. So what do we need to see here? Peter struggled.

He struggled immensely to see and to hear and understand God's teaching and purpose and all of these things. Peter clearly struggled to see and to hear and to understand what God was doing here. But notice he struggled, but he didn't say no. He struggled and he wrestled, but he didn't say no. And there is a lesson here, brother and sister, we can struggle in our obedience to God and in His word without saying no. Let me repeat that. We can struggle, yes, in our obedience to God. We can struggle, yes, in our obedience to the word of God and even accepting the word of God without saying no. But there is a warning here as well.

We must be very, very careful not to allow our struggle to turn into a no. Peter struggled, but he didn't say no. We can struggle, but never say no. So a question, how are we doing in our struggling and our struggling with obedience to God in His word? Are we getting close to a no? Are we ever saying no? Maybe we're obeying God while we're struggling. We would be better off obeying God while we're struggling. Peter struggled all the way till he got to Cornelius' house. But notice Peter's ultimate and final response. I'm skipping ahead a little, but it needs to be seen.

When the three men from Cornelius arrived for Peter, he obeyed God and went. This is simple. This is simple. He obeyed and he went. Now, just like before, really, we've zoomed through quite a lot here in verses nine to 16. But notice that we have seen how God prepared Peter to be used for his purposes in bringing the Gentiles into the faith and into the church. Yes, Peter was an heir. Yes, Peter had to be corrected. Yes, Peter struggled to get what God was doing, but we must see that Peter yielded to God. He yielded to God's word. He yielded to God's work and God's plan, even when he couldn't see all that was taking place.

And right here, there is quite a bit that we can learn and apply, and we should. We need to see that God prepares us for service unto him today, and a lot like he did with Peter. Let me restate that and then I'll explain it. We need to see that God prepares us for service unto him and for him a lot like he did with Peter in that day, when God is preparing us. First, he calls us to service. He calls us to serve him in the life of the church. Second, when he does, sometimes, many times, he has to correct error to get us to the place where we can serve.

You see, when he does call us to serve, sometimes, even many times, he has to correct us and change us so that we can serve. And then third, when we do serve, he is revealing his purposes. When we do serve, he is revealing his purposes to us and through us. It's one thing for God to tell us, but it's one thing for God to demonstrate his purposes through us. And when God calls us to serve him in the life of his church, first, obedience to his call requires obedience. You might say, "Pastor, that doesn't make sense." Think about it, it does. When God calls us to serve him in the life of his church, obedience to his call requires obedience.

I have asked people to serve before, and they give every kind of excuse other than obedience. But I'll never forget, in the life of our church, I asked a man a few years ago to serve and to teach. And I said, "Do you feel called? "Would you feel called? "Would you serve in this capacity?" And he said, "It's not about me feeling called, "it's about me being obedient. "I'm a servant, you're my pastor, you ask me, "so I'm being obedient." You see, he understood that obedience to the call required obedience. Are you obedient? When the call comes, are you obedient? I'm thankful, we have a lot of people here who are obedient.

Second, obedience requires faith. Look, if you can serve God, and you can serve God without faith, well, then something's amiss. Obedience requires faith. Third, obedience requires trust in him and his purposes. That's tied to the faith. Our faith is in him, our faith is in his work. Oh, we don't trust in our abilities, we don't trust in our talents, we should never do that. We can't do the work of the church and serve in the life of the church without him. We trust in him by faith, and we trust that God will fulfill his purposes. That's what God has done through us. Now, at this time, I wanna pause on our message, like I said earlier.

Next week, we'll pick up at verse 17, and we'll look at third, the meeting between Peter and these Gentiles. Fourth, how Peter preached the gospel to the Gentiles, and last, how the Gentiles believed and they were saved. And I wanna close by asking a question. What does any of this mean for us today? What does it mean for us and to us today? We don't have Roman centurions today. We don't have a Jew-Gentile issue today. We don't need a vision of a sheep coming down from heaven with all kinds of animals in it. We don't need that today. Now, what we need to see right here is this, is we begin to close.

The main point and purpose here is oneness in unity. God was about building one church. Not three. God was about building one church comprised of Jew, Gentile, and all those in between. And we will see as we continue in the book of Acts, that, oh, they struggled to get this oneness. They struggled to get this unity. There was conflict and division between the Jew and between the Gentile and between everybody else in between. And until the Gentiles were brought into the church, I used this term earlier, this new society called the church, the body of Christ was incomplete. You see?

Until the Gentiles were brought into the church, this thing called the body of Christ, the church was incomplete. So the point here is oneness. The point here is unity. As a born-again Christian, we are born again into one body, one body. Paul describes this in Romans 12, four to five. For as in one body, we have many members, and the members do not have, all have the same function. So we, though many, are one body in Christ and individually members one of another. What is Paul saying? We're one body, but yet we're different. We're all different, but yet we're one body.

To use the illustration, some of us are a hand, some of us are a foot, some of us are an elbow, some of us are an eye, some of us are a leg. We're all different because we're different parts of the body, but we're one body. Again, 1 Corinthians 12, 12 to 13. For just as the body is one and as many members, and all the members of the body, though many are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one spirit, we were all baptized in the one body. Jews or Greeks, slaves are free, and all were made to drink of one spirit. Many parts, different parts, one body. And look, church, this affects how we relate to one another.

We can't view each other as different. We view each other as one. We can't view them as one race and they're another race. We view each other as one. We can't view one as poor and one as rich. We view each other as one, you see? This affects how we relate to new people that God brings into the church. This affects how we treat others that we may call Gentiles or the serophoenicians or the centurions, you see? The different peoples. And this also affects how we treat other churches.

Again, in the life of our church and in our participation in anchored in truth, we will find ourselves in a position where we are coming up against other peoples in the world who don't talk like us, they don't dress like us, they have different customs. Their church is completely different. They're other people, but no, they're not. We're all one. We're all one. So the conversion of Cornelius the Gentile, this is a part one, and hopefully we can finish up the rest of the verses next week.