Acts 10 & 11
10: 1-3 There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurian of the band called the Italian Band.
A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God always.
He saw in a vision ...
This Cornelius is a Gentile, not Jewish at all. And God sent an Angel to give him directions. So he sent three of his most trusted men to Joppa, where Peter was.
10: 9 On the morrow, as they went on their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon the housetop to pray about the sixth hour (noon).
Here is where God gives Peter the vision of all the unclean animals, saying that they were cleansed--three times.
Just then, these Gentiles knock on Peter's door. God's timing is always perfect.
God even gives specific addresses: 9:11--Judas' house for Saul, given to Ananias; and 10:5-6--Simon the Tanner's for Peter, given to Cornelius.
And God also interrupts speeches: 10:44 and 11:15--God interrupts Peter by sending His Spirit onto these Gentiles, the same as He did for the Jewish believers; and Luke 15:21--the father, representing God, interrupts his younger son's speech (in vs. 18-19) to call for welcoming him home safe.
Peter proclaims his new understanding, that God has shown me that I should not call any man unholy or unclean (10:28). And I most certainly understand now that God is not One to show partiality, but in every Nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him (10:34-35).
God had to change their minds to allow every person to hear the Gospel. In the past, He forbade certain Nations to be allowed to enter the Tabernacle or Temple, because of their idolatry.
But now that the veil has been torn, allowing everyone to approach God through Christ, not needing any other priest or intermediary, He showed Peter so he could tell the rest about this "change" in methods.
God always wanted the other Nations to realize that He is God, and come to Him. He gave His Law to Israel to demonstrate to the rest of the World how God is good and generous and powerful, the only real, true God.
And there were a few people from those other Nations who did forsake their idolatry and worshipped God with the Israelites. Two of these were women who are even listed in Jesus' own genealogy (Ruth, from Moab, and Rahab, from Jericho; see Matthew 1:5).
Now, with the institution of the church, and God giving His Holy Spirit to those who come to Him through Christ, He is pushing His apostles out of their narrow thinking to see all Mankind as valuable and savable and worth sharing God's great Good News with!
11: 19-21 Now they which were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen travelled as far as Phoenicia and Cypress and Antioch, preaching the Word to only the Jews.
And some of them from Cypress and Cyrene came to Antioch, and also shared with the Greeks there about the Lord Jesus.
Now a lot of these Greeks believed, and word came to the Jerusalem church, so they sent Barnabas to see what was going on.
Barnabas went to Antioch, saw how the church there was both Jews and Gentiles, all getting along well together, and he rejoiced and encouraged them.
Then he took off to Tarsus to get Saul, about 9 years after he'd been sent home from Jerusalem, and brought him to Antioch, where they founded a school and taught for a whole year.
And the believers were called "Christians," "little Christs" first right there in Antioch.
So now God has set the stage for the evangelization of the whole world!
O my Father, You are so much more than I could ever imagine! You had planned this all out, even before You created anything. And You moved these people to get out of their limited thinking to think Your grand thoughts, to understand more of Your grand scheme. Then they went ahead, and laid the first couple of rows of stones on that firm Foundation that is Christ, that Your church has been adding to ever since.
And we, today, are still building up that grand Temple, higher and higher, until the finish row is on it and You roof it with Yourself!
O Father, please continue to send Your workers out into Your fields, Your missionary fields; to preach Your Good News to every creature, and draw in every lost sheep into the safety of the One Fold with One Shepherd. And Your House is full and every seat at Your Table is occupied.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
