STUDY THEME: LET’S DO CHURCH RIGHT. 7-15-07.
SHARING CHRIST WITH ALL PEOPLE ACTS 10: 1-48
ACTS 10: 24-29, 34-36, 42-43, 44-46, 47-48.
PLEASE OPEN YOUR BIBLE TO ACTS 10.
The Biblical truth is that because God’s offer of salvation is for all people, we are to share the gospel with all people and invite them to faith in Christ.
It’s easy to stay in our own circle of friends and not venture outside our comfort zones. We have a gospel message though that needs to be shared with all people. Our culture believes that people should not seek to persuade others to share their religious beliefs. The problem with this is that there is only one way in which God’s saving grace came to us---0through Jesus Christ.
If Christians keep this message to themselves, then many people will continue in the darkness of sin. Therefore, it is important that believers step outside their comfort zones and build relationships with people from differing backgrounds, ethnicity, and beliefs. These things and others form barriers between people that discourage sharing the good news. These barriers must be overcome.
We like our comfort zones because they are, well, comfortable. I’m confident that those of us who have been believers for any length of time would acknowledge that the love of Christ is available to all, regardless of their race, background, or lifestyle.
We believe this, yet we don’t make an effort to reach people of other races, backgrounds, or lifestyles. Why? Because, we won’t step out of our world into theirs. For many of us it is a comfort issue, but for others it is alack of intentionality. Yet, 82 percent of the unchurched are somewhat likely to attend church if they are invited, and they have an interest in developing a real and sincere relationship with a Christian. Apparently, they are willing to step into our comfort zones. Let this study of Peter and Cornelius move you into theirs.
PLEASE READ ACTS 10: 24-29.
The focus in the Book of Acts has begun to move from what God was doing among the Jews to how the gospel message was being spread to, and accepted by, the Gentiles. In Acts 9, 23 read of the conversion of Saul, who later became the apostle to the Gentiles.
At the beginning of Acts 10m, the church consisted of Jews who had been raised in a culture of exclusiveness and separation from Gentiles.
At would take time for the Jews to see the inclusive nature of the gospel, and a key factor in their acceptance of the Gentiles as fellow believers would be the example and leadership of the apostles.
It is significant that Peter, the leader among the apostles, was the first to have his eyes opened to this truth. Peter already was a leader in the church and was, in a sense, the apostle to the Jews. Even after his eye-opening encounter with Cornelius. Peter’s primary ministry remained among the Jews. But in Acts 10, God called him to reach out to a Gentile, an in so doing he paved the way for sharing the gospel with all Gentiles.
God was at work on two fronts. First, He was at work in Caesarea, preparing Cornelius’s heart for the gospel. Acts 10: 1-8 introduces us to Cornelius, a Roman officer stationed in Caesarea. As a Roman centurion, Cornelius was the commander of 100 soldiers. He was a man of power and influence. He was not a Jewish proselyte, but he was favorably disposed to the Jewish people.
Cornelius did “many charitable deeds for the (Jewish) people. We don’t know the level of his understating about who God is, but we do know “he was a devout man and feared God” and “always prayed to God.”
He worshipped the God of the Jews, but he had not become a convert. He saw a vision of an angel telling him to send to Joppa and ask Peter to come to his house.
As a result of Cornelius devotion and prayers, an angel of God told him to send for peter.
In vs. 4, Cornelius was told, “Your prayers and your acts of charity have come up as a memorial offering before God”
There is not a casual relationship here. In other words, hearing the gospel was not a reward for Cornelius’ good works. This is first a word of encouragement to Cornelius that his good deeds had not gone unnoticed.
Second, this was to let Cornelius know that, what he was ultimately seeking, would be addressed by Peter. Cornelius’ prayers may have been prayers for forgiveness, prayers for understanding, or even for God to send someone to help him have a right relationship with Him. His good deeds may have been done out of a desire to do right or a desire to gain God’s favor.
We may not know Cornelius’ motives or the content of his prayers, but Cornelius was shown how he would discover the truth. It would come through Peter.
The second place God was at work was in Joppa, 30 miles to the south of Caesarea. Peter had come to Joppa when the disciples there urged him to come because Dorcas was sick (or may already died!)
After the miraculous raising of Dorcas, Peter remained in the City. Even as the servants of Cornelius were making the trek from Caesarea to Joppa, God was preparing Peter’s heart for their arrival.
Peter is the other main person in the story. He was a Spirit-led follower of Christ, but he had made no efforts to witness to Gentiles. Although he approved of Philip’s ministry in Samaria, he still had the view he had been taught about Gentiles.
Peter was given a vision that shook his Jewish heritage. Peter had followed the O.T. dietary laws and had never touched the animals that were designated as unclean. In a vision, Peter was commanded to partake of those animals he had always deemed as unclean. When Peter refused, a voice said, “What God has made clean, you must not call common.” Immediately after this vision, the Holy Spirit commanded Peter to go “with no doubts at all” with the men who were arriving.
The three men whom Cornelius had sent were Gentiles---two household slaves and a Roman soldier---but the transformation in Peter’s thinking had already begun, because he “invited them in and gave them lodging.”
A strict law would not allow a Gentile to enter his homes. Furthermore, Peter went willing with them the next day. It wasn’t just the four men who traveled, but Peter wisely took some fellow six Jewish believers with him. According to Acts 11: 12, there were six believes who accompanied him, men who were able to serve as witnesses to what lay ahead. They made a traveling group of 10.
We have no indication of where this collection of Jews and Gentiles stayed, but they had one overnight stop on their way to Caesarea. It was the second day after leaving Joppa that Peter and his fellow travelers entered Caesarea. As might be expected after such a dramatic visit by an angel, Cornelius was anxiously awaiting the arrival of Peter and had called together his relatives and close friends.
Upon Peter’s arrival, Cornelius met him, fell at his feet, and worshiped him. Paul and Barnabas had received a similar greeting in Lystra. Cornelius was not practicing idolatry. It was usual in their culture for a person to prostrate himself before someone of rank and honor. Worshiped was the act of showing honor to someone. The root of our English word conveys this, for worship is worth-ship, or honor paid to someone of dignity or worth.
As the man sent by God, Peter was seen as God’s representative and therefore, a man of great value and worth.
Peter did not misinterpret Cornelius’ actions as idolatrous, but he wanted to make it clear that even though he had come as God’s spokesman, he had no special power within himself. Peter had seen this before when he raised the lame man at the temple in Acts 3: 12. Peter’s response was to remind Cornelius that he was a man just like Cornelius who didn’t deserve any special honor or recognition.
Peter’s words and action attest to the change in h is heart toward the Gentiles. First, Peter helped him up. Peter touched a Gentile and, in a sense, served him by helping him up. Second, Peter claimed no superiority as a Jew but pout himself on equal footing with Cornelius. I myself am also a man means they are just alike.
Third, Peter went on in. Surely Cornelius knew of the attitude of the Jews toward Gentiles, and he may have met Peter at the door, wondering if Peter would even cross the threshold. Just as a Jew would not let a Gentile enter his home, he would also not enter a Gentile home. Yet Peter crossed that threshold and over another barrier.
Vs. 38 is a key verse. It makes three points. First of all, by being there he was breaking the laws of his people. By first-century Jewish standards, any Jew who entered a Gentile’s house became unclean.
Second, Peter spelled out what the law was: It is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or come unto one of another nation. This was the way the Pharisees interpreted the O.T. laws of clean and unclean things. Any one who was ceremonially unclean contaminated anyone who had close contact with the unclean person.
The Jews, therefore, did not enter the house of a Gentile; they certainly did not eat with them. Since most Gentiles did not follow the clean and unclean laws of the Jews, the Jews assumed that all Gentiles were unclean.
The third and most important point in vs. 28 is the lesson God had taught Peter. Peter didn’t tell them of his vision, but he told them what he had learned from the vision. God has shown me that I must hot call any person common or unclean. Peter understood the symbolism of the animals. All animals were God’s creation and, therefore, all were clean. Peter rightly understood the conclusion: All humans were clean too. We need to see all people as God sees them: loved by Him and in need of His salvation.
Two key words are common and unclean. The same pair of words is in vs. 14. Common translates the basic meaning of that which belongs to everyone. In the O.T. it often was contrasted with what was holy or sacred.
In the N.T. it is similar in meaning to unclean. Its basic meaning is that which comes in contact with everything and is therefore common.
When Peter had first seen the vision on the rooftop, he was puzzled at being told that he should not call anything God had cleansed common or unclean. At that time, he probably thought God was trying to teach him a lesson about food, but after the messenger arrived from Cornelius, he eventually reached the conclusion that the lesson was about people more than about food.
Peter correctly assumed they knew the significance of this moment. They all knew that Peter was violating the rules of the Jews. “It’s forbidden for a Jewish man to associate with or visit a foreigner.” Forbidden refers to something considered unlawful, a violation of the established order. The truth, however, is that Peter did not violate God’s established order.
The Old Testament forbids entering into contracts and marriages with Gentiles, a principle designed to keep the Jewish nation pure and unadulterated from pagan Gentile practices. The Jews, however, distorted this principle to forbid contact of any kind with Gentiles.
PLEASE READ ACTS 10: 34-36.
The sermon Peter preached to the Gentiles followed the pattern of his previous sermons, but with some differences. First, Peter began with the one truth that was revealed to him at this moment: God doesn’t show favoritism. Second, Peter emphasized that Jesus is Lord of all, a truth about the universal scope of the gospel that would appeal to these Gentile listeners.
We can assume that what Luke recorded in vs. 34-43 is a summation of Peter’s fuller sermon. There were six key parts to Peter’s sermon: (1) Jesus was sent by God to earth and empowered by God’s Holy Spirit (v. 38): (2) Jesus had a ministry of healing and eliminating the suffering of those in bondage. (v.38): (3) Jesus was crucified at the hands of the Jews (v. 39): (4) God resurrected Christ from the dead (v.40) (5) Peter could testify to all this because he was an eyewitness (vv. 39-41): and (6) the result of the work of Christ is forgiveness and, a right relationship with God (v. 43)
Peter began his sermon with in truth, showing that there was evidence that God does not show favoritism. Peter was convinced of this truth. At first, Peter only knew the extraordinary events that had happened to him to bring him to Cornelius’ house. Cornelius now explained the extraordinary events that had happened to him to bring them together. God had spoken to him, a Jew, and God had also spoken to a Gentile. The truth was underscored for Peter once again: I understand that God doesn’t show favoritism. Peter was convinced of this truth.
Peter’s words are introduced with “then Peter opened his mouth, and said.” This is a literal translation of the Greek. We discover that Luke used this introduction as a way of saying, “Listen carefully, what follows is significant.” For example, this same introduction introduces Philip’s words to the Ethiopian: “Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.”
God is no respecter of persons is a way of saying that God doesn’t favor people based on outward conditions or appearances. James 2: 9 makes the application to economic differences.
Acts 10:34 applies the principle of impartiality to the Jew Gentile issue. This was a revolutionary idea for Peter and most Jewish believers. It is true that God made Israel His chosen people, but they were not chosen for privilege but for mission. The call to Abraham spoke of this in Gen. 12:3. But historically Israel was like Jonah, who resisted and resented the people of pagan Nineveh. Acts 10 is a great turning point in the mission to Gentiles. It caused Peter and the others to reassess their mission.
Jesus Himself made plain that God’s ultimate plan had always been to include Gentiles. When He preached in His hometown synagogue, He angered the people by telling how Elijah and Elisha both ministered to Gentiles in Luke 4: 24-29. And at the end of His time He gave the apostles the mission to tell the good news to all people.
Acts 10:35 has puzzled many Christians. On the surface it sounds as if God will save Gentiles based on their good works, but verse 43 shows that faith in Christ is what saves.
What then does vs. 35 mean?
The key to this is to remember that Peter was speaking to just such Gentiles. If Cornelius could be saved by his devotion and good deeds, why was Peter sent to Him? “The meaning is not that such persons are thereby saved, but rather are suitable candidates for salvation. As the gospel was preached to God-fearing Gentiles, they were very open to receive the good news of grace.
Vs. 36 introduces the content of Peter’s sermon. His theme was Jesus Christ. “There is an interesting interplay in the verse between the limited nature of the gospel’s beginnings and its unlimited scope.
God sent the gospel message to his people, ‘the people of Israel.’ But its content was peace, the peace Christ brings, who is ‘Lord of all.’ If he is truly Lord of all, then the gospel and Christ’s peace are for all peoples, not just the people of Israel.
Vs. 36 echoes Isa. 52:7; 57:19.
In Ephesians 2: 17 Paul employed the latter passage to argue the universal gospel and the reconciliation of Jew and Gentile in Christ. Peter also had come to see that it is a natural corollary that there can be no barriers between those who profess Christ as ‘Lord of all.’
It is interesting to compare this sermon with Peter’s earlier sermons in Acts. 2:14-40 and 3: 12-26. Each of these has some things in common. Each began by tying his sermon into what was happening---the witnessing at Pentecost, the healed cripple, and the summons by Cornelius.
Each was linked to O.T. Scriptures. Each focused on Jesus, although this one gives more attention to His earthly ministry, including mention of John the Baptist. Each had at its heart the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This was a common part of the proclamation of the gospel by Peter and Paul. All three of Peter’s sermons ended with an invitation for salvation.
The first part of vs. 37 seems to have assumed that Cornelius and the other Gentiles who had been in Judea were aware of some information about Jesus. When Paul preached to Herod Agrippa 11 he made the same assumption: “For the king knoweth all these things before whom also I speak freely: for I am persuaded that none of these things were hidden from him: for this thing was not done in a corner. However, knowing some facts about Jesus does not make someone a believer.
PLEASE READ ACTS 10: 42-43.
3. PLEASE READ ACTS 10: 42-43.
The gospel is for all because all are sinners and are held accountable for their sin. As sobering as that is, salvation is also universally available through Jesus Christ.
Peter said that all the prophets bore witness to Him. Their message was intended eventually for whosoever believeth in Him. Whosoever indicates that the invitation was for anyone who was willing to believe. With this faith came the promise of forgiveness.
Acts 8:26-40 illustrates these points. When Philip found the Ethiopian eunuch, he was reading from one of the prophets. Isaiah 53 told of the Suffering Servant who carried the sins of humanity. Through faith in Him, the Ethiopian received forgiveness. Cornelius and those with him that day could become one of the whosoever’s who believed and found salvation.
Remission or forgiveness of sins is one of many ways of describing salvation. Remission or forgiveness involves removing sin as a barrier between God and sinners. This verse emphasizes the basic way of responding to Jesus Christ---believing in Him.
4.PLEASE READ ACTS 10:44-48.
Although Peter got the heart of his sermon expressed, Luke made it clear that he never finished. “Still speaking expresses continual activity that was interrupted.” There was actually no need to continue. The point of Peter’s message was to tell them about Jesus and call them to believe in Him.
They obviously accepted the message and believed, because the Holy Spirit immediately came upon them. Trusting Christ for salvation, receiving His forgiveness, accepting Him as Lord and Savior and being indwelt by the Holy Spirit are all simultaneous events. The gift of the Holy Spirit is not something one receives after salvation; it is a part of salvation. “But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to him….
And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, then He who raised Christ from the dead lives in you.
While Cornelius and the other Gentiles received the Holy Spirit in the same way we do, the gift of the Spirit was manifested in a unique way: they were speaking in other languages and declaring the greatness of God.
Some want to read this as ecstatic utterances, for how would speaking in foreign languages have benefited any one in this small setting? However, the word for languages is the same word used in Acts 2:4. Later, Peter said, “The Holy Spirit came down on them, just as on us at the beginning. Acts 2 is clear that the believers spoke in known tongues, not in ecstatic utterances.
This event has been called the Gentile Pentecost. Like the events in Acts 2 when the Spirit was manifested in the Jewish believer, and Acts 8: 18, when the Spirit was manifested in the Samaritan believers, this was a unique, unrepeatable event.
There is nothing in this account that we should interpret as a pattern we should follow and look for in converts.
The Gentiles could have believed and received the Holy Spirit without the evidence of speaking of tongues. Because this was a new step in the mission of the church, the audible and visual manifestation of the Spirit’s presence in their lives gave objective proof that Gentiles too could be recipients of the grace and salvation of God.
The event gave proof of the Jewish eyewitnesses that God had indeed accepted the Gentiles. With nothing more than faith—no circumcision or acceptance of Judaism---these Gentile converts had received the same empowering Holy Spirit.
This was critical for these eyewitnesses when the returned to Jerusalem and had to defend what had happened at Caesarea. (Acts 11: 1-18).
Only an undeniable demonstration of the Spirit’s presence could overcome the objections of the Jews who questioned Peter’s actions. Peter concluded: “If God gave them the gift that He also gave to us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ. How could I possibly hinder God.” The Jerusalem believers were forced to admit that God had opened a door for Gentiles to be saved.
The obvious next step was baptism. Peer asked, “Can anyone withhold water and prevent these from being baptized, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” The question implies a negative answer. This passage makes it clear that baptism is not a requirement for salvation. If it were, they would have needed to be baptized before the Holy Spirit came on them. Peter ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. A person is saved in ands through Christ, and therefore, baptism is conducted in His name as a testimony to what He has done in the person’s life.
NEXT SUNDAY FROM ACTS 13 AND 14 WE ARE COMMANDED TO “SHARE CHRIST IN ALL PLACES.” A.V. DAUGHERTY (altav@swbell.net)