1: Cornelius of
Caesarea
- Centurion
- Devout
- Feared God with all his house
- Gave much alms to the people
- Prayed to God always
3: Received vision
in 9th hour of the day
- Saw angel of God coming to Him saying his name
- Was afraid
- Asked "What is it, Lord"
- Heard "Your prayers and alms are come up for a memorial before God."
- Was instructed to send men to Joppa to call for Simon surname Peter lodging with Simon the tanner
- Was told that Peter would tell him what he ought to do.
7: Cornelius did as
instructed
Felt fear (experiencing impact of the presence of the angel upon
soul)
Cornelius recognized the angel as carrying the voice of God to
him
9: Meanwhile on the
next day, in Joppa, Apostle Peter, at the sixth hour, as the men from Cornelius
were arriving unbeknownst to him, was on the rooftop praying.
- Peter became very hungry but while meals were being prepared fell into a trance
- Saw heaven open
- Saw a vessel descending upon him.
- It had a great sheet knit at the four corners
- It was being let down to earth
- It was filled with unclean beasts of the earth and fowls of the air
- Peter was instructed to kill and eat
- Peter objected saying that he had never eaten the common or unclean
- Heard voice saying "What God has cleansed, that call not common"
- This happened 3 times and then the vessel was received back up to heaven
17: As Peter was
doubting what this vision could mean, the men sent from Cornelius arrived and
were standing before the gate asking for him.
19: While Peter was
thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, "Behold, three men seek
you. Arise therefore and go down to them, doubting nothing: for I have sent
them."
21: Peter responded
in obedience to this revelatory voice and went down to ask what the reason was
for their coming to him.
23: Peter took them
in and on the next day they all went together to see Cornelius in Caesarea
where Cornelius was waiting for them and had called together his family and
friends.
25: When Peter
arrived, Cornelius fell down to worship him and Peter stopped him and told him
that he was a also a man.
Cornelius seemed to be recognizing that same power as before
being in the presence of Peter. I recall that as we approached Michigan for the
first time meeting Apostle Eric
28: Peter
acknowledged to the group that it was unlawful for a Jew to keep company or
come to one of another nation. He explained that God had shown him that he
should not call any man common or unclean.
Peter was reflecting on the vision still
Prior to that vision, he would've responded differently when
called upon by them in Joppa
This vision became a fulcrum for his discernment.
He weighed the unfolding events by the revelation he received
(even though he had been doubting on what it all meant at that time)
30: Cornelius
explained that he had been fasting for days prior and was in prayer when a man
stood before him in bright clothing.
- He shared what the angel had said to him.
- He shared that the angel had put him in expectation of Peter coming to speak to him after being sent for.
- Cornelius recognized that God prepared them both for this encounter.
- Cornelius recognized that they were all in the presence of God at that moment.
- Cornelius asked to hear what commandments God intended to share through the lips of Apostle Peter
Cornelius was in recognition of Peter as being a steward of the
grace of God.
Peter put Cornelius in recognition of the Headship of Christ
(saying I am a man as you are)
34: Apostle Peter
began to unfold to them the record God set in Jesus Christ beginning with His
baptism by the Spirit to His death and resurrection.
41: Apostle Peter
identified Himself as a witness of this same record
44: While Apostle
Peter was preaching this gospel of His record to them, the Holy Ghost fell on
them all
John
17:20 Neither pray I for these [apostles]
alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their [apostles] word;
45: Those who had
come to Christ from the Jewish tradition, as Peter had) who accompanied Apostle
Peter recognized that the gift of the Holy Ghost had been poured out on these
gentiles.
- They reasoned that they should extend the invitation of discipleship to them with their tradition of water baptism after recognizing that these people had received the Holy Ghost just as they had.
How would they know that?
What evidence was there?
They too had begun praying in tongues when the baptism of the
Spirit fell upon them. This was the witness.
Note also that this was without the baptism of water. It was the
baptism of the Spirit which they recognized as the witness which was not by the
will of man but by the gift of God.
