22 The men replied, "We have come from Cornelius thecenturion. He is a righteous and God-fearing man, whois respected by all the Jewish people. A holy angel toldhim to ask you to come to his house so that he couldhear what you have to say." - P84
24 The following day he arrived in Caesarea. Corneliuswas expecting them and had called together his relativesand close friends. - P84
25 As Peter entered the house, Cornelius met him andfell at his feet in reverence.
26 But Peter made him get up. "Standam only a man myself."
"Stand up," he said, "I - P85
30 Cornelius answered: "Three days ago I was in myhouse praying at this hour, at three in the afternoon.
Suddenly a man in shining clothes stood before me 31and said, ‘Cornelius, God has heard your prayer andremembered your gifts to the poor. 32 Send to Joppafor Simon who is called Peter. He is a guest in the homeof Simon the tanner, who lives by the sea.‘ 33 So I sentfor you immediately, and it was good of you to come.
Now we are all here in the presence of God to listen toeverything the Lord has commanded you to tell us." - P85
As Peter is wondering what the vision means, Cornelius‘s men arrive. Petergoeswith them. Cornelius is waiting for him with his relatives and friends.
- P85
Peter explains that according to Jewish law, he cannot visit Gentiles but thatGod told him not to call anyone impure. When Peter asks why he was sentfor, Cornelius tells him about his vision and is eager to listen to God‘s Word. - P85
As Peter is still pondering the meaning of the vision, the men sentby Cornelius arrive at his house. At around the same time, the Spirittells Peter to go downstairs and meet three men who are looking forhim. - P86
God is at work to orchestrate this encounter that will have greatimpact on the Early Church. - P86
He continues to work in the same waytoday, but we need to be sensitive to the Spirit in order to discern whatHe is saying. - P86
It is easy to miss His voice if we are too caught up in thebusyness of life. Like Peter, we need to develop a discipline of prayerand listening to God. - P86
We must cut out anything that distracts us fromhearing His voice. - P86
When Peter arrives in Caesarea, he finds Cornelius expectantly waitingfor him. He has filled his house with relatives and friends who havegathered to listen to what Peter has to say. - P86
Peter explains that his pres-ence among a Gentile crowd violates Jewish law, but he is there becauseGod commanded him. - P86
God calls us to cross social, cultural, and na-tional frontiers so that we can take the gospel wherever He wants us togo. - P86
It takes courage to follow God‘s call into the unknown, but whenwe obey, we will find that God has already gone before us, preparingpeople‘s hearts. - P86
Let us all serve God with expectancy, knowing that Heis always at work and we are simply following His lead. - P86
Dear Lord, help me to keep in step with your Spirit as He leads me in this jour-ney of faith. - P87
Fill me with expectancy as I wait to see what You have in store forme and those around me. In Jesus‘ name, amen. - P87
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