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October 2 - Acts 10 · A Chapter a Day Bible Reading

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  Hello friends. Happy Monday to you.
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  I am Sean. It is the 2nd of October.
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  Happy new month to you. I hope you're going well and at
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  this early point in the week as you're looking ahead, things are
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  looking just dandy as they are for me because well.
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  Next week I get holidays. So you know, the week before
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  holidays you kind of have 1000 things that you're trying to get
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  done before. You're not at work for a week.
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  Well. That's me this week.
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  Running around, chasing my tail, getting things done so I can
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  have some time off. But I'm not there yet, so I
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  better stop talking this way. Otherwise I'll get nothing done
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  this week. I'll just want to relax.
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  But before we relax, let you and me go back to those busy
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  disciples, those busy apostles at the beginning of this church.
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  We're going to hear this week about Peter and about Paul.
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  As they are preaching and healing and growing God's church
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  and trying to work out what does it mean when all these Gentiles
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  become Christians, How does that actually work in the new church,
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  which has been very, very Jewish up until this point.
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  So join me friends, as we go back and read together.
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  Acts, Chapter 10. In say, Saria there lived a
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  Roman army officer named Cornelius, who is a captain of
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  the Italian regiment. He was a devout, Godfearing man,
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  as was everyone in his household.
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  He gave generously to the poor and prayed regularly to God.
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  One afternoon about 3:00, he had a vision in which he saw an
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  Angel of God coming toward him. Cornelius the Angel said.
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  Cornelius stared at him in terror.
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  What is it, Sir? He asked the Angel, and the
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  Angel replied. Your prayers and gifts to the
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  poor have been received by God as an offering.
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  Now send some men to Jopper and summon a man named Simon Peter.
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  He is staying with Simon, a Tanner who lives near the
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  seashore. As soon as the Angel was gone,
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  Cornelius called two of his household servants and a devout
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  soldier. One of his personal attendants.
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  He told them what had happened and sent them off to Joppa.
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  The next day, as Cornelius's message was nearing the town,
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  Peter went up on the flat roof to pray.
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  It was about noon and he was hungry, but while a meal was
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  being prepared, he fell into a trance.
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  He saw the sky open and something like a large sheet was
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  let down by its four corners. In the sheet were all sorts of
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  animals, reptiles, and birds. Then a voice said to him, Get
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  up, Peter. Kill and eat them.
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  No, Lord, Peter declared. I've never eaten anything that
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  our Jewish laws have declared impure and unclean.
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  But the voice spoke again. Do not call something unclean if
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  God has made it clean. The same vision was repeated
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  three times. Then the sheet was suddenly
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  pulled up to heaven. Peter was very perplexed.
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  What could the vision mean? Just then, the men sent by
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  Cornelius found Simon's house standing outside the gate.
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  They asked if a man named Simon Peter was staying there.
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  Meanwhile, as Peter was puzzling over the vision, the Holy Spirit
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  said to him, three men have come looking for you.
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  Get up, go downstairs and go with them without hesitation.
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  Don't worry, for I have sent them.
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  Sir Peter went down and said, I'm the man you were looking
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  for. Why have you come?
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  They said we were sent by Cornelius, a Roman officer.
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  He is a devout and godfearing man, well respected by all the
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  Jews. A holy Angel instructed him to
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  summon you to his house so he can hear your message.
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  So Peter invited the men to stay for the night.
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  The next day he went with them, accompanied by some of the
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  brothers from Joppa. They arrived in Cesaria the
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  following day. Cornelius was waiting for them
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  and had called together his relatives and close friends.
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  As Peter entered his home, Cornelius fell at his feet and
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  worshipped him. But Peter pulled him up and said
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  stand up, I'm a human being just like you.
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  So they talked together and went inside, where many others were
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  assembled, Peter told them. You know it is against our laws
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  for a Jewish man to enter a gentile home like this or to
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  associate with you. But God has shown me that I
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  should no longer think of anyone as impure or unclean.
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  So I came without objection as soon as I was sent for.
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  Now tell me why you sent for me, Cornelius replied.
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  Four days ago I was praying in my house about this same time,
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  3:00 in the afternoon. Suddenly a man in dazzling
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  clothes was standing in front of me.
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  He told me, Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your
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  gifts to the poor have been noticed by God.
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  Now send messages to Jopper and summon a man named Simon Peter.
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  He is staying in the home of Simon a Tanner who lives near
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  the seashore. So I sent for you at once, and
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  it was good of you to come. Now we are all here, waiting
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  before God. To hear the message the Lord has
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  given you, then, Peter replied. I see very clearly that God
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  shows no favoritism in every nation.
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  He accepts those who fear him and do what is right.
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  This is the message of good news for the people of Israel, that
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  there is peace with God through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of
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  all. You know what happened
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  throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee, after John began
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  preaching his message of baptism?
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  And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy
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  Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing
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  good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God
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  was with him, and we apostles or witnesses of all he did
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  throughout Judea. And in Jerusalem they put him to
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  death by hanging him on a tree. But God raised him to life on
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  the third day. Then God allowed him to appear
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  not to the general public, but to us, whom God had chosen in
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  advance to be as witnesses. We were those who ate and drank
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  with him after he rose from the dead.
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  And he ordered us to preach everywhere, and to testify that
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  Jesus is the one appointed by God to be judged over all the
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  living and the dead. He is the one all the prophets
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  testified about. Saying that everyone who
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  believes in him will have their sins forgiven through his name.
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  Even as Peter was saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell
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  upon all who were listening to the message.
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  The Jewish believers who came with Peter were amazed that the
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  gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out onto Gentiles too,
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  for they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God.
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  Then, Peter asked, can anyone object to their being baptized?
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  Now that they've received the Holy Spirit, just as we did so
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  we gave orders for them to be baptized in the name of Jesus
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  Christ. Afterward, Cornelius asked him
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  to stay with them for several days.
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  Jesus, your Kingdom is for everyone you throw open.
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  You throw wide the gates and say, come, all are welcome.
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  Just love me. Just receive my gift of love.
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  Oh, thank you, our Father, that you don't play games.
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  You just have a big father's heart for all people, and you
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  want to draw us in under your wing to love us and protect us
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  and save us through Jesus and give us your spirit, just like
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  those Gentiles in Cornelius's house.
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  Thank you for the love that you give us, for the welcome that
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  you extend us. And the grace that you pour over
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  us, we are so grateful and it's in your saving name that we pray
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  Jesus. Amen.