SCRIPTURE - Acts 10:30-33
30Cornelius answered: "Four days ago I was in my house 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 and remembered your gifts to the poor. 32Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter. He is a guest in the home of Simon the tanner, who lives by the sea.' 33So I sent for you immediately, and it was good of you to come. Now we are all here in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has commanded you to tell us."
OBSERVATION
The Holy Spirit reveals in amazing supernatural ways that the Gospel is not exclusive for the Jews but reaches all peoples, including those who were considered unclean. Cornelius was a good man and a spiritual man, but he was a Gentile. This was a huge revelation for the early church. They struggled with this, some opposed it, but the Holy Spirit prevailed.
APPLICATION
There are many Cornelius types of people around us. These are people that do righteous works and even sympathize with spirituality in one way or another. They know that there is a God and they try their best to honor and live according to His will. However, they do not have a full understanding of the Gospel and need someone like Peter to deliver the good news. This sounds like an easy job. But in reality it is not. Just like Cornelius, there are many people that Christians consider "unclean." They are compassionate and somehow spiritual, but their lifestyle doesn't reflect sound doctrine or the foundations of the scripture. Unfortunately, many people in the Church deal with them without the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. These well intended people are more concerned to prove they are right rather than being the light. And instead of bringing them closer to God, they end up moving further and further form the truth of the Gospel.
PRAYER
Dear heavenly Father, I'm aware that there are some many Cornelius out there and very few people like Peter, willing to break the stereotypes, and become effective presenters of the Gospel in a way that brings them closer to you. My prayer today is that you will anoint me and our church to be effective reaching those who are ostracized and considered unclean. Give us favor among the communities that are often overlooked by the church and use us to bring them closer to God. Let your Holy Spirit speak to them and to us just like you spoke to Cornelius and Peter. In Jesus name, Amen!
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