W𝕖𝕖𝕜𝕝𝕪 B𝕠𝕠𝕜 𝕠𝕗 A𝕔𝕥𝕤 10 1-20

The Good News For All 

Goes Out To The Nations

Phase 2, of 4?

1 - There was a man in Caesarea named Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment. 2 He and all his family were devout and God-fearing, he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly. 3 One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision, a clear vision of an angel of God, who came to him and said, “Cornelius!” 4 Cornelius stared at him in fear. “What is it, Lord?” he asked. The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as an offering before God. 5 Now send some men to Joppa for a man named Simon Peter. 6 He is staying with Simon the leather maker, who lives in a house near the sea." 7 As soon as the angel was gone, Cornelius called two of his household men and a devout soldier, one of his personal attendants. 8 He told them everything that had happened and sent them to Joppa. 9 The next day as Cornelius’s messengers were nearing the town, Peter went up on the flat roof to pray. It was about noon, 10 and he was hungry. But while a meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. 11 He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. 12 In the sheet were all sorts of animals, reptiles, and birds. 13 Then a voice said to him, “Get up, Peter, kill and eat.” 14 “No, Lord!” Peter answered. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean!” 15 But the voice spoke again, “Don’t call something unclean if God has made it clean.” [The word translated clean, is katharízō – make pure ("clean"), removing all admixture, from katharos - free from every admixture of what is false. Surely the root of catharsis - “purifying or figurative cleansing of the emotions, a release of emotional tension, as after an overwhelming experience, that restores or refreshes the spirit”.] 16 The same vision was repeated three times. Then the sheet was suddenly pulled up to heaven. 17 While Peter was puzzling over the meaning of the vision, the men sent by Cornelius found Simon’s house and asked if a man named Simon Peter was staying there. 19 While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Holy Spirit said to him, “Three men have come looking for you. 20 Hurry down and go with them. And don’t worry, I’m the one who sent them." 

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     Very Brief Outline of Acts:

Jesus returns to where he was with the Father before his advent/visit (his brief first one).

The Holy Spirit/Presence of God is poured out on the believers who were in Jerusalem on the late Spring holy day of Pentecost. Peter speaks, there are 3000 new believers that day.

The good news message spreads, Peter is invited and goes to a Roman’s house and all believe. The first record of non Hebrew believers (besides likely some on Pentecost).

     Persecution breaks out.. jail. stoning. Pharisee Saul leads the persecution, but on his way to Damascus with papers for arrests, Jesus makes himself seen but is so bright Paul falls to the ground and is blinded. After two days he is healed and is a believer, and soon is called Paul. He wrote many (to most) of the New Testament letters, but spent a few years (it seems to me) exclusively listening to the Lord. He established many ‘churches’ in what’s called three missionary journeys, and met and worked with Mark and Luke, and quite a few others. (Luke wrote this Book of Acts.) His fourth journey is to Rome to trial as a prisoner. There’s a shipwreck on the way.. He wrote many of his letters while in prison and under ‘house’ arrest.

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