Discipleship Training by Heather Compton Week 20

Turn your Bibles to Acts 10

Today, I want to look at a guy named Cornelius, a Roman Army officer. Let’s rehash the events as they unfold.

• Cornelius is a Gentile (not jew) but fears the Lord and is faithful in prayer and giving.

• The Lord instructs Cornelius to send men to get Peter and bring him to his home.

• The Lord visits Peter before the men get to him and instructs him to go with the men.

• Peter, without a second thought, obeys and goes with the men.

• When he arrives at the house of Cornelius, he finds many people gathered together to hear what he has to say.

• Peter taught about Jesus and how to receive Him. 

• In the middle of the meeting, the Holy Spirit fell on them, and they began speaking in tongues.  

• This was proof to the Jews who traveled with Peter that the gift of salvation and the Holy Spirit was for both the Jews and Gentiles.  

What can we learn from this? God loves everyone and desires all to come to the saving knowledge of Christ. We see here that it doesn't matter your family origin or how you were brought up; God has a purpose and plan for you. God is also showing us to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit. What if Cornelius had dismissed the visitation by God as a strange dream or hallucination and never sent anyone to find Peter? What if Peter had thought the ‘trance’ was just due to eating too late the night before? What if Peter had refused and stuck with his religious tradition that said he should never be seen with and especially not be in the house of the Gentiles?  

Internal Reflection: It is so easy to question God. It is so easy to get so set in our ways we miss the thing He is trying to do in our lives and for those around us. It is easy to forget that HE died for ALL to have eternal life and only to want to witness to those who look and act like us. Have you fallen victim to this thinking? How can we get past this and truly cast our nets wide to reach those who are different from us? 

Many Bible scholars believe Cornelius was the first Gentile that was saved.  Regardless, if he wasn’t #1, he was still among the first few. This is important because most (if not all) of us are Gentiles. Thank You, Jesus, for a few men who didn’t allow religious tradition and the laws of the day to stop the Holy Spirit from moving. When we get to Heaven, we should all find Cornelius and Peter and thank them for following the leading of the Spirit of God! 

Memory Verse: (take time to memorize)  Romans 1:16

 For I am not ashamed of the gospel [a]of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.