Acts 10:24-48

 Acts 10:24-48

You would be hard-pressed to find a more “Roman” Roman than Cornelius. His name was distinctly Roman. He was a soldier, part of the Italian Cohort, a unit made up not of foreign volunteers or conscripts but of Romans. He was likely part of an outfit called the “Thundering Legion.”. And he was a centurion, the backbone of the Roman army. But he had apparently found the faith system of Rome inadequate. He was not yet a convert to Judaism, still being considered a gentile, and at this point not yet circumcised. Having rejected idols but not a Jew, he was a man between faiths. 

It is interesting to notice how important good deeds are in this conversation conversion. In verse 4 the angel mentions alms or acts of charity. This is also mentioned in verse 31 as Cornelius introduces himself to Peter. In describing the life and ministry of Jesus, Peter says, “You know of Jesus of Nazareth how God anointed him with the Holy Spirit and power and how he went about doing good.”. Never let there be a doubt that we are saved by grace. All the good deeds in the world cannot save us from our sins. However, we must avoid the false reaction to discount the value and power of good deeds and acts of kindness. 

There appears to be a link between a tender heart that is moved to acts of kindness and a heart that is responsive to God. A heart that is selfish and closed to the needs of others may also be a heart that will be hardened toward God. That doesn’t mean selfish people can’t be convicted by the work of the Holy Spirit or that they must become generous before they can be converted. What it does mean is the way we respond to human need can and likely does reflect the heart’s response to God.

We are saved by grace through faith for good works. The acting out of those goods works can effect a tenderization of the heart. 

"Lord, may I have a heart filled with compassion, ready to do good to all men as You give me the opportunity and the ability. AMEN"

 

Acts 10:1

 Acts 10:1

 

Based on the last part of chapter 9, it appears Peter was on something like a pastoral circuit. Having met with Saul, he was going around to churches and ministering to their needs. At Joppa, by the power of Christ, he had raised Tabatha from the dead and was using Joppa as a ministry base. Then comes the very weird vision. The vision was undesirable but confirmed by being repeated three times. It was totally perplexing. Because we have the advantage of 20-20 hindsight, we understand the application of this vision. In the moment, however, Peter is “greatly perplexed in mind.“ 

This word translated as “greatly perplexed” is a triple compound word. The first is through, as in through the middle of. The second word is “no,” a negative as in negation. And the third is “way or path.” It is as if to say, “I’m going through the middle of this and there is no way out.” Peter was no Christian newbie; he was no lightweight shallow thinker. He was the first to perceive and understand that Jesus was the Christ. He was as clear a thinker as there was in the church at that time. But all the same he was clueless. He looked at the vision and the way a monkey might look at a calculus equation. In the moment, God was not at all clear. Let us not doubt the importance of the perplexity and that moment.

There are times when we do not understand what God is doing. There are times when we can find no rhyme or reason to the circumstances and reality of our lives as disciples. We live in the context of “no way through.” As Westerners we are a people of action, and with a Newtonian worldview of cause and effect, we feel the need to explain everything, explain it now, and do something about it now. In some cases that approach simply will not work. In Peter’s case the solution came pretty quickly, but that is not always the way things work out. In the midst of great perplexity, we do not need to doubt God's love, His kingdom, or our part in the kingdom. In that great perplexity, the best action may be to simply love God and enjoy being loved by God while we wait.

 "Lord, help me to love You and enjoy being loved by You. AMEN