Peter had a very fruitful ministry in the early days of the church, following Pentecost. He performed miracles. He preached. He was in and out of jail. He also travelled around Judea and Samaria and along the seacoast. It was mostly however to Jewish people or the Samaritans. Here the Lord wanted him to open the door to the Gentiles. In our reading today, we find Peter in the coastal town of Joppa. About 30 km straight north in Caesarea was a godly man named Cornelius. He prayed often. He was a generous giver but he was not saved. The Lord wanted to save him (see 11:14) and graciously brought this about through Peter. But Peter needed a fresh vision of the need of the Gentiles outside of Christ. The Lord gave him this strange vision recorded in verses 9-17. Peter came to understand what the Lord was saying to him and when he was asked, he readily went north with the Gentile messengers to Cornelius' home. What a welcome awaited him there! Cornelius had a burden for both his loved ones and friends (v24). He called them all together to hear Peter. While he was speaking, the Holy Spirit came in His own remarkable way and a thrilling baptismal service was held. What a story! Why not read the whole chapter? Two points we might notice. God had to use an unusual method to catch Peter's attention and enlarge his vision. If God has to do something unusual to attract our attention or make us life up our eyes to see the needs of others, it is not always to our credit. Secondly, it was a great pity that Peter was criticised for what he had done. Look at Acts 11:1-2. Peter handled the situation extremely well by telling how God had led him and had blessed the preaching of the Gospel. Praise God the others recognised God's hand. When we step out and follow God's leading, we may well be criticised. What is our answer? 'This is the will of God for me and God has put His seal on my actions. A THOUGHT: The safest place is always in the centre of God's will |
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