The Old Has Gone!
Opening Prayer
Lord, open my heart. Root out any prejudices I may have that are contrary to Your Word.
Read Acts 10:9–23a
9 About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. 10 He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the 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 It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles and birds. 13 Then a voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.”
14 “Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.”
15 The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”
16 This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven.
17 While Peter was wondering about the meaning of the vision, the men sent by Cornelius found out where Simon’s house was and stopped at the gate. 18 They called out, asking if Simon who was known as Peter was staying there.
19 While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Simon, three men are looking for you. 20 So get up and go downstairs. Do not hesitate to go with them, for I have sent them.”
21 Peter went down and said to the men, “I’m the one you’re looking for. Why have you come?”
22 The men replied, “We have come from Cornelius the centurion. He is a righteous and God-fearing man, who is respected by all the Jewish people. A holy angel told him to ask you to come to his house so that he could hear what you have to say.” 23 Then Peter invited the men into the house to be his guests.
Peter at Cornelius’s House
The next day Peter started out with them, and some of the believers from Joppa went along.
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
God’s plan is for ALL to come to redemption. He is able to save all who come to him.At his house in Joppa, Peter sought privacy to pray and went to the rooftop. The idea that some food was clean and other food unclean was deeply held in Jewish life. Leviticus 11 lists what was permitted and what was not, and Peter not only knew it but lived by it. So, was this vision a dream or a nightmare for him? Three times for emphasis, the point was made that he could eat everything before him—that the old law had been set aside—before the vision faded.
Meanwhile the three travelers from Cornelius arrived (17,18) looking for Simon (his Jewish name), also called Peter (the name Jesus gave him). The travelers invited Peter to return to Caesarea with them, and he didn’t hesitate.
But what could he say to Cornelius when he arrived? The script of his talk had already been written for him. Not only would Peter invite these Gentile messengers into his home (23), but the next day he would go with them to their home, eat at their table and tell them the Good News of Jesus: the Gospel was for them, too.
Apply
Do you know anyone who brings the love of Christ to people seen as “outcasts”? Determine to be one of those people!
Closing prayer
God, show me someone estranged from the “church world” whom I could reach out to.
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