Acts 10:24-29

I love how it says Cornelius was waiting for them—and he was not alone. He had such expectation for what God, through Peter, had in store for him, and he did not keep it to himself, but invited others to hear what this man, Peter, had to say.

Once Peter arrives, Cornelius falls at Peter’s feet, which was probably a mixture of gratitude and honor toward Peter. Yet Peter, rightfully so, refused to be worshipped and made the statement, “Stand up! I am a human being just like you!”

We must be careful not to receive or accept the applause of men—we do not share the throne with God. Everything we have and everything we are is because of Him.

Peter then makes it clear that he is breaking Jewish laws he had lived by his whole life by entering their home because God had shown him that he should not think of anyone as impure or unclean. When did God show him that? When He gave Peter the vision of the sheet coming down with all kinds of animals that were, by law, forbidden to eat, yet God told him to kill and eat them in the vision. When Peter protested, God said, “Do not call something unclean if God has made it clean.”

How was the Gospel and the commission of Jesus going to reach the world if the Jewish people refused to associate with anyone outside of their own ethnicity? Unfortunately, it often takes an act or visitation from God to shake some of us out of our stubborn religious mindsets. It is okay to hold tightly to our beliefs, but we must always leave room for God to reveal truth more clearly. Remember, we see in part—there is always more to learn.

Thank God Peter was courageous and willing to suffer disgrace and be ostracized by his own people because of God’s instructions. God had a plan, and it involved the Gentiles. What do you think Jesus meant when He said:

“I have other sheep, too, that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them also. They will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock with one shepherd.”
‭‭John‬ ‭10‬:‭16‬ ‭NLT‬‬

God’s heart has always been bigger than the boundaries man tries to place around it. The Gospel was never meant to stay confined to one people group, denomination, culture, or nation—it was meant for the whole world. Peter’s obedience opened the door for countless Gentiles to come into the Kingdom of God, reminding us that God often challenges our comfort zones in order to fulfill His greater purposes. May we never become so entrenched in tradition, pride, or prejudice that we resist what God is trying to do. Instead, may we have hearts willing to listen, learn, and obey, even when it stretches us beyond what is familiar.