Acts 10:28

Acts 10:28

Thoughts from Josh Talbot

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Swipe to read today’s written devo!

QOP- Swipe
Slide

“And he said to them, ‘You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean.’”

Acts 10:28

QOP- Behind the Scenes
Slide

As we continue in our Prayer Devo series, we are going to take a look at how prayer has accomplished things in the past. This is important to look at because we can often wonder why even pray, right? Are our prayers even making a difference? Do they change things? As we look back, we can see how God answered prayer in different ways. Sometimes He answered directly and changed situations and other times He used prayer to change the one praying. And He does the same thing for us today.

Slide

Our scripture today comes from a really cool story in Acts 10, and we need to look at the entire chapter to see the point here. I will summarize, but I highly recommend that you go back and read it for yourself and ask God what He wants you to see in this story.

Slide

In the first part we see a Roman centurion, Cornelius, (who was God-fearing) praying and receiving a vision from God. Let’s stop right here – the fact that a Roman citizen, let alone a soldier, who would have normally been enemies of God and the people of God – was praying to God, is in fact a miracle.

Slide

But then seeing a vision from God and hearing from him, verse 4, “The angel answered, ‘Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God. Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is called Peter…’” is mind blowing. In a time when there was great division among the people of God and the Gentiles, God was already seeking the Gentiles to add to His family. So cool!

Slide

While Cornelius’s men were on their way to Joppa to get Peter, Peter was having his own encounter with God. He went up on a roof to pray, and like many of us, got distracted by his own thoughts. He was hungry. (I can so relate to this…) While food was being prepared for him, he fell into a trance, and he had a vision as well. Now this part cracks me up because God used the very thing Peter was distracted by, to speak to Peter. He saw a vision of food, clean and unclean, and was told to kill and eat it. In typical Peter fashion, he argued with God and said, “Surely not, Lord! I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.”

Slide

God answered, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.” This command is so critical here because Peter was about to be approached by men who, by Jewish law, were “unclean” to Peter. The story continues as Peter meets the men that Cornelius sent to him, and Peter ends up returning with them to Cornelius’s house.

Slide

Cornelius recounted his vision to Peter while he was praying, and Peter says in verse 34, “‘I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right.” This was counter to everything Peter was raised to know and believe. This was a huge change of heart for our hot-headed Peter – and something only God could have accomplished in him.

Slide

This exchange is so incredible because by the end of it, everyone who heard Peter speak received the Holy Spirit. “The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles.” vs. 45.

QOP- Make it Real
Slide

Okay, so let’s look at what happened. God heard Cornelius, and counted his prayers as a memorial, a remembrance, before God. Even before Cornelius had the gift of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, God heard him. This is so profound to me because I have a lot of friends who are not believers who pray to whatever entity is in control. They don’t know that they are praying to the One True God, but He does. When someone cries out in desperation to “someone”, God is faithful and hears them. He draws them to Himself and loves them just as much as He does His children who have been adopted into His family through belief in Christ.

Slide

God even tells Peter this in his vision – don’t you dare call something unclean that I have made clean. I hear this reprimand as a warning for us not to judge others. God is the only true and righteous judge. We are His instrument to show that love – not pick and choose who we think He loves.

Slide

So, God used prayer in a couple of different ways in this story. For Cornelius, God used the prayers to affirm his faith and to command him to do something. God used Peter’s prayer to show him where he was being prideful and to call him to the Gentiles. And ultimately, both of them were changed because of their prayers.

Slide

I believe God still uses our prayers in similar ways but not always in the same way. Sometimes He says “Yes” and gives us what we are praying for, sometimes He says “No”. Sometimes He shows us something about ourselves that we need to work on; sometimes He shows us something about Him. And maybe sometimes He just delights in our prayers as a memorial, a remembrance.

QOP- End in Prayer
Slide

God as we lift up our voices to You, may we ever grow closer to You and become more like Christ through the power of Your Holy Spirit. May we see Your work through our prayers and because of our prayers. May our prayers serve to ultimately honor and glorify You. In Jesus’s name ~ AMEN!

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“And he said to them, ‘You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean.’” 

Acts 10:28

Behind the Scenes

As we continue in our Prayer Devo series, we are going to take a look at how prayer has accomplished things in the past. This is important to look at because we can often wonder why even pray, right? Are our prayers even making a difference? Do they change things? As we look back, we can see how God answered prayer in different ways. Sometimes He answered directly and changed situations and other times He used prayer to change the one praying. And He does the same thing for us today.  

Our scripture today comes from a really cool story in Acts 10, and we need to look at the entire chapter to see the point here. I will summarize, but I highly recommend that you go back and read it for yourself and ask God what He wants you to see in this story.  

In the first part we see a Roman centurion, Cornelius, (who was God-fearing) praying and receiving a vision from God.  Let’s stop right here – the fact that a Roman citizen, let alone a soldier, who would have normally been enemies of God and the people of God – was praying to God, is in fact a miracle.  

But then seeing a vision from God and hearing from him, verse 4, “The angel answered, ‘Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God. Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is called Peter…’” is mind blowing. In a time when there was great division among the people of God and the Gentiles, God was already seeking the Gentiles to add to His family. So cool!  

While Cornelius’s men were on their way to Joppa to get Peter, Peter was having his own encounter with God. He went up on a roof to pray, and like many of us, got distracted by his own thoughts. He was hungry. (I can so relate to this…) While food was being prepared for him, he fell into a trance, and he had a vision as well. Now this part cracks me up because God used the very thing Peter was distracted by, to speak to Peter. He saw a vision of food, clean and unclean, and was told to kill and eat it. In typical Peter fashion, he argued with God and said, “Surely not, Lord! I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.” 

God answered, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.” This command is so critical here because Peter was about to be approached by men who, by Jewish law, were “unclean” to Peter. The story continues as Peter meets the men that Cornelius sent to him, and Peter ends up returning with them to Cornelius’s house.  

Cornelius recounted his vision to Peter while he was praying, and Peter says in verse 34, “‘I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right.” This was counter to everything Peter was raised to know and believe. This was a huge change of heart for our hot-headed Peter – and something only God could have accomplished in him.  

This exchange is so incredible because by the end of it, everyone who heard Peter speak received the Holy Spirit. “The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles.” vs. 45. 

Make It Real

Okay, so let’s look at what happened. God heard Cornelius, and counted his prayers as a memorial, a remembrance, before God. Even before Cornelius had the gift of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, God heard him. This is so profound to me because I have a lot of friends who are not believers who pray to whatever entity is in control. They don’t know that they are praying to the One True God, but He does. When someone cries out in desperation to “someone”, God is faithful and hears them. He draws them to Himself and loves them just as much as He does His children who have been adopted into His family through belief in Christ.  

God even tells Peter this in his vision – don’t you dare call something unclean that I have made clean. I hear this reprimand as a warning for us not to judge others. God is the only true and righteous judge. We are His instrument to show that love – not pick and choose who we think He loves.  

So, God used prayer in a couple of different ways in this story. For Cornelius, God used the prayers to affirm his faith and to command him to do something. God used Peter’s prayer to show him where he was being prideful and to call him to the Gentiles. And ultimately, both of them were changed because of their prayers.  

I believe God still uses our prayers in similar ways but not always in the same way. Sometimes He says “Yes” and gives us what we are praying for, sometimes He says “No”. Sometimes He shows us something about ourselves that we need to work on; sometimes He shows us something about Him. And maybe sometimes He just delights in our prayers as a memorial, a remembrance.  

Colleen McGeorge

Colleen McGeorge

ACF First Impressions and Groups Coordinator

End in Prayer

God as we lift up our voices to You, may we ever grow closer to You and become more like Christ through the power of Your Holy Spirit. May we see Your work through our prayers and because of our prayers. May our prayers serve to ultimately honor and glorify You. In Jesus’s name ~ AMEN! 

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