Post by Messenger on Aug 9, 2005 19:19:30 GMT -5
We look at the story of Peter & Cornelius in Acts 10:1-6:
"At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly. One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, "Cornelius!"
Cornelius stared at him in fear. "What is it, Lord?" he asked.
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. He is staying with Simon the tanner, whose house is by the sea."
Cornelius's creditials were very impressive for a Gentile:
1. He was devout.
2. He feared God, & wanted to please the One True God, & receive all that God had.
3. He shared his knowledge of God with his family.
4. He was generous to the poor.
5. He prayed to God regularly.
It's not hard to think that from his heart, he needed someone to help him. Cornelius was a righteous man, but in his spirit, he may have realized that God had prepared something more for him than he already had. It is also possible that he knew what the prophet Jeremiah said in Jeremiah 29:13-" You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
He was also soon to know, all that God would do for him, as Jesus talked about in Mathew 5:6-"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
God answered his prayers in a unique way-both spiritually & physically. An angelic visit & then the visit of Peter. We see that God will use any means necessary, to bring a blessed answer to the sincere seeker.
Prayers are not always answered at once, because the answering might involve another person, who themselves, must be prepared to bring that answer! Many times, God will use one Believer to bring an answer to another Believer! Before Peter came to his house, he "went up to the roof to pray", where he received a very remarkable revelation-that God is compleatly impartial as to whom He is willing to bless-in this case both Jews & Gentiles!
What if Cornelius hadn't prayed? The message of Jesus & the blessings of the Holy Spirit may have taken longer! What if Peter hadn't prayed? God would have had to find another Believer to bring the Good News to the Gentiles!
But the whole point here is: that both Cornelius & Peter DID pray, & because of that, the door was open to the Gentiles receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit!
There are 5 major lessons that we can learn from this episode:
1. God takes note of godly devotion, & sets in motion those forces that will bring an answer to prayer.
2. A consistant prayer life & communion with God is essential for God's guidance & direction.
3. When people truely seek God, they will FIND God.
4. Patience is absolutly necesssary because many times, God will use other people that he will work through.
5. There is NO GREATER FORCE THAN PRAYER FOR INFLUENCING LIVES-OR HISTORY!
Be Blessed!
Bill
"At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly. One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, "Cornelius!"
Cornelius stared at him in fear. "What is it, Lord?" he asked.
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. He is staying with Simon the tanner, whose house is by the sea."
Cornelius's creditials were very impressive for a Gentile:
1. He was devout.
2. He feared God, & wanted to please the One True God, & receive all that God had.
3. He shared his knowledge of God with his family.
4. He was generous to the poor.
5. He prayed to God regularly.
It's not hard to think that from his heart, he needed someone to help him. Cornelius was a righteous man, but in his spirit, he may have realized that God had prepared something more for him than he already had. It is also possible that he knew what the prophet Jeremiah said in Jeremiah 29:13-" You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
He was also soon to know, all that God would do for him, as Jesus talked about in Mathew 5:6-"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
God answered his prayers in a unique way-both spiritually & physically. An angelic visit & then the visit of Peter. We see that God will use any means necessary, to bring a blessed answer to the sincere seeker.
Prayers are not always answered at once, because the answering might involve another person, who themselves, must be prepared to bring that answer! Many times, God will use one Believer to bring an answer to another Believer! Before Peter came to his house, he "went up to the roof to pray", where he received a very remarkable revelation-that God is compleatly impartial as to whom He is willing to bless-in this case both Jews & Gentiles!
What if Cornelius hadn't prayed? The message of Jesus & the blessings of the Holy Spirit may have taken longer! What if Peter hadn't prayed? God would have had to find another Believer to bring the Good News to the Gentiles!
But the whole point here is: that both Cornelius & Peter DID pray, & because of that, the door was open to the Gentiles receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit!
There are 5 major lessons that we can learn from this episode:
1. God takes note of godly devotion, & sets in motion those forces that will bring an answer to prayer.
2. A consistant prayer life & communion with God is essential for God's guidance & direction.
3. When people truely seek God, they will FIND God.
4. Patience is absolutly necesssary because many times, God will use other people that he will work through.
5. There is NO GREATER FORCE THAN PRAYER FOR INFLUENCING LIVES-OR HISTORY!
Be Blessed!
Bill
