God Used Two People in Prayer to Change The Course of His story. Cornelius and Peter

This is such an amazing story in Acts 10!!

I will try to make it short!

Cornelious was a centurion of the Italian regiment and a God-fearing man who was devoted to prayer. He was a gentile.

God in a vision said to Cornelius while he was praying: “Your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God. And now send men to Joppa and bring one Simon who is called Peter." Before Cornelius's men arrive, Peter goes to the housetop to pray and gets hungry. While praying, he enters a trance where God reveals a message through a vision that challenges Jewish views on Gentiles' faith in God — the God of Israel! "

As they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour (noon time) to pray. and saw the heavens opened and something like a great sheet descending, being let down by its four corners upon the earth. In it were all kinds of animals, reptiles, and birds of the air. And a voice came to him: “Rise, Peter; kill and eat."

Peter is perplexed by the instruction, and firmly objects, saying, "Absolutely not, Lord! I've never eaten anything common or unclean." The voice in the vision repeats the instruction three times to Peter and reveals to him the meaning of His vision.

Peter in obedience goes to Cornelious's house where his friends and family are gathered and Peter tells them the meaning of his vision – “God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean.”

Remember, until then, salvation for Jews was limited to being part of legal Israel. 

If a Gentile wanted to worship Yahweh, they had to undergo a conversion process involving circumcision, baptism, and offering a sacrifice to be considered 'saved'.

During that time, it was deemed unacceptable and unclean for a Jew to associate with or enter the house of a Gentile. Peter, a Jew, was in Cornelius's house, a Gentile's home - Peter was doing the unthinkable!

God supernaturally orchestrated a meeting between Jewish church leaders - and 'unclean' Gentile God-fearers.

The message that Peter was about to deliver would shock everyone present and ripple through Jerusalem, Israel, and the Gentile world for the rest of humanity!

Peter opens his mouth and speaks to the Gentiles: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation, anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.” 

The unthinkable is happening, Peter is about to deliver the good news - the message of salvation to an unclean, common gentile crowd. But no one was prepared for what would happen next, not Peter himself…

The Holy Spirit will fall on the Gentiles!!

"To him, all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

And... "While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles.

This was a major turning point in history in which God Himself supernaturally orchestrated the coming together of Jew (circumcised) and Gentile (uncircumcised), and in a moment destroyed preconceived walls of separation through a glorious demonstration of His power by His Spirit!!

How was all this orchestrated?

God used two praying individuals during their regular prayer time! During prayer, God directed Cornelius to Peter, revealing to Peter a profound message—not about food or dietary restrictions, but about God opening the door of Grace to the Gentiles and welcoming them into being part of the Church!

We need to spend time with God and allow Him to do the unthinkable through us, to destroy all mental barriers, and to give us a message that will go out in this world to people who need it and welcome them to the body of Christ!

Pray like never before, be the God-man and woman of prayer that He can use to save His people!

KEEP LOOKING UP, KEEP PRAYING, KEEP PREACHING THE GOSPEL UNTIL THE LAST SOUL GETS SAVED!