New Testament · Gospels and Acts

Acts chapter 10

There was a man in named Cornelius, an in what was called the .He was a man who , along with his entire household. He gave generously to people in need and prayed to God consistently.One afternoon, , he clearly saw in a vision a come to him and say, “Cornelius!”Cornelius stared at him, terrified, and said, “What is it, sir?” The messenger told him, “Your prayers and your generosity to those in need have .”“Now send men to the city of Joppa and bring back a man named Simon, who goes by .”“He’s staying with a man named Simon, a , whose house is by the sea.”After the messenger who spoke to him left, Cornelius called two of his household servants and a devoted soldier from among his personal attendants.He explained everything to them and sent them to Joppa.The next day, while they were still on their way and getting close to the city, Peter to pray .He got hungry and wanted something to eat. While the meal was being prepared, he fell into a .He saw and something like a large sheet being lowered to the ground by its four corners.Inside it were .Then a voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.”“Absolutely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I’ve never eaten anything that’s or .”The voice spoke to him a second time: “What God has , don’t you call unacceptable.”This happened three times, and then the sheet was immediately pulled back up into the sky.While Peter was trying to figure out what the vision meant, the men Cornelius had sent found Simon’s house and were standing at the gate.They called out, asking if a guest named Simon Peter was staying there.While Peter was still turning the vision over in his mind, said to him, “Listen — three men are looking for you.”“Get up, go downstairs, and go with them , because I’m the one who sent them.”Peter went down to the men and said, “I’m the one you’re looking for. What brings you here?”They replied, “Cornelius, an officer in the Roman army, a good and man who is well-respected by the entire Jewish community, was told by to send for you to come to his house so he could hear what you have to say.”So Peter invited them in and gave them a place to stay for the night. The next day he got up and went with them, and some of the from Joppa came along too.The day after that, they arrived in Caesarea. Cornelius was already expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends.When Peter walked in, Cornelius met him and in front of him.But Peter pulled him up and said, “Stand up — I’m just a man like you.”As Peter talked with him, he went inside and found a large group of people gathered there.He said to them, “You know that it’s for a Jewish man to associate with or visit someone from another nation. But God has shown me that I should never call any person .”“That’s why I came without any objection when you sent for me. So let me ask — why exactly did you send for me?”Cornelius answered, “Four days ago at this same time — three in the afternoon — I was praying in my house when suddenly a man in stood in front of me.”“He said, ‘Cornelius, God has heard your prayer and remembers your generosity to those in need.’”“‘Send someone to Joppa and ask for Simon, who goes by Peter. He’s a guest in the home of Simon the leather worker, by the sea.’”“So I sent for you right away, and it was good of you to come. Now here we all are, , ready to hear everything God has told you to say.”Then Peter began to speak: “I’m really beginning to understand that God —““— anyone from any nation who holds him in reverence and does what is right is .”“You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the through Jesus, — who is .”“You know what happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the that John announced —““— how God Jesus of Nazareth with and with power. He went around doing good and healing everyone who was being , because God was with him.”“We are of everything he did throughout the land of the Jewish people and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on an .”“But God on the third day and made it possible for him to be seen —““— not to everyone, but to — to us, who .”“He commanded us to announce to the people and to testify that he is the one God has appointed as .”“ points to him, testifying that everyone who trusts in him receives .”While Peter was still saying all this, everyone who was listening to the message.The who had come with Peter were stunned that the gift of the Breath of God was being even on .They could hear them and . Then Peter said,“Can anyone possibly refuse the water for these people? They’ve received the Breath of God exactly the same way we did!”So he ordered them to be . Then they with them for a few days.