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MESSAGE SERIES: “CHURCH ON THE MOVE”
Acts 10:1-23

INTRODUCTION: Last time we looked at two miracles Jesus worked through Peter: the healing of Aeneas and raising Dorcas from the dead. The healing of Aeneas took place in Lydda. The raising of Dorcas took place in Joppa.

There are two additional miracles in today’s section, both in the form of visions. God grants visions to both Peter and a man named Cornelius. The miracles with Aeneas and Dorcas in chapter nine authenticate Peter as an apostle of Jesus as Luke prepares to share how the gospel now goes to Cornelius and the Gentiles.

Remember, God’s been moving Peter up the coast. He moved him from Jerusalem to Lydda. That brought him closer to Gentile territory. Then he moved him from Lydda up to Joppa. That’s even closer. Eventually God will bring him to Caesarea in the very heart of Gentile territory.

The story we begin today was a key event for the early church. It is the longest narrative section in the whole book of Acts. This event launches the next stage in Jesus’ commission. Remember, Jesus told his disciples to share the gospel first in Jerusalem, then in Judea and Samaria, and finally to the ends of the earth. The gospel is about to go to the Gentiles, which is the first step in the gospel going to the ends of the earth.

However, there were two primary obstacles that had to be removed before the gospel could truly go forth to the Gentiles. First, there was the whole issue of table fellowship between Jewish and Gentile believers. Jews didn’t eat with Gentiles. So how could they all be part of a church fellowship together? Secondly, there was the question of whether Gentiles had to become Jews before they could become Christians.

Today we will look at the first part of the story which deals with the first of these obstacles: the issue of table fellowship between Jews and Gentiles. Next time we will look at the second part of the story which deals with the second of these two obstacles. (Read Acts 10:11-15 and pray.)

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It was always God’s desire to bring the gospel to the Gentiles, indeed to the whole world. But there were a number of things God had to do first. First, God had to prepare a people through whom he would give his revelation and send his Son. And so, God called the Jews to be his chosen people. He sent Jesus into the world as the Jewish Messiah who would fulfill the Old Testament prophesies and bring salvation to the world.

Next, he had to prepare apostles whom he would authenticate through miraculous signs and wonders. And so, Jesus called the Twelve to him. He ministered with them for three years. He prepared them for the mission of bringing the gospel to the world. He gave them special powers to work miraculous signs and wonders, the signs of being an apostle.

Finally, he had to prepare Peter as the leader of the apostles who would first bring the gospel to the Gentiles. That’s the story of Peter and Cornelius we are looking at today.

So, God prepared a people, he prepared apostles, and then he prepared Peter all in order to bring the gospel to the Gentiles. That raises some good questions for us as we work our way through the text this morning. How has God prepared you to bring the gospel to others? How is God preparing you even now? What are you doing to be prepared?

The good news of today’s passage is that the gospel is for everyone! There is no “in” crowd when it comes to the gospel. Jesus is a Savior for all, and the gospel is good news for all who believe in him.

I. Cornelius sends for Peter (1-8)

So, let’s get started. Our passage begins not with Peter who will bring the gospel but rather with Cornelius who will receive the gospel. So, who was Cornelius?

   A. Devout and God-fearing (1-2)

The first thing we learn about Cornelius is that he was devout and God-fearing. Look at verses 1-2:

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. (Acts 10:1-2)

Cornelius lived in Caesarea. Caesarea was the administrative capital of Judea and the principal place of residence for the various Roman governors, including Pontius Pilate. It was a coastal city, located about thirty miles north of modern Tel Aviv on the Mediterranean Sea. Caesarea was one of Herod the Great’s most impressive building projects. He named the city in honor of the emperor (Caesar Augustus), and he built a palace there, as well as the largest artificial harbor ever constructed at the time.

Cornelius was a centurion who served Rome in the Italian Regiment. We don’t know much about this particular regiment, but as a centurion he would have been in charge of 100 men. So, he had a position of responsibility and standing in the community.

Cornelius and his family were devout and God-fearing. He gave generously to the poor and prayed regularly. He was not Jewish, but he worshiped the Jewish God and was respectful of the Jewish people.

He was a Gentile, which means he was excluded from the covenant and culturally removed from the Jewish people. There was a great divide between Jews and Gentiles in those days. The Jewish people were meant to be a bridge for all nations, but they had set up all sorts of barriers and walls instead.

One major barrier was the whole area of food. The Jewish people followed the laws set down in the Scriptures concerning clean and unclean animals, as they should. That was part of the Jewish law. The Gentiles did not. As a result, a Jew would not even sit down at the same table with a Gentile to eat.

So, Cornelius was a Gentile, but he was devout and God-fearing, and it is clear that God had been preparing his heart.

   B. Vision and response (3-8)

In fact, he was observing one of the Jewish hours of prayer when he received his vision from God. Look at verses 3-6:

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.” (Acts 10:3-6)

Corenlius was praying at three in the afternoon which was one of the three Jewish times for prayer. He sees an angel in a vision who calls him by name. The angel specifically commends his prayers and gifts to the poor, which he calls a memorial offering before God. It’s possible that Cornelius has been praying for salvation and full acceptance before God, and God is about to answer that prayer by bringing him in contact with Peter and the gospel.

Next, the angel tells him to send for Peter in Joppa. The angel is very precise here. He tells Cornelius that Peter’s given name is Simon, and that Peter is staying with another Simon, Simon the tanner, who lives in a house by the sea.

What do you do when an angel from God tells you to send for a stranger living in another city? Look at verses 7-8:

When the angel who spoke to him had gone, Cornelius called two of his servants and a devout soldier who was one of his attendants. He told them everything that had happened and sent them to Joppa. (Acts 10:7-8)

When the angel leaves, Cornelius immediately calls two servants and one of his soldiers. He fills them in on the vision and sends them to Joppa to go get Peter. Joppa was thirty miles south of Caesarea, also located along the coast.

God was about to send the Jews to the Gentiles, but first he had to send the Gentiles to get the Jew! You may recall the prophet Jonah in the Old Testament fled to Joppa when God told him to go to Ninevah and preach to the Ninevites. When Jonah fled to Joppa, it was to avoid bringing God’s word to the Gentiles. These men from Cornelius are now going to Joppa to get Peter who will then fulfill God’s plan in bringing the gospel to the Gentiles.

II. Peter’s vision (9-16)

Meanwhile, God was preparing Peter for their arrival with a vision of his own.

   A. Unclean animals (9-12)

So now we move from Cornelius’ vision to Peter’s vision. Look at verses 9-12:

About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles of the earth and birds of the air. (Acts 10:9-12)

About noon the next day while the men from Cornelius are still on their way, Peter goes up on the roof to pray. Noon was another one of the three Jewish times for prayer. Pay careful attention to God’s timing in all this. Many of God’s miracles are miracles of timing, and there are certainly miracles of timing we find in this account along with the visions.

Peter is hungry, so he is thinking about food. That makes sense. I think about food when I’m hungry too! Then suddenly, he is no longer just thinking about food, but God gives him a vision of food. I sometimes have visions of food when I’m hungry too, but this is different! This was an actual vision from God. Peter fell into a trance, which is a dream-like, visionary state.

God gives Peter a vision of food, but this was not the kind of food Peter was interested in. In the vision Peter sees heaven opened, which tells us this is a case of divine revelation. God is speaking. He sees a large sheet with four corners, perhaps representative of the whole world. Remember the gospel is going to the ends of the earth; the gospel is going to the Gentiles. The sheet is lowered, and in the sheet there are all kinds of animals, reptiles and birds. They are probably all unclean, although there may be a mixture of clean and unclean animals represented in the sheet.

   B. “Kill and eat!” (13-16)

God gives Peter this vision of all these animals crawling around in the sheet, and then he follows it up with a spoken command. Look at verses 13-16 next:

Then a voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.”

“Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.”

The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”

This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven. (Acts 10:13-16)

This was already a disturbing vision, but now Peter hears a voice telling him to kill and eat the animals before him. Peter is shocked and offended. “Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.” Peter is horrified at the thought of eating unclean food.

This is not the first time Peter has said no to the Lord. We have a long list from the gospels. When Jesus told the disciples he would be rejected and killed in Jerusalem, Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him: “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!” (Matt. 16:22). When Jesus got down from the table to wash his disciples’ feet, Peter told him, “No, you shall never wash my feet” (John 13:8). On the night of his arrest when Jesus told his disciples they would all fall away, Peter declared: “Even if all fall away, I will not” (Mark 14:29).

It’s probably been a while since Peter last told the Lord no, but apparently that tendency was still with him. Peter tells the Lord no, and the voice speaks to him a second time: “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.” Jesus had to rebuke him all the other times he said no. He rebukes him again here.

This whole sequence happens three times. You’ve heard of double vision. This is a triple vision! Three times God tells him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.” Three times Peter says no. Three times God tells him: “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”

This is reminiscent of Peter’s three denials of Jesus in the courtyard, which followed his three noes to Jesus earlier in the gospels. It also reminds us of Jesus speaking to Peter after the resurrection. Three times Jesus asked Peter: “Do you love me? Three times Peter answered: “You know I do.” Three times Jesus told him, “Feed my sheep.”

All this happened in the vision three times. Then the sheet was taken back to heaven, and Peter was left wondering what it all meant. Perhaps he remembered what Jesus said earlier in the gospels:

“Don’t you see that nothing that enters a man from the outside can make him ‘unclean’? For it doesn’t go into his heart but into his stomach, and then out of his body.” In saying this, Jesus declared all foods “clean.” (Mark 7:18–19)

III. Peter’s missionary call (17-23)

First, God prepared Cornelius by giving him the vision about Peter. Then, God prepared Peter by giving him the vision about the clean and unclean animals. Now we come to Peter’s missionary call.

   A. The Spirit speaks (17-20)

God speaks to Peter again, but this time through the Holy Spirit. Look at verses 17-20 next:

While Peter was wondering about the meaning of the vision, the men sent by Cornelius found out where Simon’s house was and stopped at the gate. They called out, asking if Simon who was known as Peter was staying there. While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Simon, three men are looking for you. So get up and go downstairs. Do not hesitate to go with them, for I have sent them.” (Acts 10:17-20)

This is clearly a divine appointment as we see the additional miracle of God’s timing in all this. The men from Cornelius find the house just as Peter’s vision concludes. In fact, Peter is still thinking about the vision when the Spirit speaks to him directly.

Look at the different ways God communicates in this passage. God sent an angel to speak to Cornelius. God gave Peter a vision and voice from heaven. Now God speaks directly to Peter through the Holy Spirit. Once again it is evident that God is directing all of these events.

The Spirit has a specific communication for Peter. He tells Peter there are three men looking for him. He tells Peter to go downstairs. He tells Peter, “Do not hesitate to go with them, for I have sent them.”

It’s interesting, the word translated “hesitate” in this verse is the same word for “discriminate.” So, you could also translate this verse as: “Do not discriminate to go with them, for I have sent them.”

What is God saying through the Holy Spirit? The time for discrimination between Jews and Gentiles was over. God was sending the gospel to the Gentiles. God used three things to prepare Peter for this next stage in Jesus’ commission: the vision of the animals, the timing of the men’s arrival, and direct communication by the Holy Spirit.

   B. God confirms (21-23)

Finally, God confirms all that he has just shown and told Peter. Look at verses 21-23 next:

Peter went down and said to the men, “I’m the one you’re looking for. Why have you come?” The men replied, “We have come from Cornelius the centurion. He is a righteous and God-fearing man, who is respected by all the Jewish people. A holy angel told him to have you come to his house so that he could hear what you have to say.” Then Peter invited the men into the house to be his guests. (Acts 10:21-23)

Peter goes down and meets the men. Peter didn’t know anything about Cornelius. Peter only knew about the vision he had just seen himself. Now he learns the rest of the story, how the angel spoke to Cornelius and told him to send for Peter and bring him back to his house in Caesarea.

The passage ends with Peter inviting these Gentile men into his home. It’s a good first step for Peter. This was not considered as serious as Peter entering Cornelius’ home would be, but one step at a time!

In one sense, Peter’s vision was about food, but he is already beginning to grasp the deeper meaning. It’s not really about food. It’s about people. For right now Peter invites these Gentile men into his home, but soon he will go to Cornelius’ home to share the gospel.

CONCLUSION: Notice how through all this God was preparing Peter to bring the gospel to the Gentiles. Without the vision to Cornelius, Peter would never have thought to go. Without the vision of the unclean animals, Peter would never have agreed to go. But God was preparing him.

It’s interesting, even the different ways God addresses Peter in the passage prepared him for this. First, God addresses him as “Peter” during the vision of the food. But then he addresses him as “Simon” when he tells him to go with the three men who have come for him. By alternately addressing him as Peter (his new name in Christ) and Simon (who he was before Christ), God is reminding him how Jesus changed his life. That means God can change other people’s lives too—even Gentiles like Cornelius and his family.

Let’s close with four applications from our passage this morning.

1) First of all, God is sovereign. This is clear throughout the entire passage as God speaks first to Cornelius and then to Peter and then arranges the timing of the men’s arrival to coincide with the completion of Peter’s vision and the instruction from the Holy Spirit. God is in control of the whole process.

2) Secondly, the unclean food laws from the Old Testament no longer apply. So, go ahead and enjoy your bacon and shrimp appetizers! But more importantly, the food laws were keeping people groups apart. There was a time for that when God was establishing Israel as his chosen people. But that time was now over. God’s design through Christ and the gospel is not to keep people apart but rather to bring people together, including Jews and Gentiles and people from every tribe, language and nation. Remember what God said to Peter. Do not hesitate; do not discriminate.

3) Thirdly, be open to God’s guidance. You may not receive an angelic encounter like Cornelius or a full-on vision like Peter, but God still speaks to us through the Holy Spirit today. Let’s be sensitive to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, and if you feel God nudging you or leading you in a certain direction, be open to following that and seeing what God has for you. You may be surprised by how God will use you when you do. I’m sure Peter was surprised.

4) Finally, trust that God is preparing people’s hearts for the gospel. God was busy preparing Cornelius and a whole lot of other people as we will see next time. God is also preparing the hearts of people around you.

Remember, the gospel is for everyone! So, let’s prepare our own hearts to look for those opportunities God will give us during the day to share Jesus. Who knows? The person you approach may be the person God was already speaking to earlier in the day and God wants to use you to introduce them to Jesus.

That’s what we call church on the move. That’s what God is calling each of us to do.

© Ray Fowler

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