Experience: S2 - Day 15
The risk of stepping out of your comfort zones
Acts 10:1 In Caesarea there lived a Roman army officer named Cornelius, who was a captain of the Italian Regiment. 2 He was a devout, God-fearing man, as was everyone in his household. He gave generously to the poor and prayed regularly to God. 3 One afternoon about three o’clock, he had a vision in which he saw an angel of God coming toward him. “Cornelius!” the angel said.
4 Cornelius stared at him in terror. “What is it, sir?” he asked the angel.
And the angel replied, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have been received by God as an offering! 5 Now send some men to Joppa, and summon a man named Simon Peter.
6 He is staying with Simon, a tanner who lives near the seashore.”
7 As soon as the angel was gone, Cornelius called two of his household servants and a devout soldier, one of his personal attendants. 8 He told them what had happened and sent them off to Joppa.
This is such an amazing story, for it shows the gospel beginning to spread beyond the walls of Jerusalem. As we stated before, this was always Jesus’ plan. Remember how he specifically went through Samaria to speak to the woman at the well and traveled to the land of the Gerasenes, Gentile territory, to heal the demon-possessed man? How did he heal the Centurion’s servant and praise him for his great faith? Yes, the gospel started with the Jews but was always meant to go global.
Here, we’re told Cornelius was a Roman officer. Remember that a Gentile was anyone who was not a Jew, but there were different “kinds” of Gentiles. For example, there were Gentiles who followed the cult of Rome and their many gods, but there were also Gentiles who believed in Yahweh, but they weren’t born Jewish. Either way, cultures were about to mix, and as we continued to read the New Testament, the clash of cultures seemed difficult for the Jews. They seemed to worry that if they let in too many Gentiles, they may lose their identity and story.
But here, we meet a devout, God-fearing man who is making a difference of the kingdom of God. However, for the Jews, even the disciples, this shift in focus and the growing of God’s table of fellowship would push and challenge them to step out of their comfort zones and what they had always known. This is where we’ll find Peter, and it’s fitting that Peter was involved in Cornelius’ story. He should have already been used to being called out of his comfort zone by Jesus. Remember that story of walking on water? Well, we’ll see Peter challenged again in the coming verses.
Questions:
Acts 10:1 In Caesarea there lived a Roman army officer named Cornelius, who was a captain of the Italian Regiment. 2 He was a devout, God-fearing man, as was everyone in his household. He gave generously to the poor and prayed regularly to God. 3 One afternoon about three o’clock, he had a vision in which he saw an angel of God coming toward him. “Cornelius!” the angel said.
4 Cornelius stared at him in terror. “What is it, sir?” he asked the angel.
And the angel replied, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have been received by God as an offering! 5 Now send some men to Joppa, and summon a man named Simon Peter.
6 He is staying with Simon, a tanner who lives near the seashore.”
7 As soon as the angel was gone, Cornelius called two of his household servants and a devout soldier, one of his personal attendants. 8 He told them what had happened and sent them off to Joppa.
This is such an amazing story, for it shows the gospel beginning to spread beyond the walls of Jerusalem. As we stated before, this was always Jesus’ plan. Remember how he specifically went through Samaria to speak to the woman at the well and traveled to the land of the Gerasenes, Gentile territory, to heal the demon-possessed man? How did he heal the Centurion’s servant and praise him for his great faith? Yes, the gospel started with the Jews but was always meant to go global.
Here, we’re told Cornelius was a Roman officer. Remember that a Gentile was anyone who was not a Jew, but there were different “kinds” of Gentiles. For example, there were Gentiles who followed the cult of Rome and their many gods, but there were also Gentiles who believed in Yahweh, but they weren’t born Jewish. Either way, cultures were about to mix, and as we continued to read the New Testament, the clash of cultures seemed difficult for the Jews. They seemed to worry that if they let in too many Gentiles, they may lose their identity and story.
But here, we meet a devout, God-fearing man who is making a difference of the kingdom of God. However, for the Jews, even the disciples, this shift in focus and the growing of God’s table of fellowship would push and challenge them to step out of their comfort zones and what they had always known. This is where we’ll find Peter, and it’s fitting that Peter was involved in Cornelius’ story. He should have already been used to being called out of his comfort zone by Jesus. Remember that story of walking on water? Well, we’ll see Peter challenged again in the coming verses.
Questions:
- When and how have you been asked to step out of your comfort zones for your faith?
- Doing you think it’s possible to grow your table of fellowship, while still holding on to your culture, story, and identity?
- Have you ever had a spiritual encounter that you felt was supernatural (i.e. no other explanation)? What happened?
No Comments