A Surprising Turn
Scripture Reading: 1 Chronicles 29; 2 Chronicles 1; Acts 10; Psalm 9
Acts 10 is a pivotal chapter in the story of the church.
Today, the church is made up mostly of Gentiles — people from nations all over the world. But it didn’t start that way. Early on, many saw the church as just another Jewish group, like the Pharisees or Sadducees. It wasn’t — the church was the fulfillment of what the Old Testament pointed toward: that through Jesus, God would bring people from every nation into His kingdom.
But for someone like Peter, that wasn’t easy to accept. He had grown up in the traditions of Judaism, with all its boundaries and barriers. Yet God was doing something new — or rather, fulfilling something ancient — and Peter had to come to grips with it. And it was crucial that he did. If Peter resisted, the rest of the church would likely struggle even more.
The events of Acts 10 didn’t immediately resolve all the tensions between Jewish tradition and the new covenant — just read the book of Galatians for proof. But they set the stage.
Interestingly, God began this work among the Gentiles with Cornelius — a man who, in some ways, was more acceptable to Jewish believers than most Gentiles would have been. He already feared God. He already believed the Old Testament revelation about who God is. He had a good reputation even among the Jews. It appears God chose Cornelius in order to make this transition easier for someone like Peter to embrace.
In a way, you could say this was a baby step.
But even with Cornelius, God had to push Peter hard to accept what was happening. Peter needed a vision. An angel had to be sent. The pieces had to fall together by divine design. And Peter had to hear God say plainly, “Do not call common what God has made clean.”
But it happened.
And because it happened, the church today spans the globe. The gospel is preached. The name of Jesus is spoken in countless languages. People from every tribe and tongue are part of God's family.
It all traces back to that unlikely moment in Acts 10 — when God made it clear: the gospel is for everyone.
