Sunday, Sept 5, 2021 (Notes follow the video link for the hearing impaired.)
Acts 10:1-8 NLT
[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.
Simon Peter was in a town on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea called Joppa. About 34 miles north of there was the town of Caesarea. A Roman centurion named Cornelius lived in Caesarea.
Cornelius is described as a devout, God-fearing man. He had influenced everyone living with him, which probably included his family and servants and possibly some soldiers under his command, to fear God, too. He understood blessings, compassion and generosity, because we are told he gave from his income to the poor. We are also told he was a man of regular prayer. At that time in the Middle East, people who were devout would pray at least three times a day.
Let’s stop here for a moment and ask ourselves some questions. First, do the people who know us think we are God-fearing people? Are we influencing our families and friends to fear God, too? Do we share our blessings with others? Do people know us as being people who regularly pray? Are we like Cornelius?
Back to the story—three o’clock in the afternoon was a regular prayer time in Biblical days. Remember that Peter and John were on the way to the temple for the three o’clock prayer service when they healed the lame man. It’s reasonable to assume Cornelius was praying when he had the vision of the angel bringing him the message.
The vision was a shocker for Cornelius. We’re told he was terrified. Having visions and angelic visitations must not have been part of his normal prayer time. A word of caution here—if you haven’t had a vision or angelic visitation, please don’t judge yourself by what has happened to others. Those events are real, but they are not the factors that determine whether or not you love God and He loves you. And be cautious about trying to imitate someone who takes pride in the fact that they’ve had visions or special revelations. Our relationship with God is personal, and no two journeys that Christians walk will be identical.
Notice what the message included: God had received Cornelius’ prayers and seen the times he had given to the poor, and He had accepted the prayers and alms as an offering to Him. Cornelius’ devotion and good deeds had brought a special response to him from God.
Another momentary pause—are we praying and helping others to the point that God knows just how much we love Him? Just how much of our lives can be considered an offering to God by God? Are we doing everything we do to bring glory to God, or are we living our lives for ourselves and what we can get out of life?
God’s message to Cornelius sounds simple, but it has important implications. Cornelius is told to send some men to Joppa and to summon a man named Simon Peter to come talk to him. He even told Cornelius where to find him.
First implication—will Cornelius pay attention to what God says? We can ask this same question about our own prayer lives and relationship with God. When we pray, are we creating a monologue to present to God, or are we involved in a dialogue between our creator and us?
It’s said that many people don’t really have conversations with others. They say something and are polite enough to let the other person talk, too, but they really aren’t listening to what is being said. They’re waiting for the other voice to stop so they can continue talking.
Prayer is supposed to be communication between us and God. We come into His presence with thanksgiving and praise. Then we intercede for others and submit our personal petitions. During the whole process, we should be listening for Him to respond in our spirits to what we say. Do we pay attention enough in prayer to hear God’s responses? Like Cornelius, who was a devoted believer in God, would we be terrified or even surprised by a response from God, or are we listening for God to communicate with us?
Second implication—will Cornelius do what God says to do? God told him to send some emissaries 34 miles to Joppa, find a particular person and bring him back so he could tell Cornelius what to do next. That’s an all-day walk or half to two-thirds of a day by horseback or wagon.
Allow me to present a hypothetical scenario for us. What if during our closing prayer today God told us to send for a guy between Mossy Head and Crestview, and he would have a message from God for us that would make a huge impact on how we worship God? Would we send our Advisory Team to go get him and bring him back? Or would we ask God, “Are you sure about this?”
Let’s be honest here. Are we talking to God enough to know when He’s talking to us? Do we have enough faith in Him to do what He tells us to do? Are we willing to do something that sounds crazy?
As your Pastor, I would have to say this congregation is willing to do something that sounds crazy to the world and those who don’t know Jesus. About two years ago, we began to develop a Children’s & Youth Center. Two weeks from today we will dedicate the first phase of that center on our Celebration Sunday when we launch the pavilion as The Landing. As sure as I am standing before you today, I am convinced God wants this center built.
If we will listen to Him, pay attention to what He says and do what God says do, then we will see His hand move in awesome and powerful ways. Ask God to guide us, to respond to our prayers, as we move forward with our center for His kingdom’s sake. Pray He will send us the right people to move forward with us. Let’s be like Cornelius and listen to God and do what He says.