Peter and Cornelius - Part 5
The Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message
Acts 10v44-48
9th April 2011
Peter was preaching in a Gentile home for the first time. He spoke of "the good news of peace through Jesus Christ" (verse 36) and said that "God does not show favouritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right" (verse 34-35). He did this in obedience to a revelation from God but I don't think he had any idea what would happen.
Acts 10v44-46a
While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message.
The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been
poured out even on the Gentiles.
For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God.
The Jewish Christians, whom Luke describes as "The circumcised believers", were "astonished". The idea that God would fill Gentiles with His Holy Spirit had never occurred to them. They'd thought that the Jews alone were God's chosen people. Now they had to change their way of thinking. Gentiles could also be included in Gods chosen people, through faith. But Peter wasn't astonished. Perhaps he'd begun to realise the way things were going when God said "Do not call anything impure that God has made clean" (verse 15).
The Gentiles in the house were speaking in tongues and praising God. Here are two signs of conversion. They are not the only signs, and some people are converted without these signs being manifest, but they are clear signs: a supernatural gift, and genuine worship of God. These signs are still with us today, and those who experience tongues and those who don't can choose to live in harmony and peace with each other, to the glory of God.
Acts 10v46b-48
Then Peter said,
"Can anyone keep these people from being baptised with water? They have received the Holy Spirit just as we
have."
So he ordered that they be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for
a few days.
Peter's understanding was ahead of those who hadn't seen the vision that he'd seen (in verses 11-15). Fully persuaded that what was happening was God's doing, Peter wisely chose to conform both his thinking and his actions to God's activity. Acknowledging that the Gentiles had received the Holy Spirit in the same way as the Jewish Christians had, Peter ordered that the Gentiles be baptised in water. Thus Gentiles were fully included in God's chosen people.
The church, and the world, would never be the same again.
May we be as willing as Peter to let God change how we think and act, in God's name.