Cornelius Receiving the Revelation
Contents
1 There was a man in Caesarea named Cornelius, a centurion of an army called Italiadae, who was devout and feared God with all his household, and gave many alms to the people, and prayed constantly to God. 3 One day, at about the ninth hour, he saw him clearly in a vision. An angel of God came in and said, "Cornelius." 4 Cornelius looked at him and saw it and was afraid, and said, "Lord, what is going on?" The angel said to him, "Your prayers and alms have come up as a remembrance before God. 6 He is staying at Simon's house, where he lives, and his house is by the sea. 7 As the angel who was talking to him left, Cornelius called two of his servants and a devout man from among his servants, 8 and reported all this and sent him to Joppa. nira
1. Words that begin
Sometimes I don't know whether I should do this or that, it will be this or that, I should choose this or that. Every time that happens, I think about how great it would be if God revealed Himself and told us quickly.
Some receive revelation while listening to sermons, some receive revelation through dreams, some receive revelation through visions during prayer, and some receive revelation through a reminder or inspiration from the Word. And by obeying that revelation, we can receive very valuable grace, overcome imminent crises, and receive abundant blessings.
Who is likely to receive such important revelations from God is a matter for all of us to seriously consider. In the early church, there was an event that became a decisive clue to the resolution of differences in salvation. It was a visionary revelation given to Centurion Cornelius, a convert to Judaism.
2. The Life of the Centurion Cornelius
Centurion Cornelius lived in Caesarea and was an officer in an Italian infantry unit supported by Roman citizens of Italian origin. There were 32 of these Italian dynasties in the Roman Empire. The Roman legions at that time consisted of six thousand men, each divided into ten units of six hundred men, and one army divided into hundred men. The centurion was in charge of commanding a squadron of a hundred men.
And, among many, what was the reason that the revelation came to Centurion Cornelius that was the decisive clue to the recognition of the truth of salvation?
First, Centurion Cornelius was devout and feared God with all his family. He and his family were Gentiles who had converted to Judaism, which they feared and served God. At that time, Gentiles who had converted to Judaism were divided into converts of righteousness and converts of Moon. The convert of righteousness was circumcised and obligated to keep the whole law, but the convert of the gate was uncircumcised and merely in favor of Judaism. Of course, the Jews viewed the converts of Weun as unclean, not Jews.
Centurion Cornelius and his family were converts to the gate, but they were godly men who feared and served God. What church members need to lead a godly life, or for ordinary people to lead an ethical life, is the fear of God.
Second, Centurion Cornelius helped many Jews under his jurisdiction. The current government is raising taxes more than ever, talking more about distribution than ever before, and talking more about the common people than ever before. However, the number of homeless, extremely poor, starving children, the unemployed and the self-employed who go out of business is higher than during the IMF and continues to grow. Now is the time when more relief is desperately needed than ever.
For the past 15 years, Oscar-winning actor Paul Newman has donated all the sales proceeds from his organic food factory to charity, and the total amount is over $70 million.
Paul Newman said he plans to use the funds to treat and relieve young people suffering from incurable diseases and drug addiction. His wife and actress, Joanne Woodward, is no less famous than her husband as a philanthropist.
If all people, especially government officials and members of the church, strive for relief according to their circumstances, this society will become a much brighter and more beautiful society.
We have something to think about when it comes to helping the unemployed, the hungry and the homeless. More important than bailing them out is that businesses develop and maximize profits, creating more jobs.
Third, Centurion Cornelius always prayed to God. Although he was a proselyte of the gate, considered by the Jews to be unclean, he was always a man of prayer, praying to God.
A finite and insufficient human being, like a careless puppy, needs to keep praying and clinging to God. Only then can you receive God's love. It is necessary to fast and pray after a big problem, but it is even more necessary and important to always be a person of prayer to God. How effective would it be to pray with a heart tamed with worldly things and strengthened with human things? It is really important to always strive to pray and become spiritually connected with God.
3. Cornelius Received a Vision
One day, when he was reverent and lived in fear of God with his whole family, serving, giving, and always praying to God, Centurion Cornelius had an amazing experience. Around the ninth hour, about three o'clock in the afternoon, I saw and heard clearly in a vision an angel, a messenger of God, came in and said, "Cornelius,"
A fantasy is an objective fact seen by people who have developed spirituality or who pray a lot. Because of its importance, this visionary revelation is described three times in Acts (10:3-8, 30-33, 11:13-15).
Centurion Cornelius, who heard the voice of an angel in a vision, looked at him and was afraid, and said, ?쏬ord, what is going on???The angel said, ?쏽our prayers and alms have come up as a remembrance before God.??It is that the prayers to God and giving alms to the people, which were Centurion Cornelius's usual religious life, were all brought up before God and remembered. Such Cornelius deserved God's favor and was worthy of being used for God's special purpose.
But what about us? How many prayers and alms can come up before God and be remembered? Prayers or alms in the face of shame, hypocrisy, or business will not come up to God or be remembered. Only prayers and alms with gratitude for God's saving grace and love in the Lord will come up and be remembered before God.
Centurion Cornelius' prayers and alms were brought up and remembered by God. Unfortunately, he did not fully convert to Judaism, nor was he interested in believing in Jesus Christ. So, God reveals to us in a vision so that we can believe in Jesus Christ and be saved. The angel of God went on to say, ?쏯ow send men to Joppa and ask for Simon, whose name is Peter.??Acts 11:14 added, ?쏦e will tell you words by which you and all your household will be saved.??As R. C. H. Lenski said, ?쏥od sent an angel to Cornelius. The angel was not sent to preach the gospel to him. Again, as in the case of Philip, God honors the ordained priests. Angels can only help connect people with God-appointed preachers, and are never allowed to do more. So, Cornelius is told how to summon Simon Peter. The middle imperative, ?쁀sk for yourselves,??indicates that Peter has a message for Cornelius.??The angel told the centurion Cornelius that he was staying in the house of Simon the skinned, where Peter made goods from animal skins, which was on the seashore and left.
After receiving a revelation in a strange vision, Centurion Cornelius immediately obeyed. He called two servants and a pious soldier, told them all the visions, and sent them to Joppa where Peter was.
4. Conclusion
There are many times when I think about how great it would be if God revealed Himself and told us quickly. In order to receive the revelation of God, we must fear and serve God like a godly person, give alms with the blessings we have received, and always pray to God. May all of us strive for prayer and alms with gratitude for God's saving love and grace in time in the Lord, so that we may receive the revelation of blessings at that time.