THE FIRST GENTILE
ACTS 10:1-4 NKJV
10 There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment, 2 a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always. 3 About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming in and saying to him, "Cornelius!"
4 And when he observed him, he was afraid, and said, "What is it, lord?"
So he said to him, "Your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God.
Even though Jesus had instructed His followers to go into all the world and preach the gospel, they did not quite catch on.
After Jesus had gone back into heaven, His apostles and followers were preaching to the Jews only. Phillip preaching in Samaria was the first foray out of Israel. But no one was going to the Gentiles.
Gentiles were those outside of the Jewish bloodlines. Even though some of the Gentiles had converted to serve God, they were still considered outsiders.
Cornelius was one of those Gentile converts. Even though he was a Roman centurion, he had a genuine heart for God. He was somewhat of an anomaly.
Roman centurions did not achieve the rank of leading 100 men because of politics. These were tough men who had earned this coveted rank. We would not typically look to one of these hardened soldiers for an example of a man with a heart for God.
And yet Cornelius was noted as being a devout man who feared God. He obviously led his household because all of them feared God. The Bible also highlights the fact that Cornelius was a generous giver, and he prayed on a consistent basis.
When the angel appeared to Cornelius, he shared insight as to how heaven views our activities. The angel told Cornelius that his prayers and his giving had come up as a memorial before God.
God noticed what Cornelius was doing. And it was to Cornelius that Peter was sent to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ.
Cornelius and his family and friends received the Lord, were baptized with the Holy Spirit, and then baptized in water. He was the first Gentile, and it was not by accident.
APPLICATION:
Man looks on the outside. God looks on the heart. In Cornelius, we see a man with a heart for God. His actions, prayers, and giving revealed that he truly believed God and was seeking after God.
All of us will not have the same job function in God's Kingdom. But all of us can have a heart for God. All of us can give and pray. God noticed Cornelius' prayers and giving then. He does not ignore our prayers and giving today.
PRAYER:
Lord I want to be known for having a heart for you and a life that matches.