Sunday School Preview: March 9, 2014

In the longest piece of continuous narrative in the Book of Acts (Acts 10:1-11:18), we read this week about Peter’s vision. One of the biggest visions outside of Revelation, Peter gets the word from the Lord about the inclusion of the Gentiles. Peter is immediately inwardly perplexed and wonders at what he has just heard… In God’s sovereign timing, those coming to take him to Cornelius arrive at that very time, while Peter is perplexed, and Peter goes with them to see Cornelius, a centurion in Caesarea.

Peter arrives in Caesarea to speak with Cornelius (though, Ac. 10:28, it is unlawful for a Jewish man to keep company with Gentiles). He begins his dialog with them discussing that there’s no partiality with God (Ac. 10:34; De. 10:17), and

To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name. – Acts 10:43

Peter then shows them the gospel in short order concluding with the fact that “everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins through His name (Ac. 10:43).” The Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word Peter preached, and Peter returned to the brothers to share what God was doing among the Gentiles.

The brothers, however, those of the circumcision party, criticized Peter for going to and eating with uncircumcised men (Ac. 11:2-3). At the end of Peter’s explanation of the vision and experiences in Caesarea he concludes saying, “If then God gave the same gift to them as he gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way(Ac. 11:17)?” To which, they responded, after falling silent, “Then to the Gentiles also has God granted the repentance that leads to life(Ac. 11:18).”

Who was I that I could stand in God’s way? – Acts 11:17

Truly God can save anyone! He sovereignly saved Saul last week, and this week, the Gentiles who heard the word preached by Peter!

Application Points:

Trust & Treasure Jesus by Turning to Him as Lord & Savior. Without this, one could not genuinely share the good news with others. If you have not trusted Christ as your Savior & Lord, today would be a great day to do that!
Rejoice that God is drawing to Himself people from every tribe, nation, and tongue (Rev. 5:9). Locate those whom you have previously “written off” and seek to love them like Christ, that they might know Him. After all, I’m sure early Christians didn’t think Saul would become a believer, and the Gentiles certainly weren’t high up there either. However, God is in the business of saving those who seem unsaveable!