Peter Takes The Gospel To The Gentiles

Peter Takes the Gospel to the Gentiles

Q: An angel told what Roman army officer to send for Peter?

• a. Cornelius
• b. Barnabas
• c. Silas

There was a Roman army officer who lived in Caesarea, a seaport about 30 miles north of Joppa, where Peter was staying. The officer was a centurion, which meant he was a commander of 100 soldiers. This man, Cornelius, loved God and prayed daily. One day an angel appeared to him and told him to send men to Joppa to find Peter and bring him to Caesarea. So Cornelius sent two servants on the mission.

God prepared Peter for the men’s request by showing him a vision that meant it was okay for him to take the gospel to the Gentiles, people who weren’t Jews. Peter was uncomfortable because the Gentiles didn’t live by the same religious laws as the Jews. There were things Jews were not allowed to touch or eat, but the Gentiles didn’t follow those rules. Still, Peter obeyed God and went to Cornelius’s home.

Cornelius gathered his friends and relatives to hear Peter. Cornelius and those in the house believed what Peter was saying, and God sent his Holy Spirit to come into them. When Peter and other Jews who were with him saw the Gentiles had the Holy Spirit, they baptized them as a sign of their salvation.

Cornelius was a wealthy military man and a Gentile. Peter was a poor Jewish fisherman who was now a preacher. The two men were very different, but God had a special plan for each of them to accomplish his work in the early church.

For You

God uses all different kinds of people to do his work. He has given you the talents and abilities you need to do what he’s called you to do. Never feel you aren’t good enough or talented enough to accomplish something great for God. He created you with a plan in mind.

Answer: a

There lived a Roman army officer named Cornelius, who was a captain of the Italian Regiment. He was a devout, God-fearing man, as was everyone in his household. He gave generously to the poor and prayed regularly.   Acts 10:1-2

(The Whole Story: Acts 10)