Summertime StoriesSample

Acts 10:34-36

34 Then Peter replied, “I see very clearly that God shows no favoritism. 

35 In every nation He accepts those who fear Him and do what is right. 

36 This is the message of Good News for the people of Israel—that there is peace with God through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.

In this passage, we have two main characters. First is Peter, who has been commissioned with spreading Jesus’ Gospel message, and Cornelius, who is a leader in the Roman army. The Bible says that Cornelius was a God-fearing man who gave to the needy and prayed regularly. The only problem is that Cornelius was a Gentile. The Jews did not associate with the Gentiles, which means that without God’s divine appointment, Peter would have never come in contact with Cornelius.

 An angel visited Cornelius and commanded him to send for Peter. Peter also received a message from the Lord. Peter is shown that nothing God created is considered unclean. As the story progresses, we see Peter entering into Cornelius’ house. To us, this might not seem like a big deal, but to Peter, this was huge. Peter’s obedience to God was about to take him way out of his comfort zone. 

 As Peter begins to speak, the Holy Spirit falls on all of the people present, and they receive salvation. Peter is blown away that God’s message is for all people. Cornelius and his friends and family are baptized, and the message of the Gospel of Jesus is expanded to the Gentiles. 

 Following God isn’t always comfortable, and God may call us to love on people who we never thought we could love. Are we willing to go wherever God calls us even if it causes us to leave our comfort? When we leave our comfort for HIS calling we never have to go alone, the Holy Spirit is always with us. Let’s get out of our comfort today and follow HIS calling!