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“Do not call anything impure that God has made clean” (Acts 10: 15)

Acts chapter 10 contains a watershed moment for the early church with the gospel preached and received by non-Jews for the first time in history. The dramatic events are played out in the lives of two quite different men, Peter and Cornelius.

Peter is confronted by a vision from God that makes it clear the old instructions from Leviticus, under the new covenant of Jesus Christ, no longer apply. The new instructions and revelation from God are deeply unsettling and provoking for Peter, but he still obeys God, preaching the gospel to the Gentiles, including Cornelius, who receive the Holy Spirit much to the astonishment of the Jews. A dividing wall fell down, enabling thousands to be saved.

What new instructions is God giving us today that will astonish us? Is this another watershed moment for the church with new revelations? Do we have dividing walls that need to come down to enable thousands in our city to be saved?

Reading Cornelius’ resume, we might have assumed he did not need to hear the gospel. He is described as God-fearing, religious, and morally good. Yet, this was not enough, and it is still not enough for us today. We cannot choose our own path to God or earn our way to Him.

Acts 4:12 “salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved”