If we seek God, He will find us. As we place all of our trust in Him and allow our faith to control us, He will lead us into all that He has for us and it will be good.
In
Acts chapter 10 we see God breaking down racial prejudices so that the Gospel can be shared with all people regardless of their race. There is no room for any discrimination within the church of Jesus Christ. Discrimination will always divide and never unite. In the body of Christ there is unity.
In the beginning of Acts chapter 10 we are introduced to Cornelius. We learn about him and his desire for God. We also learn that if we seek God, He will find us.
At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of what was known as the Italian Cohort, a devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed continually to God. About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God come in and say to him, "Cornelius." And he stared at him in terror and said, "What is it, Lord?" And he said to him, "Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God. And now send men to Joppa and bring one Simon who is called Peter. He is lodging with one Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea." When the angel who spoke to him had departed, he called two of his servants and a devout soldier from among those who attended him, and having related everything to them, he sent them to Joppa.
(Act 10:1-8 ESV)
Caesarea was the capital of Judea and was about 30 miles north of Joppa, where Peter was staying with Simon the tanner on the coast (
Acts 9:43). God was doing a deep work in Peter and breaking down all prejudices as we will see further evidence of in Acts Chapter 10.
Cornelius, stationed in Caesarea, was a centurion and part of the Italian Cohort. A cohort was a group of 6 centuries which were 100 men each, so a cohort was 600 men. Each century was under the command of one Centurion. Centurions were the backbone of the Roman army and would be equivalent to a modern day Captain. Each Centurion was paid well at five times the pay of an ordinary soldier.
Cornelius was socially prominent and wealthy. Cornelius is proof that it is possible for a person to be socially prominent and wealthy while being a person of faith. Cornelius did not allow his prominence and wealth to control him. He allowed his faith to control him as we know from this paragraph of Scripture.
The evidences of his faith are:
- He was devout and feared God. “God-fearer” is a term used in New Testament times for a Gentile who had attached themselves to the Jewish religion. They did not accept circumcision and the Law; but they attended the synagogue and believed in one God.
- He gave generously to meet the needs of people. His search for God had made him love people and desire to meet their needs.
- He prayed to God continually.
- He was quick to obey God’s message when it came.
Cornelius was a Gentile and not a Jew, but he attached himself to the Jewish religion instead of the pagan beliefs of his surroundings. He wanted all that God had for him and really trusted the Lord to guide him in all things. He was certain that what God had for him was good.
Allow your faith to control you. Put all of your trust in the Lord today. He will guide you in all things. All that He has in store for you is good. As you seek Him and do all that you know to do, He will lead you into all that He has for you. Be quick to obey Him. Seek God and let Him find you.
Click and check out our verse by verse Bible study in the book of Acts.
Know that you are loved,
@PastorGreg
Founder
www.LovingGodFellowship.org