ACTS 10:1-48
Bible Study Notes Rev. Betsy Perkins
Cornelius and the Expanding Church
- Think about our church. Is it a place of unity? Why or why not. How do you think “outsiders” feel when they visit?
Joe Boyd, Bible Experiment – Acts of the Apostles (RightNowMedia), 49:15 – 57:40
Cornelius’ Vision (10:1-8)
- What do we learn about Cornelius in these verses? What is his relationship with the God of Israel and to the Jewish community?
- What is Cornelius doing when he experiences his vision? What does he see?
- What is Cornelius’ initial reaction? How does he respond after the angel leaves him?
Peter’s Vision (10:9-16):
- What is Peter doing when he experiences his vision? What does he see?
- Read Leviticus 11:1-31, 41-47. What is Peter’s initial reaction to his vision? Why?
At this point we must remind ourselves of one of the basic points about the Jewish food laws. It wasn’t just that the Jews weren’t allowed to eat pork. There was a whole range of meat which they were forbidden; they are listed in Leviticus 11 and were much discussed by later generations. And these food laws, whatever their origin, served to mark out the Jewish people from their non-Jewish neighbors, a rule reinforced by the prohibition on Jews eating with non-Jews, sharing table fellowship. The reasoning was clear: the people you sit down and eat with are ‘family’, but the Jewish ‘family’ has been called by God to be separate, to bear witness to His special love and grace to the world, and must not therefore compromise with the world. Of course, there were less complimentary ways of putting that as well, and the food taboos were regularly used as a weapon in a larger war of words, with Jews accusing Gentiles of all kinds of wickedness and uncleanness, and Gentiles responding with sneers. All of this we must keep in mind as we join Peter on the roof and watch this great sail descending from heaven – with unclean food in it. N.T. Wright
- What is the significance of Peter’s vision repeating three times?
- Did Peter understand the meaning of his vision when it was over?
- How do you understand that statement, “Do not call anything unclean that God has made clean”?
- Does God’s statement still apply today? Who or what might we consider to be “unclean”?
Peter Goes to Cornelius (10:17-33):
- How does the Spirit prepare Peter for what he is to do next? Why was this necessary?
- In verse 10:20, the Spirit tells Peter not to hesitate/ doubt/ discriminate/ have misgivings or prejudice, to discard all partiality. N.T. Wright defines prejudice as ‘pre-judging’, making up your mind before you know all the facts. What prejudices do we have?
People today sometimes refer to this present story as a sign that, within the New Testament, there is a recognition that ‘all religions lead to God’, or even that all religions are basically the same. That is certainly not what Luke intends, and both Cornelius himself and Peter himself would have been shocked at any such suggestion. The reason Cornelius was a devout worshipper of Israel’s God was precisely that he was fed up with the normal Roman gods and eager to follow what seemed to him the real one. It is not the case, then, that God simply ‘accepts us as we are’. He invites us as we are; but responding to that invitation always involves the complete transformation which is acted out in repentance, forgiveness, baptism, and receiving the Spirit. N.T. Wright
- How does Peter respond to the messengers sent by Cornelius? What does that tell us about what Peter has already understood from the vision and the Spirit’s message?
- Who does Peter take with him to Caesarea? Why?
- What does Cornelius do to prepare for his meeting with Peter?
- What does Cornelius do when he meets Peter? How does Peter respond? What does it tell us about Peter’s changing views about relationships between Jews and Gentiles?
Read Max Lucado, Life Lessons from Acts, page 67-68 (from Outlive Your Life)
Even Gentiles are Included! (10:34-48):
- Fill in the essential details of the Gospel message that Peter includes in his proclamation to the group gathered in Cornelius’ house:
Verse 34-35: God does not show ____________, but accepts ____________________________.
Verse 36: God sent a message of _______ through _______________, who is _______ of _____.
Verse 38: God ___________ Jesus, with ____________ and _____,
Because God was _____________________.
Verse 39-40: God ____________ him from ____________.
Verse 41: God chose us as _______________.
Verse 42: God commanded us to ____________ that
God appointed Jesus as __________________________.
Verse 43: Everyone who believes in ____________ receives ______________________________.
- What happens before Peter is even done sharing his message?
- What lesson does God teach Peter and the other Jewish believers through this meeting?
Peter and those with him (circumcised, Jewish, men) need to know that these uncircumcised people have been regarded by the Holy Spirit as fit vessels to be filled with His presence and voice. And if that is so, there can be no barriers to baptism. All this is what is meant by the opening line of Peter’s speech, ‘God has no favorites.’ This doesn’t mean that God runs the world as a democracy, or that He simply validates and accepts everyone’s opinion about everything, or everyone’s chosen lifestyle. It means that there are no ethnic, geographical, cultural or moral barriers any longer in the way of anyone and everyone being offered forgiveness and new life. That is the message far more powerful that the easy-going, laissez-faire tolerance which contemporary Western society so easily embraces. Cornelius didn’t want God (or Peter) to tolerate him. He wanted to be welcomed, forgiven, healed, transformed. And he was. N.T. Wright
- What differences divide believers today?
- Why is a lack of unity harmful to the church?
- Does that mean we can’t disagree with one another? How should we deal with disagreements?
- What can you do to build a sense of unity in the church?
Peter had a message to deliver, but his presence among the Gentiles delivered a powerful illustration that his message was true. Let your presence do the same. Max Lucado
In light of this passage and our discussion, what one truth about God and about yourself stand out as something to “take to heart” this week?
Are there steps you will take, by God’s grace, to more fully apply it to your life?
Resources: NIV Zondervan Study Bible, 2015
N.T. Wright, Acts for Everyone, Part 1 2008
Max Lucado, Life Lessons from Acts: Christ’s Church in the World, 2018
Joe Boyd, Bible Experiment – The Acts of the Apostles (RightNowMedia), 2014
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