What does Acts 10:7 mean?
Cornelius is a centurion of the Italian Cohort. As such, he may have been a Roman citizen. He is stationed in Caesarea Maritima on the Mediterranean coast of northern Samaria, the home of Herod Agrippa I who reigned over Judea and Samaria (Acts 12:1). Despite such a prestigious position, Cornelius rejects emperor worship and the pantheon of Roman gods. Instead, he prays to the Jewish God and acts out his faith through charitable giving (Acts 10:1–6).Because of his piety, God has sent an angel to tell Cornelius to bring Peter up from Joppa. As a military commander, Cornelius may not be free to travel the thirty-five miles south, so he sends two servants and a soldier who also follows God. This is similar to the centurion who sent Jewish elders to beg Jesus to save his servant. That centurion showed such trust he assumed Jesus could heal without entering his home. Jesus commended him for his faith (Luke 7:1–10).
There are times in life when God calls us to act and times when God seems somewhat removed. Cornelius shows faithfulness in both. When God gives him directions, he follows them immediately—even if they're as ridiculous as assuming a Jew would come to the home of a Gentile. But he also showed faithfulness in the longer period of waiting. He trusted God and did what he knew to do: pray and act.
Any time we don't sense clear direction from God, we need to consider that He has already told us what to do, at least through the Bible. Acting on those prior instructions are what will prepare us for the future.
Acts 10:1–8 introduces the first group of Gentiles to receive the Holy Spirit. Cornelius is a Roman military leader stationed in Caesarea Maritima, the coastal city that serves as the headquarters for Herod Agrippa I. Cornelius is a devout follower of the Jewish God, although probably not a full proselyte. While praying one day, an angel appears and tells him God has heard his prayers and appreciates his charity. He is to send for Peter in Joppa and hear what the apostle has to say. What follows is the opening of the gospel to all Gentiles.
Peter has been a dominant voice in the spread of Jesus' message to Jews and proselytes. Now he brings the gospel to Gentiles. An angel tells Cornelius, a centurion, to ask Peter to come to him. Peter is praying when he receives a vision of food—including non-kosher food—and God's voice telling him to eat. When the centurion's messengers arrive, Peter realizes the dream meant that Gentiles are no longer unclean. He follows the messengers and tells Cornelius' household about salvation through Jesus. Before Peter can lay his hands on them or baptize them, the Holy Spirit falls on them.
