What God Has Cleansed!

The Gospel Crosses Boundaries because it is God’s Work of Saving People.

This was the beginning of the fulfillment of Christ’s command to go to the last sphere of influence: Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.””

Preparation for Gospel Expansion

God Prepares the Sinner to Receive the Gospel

God prepared through his circumstances. (v.1)

He was prepared through prayer. (3)

He was prepared by a Heavenly vision.

God was intricately involved in the details to bring the sinner to salvation.

God Prepares the Believer to Share the Gospel

Peter was also prepared through his circumstances and placement:

He was in Lydda and Aeneas was healed, bringing many to salvation.

The disciples in Joppa brought Peter to heal Dorcas.

He was staying with Simon the tanner.

Peter was prepared for his assignment by prayer.

Peter was prepared to minister to gentiles through a heavenly vision.

“Not so, Lord.” What an contradiction!

He was a good Jewish man. He was kosher and would not even eat clean meat that had been tainted by being with unclean meat. Lev. 11:24-25 ““And by these you shall become unclean. Whoever touches their carcass shall be unclean until the evening, and whoever carries any part of their carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening.”

In changing the dietary laws, God was preparing Peter to minister to the Gentiles. Lev. 20:24-26 “I am the Lord your God, who has separated you from the peoples. You shall therefore separate the clean beast from the unclean, and the unclean bird from the clean.”

God uses our circumstances and our spiritual preparation to spread the Gospel. Story of the man in Haiti who arranged medical trip.

Proclamation of the Gospel

God uses people to share the Gospel of Christ. Cornelius had gathered a crowd to hear God’s Word Acts 10:33 “So I sent for you at once, and you have been kind enough to come. Now therefore we are all here in the presence of God to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord.””

The Gospel is for All - God shows no partiality! It is available to you and me!

Christ is Lord of All. He was demonstrated to be Lord by His works, His death, and His resurrection.

Christ is ordained as Judge of the living and the dead.

Salvation comes through faith in His name!

Reception of the Gospel

It was not Cornelius’ good works and deeds that saved him. It was faith in Christ.

The Gentiles received the Holy Spirit the same as the Jews, by faith in Christ (even before baptism)!