Cornelius, a Roman centurion, has a vision where an angel tells him to summon Simon Peter. Peter has a vision where God tells him all foods are clean and he should no longer consider any person unclean. When Cornelius's messengers arrive, the Holy Spirit tells Peter to go with them without hesitation. Peter travels with the men to Caesarea and finds Cornelius has gathered friends and family, awaiting Peter's message. Cornelius recounts his vision to Peter.

1. The Acts of the Apostles
Acts 10:1-33

2. • 1 Now there was a man at Caesarea named
Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the
Italian cohort, 2 a devout man and one who
feared God with all his household, and gave many
alms to the Jewish people and prayed to God
continually.

4. • “The Roman historian Polybius described
centurions as “not so much venturesome
daredevils as natural leaders of a steady and
sedate spirit, not so much men who will initiate
attacks and open the battle as men who will hold
their ground when worsted and hard pressed and
be ready to die at their posts” John MacArthur

5. • Matthew 8:5-12 And when Jesus entered
Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, imploring
Him, (6) and saying, "Lord, my servant is lying
paralyzed at home, fearfully tormented." (7) Jesus
*said to him, "I will come and heal him." (8) But
the centurion said, "Lord, I am not worthy for You
to come under my roof, but just say the word, and
my servant will be healed. (9) "For I also am a man
under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say
to this one, 'Go!' and he goes, and to another,
'Come!' and he comes, and to my slave, 'Do this!'
and he does it."

6. • (10) Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled and
said to those who were following, "Truly I say to
you, I have not found such great faith with anyone
in Israel. (11) "I say to you that many will come
from east and west, and recline at the table with
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of
heaven; (12) but the sons of the kingdom will be
cast out into the outer darkness; in that place
there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

7. • “A Roman legion at full strength consisted of 6,000
men, and was divided into ten cohorts of 600 men
each. A centurion commanded 100 of these men,
and each legion therefore had 60 centurions, who
were considered the backbone of the Roman
army.” John Mac Arthur

8. • “A Roman legion at full strength consisted of 6,000
men, and was divided into ten cohorts of 600 men
each. A centurion commanded 100 of these men,
and each legion therefore had 60 centurions, who
were considered the backbone of the Roman
army.” John Mac Arthur
• “the Italian cohort, a regiment of soldiers made up
only of those who had distinguished themselves
for gallantry and valor.” Lloyd Ogilvie

9. • 3 About the ninth hour of the day he clearly saw
in a vision an angel of God who had just come in
and said to him, "Cornelius!" 4 And fixing his gaze
on him and being much alarmed, he said, "What is
it, Lord?" And he said to him, "Your prayers and
alms have ascended as a memorial before God. 5
"Now dispatch some men to Joppa and send for a
man named Simon, who is also called Peter; 6 he
is staying with a tanner named Simon, whose
house is by the sea."

10. • Judges 6:22-23 When Gideon saw that he was the
angel of the LORD, he said, "Alas, O Lord GOD! For
now I have seen the angel of the LORD face to
face." 23 The LORD said to him, "Peace to you, do
not fear; you shall not die.“

11. • Luke 2:9-10 And an angel of the Lord suddenly
stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone
around them; and they were terribly frightened.
10 But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid;
for behold, I bring you good news of great joy
which will be for all the people;

12. • Luke 2:9-10 And an angel of the Lord suddenly
stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone
around them; and they were terribly frightened.
10 But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid;
for behold, I bring you good news of great joy
which will be for all the people;
• Acts 4:12 "And there is salvation in no one else; for
there is no other name under heaven that has
been given among men by which we must be
saved."

13. • 7 When the angel who was speaking to him had
left, he summoned two of his servants and a
devout soldier of those who were his personal
attendants, 8 and after he had explained
everything to them, he sent them to Joppa.

14. • 7 When the angel who was speaking to him had
left, he summoned two of his servants and a
devout soldier of those who were his personal
attendants, 8 and after he had explained
everything to them, he sent them to Joppa.
• “God has chosen to work through human
instruments. God also wanted Peter there to
observe firsthand Cornelius’s salvation. Only then
would he be fully prepared to accept Gentiles into
the church.” John MacArthur

15. • 9 On the next day, as they were on their way and
approaching the city, Peter went up on the
housetop about the sixth hour to pray. 10 But he
became hungry and was desiring to eat; but while
they were making preparations, he fell into a
trance;

16. • 11 and he *saw the sky opened up, and an object
like a great sheet coming down, lowered by four
corners to the ground, 12 and there were in it all
kinds of four-footed animals and crawling
creatures of the earth and birds of the air.

17. • Leviticus 20:25-26 'You are therefore to make a
distinction between the clean animal and the
unclean, and between the unclean bird and the
clean; and you shall not make yourselves
detestable by animal or by bird or by anything that
creeps on the ground, which I have separated for
you as unclean. 26 'Thus you are to be holy to
Me, for I the LORD am holy; and I have set you
apart from the peoples to be Mine.

18. • “It was largely because of their lack of scruples in
food matters that Gentiles were ritually unsafe
people for a pious Jew to meet socially. Intercourse
with Gentiles was not categorically forbidden; but
it was liable to render a Jew ceremonially unclean,
as was even the entering of a Gentile building or
the handling of articles belonging to Gentiles.”
FF Bruce

19. • 13 A voice came to him, "Get up, Peter, kill and
eat!" 14 But Peter said, "By no means, Lord, for I
have never eaten anything unholy and unclean."
15 Again a voice came to him a second time,
"What God has cleansed, no longer consider
unholy." 16 This happened three times, and
immediately the object was taken up into the sky.

20. • Mark 7:14-15 After He called the crowd to Him
again, He began saying to them, "Listen to Me, all
of you, and understand: (15) there is nothing
outside the man which can defile him if it goes into
him; but the things which proceed out of the man
are what defile the man. (16) ["If anyone has ears
to hear, let him hear."] (17) When he had left the
crowd and entered the house, His disciples
questioned Him about the parable.

21. • (18) And He *said to them, "Are you so lacking in
understanding also? Do you not understand that
whatever goes into the man from outside cannot
defile him, (19) because it does not go into his
heart, but into his stomach, and is eliminated?"
(Thus He declared all foods clean.)

22. • 1 Corinthians 10:25-27 Eat anything that is sold in
the meat market without asking questions for
conscience' sake; 26 FOR THE EARTH IS THE
LORD'S, AND ALL IT CONTAINS. 27 If one of the
unbelievers invites you and you want to go, eat
anything that is set before you without asking
questions for conscience' sake.

23. • 1 Timothy 4:3-5 men who forbid marriage and
advocate abstaining from foods which God has
created to be gratefully shared in by those who
believe and know the truth. (4) For everything
created by God is good, and nothing is to be
rejected if it is received with gratitude; (5) for it is
sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer.

24. • 17 Now while Peter was greatly perplexed in mind
as to what the vision which he had seen might be,
behold, the men who had been sent by Cornelius,
having asked directions for Simon's house,
appeared at the gate; 18 and calling out, they
were asking whether Simon, who was also called
Peter, was staying there.

25. • 19 While Peter was reflecting on the vision, the
Spirit said to him, "Behold, three men are looking
for you. 20 "But get up, go downstairs and
accompany them without misgivings, for I have
sent them Myself."

26. • 21 Peter went down to the men and said, "Behold,
I am the one you are looking for; what is the
reason for which you have come?" 22 They said,
"Cornelius, a centurion, a righteous and God-
fearing man well spoken of by the entire nation of
the Jews, was divinely directed by a holy angel to
send for you to come to his house and hear a
message from you." 23 So he invited them in and
gave them lodging. And on the next day he got up
and went away with them, and some of the
brethren from Joppa accompanied him.

27. • 24 On the following day he entered Caesarea.
Now Cornelius was waiting for them and had
called together his relatives and close friends.

28. • 24 On the following day he entered Caesarea.
Now Cornelius was waiting for them and had
called together his relatives and close friends.
• 25 When Peter entered, Cornelius met him, and
fell at his feet and worshiped him. 26 But Peter
raised him up, saying, "Stand up; I too am just a
man."

29. • Deuteronomy 6:13-15 "You shall fear only the
LORD your God; and you shall worship Him and
swear by His name. (14) "You shall not follow
other gods, any of the gods of the peoples who
surround you, (15) for the LORD your God in the
midst of you is a jealous God; otherwise the anger
of the LORD your God will be kindled against you,
and He will wipe you off the face of the earth.

30. • Romans 1:7 to all who are beloved of God in
Rome, called as saints: Grace to you and peace
from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

31. • (27) As he talked with him, he entered and *found
many people assembled. (28) And he said to
them, "You yourselves know how unlawful it is for
a man who is a Jew to associate with a foreigner or
to visit him; and yet God has shown me that I
should not call any man unholy or unclean. (29)
"That is why I came without even raising any
objection when I was sent for. So I ask for what
reason you have sent for me."

32. • Matthew 18:17 "If he refuses to listen to them, tell
it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to
the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax
collector.

33. • (30) Cornelius said, "Four days ago to this hour, I
was praying in my house during the ninth hour;
and behold, a man stood before me in shining
garments, (31) and he *said, 'Cornelius, your
prayer has been heard and your alms have been
remembered before God. (32) 'Therefore send to
Joppa and invite Simon, who is also called Peter, to
come to you; he is staying at the house of Simon
the tanner by the sea.'

34. • (33) "So I sent for you immediately, and you have
been kind enough to come. Now then, we are all
here present before God to hear all that you have
been commanded by the Lord."

35. • Matthew 16:18-19 "I also say to you that you are
Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church;
and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. (19)
"I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven;
and whatever you bind on earth shall have been
bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth
shall have been loosed in heaven."