EXECUTION (PART 1)

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

The next day Peter started out with them, and some of the believers from Joppa went along.

The following day he arrived in Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends.

As Peter entered the house, Cornelius met him and fell at his feet in reverence. But Peter made him get up. “Stand up,” he said, “I am only a man myself.”

While talking with him, Peter went inside and found a large gathering of people. He said to them: “You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile. But God has shown me that I should not call anyone impure or unclean. So when I was sent for, I came without raising any objection. May I ask why you sent for me?”

Acts 10:23-29

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

In the first devotion from Acts 10, I talked about a principle I learned after many years of military leadership. The principle was that in carrying out any event, the work was 99 percent preparation and 1 percent execution. The initial work in getting ready for what needed done was critical to success. That was the whole point of the principle.

Well, over the past two devotions, we have looked at how God worked in advance of the main event, the event where a God-fearing, Roman centurion named Cornelius and his family could receive the Gospel and the Holy Spirit, and then be baptized, even though they were Gentiles and believed to be unclean and disqualified. Preparation happened on two fronts: first with Cornelius and then with Peter who was staying in the home of Simon the Tanner in Joppa.

As yesterday’s devotion ended, we find Peter depart for Caesarea with some men dispatched by Cornelius after he had been told by an angel of the Lord to do so. In the latter part of verse 23, we read where he was joined by some other believers from Joppa.

The preparation was over. Now was the time for execution, the theme of the next four devotions as we look at the events that take place at Cornelius’ home in Caesarea.  

We start in today’s message with Peter’s arrival in Caesarea with his entourage from Joppa. The scriptures tell us that “Cornelius was expecting them” and had “called together his relatives and close friends”. There was quite a gathering as Peter entered the house.

Well, Peter’s reputation had to have proceeded him because we read where Cornelius falls at Peter’s feet in reverence. Perhaps he thought that if an angel of the Lord has commanded that he call for Peter that the man from Joppa must have been sent by God and thus should be honored as if God had come Himself.

The whole scene unsettled Peter and we can sense the frustration and probably a little humiliation as he demands that Cornelius, “Stand up,” before explaining that he was a mere man just like the Roman centurion. Peter wanted Cornelius to know that they were on the same level spiritually.

We get a sense that Cornelius leads Peter into his home where his relatives and friends were. The scriptures tell us that Peter wasted little time addressing the large gathering saying:

“You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile. But God has shown me that I should not call anyone impure or unclean. So when I was sent for, I came without raising any objection. May I ask why you sent for me?”

Here we see God’s preparation leading to flawless execution on Peter’s part.

Before the vision of the sheet with the clean and unclean animals on it and the voice telling Peter that it was God who controlled what was clean and unclean, Peter understood the moral of the vision. Through Jesus, there was now no delineation between Jews and Gentiles. All people had sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and all people had the opportunity to gain salvation through Christ. That was the message at the heart of the good news and the overarching theme of what we know today as the New Testament, a word which also can be translated “covenant”. God’s new covenant with people included everyone. The Jews no longer were superior to those who weren’t Jewish.

That was Peter’s message to those gathered. He was a Jew but he was not there to pass judgment on Gentiles. That was a thing of a past and God had made it clear that it was so.

You know, God never stops preparing us for His purposes through His holy word. But are we embracing that preparation in a way that will allow us to execute His plan when He asks us to do so?

In Peter, we see how it should work and thanks be to God for providing us his story as a guide.

Tomorrow, we’ll continue to watch God’s plan be executed as Peter learns why Cornelius called for him to visit.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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