Claude T. Stauffer :: The Spirit Acts to Save All People – Acts 10

The Spirit Acts

The Spirit Acts to Save All People – Acts 10

In chapter seven and eight of Acts we saw how the Spirit orchestrated circumstances to save the soul of Saul. Saul was a zealous religious Jewish person headed in the wrong direction. The Spirit knocked him off his high horse and the Lord Jesus confronted him. He was saved, empowered by the Spirit to preach Jesus as the Son of God and protected in that mission.

Up until this point in history, the church was composed of predominantly Jews who had recognized Jesus as their Messiah. “Christianity” had not even been named as such and those who followed Jesus were simply an offshoot, (albeit an unwanted offshoot by the Jews) of Judaism.

Now the Lord was going to do a new thing, he was going to show that the gospel was meant for all people, not just the House of Israel. Acts 10 marks a pivotal point in the work of God, because now the gospel is going to go to the broader gentile world as opposed to being limited to Israel.

The Spirit Acts to Save a Gentile Seeker

• Acts 10:1-2 – ¹ “There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment, ² a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always.”

The KJV Bible Commentary makes the following observations on these verses:

The city of Caesarea, the major seaport city of New Testament Palestine, was located some distance up the coast from Joppa. Here a man named Cornelius lived. He was a centurion of the band called the Italian band. The word translated “band” [i.e., regiment] (Gr. speira is equivalent to the Latin word cohors (cohort). A cohort, or tenth part of a legion, may have consisted of up to six hundred men, and was divided into centuries [i.e., groups of 100 men] each commanded by a centurion. But when used in reference to auxiliary provincial troops, it meant a regiment of a full thousand men. Thus Cornelius would have been one of the leaders of a rather sizable group of Roman soldiers.

In addition to Luke’s information that this man was a Roman soldier, we also learn that he was a devout man, and one who feared God. This would place Cornelius among the “God fearers” who were so prevalent in the first century. These were Gentiles who were not prepared to enter into the Jewish community as proselytes but were attracted to the morality and ethical standards of the monotheistic Jewish religion. Therefore some of them attended the synagogue services and were greatly knowledgeable in the practices of the Jewish religion. Hence, Cornelius gave much alms and prayed to God.¹³⁰

Cornelius was not a Jew, but he appreciated the revelation that God had made through them and was a God-seeker. The Spirit always hears the call of seekers who desire to know the Lord. It is the Spirit who responds to such people and reveals the heart of the gospel and the revelation of God in His only son Jesus.

Seeking God

The Bible tells us that God has created humanity with “eternity in their hearts” (Ecclesiastes 3:11), meaning each human has a yearning for God in them. Augustine once said “Thou hast made us for Thyself, and restless is our heart until it comes to rest in Thee.” There is a void in all humanity that only God can fill through His only son Jesus and it is the Holy Spirit that reveals this truth to us. Some try to fill the void with ambitious pursuits, with relationships, with money, careers, diplomas, learning, and all sorts of things, but only Jesus can fill that void. This life of searching, of seeking can only end in fulfillment when a person accepts Jesus into their heart.

There are a number of things the Bible tells us about seeking the Lord, and we should pay close attention to them.

First, God the Father seeks us before we seek Him. This is the grace of God. God demonstrates His love for us while we are still sinners (Romans 5:8). Read what the Bible says about this:

• Isaiah 65:2 –
  “I have stretched out My hands all day long to a rebellious people,
  Who walk in a way that is not good,
  According to their own thoughts;” (Romans 10:20).

Indeed, the revelation of God is clear that no one can seek God and come to Him unless the Father enables him to do so. Jesus said:

• John 6:44-45 – ⁴⁴ “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. ⁴⁵ “It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me.”

The sinner may be searching, but they won’t come to fulfillment until they receive what God is offering to them (John 1:12).

Second, the mission of Jesus was to seek the lost. Jesus came to seek out the lost, to redeem those enslaved to sin. Jesus said:

• Luke 19:9-10 – ⁹ “And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; ¹⁰ “for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
• John 6:27-29 – ²⁷ “Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.” ²⁸ Then they said to Him, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?” ²⁹ Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.”
• Revelation 3:20 – “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.”

Jesus said the Holy Spirit would testify of Him and lead people into His truth (John 14:26; John 15:26; John 16:7-11, 13). The Spirit seeks out sinners and invites them to taste and see that the Lord is good, oh so good (Psalm 34:8). Those who taste of Jesus never thirst again (John 4:13-14; John 7:37-39).

Fourth, God seeks the lost through us. God uses us to seek out the lost. He is able to reach out to people supernaturally like He did with Saul (Acts 9), but He more commonly seeks the lost by using the saved, using disciples. Paul was inspired to make this point when he wrote:

• 2 Corinthians 5:20 – “Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.”

Are you seeking to be used by the Spirit to reach out to the lost?

Fifth, we should make seeking the lost a priority. Paul was inspired to write:

• 1 Corinthians 10:33 – “just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.”

Paul is not saying he becomes a people pleaser that compromises God’s truth to win people; he is saying that he subordinates those thingsthat would profit him for the sake of reaching the lost. To him, reaching the lost was a top priority. He was even willing to forfeit his own salvation to see that people would be saved (Romans 9:1-3; Romans 10:1). Do you have a burden for the lost? Are you willing to sacrifice to see sinners saved?

Sixth, sinners seek greatness for themselves. The problem with sinners is that before they come to seek God, they are ensnared in the deception of selfishness and self-seeking; they seek greatness for themselves rather than the greatness of God and His glory. Through the prophet Jeremiah, the Lord said:

• Jeremiah 45:5 – “And do you seek great things for yourself? Do not seek them; for behold, I will bring adversity on all flesh,” says the Lord. “But I will give your life to you as a prize in all places, wherever you go.”’”

This problem persists even after a person is saved. The flesh (i.e., the sinful nature that inclines itself to seek things for me-myself-and-I) continues to seek great things, attention, popularity, fame, even after we have found the Lord. Even those in ministry seek their own profit at times and are condemned as false prophets (Micah 3:11-12; 2 Peter 2:3). In the Bible we are exhorted to humble ourselves before God and trust Him to exalt us in the right time (1 Peter 5:6).

Seventh, sinners seek to justify themselves before people. Jesus made this observation about those around him when He said:

• Luke 16:15 – “And He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.” (See Luke 10:29)

This is the problem with religious pursuits of God. Religion focuses on the works of people and therefore is inclined to seek people’s approval. People do things they perceive as acceptable before other people in the pursuit of God. But what happens is that people get so engulfed in their works or religious pursuits that God is left out of the equation. The religious end up doing certain things not so much to please God, but to please those who say they represent God, and for the most part, such religious representatives don’t have a clue as to what God requires or what His grace provides. A person will never find God if they seek to please people; they must first care about pleasing God, even if it means going against what people say. The priority must be to please God, not men.

Eight, those who do not seek the Lord, do evil. Rehoboam, the son of Solomon and his successor, was handed the kingdom of Israel in its zenith, yet under his rule the kingdom was divided. What was Rehoboam’s great sin that led to this tragedy? In 2 Chronicles it states:

• 2 Chronicles 12:13-16 – ¹³ “Thus Rehoboam strengthened himself in Jerusalem and reigned. Now Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he became king; and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the Lord had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to put His name there. His mother’s name was Naamah, an Ammonitess. ¹⁴ And he did evil, because he did not prepare his heart to seek the Lord. ¹⁵ The acts of Rehoboam, first and last, are they not written in the Book of Shemaiah the prophet, and of Iddo the seer concerning genealogies? And there were wars between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all their days. ¹⁶ So Rehoboam rested with his fathers, and was buried in the City of David. Then Abijah his son reigned in his place.”

We can learn something from this account. Even when we have accepted Jesus as Savior and Lord, we still have to seek the Lord; we have to seek His will and ways. When, as a believer, we stop seeking the Lord’s will and start following our own will, evil and sinful chaos is the result. Whether a believer or not, when a person stops seeking God, the end result is evil in some way.

Another king who got himself into trouble was Jehoshaphat. But even though he involved himself in a wrong and sinful alliance, because he did prepare his heart to seek God, some redeeming good was found in him (2 Chronicles 15:1-2). No matter how messed up things become in your life, seek God, and see what He will do. You just might be surprised.

Ninth, fulfillment comes from seeking the Lord. Fulfillment doesn’t come from family, career, wealth, talent, accolades and fame, from achievement, or any other thing; fulfillment comes when we seek the Lord in all things. Family, career, wealth, talent, achievement, and all other things become fulfilling when a person seeks God’s purpose and will in them. Read what the Bible says about this:

• Psalm 34:4-6, 8 –
  ⁴ “I sought the LORD, and He heard me,
  And delivered me from all my fears.
  ⁵ They looked to Him and were radiant,
  And their faces were not ashamed.
  ⁶ This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him,
  And saved him out of all his troubles.…
  ⁸ Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good;
  Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!”
• Jeremiah 29:11-13 – ¹¹ “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. ¹² Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. ¹³ And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.”

God is able to save us from our fears and make us radiant. The poor sinner, frustrated and lost in their various dead-end pursuits, when they call out to God and seek Him, will be found by Him. God has a wonderful plan for each of our lives that He has had in mind for us since we were a thought in Him (Ephesians 2:10). His plan for us is more wonderful and fulfilling than we could ever hope for (Ephesians 3:20-21). I challenge you, seek Him out on His plan for you. You won’t regret it, and that is the path to true fulfillment in life.

Tenth, once found and saved by the Lord, we should continue to seek the Lord. Once we find the Lord, we don’t stop seeking Him. Finding the Lord (or more accurately being found by Him) marks the beginning of a life of seeking Him in all things. We are told in His word to prepare our hearts devotionally to seek the Lord (2 Chronicles 19:3). We are instructed to seek God in His word (Ezra 7:10; 1 Peter 2:1-2). We are told to seek His peace (1 Peter 3:8-12), and His righteousness and humility (Zephaniah 2:3).

Jesus instructed His disciples to seek God and His kingdom as a priority and all other things would fall into place. He said:

• Matthew 6:33 – “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

Jesus instructed His disciples to seek the Lord in prayer and particularly to seek the Holy Spirit, saying:

• Luke 11:9-13 – ⁹ “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. ¹⁰ “For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. ¹¹ “If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? ¹²  “Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? ¹³ “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”

You see, it isn’t that God is playing hard to find, He is always there (Hebrews 13:5), and the problem is that we so often forget to seek Him out in all things. To those who ask, He answers. To those who seek, He is found, to those who knock, it will be opened to them and to those who seek the Holy Spirit, He will come in and upon them.

Indeed, we are told to seek the Lord for the rest of our lives, as the writer of Hebrews states:

• Hebrews 6:11-12 – ¹¹ “And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, ¹² that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.”

Seek the Lord always until the end, that is God’s will for us all.

Cornelius was a seeker and the Spirit had heard his prayer and seen his heart and now was going to orchestrate a divine appointment that would lead to eternal fulfillment.

The Spirit Begins Orchestrating a Divine Appointment

• Acts 10:3-8 – ³ “About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming in and saying to him, “Cornelius!” ⁴ And when he observed him, he was afraid, and said, “What is it, lord?” So he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God. ⁵ “Now send men to Joppa, and send for Simon whose surname is Peter. ⁶ “He is lodging with Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea. He will tell you what you must do.” ⁷ And when the angel who spoke to him had departed, Cornelius called two of his household servants and a devout soldier from among those who waited on him continually. ⁸ So when he had explained all these things to them, he sent them to Joppa.”

Again, we see the Spirit at work to orchestrate the salvation of the lost. This time the Spirit is orchestrating the conversion of a Gentile, which was unprecedented. Notice “Simon whose surname is Peter” was known by the Lord and the Spirit was arranging to have him brought to where ministry was needed. Peter would have to trust and follow in faith because, as the Spirit commonly does, He was working in an unconventional way (Acts 10:3-8).

Cornelius was fasting and in prayer when the vision of an angel came to him (Acts 10:30). The ninth hour is 3 o’clock in the afternoon. That this man was fasting and praying may indicate the earnestness with which he was seeking the Lord. Perhaps he had been convicted by the Spirit and knew something was missing in his heart and life. The one thing he apparently knew to do was fast and pray. There is an interesting acronym for situations such as this, for times when you are seeking and struggling. The acronym is P.U.S.H. and it stands for PRAY-UNTIL-SOMETHING-HAPPENS. Perhaps that is what Cornelius was doing. Maybe he was at the end of himself. He had been a giver of alms and a devout man, he feared God (Acts 10:2), but something was missing. So, at 3 o’clock in the afternoon, he went to prayer to seek the Lord and the Lord was not going to answer. The Spirit always responds to the prayers of seekers. Cornelius was obedient to follow the directions of the angel in the vision.

The next time you find yourself in a confusing situation, or a situation where there seems to be a roadblock, remember to P.U.S.H.

The Spirit Acts Through People Who Pray

• Acts 10:9-16 – ⁹ “The next day, as they went on their journey and drew near the city, Peter went up on the housetop to pray, about the sixth hour. ¹⁰ Then he became very hungry and wanted to eat; but while they made ready, he fell into a trance ¹¹ and saw heaven opened and an object like a great sheet bound at the four corners, descending to him and let down to the earth. ¹² In it were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air. ¹³ And a voice came to him, “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” ¹⁴ But Peter said, “Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean.” ¹⁵ And a voice spoke to him again the second time, “What God has cleansed you must not call common.” ¹⁶ This was done three times. And the object was taken up into heaven again.”

Notice, Peter was a man of prayer and as such he was available for the Spirit to speak to. E. M. Bounds made the following comments about the men God uses:

Praying men are God 's chosen leaders. The distinction between the leaders that God brings to the front to lead and bless His people, and those leaders who owe their position of leadership to a worldly, selfish, unsanctified selection, is this: God 's leaders are pre-eminently men of prayer.

Prayer is like a phone line to God with unlimited access. It’s like a spiritual cell phone that can be taken anywhere and has a perfect clear reception. But how many times I wonder, has God wanted to use us, but our line was busy with something else. We need to be on the prayer phone to the Lord seeking for Him to use us. We need to have a heart always alert and ready to be used by Him. That is what we see in the life of Peter (Acts 10:9).

The sixth hour is noon. Peter received the vision but initially rejected the message saying, “Not so Lord!” This is an oxymoron, as how can you refuse one to whom you have surrendered your life? “Lord” and “No” don’t fit well in the same sentence (Acts 10:10-14). Now Jesus rebuked Peter for his response, but notice, too, that Peter felt close enough to the Lord to express himself. He didn’t talk to Jesus in formalities or write memorized prayer lines. No, Peter had a personal relationship with Jesus that enabled him to share openly (yet reverently and submissively) with Jesus. That is what Jesus wants with us, an open conversational interaction with those who follow Him.

God was now going to open the gospel up to the Gentiles. Those who had been seen as unclean were going to be cleansed by the Lord through faith in Christ (Acts 10:15-16). The blood of Jesus is able to cleanse any sinner completely clean (Psalm 103:12; 1 John 1:7, 9).

The Spirit Acts Through Networking of Circumstances

• Acts 10:17-23 – ¹⁷ “Now while Peter wondered within himself what this vision which he had seen meant, behold, the men who had been sent from Cornelius had made inquiry for Simon’s house, and stood before the gate. ¹⁸ And they called and asked whether Simon, whose surname was Peter, was lodging there. ¹⁹ While Peter thought about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are seeking you. ²⁰ “Arise therefore, go down and go with them, doubting nothing; for I have sent them.” ²¹ Then Peter went down to the men who had been sent to him from Cornelius, and said, “Yes, I am he whom you seek. For what reason have you come?” ²² And they said, “Cornelius the centurion, a just man, one who fears God and has a good reputation among all the nation of the Jews, was divinely instructed by a holy angel to summon you to his house, and to hear words from you.” ²³ Then he invited them in and lodged them. On the next day Peter went away with them, and some brethren from Joppa accompanied him.”

While we do not always initially understand the Lord’s directions, as with Peter, he is always working to bring His plans to pass. Notice how the Spirit is working behind the scenes at both ends of this pivotal meeting (Acts 10:17). The Spirit is acting each step of the way to bring His will to pass and salvation to a group it had not previously been offered to (Acts 10:18-20). The Spirit works through obedient servants fully surrendered to Him (Acts 10:21-23).

At one point in the history of our church, the Lord has worked in just such a way to bring about an answer to prayer at my church. We were a growing church and our facilities were overcrowded and too small for our needs. We started to pray for the Lord to give us a larger facility. At a monthly Saturday Men’s breakfast during our time of sharing, a brother spoke about how he had read Acts 2 and been moved concerning how the early church shared all things in common and that we should be there to help one another too. That inspired me to share how we had been praying for a larger facility for the church and that when we found a larger facility there would be a great deal of opportunity for all of us to pitch in and help out with the transition. The men there caught the vision of the growing church that morning and, we all prayed together about it.

The next week before one of our services a brother who had been at the previous Saturday Men’s breakfast told me that he and two other people from the church had gone for a Sunday (the day after the breakfast he attended) afternoon walk after church at a huge local park [930 acre Eisenhower Park on Long Island]. They thought it would be nice to go to a section of the park they hadn’t been to before. While returning from their walk, they ran into a Christian who struck up a conversation with them because one of our people was wearing a T-shirt with “Jesus 24-7” emblazoned on it. It turned out that during the conversation the people from our church shared the need we had for a building. This person then shared how he just happened to attend a church that was combining their congregation with another congregation, and they were looking to sell one of their buildings. This led to us contacting them and seeing the church and one thing has led to another, and we are now in the process of purchasing that building.

Now think about this. Think how the Spirit moved to bring these people from these two churches together. One church had a need for a building, the other had one building too many. One flock was looking to buy and the other was looking to sell. And the Spirit brought them both together. I don’t know how property or real estate is in your part of the country, but for us here on Long Island, it is expensive and worse yet, rare to come by. But the Spirit had a plan. We looked and looked and looked, but couldn’t find anything. But when the time was right, the Spirit brought the people together who needed to be brought together and the prayer was answered. Don’t give up! Wait on the Lord and He will bring an answer to pass. He works in ways we can’t even conceive of. If He has to bring people together in a huge park to accomplish His will, He will.

You may be in a seemingly dead-end situation, don’t give up, the Spirit is at work. Some things take time to bring together. Keep praying. Remember to P.U.S.H. (Pray Until Something Happens.)

The Spirit Acts Through those Who Wait on the Lord

• Acts 10:24-27 – ²⁴ “And the following day they entered Caesarea. Now Cornelius was waiting for them, and had called together his relatives and close friends. ²⁵ As Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him. ²⁶ But Peter lifted him up, saying, “Stand up; I myself am also a man.” ²⁷ And as he talked with him, he went in and found many who had come together.”

Cornelius waited with great expectation and the first ones he wanted to share the coming good news with were his relatives (Acts 10:24). Cornelius fell down to worship Peter, but Peter was quick to focus him on Jesus and not himself. That is what a good minister will always do (Acts 10:25-26). When the Spirit leads, He brings us to “many” who are open to the gospel message (Acts 10:27).

What Does It Mean to Wait on the Lord?

After the vision, Cornelius waited for the Lord to work. Notice, he did not sit back and do nothing, he sent messengers to find Peter (Acts 10:7-8) and he, “called together his relatives and close friends” while he waited on the Lord and for Peter to arrive (Acts 10:24). Now what would have happened if Cornelius just sat back and did nothing, if he hadn’t followed the instruction of the Lord to send his servants to get Peter or called his relatives and friends to his house? What would have happened? Nothing would have happened. Oh, he might have gotten saved by way of Peter’s message, but his family and friends would not have been there to hear the gospel and be saved. You see the way Cornelius “waited” made all the difference to what the Spirit was able to accomplish. There are times when we are to wait on the Lord. What does it mean to “Wait on the Lord’?

Now what does it mean to “wait on the Lord”? The word “waited” in verse 24 is translated from the Greek term PROSDOKAO (Greek prosdokao – pros-dok-ah´–o) which comes from another Greek term DOKEUO (Strong’s #4314 – dokeuo which means, “to watch…to anticipate (in thought, hope or fear)…to await…expectation…, look (for),…tarry, wait for.”¹³¹ Now the grammatical form of this term conveys the thought of a continuous action, a persistence (i.e., Present/Active/Participle). Therefore what can we say waiting on the Lord means? It doesn’t mean to be a Christian couch potato who sits and does nothing. It does mean to persistently and patiently wait with anticipation and expectation for how the Lord will direct you.

First, to wait on the Lord means to wait expectantly, watchfully for the Lord, serving Him in anticipation of further direction. Now the Lord might direct you on to something else, or He might direct you to continue serving right where you are. Like with Cornelius, the Spirit might bring the answer to your doorstep. But this doesn’t necessarily mean we are to do nothing.

The psalmist expressed the right attitude of waiting on the Lord when he wrote:

• Psalm 63:1-5 –
  ¹ “O God, You are my God;
  Early will I seek You;
  My soul thirsts for You;
  My flesh longs for You
  In a dry and thirsty land
  Where there is no water.
  ² So I have looked for You in the sanctuary,
  To see Your power and Your glory.
  ³ Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,
  My lips shall praise You.
  ⁴ Thus I will bless You while I live;
  I will lift up my hands in Your name.
  ⁵ My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness,
  And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.”
• Psalm 123:1-2 –
  ¹ “Unto You I lift up my eyes,
  O You who dwell in the heavens.
  ² Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters,
  As the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress,
  So our eyes look to the LORD our God,
  Until He has mercy on us.”

We are to wait on the Lord seeking Him purely, not for ulterior motives, to get what we want. And we are to wait on the Lord with a servant’s heart, looking to Him for direction. So attentively are we to look and watch so that He will merely have to direct us with His eye, and we will know what His desire is for us. That is the message in the two portions of Scripture listed above.

To wait on the Lord can be illustrated by looking at a diner. When you go to a diner, there are waiters and waitresses. Now what does a waiter and waitress do? They serve; they follow the instructions of the headwaiter or head waitress. What would happen if, when you go to a diner, no one came to serve you or take your order? You’d get up and move on. Like a waiter or waitress, we are to wait on the Lord by serving Him where we are until He gives us further direction to stay, move on, or give us further insight into what He is doing in and through us. Service is often the means through which God directs us and prepares us for what He has for us.

Second, to wait on the Lord means to actively serve Him and trust in His word. The psalmist was inspired to say it this way:

• Psalm 130:5 –
  “I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,
  And in His word I do hope.”
• Psalm 119:147 –
  “I rise before the dawning of the morning,
  And cry for help;
  I hope in Your word.”

We wait on the Lord in service, guided by and trusting in His word. If ever you are in a situation where you need to wait on the Lord, His word is a solid source of hope and direction and comfort.

Third, to wait on the Lord means to hope confidently in Him. To wait and complain, or wait and pout, or wait and be depressed is not what waiting on the Lord is all about. To wait on the Lord means to go on serving where He has you, confidently hoping in God that He knows what is best for you. The psalmist states:

• Psalm 27:13–
  “I would have lost heart, unless I had believed
  That I would see the goodness of the LORD
  In the land of the living.”

God loves us so much that He lavished His love on us by sending His only Son to die in our place to redeem us from sin (Romans 5:8). God held nothing back in His love by giving His only-begotten Son Jesus to save us. That is what we should trust in. Remember:

• Romans 8:31-32 – ³¹ “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³² He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?”

When we wait and gripe and growl and generally rebel in our hearts against God’s plans, we expose ourselves as having little faith in God and little understanding of His love. When we wait and gripe and growl we reveal that our will is more important to us than God’s will and that we are really lusting after something rather than trusting God. Don’t lose heart; trust in the Lord and wait on Him.

Fourth, to wait on the Lord means to trust in His sustenance. God promises in His word to sustain us, guide us, provide for us or deliver us if need be, in whatever situation in which we are waiting on Him. This truth is revealed in the following verses:

• Psalm 27:14 –
  “Wait on the LORD;
  Be of good courage,
  And He shall strengthen your heart;
  Wait, I say, on the LORD”

When you are waiting on the Lord, trust Him to work and sustain you by the Holy Spirit. As we see in Acts, the Spirit is always working, always arranging an answer to prayer, to meet the needs of the seeker. God is never silent; (though He may at times seem to be) He is always hard at work.

Fifth, to wait on the Lord means to call on Him in prayer. We should maintain a steady dialogue with God about a matter as we wait on Him to act on it. The psalmist said:

• Psalm 40:1 –
  “I waited patiently for the LORD;
  And He inclined to me,
  And heard my cry.”

We should live in a constant state of prayerful dialogue with the Lord (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Unfortunately, it often takes a situation where we need to wait on the Lord to get us to pray. I wonder if God loves to hear us seek Him in prayer so much, that He sometimes delays acting simply to hear His child cry out to Him, lovingly speak to Him, trust Him in prayer.

Sixth, to wait on the Lord means to ultimately be blessed. We might not always understand why we have to wait on the Lord, but we can trust that waiting on the Lord is always worth it to us. The worst thing anyone can do is to break ranks while waiting on the Lord and impulsively do something for the sake of doing something. No, the Lord through Isaiah said this:

• Isaiah 30:18 –
  “Therefore the LORD will wait, that He may be gracious to you;
  And therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you.
  For the LORD is a God of justice;
  Blessed are all those who wait for Him.”

You see, whatever particular reason God causes us to wait on, we can be sure that in the end, those who wait on Him will be blessed. The psalmist said there would be joy at the end of the journey for those who wait on the Lord:

• Psalm 33:20-22 –
  ²⁰ “Our soul waits for the LORD;
  He is our help and our shield.
  ²¹ For our heart shall rejoice in Him,
  Because we have trusted in His holy name.
  ²² Let Your mercy, O LORD, be upon us,
  Just as we hope in You.”

You can trust God with your life and everything in it. He made you and He will sustain you. He made you; He paid a price to redeem you from sin, His only Son (1 Corinthians 6:19-20); that alone should put our heart at ease to wait on Him.

Seventh, to wait on God is to trust Him to use you. The older we get, the harder it is to wait on the Lord, it seems. As our inner clock ticks away and we age, we have an ever-increasing desire to accomplish things, to make our lives worthwhile, to be used by the Lord. This attitude is not all bad, but it can cause people to get happy feet. What do I mean? Well, in football, during a pass play, the quarterback takes the ball from the center who hikes the ball to him. Then the big linemen are in the front of the quarterback, from a pocket to protect the quarterback from the onrushing defensive players. The quarterback has to wait in that pocket watching for his receivers to run their pass routes according to the play that has been called. When a pass rush is particularly heavy against him, or a blitz is coming (i.e., additional defensive players are running to catch the quarterback before he can throw the ball to the receiver), the quarterback has to exhibit great courage and patience for the play to develop. Sometimes a quarterback, (usually one who has been previously sacked hard a few times in the game), gets nervous waiting for the play to develop, and he gets “happy feet.” “Happy feet,” is a phrase used to describe a quarterback who begins to jump around nervously and who usually either throws the ball prematurely or runs away. That is what we do sometimes isn’t it? We are waiting on the Lord for His play to develop, for Him to act in some way in our lives, but we feel our biological clock is ticking. Tick, tick, tick, goes our age clock. We think, “I’m not getting any younger Lord!” As we see the protection of youth breaking down, we get happy feet and act impulsively. We run away from situations. We run for our lives. But what we inevitably find when we run like this or act on impulse or fear is that we only make things worse or cause more of a delay in the work of the Lord.

But I want to share an encouraging word with you. In the Book of Joel, God speaks through the prophet to His people who have experienced a great disaster. All seems lost to them. They must have thought, “What will become of our lives now?” God has an encouraging word to give them. He says through Joel:

• Joel 2:25-27 –
  ²⁵ “So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten,
  The crawling locust,
  The consuming locust,
  And the chewing locust,
  My great army which I sent among you.
  ²⁶ You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied,
  And praise the name of the LORD your God,
  Who has dealt wondrously with you;
  And My people shall never be put to shame.
  ²⁷ Then you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel:
  I am the LORD your God
  And there is no other. My people shall never be put to shame.”

The point I would like to make here is that God is able to restore us and His timing is never wrong. No matter how old you are (Moses was 80 years old when God called him to lead His people out of Egypt!), no matter how long you are asked to wait by God, it is always better to wait on the Lord than to act on impulse in your own fleshly strength. With God, it’s always worth the wait.

Cornelius waited on the Lord and as we will see, God surely blessed him and his household.

The Spirit Acts to Break up Prejudices and Bring People Together According to His Plan

• Acts 10:28-33 – ²⁸ “Then he said to them, “You know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man to keep company with or go to one of another nation. But God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean. ²⁹ “Therefore I came without objection as soon as I was sent for. I ask, then, for what reason have you sent for me?” ³⁰ So Cornelius said, “Four days ago I was fasting until this hour; and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing, ³¹ “and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your alms are remembered in the sight of God. ³² ‘Send therefore to Joppa and call Simon here, whose surname is Peter. He is lodging in the house of Simon, a tanner, by the sea. When he comes, he will speak to you.’ ³³ “So I sent to you immediately, and you have done well to come. Now therefore, we are all present before God, to hear all the things commanded you by God.”

The Spirit brings people together to accomplish His will and plan, to fulfill His purposes. This often leads to breaking down barriers and prejudices that often separate people. It was unconventional for Peter, a Jew, to enter the household of Cornelius, a Gentile. Jews were taught to see Gentiles on the same level as dogs. It was a common teaching in Peter’s day that Gentiles were created by God simply to fuel the fires of hell. Gentiles were dirtied with sin and should a Jew come into contact with a Gentile, they became unclean before God. There was a high wall separating Jews from Gentiles in Peter’s day.

But as Peter and Cornelius shared their common visions from the Lord and saw how the Spirit was bringing them together from both ends, they knew this meeting was special and from the Lord and certainly they must have been blessed to see how the Spirit was working. It’s always a blessing to see the hand of the Spirit orchestrate a “God thing” in our midst. It is always important to remain open to the Spirit and the possibility that He will work in ways we do not expect.

The Spirit always acts to bring God’s people together in love, to break down walls of prejudice. Paul would later write to the Ephesians about this, saying:

• Ephesians 2:11-22 – ¹¹ “Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh—who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands— ¹² that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. ¹³ But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. ¹⁴ For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, ¹⁵ having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, ¹⁶ and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. ¹⁷ And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. ¹⁸ For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father. ¹⁹ Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, ²⁰ having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, ²¹ in whom the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, ²² in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.”

Jesus brings people together. Those who would likely never have anything to do with each other outside of Jesus, become brothers and sisters in the Lord through salvation in Jesus. This is what the fellowship of believers is all about, it’s loving everyone without discrimination, on the basis of what Jesus has done in you and the love the Spirit has poured out in you (Romans 5:5). Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there will be this overflowing love in the fellowship and for all people (Luke 6:27-36; 1 Corinthians 13).

A good verse to remember here is from Paul’s prayer to the Ephesians when he was inspired to write:

• Ephesians 3:20-21 – ²⁰ “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, ²¹ to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”

The Spirit is always able to do exceedingly and abundantly beyond anything we ask or think. He can knock down barriers and prejudices before a race riot was ready to break out. The Spirit can replace hate with His love. The Spirit can make family out of enemies. This is in reality what is happening between Peter and Cornelius at this point. This is what the Spirit can do in our lives. Our job is to simply be ready for what the Spirit wants to do.

The Spirit Acts to Bring People Into The Presence of God

It is in the presence of God that we find that we are all equally needed before God. Cornelius said, “So I sent to you immediately, and you have done well to come. Now therefore, we are all present before God, to hear all the things commanded you by God.” (Acts 10:33). These words reveal how the Spirit had prepared the hearts of Cornelius and those with him. Notice two things the Spirit had already done in the lives of these seekers.

First, the Spirit gives a sense of being in the presence of God. The phrase, “before God” is one found 49 times in the Bible (NKJV). The psalmist was inspired to write:

• Psalm 139:7-10 –
  ⁷ “Where can I go from Your Spirit?
  Or where can I flee from Your presence?
  ⁸ If I ascend into heaven, You are there;
  If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there
  ⁹ If I take the wings of the morning,
  And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
  ¹⁰ Even there Your hand shall lead me,
  And Your right hand shall hold me.”

God is omnipresent, He is everywhere all the time, you can’t escape the presence of God, of the Spirit. People do not live that way, otherwise many of the sinful things they do would not be done. The Holy Spirit is the One who gives the sinner and the saint a sense of God’s presence. When we pray or gather for worship, it is not a question of calling God into our presence, it is a matter of us recognizing and coming into the presence of God. This is true wherever we are, at home, in our bedrooms, our offices, the store, the car, in the forest, at a park, at a ball game, in an airplane, on a boat, anywhere, and everywhere we are, God is there and we need only recognize His presence.

The presence of Holy God humbles us with the knowledge of our sin. When Isaiah came into the presence of God, this is exactly the effect that God’s presence had on him. In Isaiah, it records:

• Isaiah 6:1-5 – ¹ “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. ² Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. ³ And one cried to another and said:
  
  “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts;
  The whole earth is full of His glory!”
  
  ⁴ And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke. ⁵ So I said:
  
  “Woe is me, for I am undone!
  Because I am a man of unclean lips,
  And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips;
  For my eyes have seen the King,
  The LORD of hosts.”

“Woe is me,” is an expression of remorse, sadness, of helplessness before God here. When Isaiah says these words he knows he is unfit and exposed of his sin before a Holy Almighty God.” That is the first impression the Spirit makes on people when bringing them into the presence of Holy God. But the Bible also tells us that we can find in the presence of God a place of joy.

Fullness of joy awaits those who live and walk in the presence of God through faith in Jesus. The psalmist was moved by the Spirit to write:

• Psalm 16:11 –
  “You will show me the path of life;
  In Your presence is fullness of joy;
  At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”

How can the presence of God turn for us from a place of an awesome awareness of our sin and lack, to a place of full joy and pleasures forevermore? When we come into the presence of God by faith in Jesus, by the blood of the Lamb of God, we will find fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore (Ephesians 2:13; 1 John 1:7, 9). In Hebrews, it states:

• Hebrews 10:19-23 – ¹⁹ “Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, ²⁰ by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, ²¹ and having a High Priest over the house of God, ²² let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. ²³ Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.”

But how does a sinner come to know about the blood of Jesus and the new living way He provides?

Second, the Spirit gives a sense of God speaking through His word and chosen ministers. Cornelius and the others had a sense that what Peter was going to share with them was more from God than from Peter. That is something the Spirit does. Paul shared by the Spirit that the same thing was true of the Thessalonians saying:

• 1 Thessalonians 2:13 – “For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe.”

Neither Peter or Paul based their message or teachings on their own personal opinions or information outside the word of God, they shared God’s word and the Spirit empowered that. This is true of all God’s word. God, through Isaiah, wrote:

• Isaiah 55:9-11 –
  ⁹ “For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
  So are My ways higher than your ways,
  And My thoughts than your thoughts.
  ¹⁰ “For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven,
  And do not return there,
  But water the earth,
  And make it bring forth and bud,
  That it may give seed to the sower
  And bread to the eater,
  ¹¹ So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;
  It shall not return to Me void,
  But it shall accomplish what I please,
  And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”

God’s word is where the voice of God is heard, where His power is let loose to save sinners and heal the hurting. God promises that His word will be effective to accomplish that for which He sends it. It will not return to Him void of accomplishing that for which He sent it by the Spirit. In the New Testament it says the same thing:

• Hebrews 4:12 – “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

The Spirit takes God’s word and uses it to do spiritual surgery cutting to the heart of the sin problem in people. What was the word preached by Peter to Cornelius and those other seekers with him?

The Spirit Acts to Bring the Fulfilling Gospel of Jesus Christ to All

• Acts 10:34 – “Then Peter opened his mouth and said: “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality.

We should follow the example of Peter. We need to open our mouth so that the Spirit can fill it with the words for each situation. This doesn’t mean we should talk for the sake of talking, but that we should open our mouths as prompted by the Spirit.

• Acts 10:35 – “But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him.

This is not a proof text for works-salvation. It is simply an acknowledgment of the seeking nature of Cornelius. He was fearing or reverent towards God and working righteous acts, but these were the efforts of someone seeking the Lord. Acts 10 shows us the extent and the necessity by God to orchestrate the salvation of Cornelius and his household and that they were interested in the Lord and the salvation that comes through the gospel of Jesus.

• Acts 10:36-43 – ³⁶ “The word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ—He is Lord of all— ³⁷ “that word you know, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee after the baptism which John preached: ³⁸ “how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. ³⁹ “And we are witnesses of all things which He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem, whom they killed by hanging on a tree. ⁴⁰  “Him God raised up on the third day, and showed Him openly, ⁴¹ “not to all the people, but to witnesses chosen before by God, even to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead. ⁴² “And He commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead. ⁴³ “To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins.”

Peter wasted no time in taking advantage of this Spirit-produced opportunity to share the word of God. What was the message that Peter shared and the points the Spirit made through him?

First, God shows no partiality (Acts 10:34). Jesus is the great equalizer. All fall short of God’s glory, all have sinned (Romans 3:23). That means the rich, the poor, the smart, the not so smart, the powerful, the weak, men and women, black and white, people of all ethnicities and geographical locals, all have sinned and all can be saved through Jesus Christ (Romans 6:23). God loves the world and has sent His only Son Jesus to save the world, and that means everyone (John 3:16). That means that once a person is saved from their sin, they become a member in the Family of God. God has no grandchildren, only children, and we need to treat and welcome people of all persuasions into the Family of God in love and grace. There should be no bigotry or prejudice in the Family of God. The love of God contradicts and opposes prejudice and bigotry. Paul said it like this:

• Galatians 3:28 – “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

Jesus said it like this:

• John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

When Jesus uses the term “world,” He could not have used a more inclusive word. There is no prejudice or partiality with God; He offers His love and grace of the gospel to all equally.

Is Atonement Limited?

This passage clearly shows us that, as Peter said, “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality” (Acts 10:34). Now this would seem clear by reading the Bible prayerfully in the Spirit, but there are those who claim to have come upon a “deeper” truth. That deeper truth is that God has chosen beforehand those who would be saved and those who would be damned and, therefore, has in fact acted partially. Calvinism is based on five points of doctrine remembered by the acronym T.U.L.I.P. (Total Depravity; Unconditional Election; Limited Atonement; Irresistible Grace; and Perseverance of the Saints). We won’t go into detail on any one of those points, but we will only mention one, the concept of “Limited Atonement.”

Calvinism teaches that Christ’s atonement is limited and effective only for those who God predestines as His elect for salvation. Nowhere does the Bible teach limited atonement. Words like “world” and “whosoever” and statements as we see in the Acts 10 passage stating that God is not partial, shows how God offers the opportunity to be saved to all humankind. Calvinism, in order to support their doctrinal view, twists such words as “world” and “whosoever” to apply only to the elect when there is no grammatical or logical basis for such an interpretation. But there is ample evidence to refute such a view.

The Bible says the salvation of God is offered to “the world”:

• John 1:29 – “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”
• John 3:16-17 – ¹⁶ “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. ¹⁷ “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”
• John 4:42 – “Then they said to the woman, “Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.”

The salvation of God by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, His only Son, is offered to “the world.”

Calvinists will sometimes say that “world” does not refer to the entire world but only “the world” of the elect. But the Bible says that Jesus has died for the sins of “the whole world”:

• 1 John 2:1-2 – ¹ “My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. ² And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.”

It could not be clearer. Jesus died for the sins of the world and everyone in it and salvation by God’s grace through faith in Jesus is offered to everyone.

The Bible says salvation is offered to “all men”:

• Romans 5:18 – “Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life.”
• 1 Timothy 2:1-5 – ¹ “Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, ² for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. ³ For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, ⁴ who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. ⁵ For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus,”
• 1 Timothy 4:10 – “For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe.”
• Titus 2:11 – “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men,”
• 2 Peter 3:9 – “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”

The salvation of God is offered to “all men.”

The Bible says salvation is offered to “everyone”:

• Hebrews 2:9– “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor,that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.”

If Jesus tasted death or went to the cross as a substitutionary atonement for “everyone,” then atonement is not limited.

Jesus is the Lamb of God who came to take away the sins of the world (John 1:29) came to seek and to save the lost (Luke 19:10), all the lost. Very clearly, the Bible states that Jesus is the propitiation for the sins of “the whole world” (1 John 2:2). There is nothing limited or partial about Christ’s atonement!

Second, those who seek, fear or revere God are accepted by Him. Those who fear God and work righteousness are “Accepted by Him” in terms of the Spirit communicating the gospel and truth of the word of God with them to offer them salvation in Christ (Acts 10:35). This is not a message of works righteousness; it is simply stating that those who seek God will be found by Him.

Third, the message of God is based on the word of God. Peter’s message is rooted in the word of God, not his own opinion or religious traditions (Acts 10:36a, 37, 43). The Bible states:

• 1 Peter 1:23-25 – ²³ “having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever, ²⁴ because
  
  “All flesh is as grass,
  And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass.
  The grass withers,
  And its flower falls away,
  ²⁵ But the word of the LORD endures forever.”
  
  Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you.”

In Jesus’ most foundational parable, the parable of the Sower, the seed spreads and that brings the fruit of salvation is the word of God. The Spirit saves sinners by planting seeds of God’s word that bear fruit unto salvation (Matthew 13:1-23; Mark 4:1-20; Luke 8:4-15).

Fourth, there is peace in Christ. Peter preached Christ and the peace that is available through Him (Acts 10:36b; Romans 5; Philippians 4:6-9). The only way to find rest for sinful restless hearts is to come to Jesus for His peace through faith in Him. Cornelius was seeking to be at peace with God. It is only through Jesus that such peace can be received (John 14:1-6).

Fifth, Jesus the LORD, crucified and resurrected, is the center of the gospel message. Someone has said that Jesus is Lord of all, or He is not Lord at all (Acts 10:36-41). The title of Lord means Master, and slaves do not say no to their Master. Acknowledging Jesus as Lord is integral to being saved and is on the same level as accepting His atoning work and resurrection. Paul writes of this in the epistle to the Romans, saying:

• Romans 10:8-10 – ⁸ “But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): ⁹ that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

Believing in Jesus as Lord and risen Savior is the requirement for salvation. Jesus said that what proceeds out of your mouth indicates what is in your heart (Matthew 12:33-37). If Jesus is Lord in your heart, it will follow that you confess him in word and deed. Jesus must be Lord to be Savior.

Why is it so important to believe in Jesus as resurrected Lord? Because first Jesus is alive, not dead. The saved have a relationship with a living Lord, not a dead icon. And Lord because Jesus is our Leader and Master who has proved His love on the cross and deserves our loving thanks and heart commitment (2 Corinthians 5:14-15).

God anointed Jesus; the Spirit was upon Him as evidenced in the works of Jesus (Acts 10:38-41). Peter spoke of Jesus as an eyewitness. This was not something he thought up, and Jesus was a real Person and did all that the gospel states He did. Peter spoke as an eyewitness. Jesus was at the center of Peter’s message. The Spirit always brings people to Jesus because it is at the feet of Jesus, the one crucified and risen from the dead that salvation can be received.

Salvation and Resurrection

Getting the plan of salvation and the parts of what saves a person is very important. The plan of salvation frequently overlooks or downplays an aspect of salvation that is critically important for a person to be saved from their sin.

Salvation is offered to us as a gift of God’s grace, and it is received by faith (e.g., Ephesians 2:8-9). But what is the nature of the faith that saves us from sin? Saving faith in order to be saving must be based on the following.

Repentant Faith – The faith that saves us from sin involves turning from our sins to God in belief that His ways are better than our ways. In Acts 11:18, those being informed of the gospel offered to Gentiles in Acts 10 describe it as, “Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life.” Repentance, (Greek metanoia) which is a change of mind and life purpose, is an essential ingredient to saving faith. Repentance is preached in the Old Testament (e.g., Numbers 23:19; Jeremiah 25:4-7; Ezekiel 14:6; 18:30). John the Baptist came preaching repentance (e.g., Matthew 3:1-2). Jesus preached repentance (e.g., Matthew 4:17; Mark 1:16-17; Luke 13:1-5; Revelation 2:5, 16, 21, 22; Revelation 3:3, 19). And repentance is preached throughout the New Testament (e.g., Acts 2:38-39; Acts 3:19; Acts 8:22; Acts 17:30; Acts 26:20; 2 Corinthians 7:9-11; Revelation 9:20-21; Revelation 16:9, 11). Repentance is a vital part of being saved.

Receiving Faith – The faith that saves must believe in receiving forgiveness for sins based on the atoning work of Jesus on the cross. e.g., Acts 10:42-43 (vs. 34-43), cf. also John 1:12. By faith we must receive what God offers us in Jesus Christ.

Resurrection Faith – Saving faith must include a faith that Jesus rose from the dead and that this resurrection confirms the validity of the salvation from sin proclaimed in Jesus’ name, e.g., Acts 10:38-40. “Resurrection” is mentioned 15 times in Acts 1:22; Acts 2:30-31; Acts 3:15 and Acts 3:22; Acts 4:2, 10, and Acts 4:33; Acts 7:37; Acts 17:18 and Acts 17:32; Acts 23:6 and Acts 23:8; Acts 24:15 and Acts 24:21.

Resurrection is often left out of a prayer for salvation. This results in a fatally flawed offer of salvation to the seeker. We include repentance from sin, admission of sin to God, and belief in the substitutionary atonement of Jesus (e.g., Isaiah 53:4-6 that Messiah bore our sins) who bore our sins on the cross and paid our penalty for them. But unless we believe that Jesus rose from the dead, we have no basis for believing first that Jesus’ atoning work on the cross was acceptable to God the Father, and second, that the atoning work of Jesus had any actual power over the final enemy death which is caused by sin (Romans 6:23). We MUST therefore include the resurrection of Jesus in our plan of salvation. The resurrection gives life to Jesus and regeneration to our salvation. We serve a RISEN LIVING Savior, Jesus, and we have ETERNAL LIFE through the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. This is the heart and power of the gospel preached in the power of the Spirit in Acts and the New Testament and life.

The Spirit Acts in an Unconventional Way

• Acts 10:44-48 – ⁴⁴ “While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. ⁴⁵ And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. ⁴⁶ For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God. Then Peter answered, ⁴⁷ “Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” ⁴⁸ And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then they asked him to stay a few days.”

As Peter spoke, these listeners, ripe to receive what God had for them, were baptized with the Spirit. Here it appears that the indwelling and coming upon of the Spirit occur almost simultaneously. Peter followed the leading of the Spirit and stayed to edify them further. We have said that there are two works of the Spirit in the believer, the indwelling of the Spirit in a person at the born-again salvation point, and the empowering by the Spirit (i.e., baptism with the Spirit) that occurs subsequently after conversion. But sometimes the work of the Spirit is so close that it seems almost as one work. That is how He worked with me. I believe He indwelled me at conversion and empowered me almost simultaneously at the point of conversion. Now I have had subsequent times of refilling like those in Acts 4:31 and, according to Ephesians 5:18, but the Spirit is able to work in unconventional ways. We should never be so glued or rigid in our expectations of how the Spirit works that we put Him in a box. The spirit will never contradict His word, but He will at times accomplish His will and word in ways we do not expect. This is what is happening to the house of Cornelius. Be open to the Spirit and true to His word, and you won’t go wrong.

Conclusion

The start of Operation Iraqi Freedom was long postponed because of opposition in the United Nations. This caused our soldiers to embark on battle during the sandstorm season in this part of the world. Now, sandstorms in this part of the world can be a real hazard. Sand gets into everything and is so blinding that you just can’t move. Not even the United States military with all its technology can move through a sandstorm.

During Operation Iraqi Freedom, a series of sandstorms brought a halt to the advance. Some said the storms were the worst in 100 years! Those in the liberal media wrote and commented on how the military had become bogged down in a quagmire. There was a lot of hand wringing and criticism, as well as second-guessing. There was a lot of doom and gloom. The sand storms eventually abated, and the march could resume. But what wasn’t reported in the media was that the Marine group that had been in the thickest part of the storm, when the wind died down and the weather cleared, and a rainstorm passed, an interesting discovery was made. What they found when they looked out over the wind swept and rain dampened ground they had intended to cross before the storm hit, was hundreds of antitank mines that had been uncovered from the blowing winds and washing rain. The storm had actually exposed dangerous mines and prevented the loss of lives.

Sometimes a storm will rise up in our lives and the Spirit will use it to keep us from danger. Sometimes something unexpected, something we hadn’t planned on or something that goes against our plans arises. It’s not always the enemy that brings such things to pass; sometimes it’s the Spirit who is protecting us.

The Spirit is always working to reach the lost, all the lost. We need to be waiting alertly for Him to move on, in, and through us to reach the lost. Are you ready? Are you waiting on Him to use you? Are you open to the move of the Spirit? There just may be a Cornelius the Spirit wants to save and use you to do it. Or you may be a Cornelius, seeking, searching for fulfillment and answers. Seek the Lord with all your heart and He will find you. That’s a promise God never fails to answer. Seek Him.

130 Jerry Falwell, executive editor; Edward E. Hinson and Michael Kroll Woodrow, general editors, KJV Bible Commentary [computer file], electronic ed., Logos Library System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, ©1994.

131 James Strong, New Strong’s Dictionary of Hebrew and Greek Words [computer file], electronic ed., Logos Library System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, ©1996.