Introduction
• God can work in and through anyone. You don’t have to be an educated or experienced insider to change the direction of God’s people… you just have to be available. That’s the experience of Cornelius, a Roman centurion and a symbol of Jewish oppression. His actions defied his culture and motivated the early believers to fulfill the commission of Jesus: to carry the gospel to the ends of the earth.
• I’m Brent, and this is episode 55 of The Bible Unplugged. In this episode we look at the role of a Gentile who changed the belief systems of the early Jewish believers and opened up the good news of Jesus to all people.
• Please take a minute to look at the show notes for this episode at PowerLoveandMiracles.com. While you are there, check out my devotional series that I publish Monday through Friday.
Background
• Cornelius’ story is found in the book of Acts, chapter 10. He was an officer in the Roman army responsible for leading about 100 soldiers. He was likely a native of Italy, but we know nothing else about his background.
• Luke, the Gentile Christian writer of Acts, tells us that Cornelius was a devout man who feared God, gave gifts to those in need, and was a man of prayer. The text doesn’t say explicitly, but Cornelius was a Gentile, but from the response of Peter we know he was. He feared God and likely worshipped in a synagogue but did not fully convert to Judaism.
• Cornelius was in a unique position religiously and politically. The people of Caesarea where Cornelius was stationed viewed him as a “halfway insider” in synagogue life. He was admired for his piety but was still not “one of them.”
• Jews would not associate with Gentiles on a social level and would never enter a Gentile home.
• The Jews viewed Gentiles as unclean, especially anyone representing Rome. To make matters worse, Cornelius was a Gentile, a Roman, and a soldier. Not a good combination for his reputation.
• But, Cornelius stood at the cultural and religious fault line between the ruling empire and God’s covenant people. This made him the perfect person to bridge that gap.
Cornelius’ Vision
• Luke tells us that Cornelius experienced a heavenly vision “at about the ninth hour of the day,” which would have been around 3 in the afternoon. This tells us that this was not an ordinary nighttime dream.
• In the vision, Cornelius clearly saw an angel of God coming to him and calling his name. Picking up the story in Acts 10:4-5, “He, fastening his eyes on him and being frightened, said, ‘What is it, Lord?’ He said to him, ‘Your prayers and your gifts to the needy have gone up for a memorial before God.’”
• This recognition by the angel affirms that Cornelius’ devotion was a “memorial” to God. This is a deeply meaningful word is drawn straight from Temple worship as described on Leviticus 2:2. In that verse, part of the grain offering was burned as a “memorial portion” on the altar, symbolizing that the whole gift belonged to God, but the remaining grain could still be used for other purposes.
• Luke used this sacrificial language to say that God received Cornelius’ devotion as if it were given in the Temple.
• There are several instances of outsiders engaging in acceptable worship in the Old Testament: Melchizedek in the book of Genesis, Rahab in the book of Joshua, and the inhabitants of Ninevah in the book of Jonah. I have a comprehensive list with explanations in the show notes if you are interested.
• The angel went on to say, “Now send men to Joppa, and get Simon, who is also called Peter…”
• The angel gave no explanation about why this was important. Cornelius, being a good soldier, sent some of his trusted soldiers, who appears to be God-fearers as well, to get Peter.
• We will pick up with Peter’s side of this story, and the contrast between the way Cornelius and Peter responded to God, in the next episode.
What Do We Learn from Cornelius?
• God honors the devotion of anyone who seeks Him, even before they fully know or understand who God is. As believers, we should see how God is working in non-believers. God loves them and is preparing their hearts and minds to accept him.
• God was at work in the life of Cornelius before he heard the gospel story, which tells us that God can, and does, use anyone to further His kingdom.
• Cornelius’ experiences show that some people are already “fertile ground” and are just waiting for the seed of the gospel to be planted in their hearts.
• Being accepting of non-believers does not mean watering down God’s truth; but it does mean we should welcome all who are looking for a relationship with God on God’s terms.
What Do We Do with This?
• Next time you go to church, watch closely at the behavior of fellow church members. Do their actions, vocabulary, and unspoken expectations show love and acceptance of newcomers, or do they cause a barrier to entry? The people who may have never been to church don’t know the terms foyer, sanctuary, invitation, and offering. We are responsible for welcoming newcomers, just be careful of the words you use and the actions you take to be sure they feel welcomed.
• Ask God to show you your spiritual blind spots. If you have been a believer for a long time, it’s easy to forget what non-believers don’t know yet. Be open to seeing worship and devotion from their perspective. This will open up opportunities for sharing the gospel that may have been easy to miss.
• Do you have any modern Cornelius’s in your life? Who do you know that you may, at first, consider an outsider, but needs to experience God’s love? Ask God to arrange opportunities to share the gospel with them this week.
• Ask yourself, “If God’s grace could break through to a Roman centurion, whose life do you think He’s preparing right now?
The conclusion
• Yes, we have reached the end of this episode, but I’ve got a lot more in store.
• I hope this has been helpful. If so, take a minute to give this podcast a high rating and share it with someone you know.
• In the next episode we continue the story with a look at how God confronted Peter’s attitude toward outsiders. This encounter changed the course of church history and led to spreading the gospel to the world.
• My prayer for you is that you will see how God has transformed your heart and gives you a heart for people who need to know God’s love.
• Have a blessed week.
The disclaimers
• Just to let you know:
• All opinions are my own. If you agree, keep listening. If you don’t… keep listening. If you listen long enough you’ll agree with something I have to say.
• All Bible quotations come from the World English Bible which is a public domain work.
• Our show theme song is “Awesome Call” by Kevin MacLeod and is available under a Creative Commons license.
• The content of this podcast is copyrighted 2025 by J. Brent Eaton
• This has been a Power Love and Miracles production.
Precedents for God Accepting Outsider Worship
Abel and Cain (Genesis 4:4)
Abel’s offering was regarded by God, Cain’s was not.
Key: acceptance wasn’t based on ritual law (the Law wasn’t even given yet), but on the heart posture of the giver.
Melchizedek (Genesis 14:18–20)
A Gentile priest-king blesses Abraham and offers bread and wine.
God affirms his priesthood without covenant membership.
Rahab (Joshua 2:9–11)
A Canaanite prostitute professes faith in Yahweh and is spared.
Her confession alone was regarded as allegiance.
Nineveh (Jonah 3:5–10)
Pagan Assyrians fast and pray after Jonah’s warning.
Their repentance was heard and accepted by God, who relented from judgment.
Daniel 10:12
An angel tells Daniel: “From the first day that you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard.”
Prayer itself is counted as sacrifice when offered in humility.
Malachi 1:11
“From the rising of the sun even to its going down, my name is great among the nations, and in every place incense will be offered to my name, and a pure offering.”
Prophecy that Gentiles would one day offer acceptable worship, fulfilled in Cornelius.
