Study Desk

Saul promptly began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, declaring, "He is the Son of God."

He and all his household were devout and God-fearing. He gave generously to the people and prayed to God regularly.

One day at about the ninth hour, he had a clear vision of an angel of God who came to him and said, "Cornelius!"

Cornelius stared at him in fear and asked, "What is it, Lord?" The angel answered, "Your prayers and gifts to the poor have ascended as a memorial offering before God.

The voice spoke to him a second time: "Do not call anything impure that God has made clean."

"Cornelius the centurion has sent us," they said. "He is a righteous and God-fearing man with a good reputation among the whole Jewish nation. A holy angel instructed him to request your presence in his home, so that he could hear a message from you."

He said to them, "You know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with a foreigner or visit him. But God has shown me that I should not call any man impure or unclean.

and said, 'Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your gifts to the poor have been remembered before God.

So I sent for you immediately, and you were kind enough to come. Now then, we are all here in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has instructed you to tell us."

Then Peter began to speak: "I now truly understand that God does not show favoritism,

how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, because God was with Him.

God raised Him up on the third day and caused Him to be seen-

not by all the people, but by the witnesses God had chosen beforehand, by us who ate and drank with Him after He rose from the dead.

And He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that He is the One appointed by God to judge the living and the dead.

For they heard them speaking in tongues and exalting God. Then Peter said,

The apostles and brothers throughout Judea soon heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God.

But the voice spoke from heaven a second time, 'Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.'

So if God gave them the same gift as He gave us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to hinder the work of God?"

When they heard this, their objections were put to rest, and they glorified God, saying, "So then, God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life."

When he arrived and saw the grace of God, he rejoiced and encouraged them all to abide in the Lord with all their hearts.