Verses 1-8
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Cornelius did not know the gospel, but yet he feared God, and his prayers were heard.
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If there are unbelievers who are sincerely seeking the true God, God will hear them, and He will send them the help they need to be saved, even if He has to send an angel (Hebrews 1:14).
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Trust God's ability. He will do what He must to reach people who are seeking Him, no matter where in the world they are.
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Verses 9-33
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God used the vision and instruction from the Spirit He gave to Peter to show him that he should not hesitate to go and visit Cornelius and his household. Cornelius was a Gentile, and Jews were not supposed to be with Gentiles.
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The Old Testament had prophesied that God would bring the Gentiles into the kingdom, but Peter did not understand this yet. So God used the vision and the Spirit to help Peter accept this new kind of task.
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When we don't yet understand something in the Word, God can give us experiences, or have the Spirit speak something to us, that will help us come to a correct understanding of the Word. So...
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Do not be stubborn in how you see certain things in the Bible because you could be wrong in some areas. Be open to correction and learning new things.
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Hearing from the Spirit is an important part of developing the best understanding of the Word (John 14:26), as the Spirit helped Peter (verse 20).
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Verses 34-35
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If anyone in the world is soft-hearted enough to accept that God exists, to fear God, and do their best to learn right from wrong, God will accept them by giving them what they need to be saved. Again, trust God's ability to save anyone in the world.
Verses 36-43
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Peter presents a simple, well summarized gospel message here—one that we should use. The Gospel is that:
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Jesus came from God,
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He has all of God's power,
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He works miracles and saves people from the oppression of Satan,
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He was crucified, raised from the dead, and He ascended to heaven.
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He promised to return one day, and He is coming to bring judgment on the earth.
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Until He comes, we need to believe and obey His Word,
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Then we will be forgiven of our sins, and we will not have to suffer God's judgment.
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Verses 44-48
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Verse 44. People can be saved at any moment.
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Salvation does not come when a person prays a certain prayer; it comes when they repent and believe in their hearts. And that can happen at any moment.
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Verse 45-46. When a person receives the power of the Spirit, there will be evidence.
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The evidence does not have to be immediate, but a person will eventually show signs of a spiritual gift, if indeed they have received the power of the Spirit.
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