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Peter visits Cornelius

The Gentiles receive the Holy Spirit.
1
A Roman Centurion called Cornelius, living in Caesarea, had been told by an angel to summon Peter. He sent messengers to Joppa who found Peter. The next day Peter started out from Joppa with them. Some of the believers from Joppa went along too. – Slide 1
2
The following day Peter arrived in Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. <br/>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.’ – Slide 2
3
While talking with him, Peter went inside and found a large gathering of people. <br/>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. <br/>So when I was sent for, I came without raising any objection. May I ask why you sent for me?’ – Slide 3
4
Cornelius answered: ‘Three days ago I was in my house praying at three in the afternoon. Suddenly a man in shining clothes stood before me and said, “Cornelius, God has heard your prayer and remembered your gifts to the poor. Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter. He is a guest in the home of Simon the tanner, who lives by the sea.”’ – Slide 4
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‘So I sent for you immediately, and it was good of you to come. Now we are all here in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has commanded you to tell us.’ – Slide 5
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Then Peter began to speak: ‘I now realise how true it is that God does not show favouritism but accepts from every nation those who fear Him and does what is right. You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.’ – Slide 6
7
‘You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached— how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how He went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with Him.’ – Slide 7
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‘We are witnesses of everything He did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed Him by hanging Him on a cross, but God raised Him from the dead on the third day and caused Him to be seen.’ – Slide 8
9
‘He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us who ate and drank with him after He rose from the dead.’ – Slide 9
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‘He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that He is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead.’ – Slide 10
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‘All the prophets testify about Him that everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins through His name.’ – Slide 11
12
While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles. For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. <br/>Then Peter said, ‘Surely no one can stand in the way of their being baptised with water. They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.’ <br/>So he ordered that they be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days. – Slide 12
13
The apostles and the believers throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. – Slide 13
14
So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him and said, ‘You went into the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them.’ – Slide 14
15
Starting from the beginning, Peter told them the whole story: ‘I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision.’ – Slide 15
16
‘I saw something like a large sheet being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to where I was. I looked into it and saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, reptiles and birds. Then I heard a voice telling me, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.” <br/>‘I replied, “Surely not, Lord! Nothing impure or unclean has ever entered my mouth.”’ – Slide 16
17
‘The voice spoke from heaven a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”’ <br/>‘This happened three times, and then it was all pulled up to heaven again.’ – Slide 17
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‘Right then three men who had been sent to me from Caesarea stopped at the house where I was staying. – Slide 18
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‘The Spirit told me to have no hesitation about going with them. These six brothers also went with me, and we entered the man’s house.’ – Slide 19
20
He told us how he had seen an angel appear in his house and say, ‘Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter. He will bring you a message through which you and all your household will be saved.’ – Slide 20
21
‘As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning. Then I remembered what the Lord had said: ‘John baptised with water, but you will be baptised with the Holy Spirit.’ So if God gave them the same gift He gave us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could stand in God’s way?’ – Slide 21
22
‘When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, “So then, even to Gentiles God has granted repentance that leads to life.”’ – Slide 22
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Slide 23