Bible study on Acts of the Apostles- Chapter 10

Bible study on Acts of the Apostles – Chapter 10

Dear brothers and sisters,

In the Bible study on the 10th chapter of the Acts of the Apostles I will discuss:

• Cornelius calls for Peter
• Peter’s vision
• Peter at Cornelius’s house

Cornelius calls for Peter

At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion from the Roman regiment. This man (and his family) was devout and God-fearing. They gave generously to those in need and prayed regularly. See how even people of which you wouldn’t expect it, can be children of God. Don’t assume that someone cannot be a Christian, just because of his or her job or status in life. Don’t judge people as we do not know everything. It also show how God can place Christians in influential roles.

On some day he received a vision on 3am in the night. He saw an angel, which called his name. He immediately knew that it was from God, and he acknowledged this by asking God what it was that he came for. When you know that God is calling you, always respond to him humbly and in obedience. The angel told him that his prayers and gifts to the poor were considered to have come up as a memorial to God. This shows that when we do good to others, then we are honoring God first and foremost. God told him that a man called Peter was in Joppa and that he was to meet him. He immediately sent 2 of his man to get Peter. Again we see that if God asks us something, that we need to act immediately. God also won’t wait to help us.

Peter’s vision

The next day Peter went to the roof of the house were he was staying and started praying. Because he was hungry, he let some dinner to me prepared. At the same moment he went into a trance. Peter saw heaven open and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles and birds.

13 Then a voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.” 14 “Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.” 15 The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”16 This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven.

While he was still trying to understand the vision, at the same time the three men sent by Cornelius were informing where Peter was staying. At that same moment God told Peter that three man were looking for him. And again we see a child of God immediately acted on God’s demand and he met with them and they both shared that God sent them to each other. God will always make sure that both parties will know when God is working.

Peter at Cornelius’s house

The next day Peter joined the three to meet Cornelius in Joppa. Peter told Cornelius that it is against the Jewish law for a Jew to meet with a gentile, but because God sent him, he did it, and that he also never call anyone impure or unclean. See again that God hates it when we judge people, certainly because we always do this on earthly reasons, never based on the Word of God. They discussed God’s word and in the end he baptized Cornelius as no one is exempt of being baptized when they want to follow God! Again I pray that we let God use us for His work, so others have the chance to come to God!

Thank you God for blessing us and making us humble by never rejecting someone just because we have been thought that someone is not able to be a follower of God.

Bible study on Acts of the Apostles- Chapter 9

Bible study on Acts of the Apostles – Chapter 9

Dear brothers and sisters,

In the Bible study on the 9th chapter of the Acts of the Apostles I will discuss:

• Saul’s conversion
• Saul in Damascus and Jerusalem
• Aeneas and Dorcas

Saul’s conversionSa

For me this chapter is definitely very powerful one. We see how God can even turn the most fanatic enemy of God to be saved and changed. Saul asked the synagogue in Jerusalem to travel to Damascus to also “hunt” on Christians there. But on the way there God sent all of sudden a light from Heaven that flashed around him. Then Saul fell on the ground and God asked him, why he was persecuting Him. Because if someone is persecuting us, because of our faith in God, than that person is actually persecuting God.

Then God told Him to go to the city and do exactly what God told him. And He also blinded him. Why? Because this enabled God to show Saul how powerful He is, by first taking his eye sight and later restoring it by prayer. At the same time he told a Damascus man called Ananias to meet a man called Saul (who was praying at that moment). First, Ananias was a little hesitant and told God about all the evil stories going on about Saul. But God eased his mind and told that Saul was a powerful instrument for God now. Also he told him that Saul would suffer for His name. When he entered the house where Saul was he prayed for him and restoring Saul’s eye-sight. After being able to see again, he was baptized. Never think that someone can’t change, because God even got Saul to be converted and to work for God! Wow!

Saul in Damascus and Jerusalem

After Saul regained his strength he wasted no time to start preaching about God in the synagogue. If God has a plan for us, He wants us to waste no time and start immediately. Even if your life is not yet as you had hoped, this is no reason for not starting to do God’s work! See how people are still shocked when someone comes to faith and even want to kill that person. Stay very close to God and He will protect you! That is why the plan of some Jews to kill him failed. Other Christians helped him to escape the city and he went back to Jerusalem to meet the Christians there. Some were still hesitant but soon saw that God really changed him!

Aeneas and Dorcas

Now we see Peter is travelling and went to the city of Lydda. There he found a man called Aeneas, who was bedridden for 8 years! See how we can command sickness or demons to go out of someone just to Command it in God’s name. I pray that God will use the Holy Spirit to let us grow in the gift of healing and see how God can and also will use us for this! Don’t think that you are not good enough to this in God’s name.

In Joppa there was a disciple named Joppa in Greek called Dorcas). She was sick and died. Peter was called and came. And again we see that not even death can stop God. Because in God’s name Peter told this woman to be alive again and she instantly was. Wow, God you are so amazing!

 

God bless you!