Real Deal Jesus People: Cornelius

Last week we took at look at Lydia, a highly accomplished businesswoman who discovered that life was bigger than the accumulation of wealth and goods.  Her persistent seeking of God led her to hear from the Apostle Paul, who introduced her to the story of Jesus.  Her life was forever and immediately changed.  She kept her business going strong, presumably, because she was instrumental in underwriting Paul's continued mission to start new "Jesus communities".  Smart business folks, if they catch the much bigger vision of Jesus, continue to enjoy their lives, but make it possible for innumerable others to enjoy theirs a bit more, too.

Today we're taking a look at another Real Deal Jesus People type: Cornelius.  Cornelius lived in Caesarea (cf. Acts 10).  Had you lived in the first century, you would already have some things in mind about Cornelius.  He's not Jewish, first of all, and he's living in what used to be a sleepy little Jewish village called Strato's Tower.  Once Rome took over, however, the town was remade into the provincial capital, and was home to the governor of that region.  Rome funded massive improvements which included a man-made harbor, theater, amphitheater, hippodrome, and a temple to Caesar.  Obviously, the majority of inhabitants were not Jewish, although they represented a significant minority - enough to cause notable friction over the years.

Cornelius was a centurion - a highly esteemed role in the Roman military.  He commanded 80 men (not 100, as his title would suggest), and a relatively high salary as well.  He lived in the Upper Class, stationed in a beautiful city on the Mediterranean.

Like Lydia, he sought to know God.  Interestingly, while he certainly must have gone through the paces of declaring allegiance to Caesar, there must have been room for him to pray outside the lines.  He was drawn to the teachings of Judaism, was known for his significant acts of charity toward the Jews, and is noted in this account as practicing two of the three disciplines exercised by pious Jews (prayer and alms giving).  It was during one such time of prayer that he experienced something extraordinary: an angel of God approached him in a vision.

God must have been confused.  Cornelius was a Gentile, after all.  Perhaps the angel made a mistake.  Maybe the angel needed to begin wearing glasses?

No mistake, the angel instructed Cornelius to send for the Apostle Peter, who was staying at a tanner's house in Joppa - about 30 miles to the south.  Cornelius the centurion God-seeker paid listened and acted.  No sooner did his prayer end than he sent two servants and one of his soldiers to fetch Peter.

The next day Peter was also in prayer, when he experienced an incredible vision.  Pause a moment.  Two leaders with lots to do took time to be still before God.  their choice to be available to God made it possible for them to experience God speaking into their lives.  As one of the original disciples, we expect Peter to be on God's speed dial, of course, and receive messages from God.  God's vision for Peter was that God wanted to invite all people to experience the power of Jesus and his Way, not just Jews.  To push to point, God informed Peter that men were coming to take him to Caesarea to meet with a significant Gentile.

Then there was a knock at the door.

Peter ended up going to tell the story of Jesus to Cornelius and his household.  In the middle of his teaching, God's Spirit came on the listeners in much the same way that happened at Pentecost.  If there ever was a sign that God included them, this was it.  Peter invited them to be baptized, and Cornelius and his household became the first Gentile converts to the Way.  This would prove strategic, for with a couple of decades, only a small fraction of Christians were Jewish.  Certainly, because of Cornelius, the door to broaden the scope of Christianity was opened.  Undoubtedly, he continued his disciplines of prayer and financial support, which provided the means for unknown numbers of people to experience the transforming power of God as they embraced Jesus and his Way.  We can assume Cornelius continued to enjoy his life in leadership - there is no evidence otherwise.  Yet his vision was bigger than himself, and he responded to what he heard and helped change the world.

What if Cornelius and Peter never took time for silence before God?  How small would their vision have remained?  Certainly, they both would have been comfortable in their ignorance, but we can see how much more their lives made a difference because they were building time into their lives to listen for God.  

It is entirely probable that God has instruction for you that will blow your mind, enlarge your vision, and significantly increase the impact your life can have in this world for God's redemptive purposes.  But we'll never know if we don't show up and listen...