The Bible is filled with amazing stories.  In its entirety it is THE story of God and His great love for people.  There are some passages that to this day you can tell are game changing passages.  Acts 10 is one of these game changers.  I’d encourage you all to take a moment and read all of it, but we will simply look at the end of the chapter.  To this point the church had been growing rapidly but the converts were almost all former Jews who had embraced Jesus as their Messiah.  Acts 10 is when God reveals to Peter the need to bring the gospel to the Gentiles as well.  Let’s look at what happens when he first does this together today. 

Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism 35 but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right. 36 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. 37 You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached— 38 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. 39 “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, 40 but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. 41 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. 42 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. 43 All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” 44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. 45 The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles. 46 For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God.

God uses a Gentile named Cornelius and a dream that he gives Peter three times to begin to bring the gospel message to the rest of the world.  It might be easy to skip over the significance of this moment.  This is the moment when Christianity goes worldwide.  All the world is now open to receiving the message of Jesus and His love.  It should serve as a reminder to us all of how God uses little moments to do life changing things.  A simple opportunity to share your faith could result in hundreds or even thousands of people hearing about Jesus.  A simple act of kindness toward a friend or even a stranger can change everything for them.  I pray that God might help all of us to take advantage of those simple moments that can change the world.  May God use all of us this way to be world changers.

In His Grip,
Pastor Dave