Acts 10:44-47So often the question will come up about the time a person became a Christian. To many there is a specific day, a specific moment when they turned their lives over to God. There may be a precise memory of that realization that they desired salvation and they accepted Christ as Savior and Lord.
For myself, I can’t remember the first day that I confessed Christ as Savior. What I recall is that I was raised in the church. It was simply part of who we were as a family. We always attended church.
In Acts 10 there is a lengthy account of the disciple Peter and a Roman centurion named Cornelius. God has spoken to Peter about expanding his ministry beyond those of the Jewish faith, reaching out to Gentiles. At the same time an angel sent a message to Cornelius to summon Peter to his home.
What happened in Cornelius’ house? Who was the Holy Spirit reaching? What did Peter want to do?
This was a profound moment in the life of the early church. Prior to this event those who had come to follow Jesus as the Christ were Jewish believers who saw Jesus as the Messiah. Now God was reaching out to the Gentiles, the non-Jewish. Christ’s salvation was being offered to all people in all the world. The sacrament of Baptism, the act that signifies a commitment to the Lord and a life of faith, would be offered to all people.
This monumental shift in faith was able to happen because Cornelius was willing to obey the Lord and host the disciple Peter. Cornelius allowed a relationship with God to come into his house.
As we consider our relationships with other members of our family as well as our relationship of faith with the Lord, we must remember that each of us has the responsibility to be obedient to God. Each of us must be willing to allow God and the Holy Spirit to work in the lives of those we love. Our devotion to God as a parent, a brother, a sister, may open up a life of faith in others.
DAILY CHALLENGE: What can you do to help others find salvation?
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