Morning Moments

Let's begin today by considering more closely just who this Cornelius was - He was a Roman centurion who lived at Caesarea according to Acts 10:1, who was worshiped the one true God and treated the Jewish people respectfully.  This is NOT to say that he was a proselyte to the Jewish faith or that he followed any of the Jewish teachings, rituals, etc. BUT he did have a heart open to God and God brought the Gospel to him.  The timing of all this is absolutely amazing, as well as the people involved.

Acts 10:38-48 (HCSB)
³⁸ how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were under the tyranny of the Devil, because God was with Him.
³⁹ We ourselves are witnesses of everything He did in both the Judean country and in Jerusalem, yet they killed Him by hanging Him on a tree.
⁴⁰ God raised up this man on the third day and permitted Him to be seen,
⁴¹ not by all the people, but by us, witnesses appointed beforehand by God, who ate and drank with Him after He rose from the dead.
⁴² He commanded us to preach to the people and to solemnly testify that He is the One appointed by God to be the Judge of the living and the dead.
⁴³ All the prophets testify about Him that through His name everyone who believes in Him will receive forgiveness of sins.”
⁴⁴ While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came down on all those who heard the message.
⁴⁵ The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astounded because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also.
⁴⁶ For they heard them speaking in ⌊other⌋ languages and declaring the greatness of God. Then Peter responded,
⁴⁷ “Can anyone withhold water and prevent these people from being baptized, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?”
⁴⁸ And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay for a few days.




Why would not a present day "Gentile" convert to Christianity NOT use this passage and call his "Baptism and tongues" experience a "Cornelius" experience?  Why was Peter the one sent to Cornelius?  Why were other Jewish Christians sent with him?  Did they have to pray for the Spirit to come?  Did they have to go through some procedure of working up a "tongue"?  Did they read a "How to" book or have someone teach the "How to"?  Who was it that HEARD them speak in other languages?  What did they say in the other languages?  Was not the GIFT of the Holy Spirit not for the SAME purpose here as at Pentecost?  Why were the Jewish Christians so ASTONISHED?  What was the BAPTISM referred to here?  Why did not Peter say here as he said as Pentecost that THIS was THAT of which the prophet JOEL prophesied?  Was it not THAT?

All of these questions have obvious answers when we READ the text and compare it!  Let's begin with the final question and work our way backward.  The answer is "yes and no" because the complete text of Joel's prophecy has reference to the Jewish people, so in that respect the answer would be no, but in that the prophecy was "applicable", the answer is "yes" (Peter did not quote all of Joel's prophecy). The quoting of Joel's prophecy to the Gentile's would have meant nothing anyway for they did not know the Jewish Scriptures.

It is clearly stated in the text that the baptism referred to here is water baptism, which is consistent with the baptism of the 3,000 who were added to the Church (the Body of Christ) at Pentecost and THERE IS NO RECORD OF THAT 3,000 nor the following 5,000 nor of the Eunuch, nor of Paul, nor of any other individual convert having any kind of "Pentecostal" experience.  NOWHERE is such a thing found in ACTS or ANYWHERE else in Scripture!  THAT is of utmost importance.

Both the Pentecost experience and the Cornelius experience are referred to specifically as receiving "the gift of the Holy Spirit" which Jesus had promised to ALL who are called.  Those with Cornelius according to the text were family and close friends.  We do not know their native tongues, but when "tongues" were spoken as a confirmation to Peter and the Jews with him that God was accepting the Gentiles, those who heard, HEARD them speak the wonderful works of God.  God gave the gift of speaking and the ability of hearing and understanding WITHOUT an interpreter.  THAT too is important!

Finally for now, it seems clear to me that God  sent Peter because Peter would have NEVER believed otherwise that God accepted Gentiles without them becoming proselytes.  He HAD to see for himself!  He did not pray for them to receive the Holy Spirit!  They did not pray to receive the Holy Spirit!  HE IS A GIFT OF THE FATHER!  Then the Holy Spirit give GIFTS to the Body AS HE SEES FIT ACCORDING TO HIS WILL!  I cannot stress this strongly enough.  ANYONE who would try to walk you through speaking in tongues, teach you "how to" speak in tongues, try to get you (as one told me) to let your mind imagine some phrase that you don't understand and repeat it until God adds more phrases to it, is a charlatan, not a man or woman of the WORD OF GOD!

Paul wrote 13 if not 14 of the New Testament books, and was given the Mystery concerning the Church and NOT ONE TIME does he ANYWHERE encourage ANYONE to SEEK a BAPTISM in, of, or by the Holy Spirit with an "evidence" of speaking in tongues - NOT  ONE TIME!!!  He says we "HAVE ALL been baptized by one Spirit into one Body, the Body of Christ of which He is the Head."

Believe what you will, but I am sticking with the Word of God!

BLESSINGS!