No longer common but a man with uncommon favor

Cornelius was a man of prayer.

He gave generously to charity and to the poor and was a man who revered God.

One day while he was wide awake, he had a sudden vision. He saw an Angel coming toward him. Terrified, he listened with rapt attention as the Angel spoke. ‘Cornelius, your prayers and your help to the needy has not gone unnoticed and has come up as a memorial before God,’

The Angel then instructed Cornelius to send for Simon Peter and shared the address where to find him. The Holy Spirit knows the address where your blessing is waiting.

While all this was going on, Simon Peter went onto the roof of his house to pray. He was hungry after returning from a long journey and his partners were preparing food. Suddenly he went into a trance and had a vision.

In his vision, Peter saw different, forbidden things, animals, birds, snakes coming down from heaven on what appeared like a large canvas sheet. He heard a voice telling him to eat the things he saw. Peter protested. He has never eaten any unclean, forbidden and common thing before and was not about to start.

The voice spoke again ‘“What God has made clean, do not call common or unclean.”

This happened three times and then the sheet was lifted back into heaven.

While Peter was left perplexed, I believe that God was demonstrating to Peter the cleansing power of the Gospel.

If you are Filled with the Holy Spirit and Baptised you cannot be called unclean or sick or infected because now God has called you clean and has cleansed you by the blood of Jesus.

Later, Cornelius, as directed by the Angel met Peter and each shared the vision they saw.

Cornelius was eager and ready to hear what God had inspired Peter to say. So, Peter preached the Gospel and as Cornelius and all those listening heard the Word of God, the Gospel of Jesus Christ for the first time, there was a powerful outpouring of the Holy spirit. Peter then baptized all those who had received the Holy Spirit and there was a thorough cleansing for everyone present in that place.

God chooses even those who are called unclean or undeserving to Himself and generously pours out His Holy Spirit. In this case, Cornelius and his household and everyone present who were Gentiles.

How did this come about?

Cornelius’ lifestyle of prayer and generous giving had come up as a remembrance before God.

It is important to note here that maybe there are Angels recording each persons acts of generosity, charity, prayer life and present them before God.

So God decided it was time to bless Cornelius and cleanse every unclean thing around him, his family, his surroundings. God desired that Cornelius, the man of prayer, the man who was generous to the poor should no longer remain a common man but become a man with uncommon favor. A man on whom no unclean thing could have any  power.

A man who would be cleansed and delivered from every unclean spirit of sickness, misfortune, poverty, disappointment, or failure.

Are we sensitive towards those who are in need?

Do we take time to pray and honor God?

Because God is faithful and rewarding, He will hear our prayers, watch our generous acts and will surely bless us with uncommon favor.

 

Bible verse

And the voice came to him again a second time, “What God has made clean, do not call common.”

Acts 10:15