Years ago in the city of Caesarea, there was a man named Cornelius. Cornelius was a Roman army officer in what was called the Italian Unit/Regiment. He was a religious man. He and all the others who lived in his house were worshipers of God. He gave much of his money to the poor and always prayed to God.
One day about three o'clock in the afternoon he had a vision. An angel of God came to him as real as his next-door neighbor would and said, "Cornelius." Staring at the angel and feeling afraid, Cornelius said, "What do you want, sir?" The angel said to him, "God has heard your prayers and has seen your gifts to the poor. He remembers you and all you have done. Send some men now to the city of Joppa to get a man named Simon, who is also called Peter. He is staying with someone also named Simon, a leatherworker who has a house beside the sea." Then the angel left. Cornelius immediately called two of his servants and a soldier. The soldier was a religious man, one of his close helpers. Cornelius explained everything to these three men and sent them to Joppa at once.
Prior to Cornelius' men arriving at Simon's house to fetch Peter, Peter had had a weird vision where God was rebuking him for calling animals his culture/tribe describe as impure, impure. He did not understand this because that is what this same God described them to be some years ago to his ancestors.
The men Cornelius sent had finally found Simon's house. They were standing at the door. They asked, "Is Simon Peter staying here?" While Peter was still thinking about the vision, God said to him, "Listen, three men are looking for you. Get up and go downstairs. Go with these men without wondering if it's all right because I sent them."
So Peter went downstairs and said to them, "I think I'm the man you are looking for." Peter asked the men to come in and stay for the night. The next day Peter got ready and went away with the three men to the city of Caesarea with some of his close friends from Joppa with him.
Back at Caesarea, Cornelius was waiting for them and had already gathered his relatives and close friends at his house. When Peter entered the house, Cornelius met him by falling down at his feet and worshiping him. Peter said to Cornelius, "Stand up! I am only a man like you." Then Peter went inside with Cornelius and saw a large group of people gathered there. Seeing the crowd he understood the vision he had had at Joppa. To that Peter said to the people, "You understand that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with or visit anyone who is not a Jew. But God has shown me that I should not consider anyone unfit or say they are impure. That is why I didn't argue when your men asked me to come here. Now, please tell me why you sent for me."
Cornelius immediately narrated the vision to Peter as he had narrated to his two servants and soldier and concluded by saying, "NOW WE ARE ALL HERE BEFORE GOD TO HEAR EVERYTHING THE LORD HAS COMMANDED YOU TO TELL US".
Peter began to speak: "I really understand now that God does not consider some people to be better than others. He accepts anyone who worships him and does what is right. It is not important what nation they come from.
God has spoken to the people of Israel. He sent them the Good News that peace has come through Jesus Christ, the Lord of all people.
You know about Jesus from Nazareth. God made him the Messiah by giving him the HOLY SPIRIT and POWER. Jesus went everywhere doing good for people. He healed those who were ruled by the devil, showing that God was with him. We saw all that Jesus did in Judea and in Jerusalem.
But he was killed. They put him on a cross made of wood. But on the third day after his death, God raised him to life and let him be seen openly. He was not seen by everyone, but only by us, the ones God had already chosen to be witnesses. We ate and drank with him after he was raised from death.
Jesus told us to go and speak to the people. He told us to tell them that He is the one God chose to be the judge of all who are living and all who have died. EVERYONE WHO BELIEVES IN JESUS WILL HAVE THEIR SINS FORGIVEN THROUGH HIS NAME."
Immediately Cornelius and the people gathered understood an important truth that you must also consider. They realized that despite their belief in God, their prayers, their generosity, their good reputation in society, their morality, and their devotion to their husband/wife and children, they still needed the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, to be saved from their sins and be made holy and righteous before God.
My good friend reading this, you may be like Cornelius. You are religious. You are generous with your gifts to charity. You pray five times or ten times a day. Your servants/workers are always happy to have you as a boss. You have been baptized and have joined a church. You are a deacon, an elder, an usher, an instrumentalist, a sound engineer for a church, a chorister, or a pastor's security guard/aid. You take the Lord's Supper. You have no bad habits. You love your wife and children. You are a devoted husband and father. You tithe often. You help churches, orphanages, etc with building projects, boreholes, and a lot more. HOWEVER, IF YOU HAVE NOT RECEIVED AND CONFESSED THE LORD JESUS CHRIST AS LORD AND SAVIOR, YOU ARE STILL A SINNER AND STILL NEED TO BE SAVED LIKE CORNELIUS. You cannot buy, you cannot win, you cannot merit, you cannot achieve God's salvation by any system or by any amount of religion or good works because SALVATION IS FREE.
If you are ready to have a close walk with the Savior Jesus Christ and be set free from any demonic bondage, please say the prayer below out loud.
SALVATION PRAYER
Lord Jesus, thank You for loving me and dying for me on the cross. Your precious blood washes me clean of every sin. You are my Lord and my Savior, now and forever. I believe that You rose from the dead and that You are alive today. Because of Your finished work, I am now a beloved child of God and heaven is my home.
Thank You for giving me eternal life, and filling my heart with Your peace and joy. Amen.
If you are ready to better understand the step you have just taken by saying the above prayer, please contact TROTRO DEVOTION through WhatsApp on 0557445225 or e-mail trotrodevotion@gmail.com.
