**The Story of Peter and the Gentiles: A Divine Revelation**
In the bustling city of Caesarea, a Roman centurion named Cornelius lived. He was a devout man, a Gentile who feared God, along with his entire household. Cornelius was known for his generosity, always giving alms to the poor, and he prayed to God regularly. Though he was not a Jew, his heart was sincere, and his actions reflected a deep reverence for the God of Israel. One afternoon, as Cornelius was praying, an angel of God appeared to him in a vision. The room seemed to glow with a heavenly light, and Cornelius, though startled, listened intently.
“Cornelius,” the angel said, his voice resonating with divine authority. “Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God. Now send men to Joppa and bring back a man named Simon, who is called Peter. He is lodging with Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea.”
Cornelius, trembling but obedient, immediately called two of his trusted servants and a devout soldier from among his personal attendants. He explained the vision to them and sent them to Joppa, a coastal town about thirty miles away. The men set out on their journey, their hearts filled with anticipation and wonder.
Meanwhile, in Joppa, Peter had gone up to the rooftop of Simon the tanner’s house to pray. It was about noon, and the sun hung high in the sky, casting a warm glow over the city. As Peter prayed, he grew hungry and asked for something to eat. While the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. The heavens seemed to open, and he saw a vision that would change the course of history.
A large sheet descended from above, held by its four corners, and it came to rest on the ground before him. Inside the sheet were all kinds of animals—creeping things, birds of the air, and beasts of the field. Some were clean according to Jewish law, but many were unclean. Then a voice spoke to him, saying, “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.”
Peter, a devout Jew who had never eaten anything unclean, was horrified. “By no means, Lord!” he exclaimed. “For I have never eaten anything common or unclean.”
The voice spoke again, this time with a tone of gentle rebuke: “What God has made clean, do not call common.”
This happened three times, and then the sheet was taken back up into heaven. Peter was deeply perplexed, pondering the meaning of the vision. As he sat there, the men sent by Cornelius arrived at the gate of the house. They called out, asking if Simon, called Peter, was staying there.
While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit spoke to him: “Behold, three men are looking for you. Rise and go down and accompany them without hesitation, for I have sent them.”
Peter obeyed without delay. He went down to the men and said, “I am the one you are looking for. What is the reason for your coming?”
They replied, “Cornelius, a centurion, an upright and God-fearing man, who is well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation, was directed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house and to hear what you have to say.”
Peter invited them in and lodged them for the night. The next day, he set out with them, accompanied by some of the believers from Joppa. The journey to Caesarea was filled with anticipation. Peter, though still uncertain about the full meaning of his vision, trusted that God was leading him.
When they arrived at Cornelius’s house, they found a large gathering of people—Cornelius had called together his relatives and close friends. As Peter entered, Cornelius fell at his feet and worshiped him. But Peter quickly lifted him up, saying, “Stand up; I too am a man.”
Peter then addressed the crowd. “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean. So when I was sent for, I came without objection. I ask then why you sent for me.”
Cornelius recounted the vision he had received and concluded, “Now we are all here in the presence of God to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord.”
Peter’s heart was stirred. He began to speak, his voice filled with conviction. “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all), you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree, but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear, not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
As Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who heard the word. The Jewish believers who had come with Peter were astonished, for the gift of the Holy Spirit was being poured out even on the Gentiles. They heard them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter declared, “Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to remain for some days.
When Peter returned to Jerusalem, the Jewish believers there criticized him, saying, “You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them.” But Peter explained everything to them in order, recounting the vision, the journey, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. He concluded, “If then God gave the same gift to them as he gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way?”
When they heard this, they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.”
This moment marked a turning point in the early church. The gospel, which had once seemed confined to the Jewish people, was now breaking forth into the Gentile world. God’s plan of salvation was far greater than anyone had imagined, and His love knew no boundaries. Through Peter’s obedience and Cornelius’s faith, the door was opened for all nations to come to Christ.
