The word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ—He is Lord of all— 

Acts 10:36 

The message of the Apostles is the message of the whole Bible: Christ is Lord of all. He is the Word from creation; the Seed of the Woman from the Garden of Eden. It was to Him, David’s Lord, that Jehovah said, ‘Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool.’ Peter used that statement in his message on the Day of Pentecost, and added, ‘Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.’ Paul wrote of a future day when, ‘at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.’  When Peter preached Christ to Cornelius, he used the words of our text to communicate the truth of Christ’s Lordship to him. This is still the message of the people of God today. It is the testimony that Christ is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. While humanity tends to fixate on human leadership and earthly government, the people of God are drawn to the rulership of the true and living God and His reigning Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Hence, it is altogether appropriate that we take every opportunity to make much of Him. He is the theme of the Scriptures from Genesis to Revelation, and the last Person of the Trinity they quote. He has promised to return to render judgment and justice. ‘Even so, come, Lord Jesus.’ 

Our Glorious, Living God, 
we rejoice that, You have exalted Christ above all others. 
We praise You that He will come in due course of time, 
and every eye shall see Him. 

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

Then Peter opened his mouth and said: In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him. 

Acts 10:34-35 

God’s plan of salvation is wider than we can adequately comprehend.  John described the scene in heaven by saying, ‘After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’ This indicates to us how wide this plan is. In the early days of the New Testament expansion of the Gospel there were cultural hurdles to overcome. The hurdles were in the minds of the disciples who were Israelites and historically culturally insular. In order for the Gospel to go to ‘the end of the earth’ as Christ had said, the view of the disciples would have to change. In revealing to Peter by the vision of the ceremonially unclean animals earlier in the chapter, Christ was removing Peter’s prejudice against preaching the Gospel to gentiles. Our text reveals he had gotten the lesson. It is a lesson which we also must grasp. From every culture, kingdom, tribe and nation, Christ is drawing His people. They are the ones He is adding to the Church He is building. They are all the redeemed of all ages. They are the ones who John saw at the Throne. We are privileged to be part of that great multitude to whom God has shown no partiality.  

High King of heaven, 
we rejoice that You are drawing all manner  
of people unto Christ. 
We praise You that we have the privilege 
to preach Christ to the end of the earth. 

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

And a voice spoke to him again the second time, What God has cleansed you must not call common.  

Acts 10:15 

The early days of the New Testament expansion of the Gospel were days of change. Not the least of the changes was in the thinking of the Apostles. For centuries, the Jews lad been the guardians of Divine Truth. They were the chosen people of God and clearly understood their place. If anyone desired to know Jehovah, they must convert to Judaism. When Christ came, He came to the House of Israel. As Christ was about to ascend, He told the disciples they would bear witness of Him, not just in Jerusalem and Judea, but also in Samaria and to the end of the earth. This meant the Gospel would go forth to people who were not Israelites. This was not a natural idea to the disciples. Thus, when the moment came for the Gospel to go to the gentiles, it required some persuasion. The passage from which our text derives tells the story of how Christ convinced Peter to preach the Gospel to the gentiles. Peter had gone up to a rooftop to pray and while he was there, became hungry. Christ gave him a vision, three times, of ceremonially unclean animals to ‘kill and eat.’ When Peter protested, Christ uttered the words of our text, ‘And a voice spoke to him again the second time, What God has cleansed you must not call common.’  Like Peter, we often need our thinking to change in order to follow Christ where He is taking us. 

Our Wise and Holy God, 
we rejoice that You have a broad plan of salvation. 
We praise You that You will call people to Yourself, 
from every tribe and nation. 

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning