T HE K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
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Then the voice answered again, saying What God has made clean, do not thou call unclean or forbidden. These words were spoken three times tc Peter. Now was this not a wonderfu’ way to teach Peter that the other kind of people were not unclean any more, and that He (Peter) must not refuse to teach them, but must preach to them just the same as he preached to the Jews; because God had made those peo ple just the same as the Jews, and had sent Jesus to save them also. While Peter was thinking about what God had been teaching him, some men came to the house looking for Peter. They were the men the captain had sent, and they told Peter about the vision that the captain had from God, so now Peter knew that God wanted him to go to the home of Captain Cornelius, so he in vited the men in to stay all night, and the next day he took some of his friends and went with the men to see the cap tain. Captain Cornelius was looking for Peter, and had invited his relations and friends in. Peter was glad to tell these people about Jesus, and that he knew now that God had sent Jesus to save all people who would take Jesus as their Saviour. (Tell story simply ar Peter gave it, emphasizing that Jesus saves all who believe, regardless of na tionality.) Now our memory verse for
had soldiers under him. The captain’s name was Cornelius. He was not a Jew; yet he was a good man who feared God and gave lots of money to the poor, and he prayed to God. This cap tain wanted to know more about God and one day while he was praying, hr saw in a vision an angel, and at firs’ he was frightened, but the angel told him that God had heard his prayers and had seen how good he had been to *the poor people, and told the cap tain to send over to a house where Peter was staying, and that he (Peter) would tell him about God and what God Would have him do. Peter, you will remember, was one of Jesus’ disciples and was a great preacher, but Peter was a Jew, and the Jews did not have anything to do with any other kind of people, for they thought because God had chosen them for His people, that, they were better than other people, and that Jesus came to save them alone. They called other people unclean and did not want to tell the good news of Jesus to them. Now God must teach Peter that this was wrong, and if you will listen I will tell you how God showed Peter that He (God) loved all people and that He wanted all people to know about Him and love Him. Peter was praying one day, and becamr very hungry, but while dinner was be ing prepared, Peter saw in a vision the sky open before him, and something like a great sheet, held up at the fou- corners, let down to the earth before him. In this sheet were all kinds o ' wild beasts, and creeping things, and, birds of the air. At the same time there came a voice, saying, “ Rise Peter, kill and eat.” When Peter heard these words, he answered, “ I cannot do it, Lord, for I have never eaten anything that is un clean or forbidden.” The Jews had a law that said they must not eat any animal that was unclean, and therr were unclean animals in this vision.
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