THE KING’S BUSINESS
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vs. 3, 4. "He saw in a vision evidently {openly), about {as it were about) the ninth hour of the day, an angel of God coming in to {unto) him, and saying unto {to) him, Cornelius. And when he looked on him, he was afraid, and said, What is it, Lord? And He: said ' unto him, Thy, prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God.” It was while Cor nelius was praying that the first leadings came to him, and it is when he drew near unto God that He draws near unto us (Jas, 4:8 ). Cornelius was frightened by the celestial visitor, as isinful man. usually is by the approach of the supernatural (cf; Dan. 10:11; Luke 1:12-29; 24:5). But while Cornelius was - frightened he main tained his equilibrium and was ready to obey. He Was every inch a Roman soldier. He was encouraged by being told that God had noted and remembered his prayers and alms. His pralyers and alms had not saved him (cf. ch. 11, 13, 14; ch. 10:43), but they had prepared the way for his salvation. God takes note o f sincere prayers and the alms that accompany them. vs. 5; 6 . "And now send men to, Joppa, and call for one Simon, whose surname is {is surnamed) Peter. He lodgeth with one Simon a tanner, whose house is by the seaside; he shall tell thee what thou oughtest to do (omit, he shall tell thee what thou oughtest to do),” Cornelius’ faith, was put to a severe Jest. He was told to send for a certain unknown man who would tell him what he ought to do, and he should be saved- (cf. ch. 11:13, 14). The angel himself might have told Cornelius this, but it wai the plan <5f God To have the way of light made plain to men by men. In every conversion recorded in the Bible human instrumentality is brought in some where (cf. ch. 9 :6 ; 8:26). -Though an angel might be sent to Cornelius to tell him where to find the way o f life, it must be a man who tells him what to do to obtain life. The conversion o f Cornelius was a miraculous conversion if there ever was one, but it was through human instrumen-- tality.
Roman army. The barracks at Caesarea would have seemed to have been a most unlikely place to find the first convert to Christianity, nevertheless that is where he was found. Cornelius was a reverential man. That is the force o f the Greek word translated “ devout.” Furthermore, he was a man who feared God, i. e., he sought to please God by showing regard for God’s will. Further still, he was one who did not keep his piety to himself, but called upon his whole household to share it with him. He was a man of prayer. Evidently what he was especially praying for was light (vs. 31, 32), and when he got light he always followed it. It was because he asked for light that he received it (cf. Jas. 1 :5 ). Still further, he was a generous giver. The alms he gave to others had much to do with God’s giving the saving truth to him (v. 4; cf, Luke 6:38)*. Cor nelius does not seem to-have been a pros elyte o f, the Jewish faith (v. 28; ch. 11:3), and it is certain that he was not as yet a saved man (ch. 11:13, 14), but he was on the road that leads to salvation and he became a saved man by believing on Jesus Christ (v. 43-/ch. 15:7-9). There are those who contend that we should never get a man to pray until he is a definitely saved man, but the way in which the Holy Spirit has recorded the story of Cornelius in this place, shows that this teaching is not according to the mind o f the Spirit, for it was in answer to prayer that this unsaved Cornelius got the light by Which he was saved. O f course, if a man is a deliberate rebel against God we should not get him to pray, for his prayer is an abomination unto God (Prov. 15:8; 28:9). But a man may be a sincere seeker after truth, just as- Cornelius was, even though he 4ias not as yet found it, and therefore is not saved but he has a right to pray to God to show him the truth, and God will show it just as he did to Cornelius. There 'is nothing better fo r such an one to do than to pray (cf. Jas. 1 :5)’. God will always lead into the light the men who sincerely desire it (John 7:17).
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