Cornelius’ Conversion, from the Bible Video “Peter’s Revelation to Take the Gospel to the Gentiles“
How do you lead a growing church? Jesus had assigned Peter to preside (Matthew 16:18). He had emphasized to the apostles the importance of servant leadership (Matthew 20:25-28). And He had charged them with the responsibility to carry the gospel to all nations (Matthew 28:19-20). Now, they had to actually carry out those responsibilities, dealing with the practical challenges that come with any attempt to organize people. Like Alma in Zarahemla, they had to learn how to scale their efforts. (See Mosiah 25:19-22). Approaches that worked fine with a small group of members might not be as effective with a larger group, and an increasingly diverse membership would raise issues which the apostles hadn’t previously encountered.
In this week’s reading, we see them grappling with some of those issues: Can Gentiles be baptized? Where should missionaries be sent? Which Jewish traditions must new converts adopt, and which are optional? The answers didn’t always come easily, but the Lord directed their efforts as they made the effort to understand and follow His will.
No respecter of persons – Acts 10-11
When the servants of the centurion Cornelius arrived at the home where Peter was staying in Joppa, he was prepared. He had just experienced a vision in which a voice commanded him three times to eat foods forbidden by Jewish law. When he refused, the voice said, “What God hath cleansed, that call not common” (Acts 10:15).
Peter didn’t understand the meaning of the vision, but when he met Cornelius the following day, it began to make sense. “God hath shewed me that I should not call any man common or unclean,” he said (Acts 10:28). When he learned that an angel had directed Cornelius to reach out to him, Peter said, “I perceive that God is no respecter of persons” (Acts 10:34).
Now the challenge was to convince the other apostles and church members back in Jerusalem. When he shared his experience, they arrived at the same conclusion: “Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life” (Acts 11:18).
God loves all of His children and welcomes all believers into His church.
The Lord hath sent his angel – Acts 12
Herod may have been aware that Peter and John had escaped from prison when they were arrested by Jewish leaders. (See Acts 5:17-25.) That may be why he assigned sixteen soldiers (“four quaternions”) to guard him when he was arrested. But God was still able to deliver him. In the middle of the night, an angel set him free. He wondered if it was a dream, but once he was out of the prison, he said, “Now I know of a surety, that the Lord hath sent his angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod” (Acts 12:11).
Those words of testimony remind me of Sariah’s joyful exclamation when Nephi and his brothers returned from Jerusalem: “Now I know of a surety…that the Lord hath protected my sons, and delivered them out of the hands of Laban” (1 Nephi 5:8).
When God delivers us, we ought to recognize and be grateful for it.
“Separate me Barnabas and Saul” – Acts 13-14
As church leaders in Antioch prayed for direction, the Lord instructed them to send two men out as missionaries: Barnabas and Saul (also known as Paul) (Acts 13:1-3). They traveled to a number of places, including the island of Cyprus and several cities in the regions of Pamphylia and Pisidia, on the southern coast of what is now Turkey.
Map of Asia Minor in the Greco-Roman Period from Atlas zur Weltgeschichte, annotations added
One noteworthy event occurred in the city of Paphos on the isle of Cyprus. A “sorceror” named Elymas tried to dissuade the leader of their community from believing the missionaries’ message. By the power of the Holy Ghost, Paul declared that Elymas would be “blind, not seeing the sun for a season” (Acts 13:11). This mirrored Paul’s own conversion experience. (See Acts 9:9.) It is also similar to Alma’s experience, in which Korihor lost the ability to speak after aggressively challenging the faith of church members. (See Alma 30:49-50.)
God directs and sustains His missionaries.
With One Accord – Acts 15
Some hard-line Jewish members of the church wanted all converts to be circumcised. Paul and Barnabas didn’t think that was necessary, but these members were not convinced. Finally they agreed that these two missionaries would travel to Jerusalem and consult with the apostles. (See Acts 15:1-2.)
Back in Jerusalem, the apostles grappled with this question in counsel. At first, there was “much disputing” (Acts 15:7), but when they heard Paul and Barnabas share their experiences with real people, they converged on a consensus. They sent Paul and Barnabas back with a letter which affirmed that they were “assembled with one accord” (Acts 15:25), and which gave instructions about which practices to adopt and which were not required.
Church leaders can overcome differences of opinion and achieve consensus if they will listen with open minds and earnestly seek for unity.
Blog Posts: July 18-23
No Respecter of Persons
God doesn’t show favoritism. The Greek word prosopolemptes means literally “countenance-taker.” The word appears in our Bible as “respecter of persons.” God doesn’t favor people based on worldly measures of success—and neither should we.
I Am a Man
It is impossible to be objective about ourselves, but we ought to try. Throughout the scriptures, prophets remind themselves and others that they are human. Alma, Nephi, Ammon, and Peter all used some version of the phrase “I am a man” to emphasize this.
Paul Rebukes Elymas
Disciples of Jesus Christ are builders, not destroyers. They are healers, not wounders. They are advocates, not antagonists. Satan is our adversary, and his mission is defined by what he opposes. In contrast, we should pursue uplifting goals.
Where You Want Me to Go
Missionaries adapt to new assignments regularly. Paul and Barnabas traveled to many cities and quickly began serving the people as they arrived. Alma did the same. We can follow their example by being willing to adapt to guidance we receive from God.
Doing Good
Peter told the Roman centurion Cornelius that Jesus “went about doing good.” As important as it is to avoid mistakes and to solve problems, it can be useful to simply take advantage of our many opportunities to do good.
All the Gentiles
The gathering of Israel is more than the recovery of the people who were lost. It is the recovery of all of God’s children who want to be found. God is working to gather all His children, and we can help by being welcoming and accepting of all.
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