At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly. One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, “Cornelius!” Cornelius stared at him in fear. “What is it, Lord?” he asked. The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God. Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is called Peter. He is staying with Simon the tanner, whose house is by the sea.” When the angel who spoke to him had gone, Cornelius called two of his servants and a devout soldier who was one of his attendants. He told them everything that had happened and sent them to Joppa.

It is tempting to rely on our own power or strength to sustain us. Cornelius could have done this. He was a centurion in the Italian regiment. This means he and his regiment were from Rome and likely were better trained and could claim higher importance/rank than the local regiments. Being a centurion means Cornelius was in command of at least 100 men. The fact that he feared God, prayed, and gave to the poor shows that he rejected the Emperor-worship of the day and instead honored God as sovereign and his Lord.

I find it interesting that shortly after we hear of Tabitha, the seamstress, who helped the poor widows and is raised from the dead by Peter, we now see Cornelius honored here. Both were not the type of people the Jews typically honored: Tabitha being a woman and Cornileus, a gentile and a Roman centurion. But God saw past their occupation or sex, and into their hearts. He saw faithful and devout followers who had a faith that was backed up by good works — a real faith!

And so God decides to reveal himself through his angel to Cornelius and later use him as a catalyst to grow the faith of Peter. One very interesting thing I see here too, Peter was commissioned as the leader of the church, with Jesus Christ as the head. But rank or station in spiritual circles is not as material as that in the military or police ranks or in life. This is because God sees us all as sheep in need of a shepherd. We all have something to contribute and we are all continuing to grow in our faith and should be reachable by anyone.

Many church-goers treat their pastors as the elevated people in the church. I even heard someone refer to a pastor coming into a group recently this way, “He will transcend on us shortly.” I think this was in jest, but if it was not, it is a dangerous category of distinction. Peter was not elevated over Cornelius to the point that God could not use Cornelius to teach Peter a new lesson to grow his faith. Pastors also need their faith grown like the rest of us. And we should all humbly seek out the lessons God has for us. The moment we get too proud, we forgo the great growth God brings to bless us.

At the end of the day, if we pray earnestly and seek God’s face, doing his good works, he blesses us. “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” (‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5‬:‭7‬-‭9‬)

Lord, thank you for the truth you communicated here, by picking out the unlikely Cornileus to make a special calling to. You look for faithful people who serve others in honor of you — and you bless them. I pray that you would help me to be humble and willing to grow in my faith.