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Share your faith – Join our Online Discussion! Build up others with your thoughts on our Sunday meditation. Three questions will be offered for reflection and discussion each week. Please pray through the questions and share your insights or what the Lord spoke to you in the comments area provided. Your words will inspire others in The Word Among Us community and encourage us all.
What happened in Cornelius’ house has been called a second Pentecost. This surprise of the Spirit amazed the Jewish believers because they thought that Jesus had come only for them, not for Gentiles. According to custom, Jews were forbidden even to enter the house of a Gentile—and here is Peter, baptizing them! While there are many valuable lessons in this story, one that stands out is the blessing that God wants to give to families that follow him.
Prior to Peter’s arrival, Cornelius and his family were devout. They prayed regularly and gave money to the poor. Cornelius himself was a good and fair man. He didn’t lord it over his servants or his soldiers. Still, as righteous as he was, Cornelius was hungry for more of God. When he had his own vision, directing him to send for Peter, he obeyed—and he was greatly rewarded for it.
When Peter arrived, he began to tell Cornelius and all his family and friends about the gospel. But before he could get very far, the Holy Spirit fell on them. Cut to the heart by what they had heard and what they had begun to experience, Cornelius and his family gave their lives to the Lord and were baptized into the church.
Cornelius was blessed because of his virtuous disposition, even though he didn’t know about Jesus. He was blessed because of his desire for God, his faithfulness to prayer, and his willingness to open his home to Peter and his companions. He was blessed because he and his wife led their family in the ways of God according to the best of their understanding. They practiced their faith, however limited it may have been.
Likewise, God will bless our families if we bring him into our homes and if we try to have a right disposition in life. So let this story encourage you. God loves your family, and he will reward your attempts to bring them closer to him.
“Lord, I invite you into my home. Come, Jesus, and make your home among us.”
Discussion Questions
1. Share some of the ways you and your family have brought the Lord into your home. How have you experienced God’s blessing in your family life?
2. Recall a time when you felt a prompting or leading of the Spirit. What happened when you responded in obedience? What effect did this have on your faith?
3. Cornelius and Peter were surprised by God’s gift of the Spirit to Gentile believers. How has the Holy Spirit expanded your expectations or understanding of God’s ways?