While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the message. All the circumcised believers who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. For they were hearing them speaking with tongues and exalting God. Then Peter answered, “Surely no one can refuse the water for these to be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we did, can he?” And he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Acts 10:44-48
Today your LORD (יהוה) God (אלהים) says:
Faith is knowing the outcome by My Word while the outcome looks uncertain and is still pending. You are authorized to know the intended outcome when any problem arises and to have faith for it to come to pass. And this will establish you in peace because I speak peace and not disaster, to give you a future and a hope. If nothing else, you know that I make all things work together for good for those who love Me and are called according to My purpose. You can have faith for a good result no matter what it appears like at the moment.
But to have the intended result you must speak it, have corresponding actions, and enter My rest, for faith is not an agitated waiting but a rest. Rest, however, does not mean you are doing nothing. It is the place of praise and worship in Spirit and truth. Jesus told you I am at work even till now but I live in My rest. And I have drawn you into the rest as well and seated you there with Jesus in Him.
I offer this place of rest, a life of peace, to all, but most do not enter for the same reason the Israelites I redeemed out of Egypt never entered the land I had promised to give them where I would have given them rest. And what was the reason? Their doubt and unbelief made them draw back from entering. They did not mix faith with My promises and so they did not go forward to receive My promises.
I have opened the way for all of you to enter into My rest, the peace of the very Holy of Holies where all that is good is found and received. There you receive mercy and find grace just when you need it. And the Way? Jesus. And then He gives you access by the gift of the Holy Spirit.
And My Spirit leads you and guides you into the Holy of Holies with Me. And He calls out then with you who are the members of the church, the bride of Christ as one body with Him, and what do you call? “The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost.” Revelation 22:17.
And today’s Life Lesson of how to have days of Heaven on earth is the miracle of the gathering of the gentiles into the Body of Christ. The Holy Spirit, in the pouring out of the early rain, reached out to call in those who were not members of the community of Israel, who since the time of Abraham had been the only people who were the keepers of My Word, to be grafted into the vine with the branches who were established therein. New growth came in and some of the old dead branches were cut off. And My empowerment to Adam and Eve continued, “Be fruitful and bear much fruit!”
And My Spirit, with My holy angels, opened it all up and brought about My Words to the prophets that from Israel would go forth the light to all the nations and in Me the gentiles would find hope.
In our last Life Lesson we left Peter in the house of Simon the tanner of leather in Joppa. I knew just where he was of course and I had a mission for him to fulfill. A kingdom assignment that would be the turning point in the growth of the church.
So meet Cornelius, a man whose heart was towards Me. I would show him My salvation (Yeshuah, Jesus). And he is with Me now. All are alive to Me.
Cornelius, a man living in Caesarea, was a Roman officer, a centurion, over what was called the Italian cohort. He was a devout man and one who revered Me with all his household, and gave many alms to the Jewish people and prayed to Me continually. Acts 10:1-3. I was not going to leave him without salvation in Jesus.
About the ninth hour of the day (3:00 p.m., the hour of the evening sacrifice of the unblemished lamb in the Temple in Jerusalem) he clearly saw in a vision an angel of Mine who had just come in and said to him, “Cornelius!” And fixing his gaze on him and being much alarmed, he said, “What is it, Lord?” And he said to him, “Your prayers and alms have ascended as a memorial before God. Now dispatch some men to Joppa and send for a man named Simon, who is also called Peter; he is staying with a tanner named Simon, whose house is by the sea.” Acts 10:3-6.
Here you see My holy angels involved in the task of evangelizing. They are ministers of My Will unto those inheriting salvation. They are My winds as messengers traveling at the speed of light and beyond from heavenly realms to the earth and back in the twinkling of an eye, and now they ascend and descend through each believer where My Spirit dwells as a house of God and a gate of Heaven. You access My Kingdom by the one Spirit within you. The angels behold My face constantly even when with you. Jesus told you that, “See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven continually see the face of My Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 18:10. The Kingdom of Heaven is very near you, even at your door, hat is, the door to your heart. Revelation 3:20. And the angels come with Me, with Jesus, and with the Holy Spirit, they surround us as well as each believer.
When the angel who was speaking to Cornelius had left, he summoned two of his servants and a devout soldier of those who were his personal attendants, and after he had explained everything to them, he sent them to Joppa. Acts 10:7-8. Cornelius obeyed that heavenly vision which he alone had seen.
But I had to prepare Peter to go to the home of a gentile because Jewish people considered gentiles unclean and if they associated with them, they would become unclean as well. So on the next day, as they were on their way and approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour (noon) to pray. But he became hungry and was desiring to eat; but while they were making preparations, he fell into a trance; and he saw the sky opened up, and an object like a great sheet coming down, lowered by four corners to the ground, and there were in it all kinds of four-footed animals and crawling creatures of the earth and birds of the air. These were unclean animals that I had told My people not to eat. A voice came to him, “Get up, Peter, slaughter and eat!” But Peter said, “By no means, Lord, for I have never eaten anything unholy and unclean.” Again a voice came to him a second time, “What God has cleansed, no longer consider unclean.” This happened three times, and immediately the object was taken up into the sky. Acts 10:9-16. Two or three witnesses establishes a fact.
Now while Peter was greatly perplexed in mind as to what the vision which he had seen might be, behold, the men who had been sent by Cornelius, having asked directions for Simon’s house, appeared at the gate; and calling out, they were asking whether Simon, who was also called Peter, was staying there. While Peter was reflecting on the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are looking for you. But get up, go downstairs and accompany them without misgivings, for I have sent them Myself.” Peter went down to the men and said, “Behold, I am the one you are looking for; what is the reason for which you have come?” They said, “Cornelius, a centurion, a righteous and God-fearing man well-spoken of by the entire nation of the Jews, was divinely directed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house and hear a message from you.” So he invited them in and gave them lodging. Acts 10:17-23.
When you have the direction from Me you can step out and follow that direction in peace. And now you see My Holy Spirit involved in leading and directing Peter in the mission of evangelizing. He always has been, as well as Myself, for I even taught Abraham the gospel ahead of time. Galatians 3:8. I showed Abraham the day of Jesus and he rejoiced in that and was glad. John 8:56.
And on the next day Peter got up and went away with them, and some of the brethren from Joppa accompanied him. When I gave Peter a direction, he went with no hesitation. He was all in with Me and trusted Me completely. He knew Me. On the following day he entered Caesarea. Now Cornelius was waiting for them and had called together his relatives and close friends. Acts 10:23-24.
Cornelius too was obedient to My promptings and he was so excited about what I was going to have him hear from Peter that he called in his relatives and close friends. Have you shared the good news with your relatives and friends? Have you called them to come to your house just for that? Or are you afraid of offending them? Do not be ashamed of the Gospel, it is My power to save. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek (gentile).” Romans 1:16.
When Peter entered, Cornelius met him, and fell at his feet and worshiped him. But Peter raised him up, saying, “Stand up; I too am just a man.” As he talked with him, he entered and found many people assembled. And he said to them, “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a man who is a Jew to associate with a foreigner or to visit him; and yet God has shown me that I should not call any man unholy or unclean. That is why I came without even raising any objection when I was sent for. So I ask for what reason you have sent for me.” Acts 10:25-29.
Peter now understood the meaning of the vision I had given him a few days before. Sometimes a vision or dream, or other Word from Me, will take time to unfold its meaning to you. Do not be impatient for it will come. “Record the vision and inscribe it on tablets, that the one who reads it may run. For the vision is yet for the appointed time; it hastens toward the goal and it will not fail. Though it tarries, wait for it; for it will certainly come, it will not delay.” Habakkuk 2:2-3.
Cornelius said, “Four days ago to this hour, I was praying in my house during the ninth hour; and behold, a man stood before me in shining garments, and he said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your alms have been remembered before God. Therefore send to Joppa and invite Simon, who is also called Peter, to come to you; he is staying at the house of Simon the tanner by the sea.’ So I sent for you immediately, and you have been kind enough to come. Now then, we are all here present before God to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord.” Acts 10:30-33.
Your prayers come up as incense before Me, the lifting of your hands as the evening sacrifice. And this was true for Cornelius. The sweet aroma of his life came before Me as the angels put incense on the golden altar before Me in Heaven with his prayers. Revelation 8:3-5. And I answered in ways he did not anticipate.
Opening his mouth, Peter said: “I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality, but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him. The word which He sent to the sons of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ (He is Lord of all)— you yourselves know the thing which took place throughout all Judea, starting from Galilee, after the baptism which John proclaimed. You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. We are witnesses of all the things He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They also put Him to death by hanging Him on a cross. God raised Him up on the third day and granted that He become visible, not to all the people, but to witnesses who were chosen beforehand by God, that is, to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead. And He ordered us to preach to the people, and solemnly to testify that this is the One who has been appointed by God as Judge of the living and the dead. Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins.” Acts 10:34-43.
Testifying to and glorifying Jesus calls in the Holy Spirit and when Cornelius and his household heard the good news that their sins were forgiven in Jesus their hearts opened to receive Him and while Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the message. All the circumcised believers who came with Peter were amazed because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. And how did they know the Holy Spirit had been poured on Cornelius and his household? It sounded just like Pentecost Sunday in there. Tongues. For they were hearing them speaking with tongues and exalting God. Then Peter answered, “Surely no one can refuse the water for these to be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we did, can he?” And he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay on for a few days. Acts 10:44-48.
And that is the sign you have been baptized in and filled with the Holy Spirit, you will speak in tongues. You have to open your mouth and give it utterance. You can all speak in tongues and it is a good thing to do for it is a doorway to the supernatural because it puts you in the spirit and not in the flesh so that you can hear from another realm, the realm where all is Light. You edify yourself when you speak in tongues. And ask Me for the interpretation. I will give it to you step by step.
I love you. Do not despise small beginnings, start to share the good news of Jesus where you are and learn to be faithful in small matters all day and all night every day and every night. Monitor your thoughts, your words, and your imagination so that you too will be able to participate in the great commission and the outpouring of the latter rain. Do you hear the sound of the rain coming? It is always preceded by the wind. Be ready. Be alert. Watch the signs of the times.