Cornelius is described as, “A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people and prayed to God always.” Cornelius has a vision. An angel of God comes and says to him, “Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God.” The good things Cornelius has done and his reverence for God have been noticed. The angel then tells Cornelius to send men to Joppa to find Peter who will tell him what he should do.
A lesser man might say, “Am I not doing enough already?” Fortunately Cornelius immediately sends men to find Peter. Something is missing in Cornelius’ life, and he has no idea what it is, but God knows. God’s angel is sent to direct Cornelius to find out what he is lacking, and Cornelius has the humility to obey the angel’s command and to accept the instruction of Peter.
It is important to understand what Cornelius is missing, an important element of salvation. It is not enough to pray frequently and to devote time and money to the needy in service to God. We are thankful that God does hear the prayers of those who reverently seek Him in prayer. However, more is required — a belief in the gospel. Cornelius needs to learn about our Savior and to obey the command to be baptized into his name.
There are many in the world around us who lead exemplary lives as far as living honorably and honestly and supporting good causes. Yet, all their good works will not earn them the right to eternal life. We all need to understand the sinfulness of our nature, our need for a savior, and then we need to believe in Jesus, obey his commandments, and serve him for the rest of our lives. We cannot earn the reward of eternal life and a place in the kingdom of God, but God is willing to forgive our sins and grant us this reward through our faith and His grace through our Lord Jesus Christ. Love, prayer and good works are not enough. Belief in the Truth of God and faith and obedience to the commandments are also required.
Peter’s visit to Cornelius did not mean that Cornelius should stop praying to God always or stop giving alms to the poor and supporting the local synagogue. Instead, now that Cornelius is baptized into the saving name of our Lord Jesus Christ, he serves God by continuing with his good works with a fuller understanding that now he has access to the throne of grace to have his sins forgiven, and that now he should try to put down his fleshly instincts and live a life of self-sacrifice as Jesus did, obeying the commandments of Christ.
The angel who appeared to Cornelius could have done an excellent job teaching Cornelius. Yet the angel was not given that job. The risen Lord Jesus also would have been able to powerfully influence Cornelius, but Jesus did not appear to preach to him. God uses mortals, such as Peter, as a means to accomplish His purpose. Peter was not a perfect man and neither are we, but God may use us to help others find the truth, and He may use us to help our fellow brethren and sisters as we all struggle to do what is right. We may have been selected to help others find out what they should be doing to serve God, just as Peter was. We may be selected to reach out to those in need. We may not get our instructions from immortal angels as Cornelius did, or see a vision and hear commands from heaven as Peter did, but God has directed us through the pages of his living Word, the Bible, to preach the gospel and to take care of others.
God expects us to be active in showing our love for Him by the way we serve others. Who do you know that would be encouraged by hearing from you? Who do you know that you can turn to when you are feeling down and discouraged? Each of us needs to be encouraged and to encourage others. Sometimes we just need to be there for someone — in person or on the phone or by correspondence. We all need to keep in touch with those we love and those who are in need, particularly those who are believers.
It is important to stretch ourselves to serve our Lord. We should reach beyond our familiar friends and family to serve others. It was Peter’s love for God that caused him to walk from Joppa to Caesarea to see Cornelius, when he did not really want to go. God sent him and he obeyed. Jesus preached to publicans and sinners who heard him gladly. Each of us right now can extend our efforts beyond our comfort zone as a way of trying to serve God by the things we are doing for someone else. Write an encouraging note to someone in the mission field. Support a child for Agape in Action. Visit an elderly member of the ecclesia or someone in the hospital. Send a card to those who are sick.
Someone out there needs to hear from us today. Are we going to do it, or do nothing? Jesus has said that what we do does not need to be a great spectacular action, but that simply a cup of cold water given to one who is thirsty is remembered for our good by God. Jesus tells us, “Truly I say unto you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.”
There was something missing in Cornelius’s life. He gave much alms to the people, and he was a man of prayer, but he had not yet been baptized. We also need to do kind and thoughtful deeds for others. We also need to pray fervently every day. We also need to be baptized and, like Cornelius, we need to believe the gospel and live out our lives in faithful service to our Lord. Let us each examine ourselves and think what more can we be doing for Jesus as we share our hope with those without hope and care for the needs of others.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One