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JULY 2
behold, the men who had been sent from “Yes, I am he whom you seek. For what rea-
Cornelius had made inquiry for Simon’s son have you come?”
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house, and stood before the gate. And they 22 And they said, “Cornelius the centurion, a
called and asked whether Simon, whose sur- just man, one who fears God and has a good
name was Peter, was lodging there. reputation among all the nation of the Jews,
19 While Peter thought about the vision, the was divinely instructed by a holy angel to sum-
Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are mon you to his house, and to hear words from
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seeking you. Arise therefore, go down and you.” Then he invited them in and lodged
go with them, doubting nothing; for I have sent them.
them.” On the next day Peter went away with them,
21 Then Peter went down to the men who had and some brethren from Joppa accompanied
been sent to him from Cornelius, and said, him.
DAY 1:Who was Cornelius, and why was he so important?

In Acts 10:1, it states that Cornelius was a centurion—one of 60 officers in a Roman legion,
each of whom commanded 100 men. He was of the “Italian Regiment” or “Italian Cohort.” Ten
cohorts of 600 men each made up a legion.
Cornelius was a “devout man and one who feared God” (v. 2).This is a technical term used by
Jews to refer to Gentiles who had abandoned their pagan religion in favor of worshiping the Lord
God. Such a person, while following the ethics of the Old Testament, had not become a full prose-
lyte to Judaism through circumcision.Cornelius was a Gentile who was about to receive the saving
knowledge of God in Christ.Cornelius was told in a vision that his prayers,devotion,faith,and good-
ness were like a fragrant offering rising up to God,“a memorial” (v. 4). He was even given specific
directions on how to reach Peter.
The next day “Peter went up on the housetop to pray” (v. 9). All kinds of worship occurred on
the flat roofs of Jewish homes (2 Kin. 23:12; Jer. 19:13; 32:29). In a trance Peter sees a great sheet
descending from heaven, and “in it were all kinds of four-footed animals,” both clean and unclean
animals (v. 12). To keep the Israelites separate from their idolatrous neighbors, God set specific
dietary restrictions regarding the consumption of such animals (Lev. 11:25,26). But a voice speaks
to him and says,“Rise, Peter; kill and eat”(v.13).With the coming of the New Covenant and the call-
ing of the church,God ended the dietary restrictions (Mark 7:19).“What God has cleansed you must
not call common”(v.15).More than just abolishing the Old Testament dietary restrictions,God made
unity possible in the church of both Jews,symbolized by the clean animals,and Gentiles,symbolized
by the unclean animals, through the comprehensive sacrificial death of Christ (Eph.2:14).
The vision and the confirmation by the Holy Spirit (v.19) made it crystal clear to Peter that the
gospel was for all people.The proof is that when the men from Cornelius arrived, he “invited them
in”(v.23).Self-respecting Jews did not invite any Gentiles into their home, especially soldiers of the
hated Roman army.

build it. But God said to me, ‘You shall not
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July 2 build a house for My name, because you have
been a man of war and have shed blood.’ How-
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ever the LORD God of Israel chose me above
all the house of my father to be king over Is-
1 Chronicles 28:1–29:30
rael forever, for He has chosen Judah to be the
Now David assembled at Jerusalem all ruler. And of the house of Judah, the house of
28 the leaders of Israel: the officers of the my father, and among the sons of my father,
tribes and the captains of the divisions who He was pleased with me to make me king over
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served the king, the captains over thousands all Israel. And of all my sons (for the LORD has
and captains over hundreds, and the stewards given me many sons) He has chosen my son
over all the substance and possessions of the Solomon to sit on the throne of the kingdom of
king and of his sons, with the officials, the the LORD over Israel. Now He said to me, ‘It is
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valiant men, and all the mighty men of valor. your son Solomon who shall build My house
2 Then King David rose to his feet and said, and My courts; for I have chosen him to be My
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“Hear me, my brethren and my people: I had it son, and I will be his Father. Moreover I will
in my heart to build a house of rest for the ark establish his kingdom forever, if he is stead-
of the covenant of the LORD, and for the foot- fast to observe My commandments and My
stool of our God, and had made preparations to judgments, as it is this day.’ Now therefore, in
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