Centurion Summons Simon

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Acts 10:1-8

TO CHEW ON: "At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion...” Acts 10:1

Cornelius was not a Jew but a Gentile. It wasn’t only his race that made the Jewish people want to avoid him. His job was a problem too. He was a centurion (centurion = captain) in the Roman army. Roman soldiers often mistreated the Jews. Jewish people were suspicious and afraid of Cornelius.

But Cornelius had some surprising beliefs for a Roman soldier. Unscramble the words below that tell about him (Acts 10:2):
He (dreefa)________ (dgo)________.
He (vgae)___________ to those in need.
He (yrdepa) __________ to God regularly.

One afternoon an angel talked to him in a vision. The angel told him God had noticed his prayers and gifts. He was to send someone to Joppa, find Simon Peter and bring him to his house in Caesarea. God looked past Cornelius’s race and job, into his heart. He knew Cornelius wanted to know Him better. Peter (who was a Jew) would help with that – or would he?

"Cornelius is confronted by the angel" by Caspar Luiken, 1672-1708

Do you ever jump to conclusions about what a person is like because of their skin color, the fact that they are poorer or richer than you, or because you don’t agree on some things? It's natural to feel more comfortable with people who are like us than those who aren’t. But God loves everyone. Let’s make a habit of looking past people’s accents, the color of their skin or the style of their clothes. Let’s look at everyone through eyes of love, like God does.

PRAYER: Dear God, help me to accept and love everyone, like You do. Amen.

"Roman Soldier" from Wikipedia

MORE: Roman Soldiers
Find out about the Roman soldiers.

• How many soldiers did a centurion command?

• What did a Roman centurion wear?

• What weapons did the Roman army use?

• Most Roman soldiers didn’t worship the God of the Bible. Who or what did they worship?

ANSWERS

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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.