A few years after the Lord’s ascension, Peter lived through an amazing experience. He was in Joppa, a town on the west coast of Palestine by the Mediterranean Sea, staying in the house of one called Simon, a tanner. Unbeknown to him, he was to be deeply challenged, for God was preparing him for an amazing experience that will shake him out of his Jewish prejudices and open his eyes to understand a bit more of God’s unlimited grace and plan in Christ Jesus! In Caesarea, a town situated about forty-five kilometres up the coast, God was at work preparing a Roman Centurion for an amazing encounter with Peter. It is written: ‘At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. He and his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly. One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said: “Cornelius”. Cornelius stared at him in fear. “What is it? Lord?” He asked. The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God. Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is called Peter. He is staying with Simon the tanner, whose house is by the sea.” When the angel who spoke with Him had gone, Cornelius called two of his servants and a devout soldier who was one of his attendants. He told them everything that had happened and sent them to Joppa’. There is so much I would like to say about this very important event, there is such a lot in it that speaks to usshowing of how God is aware about all that we do and takes note of the most minute details; events which eventually open a phase of His continuing plan of Salvation. If you have a Bible, I invite you to meditate on what is written in Acts ten, I am sure that the holy Spirit will help you as you ponder over every word! All that chapter, describes an exciting scene of how and when God opened the door of salvation to the gentiles, about fifteen or more years before the apostle Paul landed in Neapolis, in Macedonia, few kilometres from Philippi its capital, where was established the first Christian Church in Europe! 

Nevertheless! We must continue, for while the two men and the soldier that Cornelius sent to Joppa were on their way, in Joppa, lunch was being prepared, ‘Peter went up to the roof of the house to talk to the Lord. (He must have been there for quite a while, for it is written that: He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. God chose a positive way to prepare Peter for the important mission that lay ahead of him, for when the whole experience is over, the Church of Christ, newly born in Jerusalem, was going to change forever. God knew that to change this staunch Jew and other disciples, leaders of the Church, was not going to be easy! Peter, in his trance, ‘saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles of the earth and birds of the air. Then a voice told him: “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat!”- “Surely not,” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure and unclean. From the days of Moses God gave the Israelis specific instructions as to what they could and what they could not eat – a whole list of clean and unclean animals, birds and creatures from the sea; they adhered to it very strongly. So, Peter must have been amazed to be told what he heard and went as far as to say NOto the Lord. I certainly am not going to eat any of it, he said; but the Lord is the Master! and His will must be done, but, in His own wisdom He was preparing Peter for a great surprised, for which deed he will be on the carpet and explain himself before the leaders of the Church in Jerusalem, for even these converted Jews, were still bound to their prejudices! But The voice spoke to him a second time. “Do not call anything impure that God has cleansed.” This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven.’ Miracles happen when they have to! This proves that they had to learn that Jesus was the head of His Church, and that He was going to lay the foundation to it and fulfil the promise to Abraham, to bless through him, all the nations of the world!