Following the story of Saul’s conversion, focus shifts back to the ministry of Peter. After a couple chapters, Saul (Paul) will be on center stage again for the rest of the book, and Peter will be out of sight. But first, we are told of some important developments in the life of the church as God’s saving work continues through the leadership of Peter. The previous chapter ended with two spectacular miracles of the chief apostle, showing that Jesus is victorious over both disease (9:32-35) and death (9:36-43). Now in Acts 10, we come to a turning point in the book. It’s one of the most important chapters in the Bible for it tells how the message of Jesus Christ spread to people like us. Jesus was Jewish, and His church started out with a Jewish membership. But today, Christianity is a world religion. People from every nation are followers of Jesus, and we don’t have to eat kosher food or make yearly pilgrimages to Jerusalem. So how did this come to pass? God’s people initially struggled to embrace the idea of a multicultural community of faith. But a major breakthrough takes place when God speaks to Peter in a unique vision of a great sheet descending out of heaven. The story begins with a God-fearing man named Cornelius. Though a Gentile, he respects Jewish monotheism, giving generously to the poor and praying continually to God. One afternoon while he is praying, an angel appears, instructing him to send men to a nearby town to find and bring back a man named Peter. Cornelius responds with faith, and three men are sent (v 1-8). While the Spirit of God was calling this “outsider,” the same Spirit was preparing the “insider.” Peter too is seeking God in prayer at about lunch time, when God shows him the all-important vision: a large sheet containing all kinds of animals, reptiles, and birds. A voice speaks to him: “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” Peter is shocked! According to Old Testament law, many of these animals were unclean and not allowed on the menu for God’s people. But the voice says, “What God has made clean, do not call common” (v 9-16). The once-for-all sacrifice of Jesus Christ has brought in a new era! Peter is still puzzled by the vision, but when he meets the out-of-town visitors at his door, he knows God is working. So he journeys with them from Joppa to Caesarea, where he compares notes with Cornelius and comes to realize that his vision had more to do with people than animals. The good news of Jesus Christ is for all kinds of people, for God shows no partiality. Everyone who believes in His Son receives forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit (v 17-48). For further meditation: