Day 324.
As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as on us at the beginning. And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, “John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” If then God gave the same gift to them as he gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way?” When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.” (Acts 11:15-18 ESV)
Acts 10 gives us the account of Peter’s vision and visit to Cornelius and Acts 11 is a retelling of the events by Peter to the church in Jerusalem. This is significant for a couple of reasons. One, the church is learning about the grace of God and it’s extent. That the Holy Spirit would come to the Gentiles just as He did to the disciples was radical in their minds. Two, they learned this through Peter’s short-term mission trip! This trip made a huge impact on Peter, as Luke makes clear through his dedication to so much space to tell of this event. The trip also makes a huge impact on the church back in Jerusalem as they gain a bigger vision of God’s plan and commit themselves to missions throughout the known world. This short-term mission trip has far reaching consequences.
Lord, would you provide funds and direction for Cornerstone to engage in short term missions and expand our vision for your grace and it’s power to change lives throughout the world.
