# Cornelius and Peter - The Book of Acts

An episode of [Kids Bible in a Year with Julia Jeffress Sadler](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1696638708), 12 Apr 2024, 12 min.

Audio: https://podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/traffic.omny.fm/d/clips/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/f8ddd7fd-69c6-48d0-804f-b4d6010c327c/a69d0a1a-5b74-4e3b-bf0a-b4d601717d3a/audio.mp3?utm_source=Podcast&in_playlist=14e8ed60-20b2-4d5c-a832-b4d6010c3283

Join Julia Jeffress Sadler as she takes us on an incredible adventure in Episode 195. Join us in today's episode where Cornelius, a devout Roman officer, receives a divine message to seek out Peter. As Cornelius awaits, Peter has a vision that challenges his views on what is clean and what is not, preparing him for a pivotal meeting. When they finally meet, Peter shares the good news of Jesus Christ, leading to a remarkable moment where the Holy Spirit fills everyone present, Jew and Gentile alike, showing that God's love knows no bounds. Sign up to receive Kids Bible in a Year devotionals in your inbox every weekday: https://www.kidsbibleinayear.com/ Get ready to experience the Bible designed specifically for children with the official KidsBibleinaYear.com podcast, led by Julia Jeffress Sadler. This captivating audio series presents the age-old wisdom of the Bible in an engaging format that will captivate your kids. Each episode Julia translates biblical teachings into real-life applications, making Bible comprehension a breeze for young minds. And if you want more Christian resources and content, you can download the Pray.com app. Pray.com is the digital destination for faith, offering over 5,000 daily prayers, meditations, bedtime Bible stories, and cinematic stories inspired by the Bible. For more resources on how to live a successful Christian life, visit Julia Jeffress Sadler's website at https://ptv.org/julia/. This episode is sponsored by Little Passports. Visit LittlePassports.com/blessed and use promo code BLESSED to receive 20% off. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

## Transcript

[0:00] Speaker 1: Peter opened his mouth and said, Dear God, we come
[0:03] Speaker 1: to you with such thankful hearts. You have opened up
[0:05] Speaker 1: your arms to all of us, no matter where we
[0:06] Speaker 1: come from or what we once believed. You are making
[0:08] Speaker 1: a way for us to all be your children. And
[0:30] Speaker 1: we are so very grateful. Open our eyes as we
[0:34] Speaker 1: hear the story of Cornelius today and remind us that
[0:38] Speaker 1: we belong with you forever. In Jesus' name, amen.
[0:45] Speaker 2: Thank you for praying with us today. The Kids Bible
[0:48] Speaker 2: in a Year podcast is sponsored by Little Passports, delivering
[0:52] Speaker 2: monthly activity kit subscriptions that help kids explore the world,
[0:56] Speaker 2: cultivate curiosity, and discover new interests. with hands-on crafts and
[1:00] Speaker 2: activities in cooking, science, crafts, and more. All with a
[1:04] Speaker 2: unique cultural twist. Visit littlepassports.com slash blessed to learn more
[1:09] Speaker 2: and save 20% with code blessed.
[1:18] Speaker 3: Cornelius and Peter. In our last story, Peter continued to
[1:24] Speaker 3: preach and heal, and he healed a lame man and
[1:27] Speaker 3: raised a woman from the dead. In this story, Peter
[1:31] Speaker 3: will encourage a Roman soldier named Cornelius. God will give
[1:35] Speaker 3: Peter a vision, and the gospel will continue to open
[1:39] Speaker 3: to people of all backgrounds, as inspired by Acts.
[1:48] Speaker 1: Hi friends, it's Julianne Thompson, guest hosting for Julia Jeffress Sadler,
[1:52] Speaker 1: and I can hardly wait for you to hear this
[1:54] Speaker 1: next episode of the Kids Bible in Ear podcast. Today,
[1:58] Speaker 1: the New Testament takes a turn. God makes it clear
[2:02] Speaker 1: for everyone that his love is not just for his
[2:05] Speaker 1: chosen people, the Jewish nation, but it's for you and
[2:10] Speaker 1: me as well. Listen super closely, and we'll talk more
[2:14] Speaker 1: about it in a minute.
[2:17] Speaker 3: Among the Roman legions, it was uncommon to find a good,
[2:21] Speaker 3: God-worshiping man. But there was one named Cornelius. He was
[2:26] Speaker 3: constantly worshiping God and praying for better understanding of the Lord.
[2:31] Speaker 3: One day, the Lord answered these prayers by sending an
[2:34] Speaker 3: angel to him that carried a message. God has heard
[2:38] Speaker 3: your prayers. Send men to Joppa, to the home of
[2:42] Speaker 3: Simon the leather worker, who lives by the sea. There
[2:46] Speaker 3: they will find Peter. He will tell you what to do. Quickly,
[2:51] Speaker 3: he sent out men under his command to the appointed
[2:54] Speaker 3: place in Joppa. He knew it was a few days' journey,
[2:59] Speaker 3: and he busied himself with work as much as he
[3:01] Speaker 3: could while worshiping the Lord. In the meantime, Peter received
[3:05] Speaker 3: a vision where he saw heaven open and something like
[3:08] Speaker 3: a big sheet was being lowered, and it contained all
[3:12] Speaker 3: kinds of animals. Then he heard, Rise, Peter, kill and eat.
[3:19] Speaker 3: Peter said, No way. I do not eat unholy or
[3:24] Speaker 3: unclean food. The same voice said, Do not call unholy
[3:29] Speaker 3: what God has proclaimed holy, for God has made it clean.
[3:34] Speaker 3: Three times later, the sheet was taken back to heaven
[3:37] Speaker 3: and Peter thought about the vision for a long time.
[3:41] Speaker 3: After a few days, Cornelius' men came to the home
[3:44] Speaker 3: and then returned to Cornelius with Peter. They greeted them
[3:49] Speaker 3: and gave them time to rest and eat after.
[3:51] Speaker 2: Their long journey.
[3:52] Speaker 3: But before long, Peter got up to speak to all
[3:55] Speaker 3: the people. Peter talked about the vision God had given him,
[3:59] Speaker 3: where God laid a sheet down of all kinds of
[4:02] Speaker 3: animals and told him to eat, for anything that God
[4:05] Speaker 3: had made clean should never be considered unclean. Then he
[4:10] Speaker 3: went on to say that God has revealed to me
[4:13] Speaker 3: his love for all people of all nations, not just
[4:17] Speaker 3: the Jews. He is calling all people to him in
[4:21] Speaker 3: his grace and love. Cornelius and his Roman friends found
[4:25] Speaker 3: this comforting, that the Lord wanted them as well. Peter
[4:29] Speaker 3: continued to summarize the gospel message for all to hear,
[4:33] Speaker 3: saying that Jesus Christ is Lord.
[4:35] Speaker 2: Of all things.
[4:37] Speaker 3: He came to the earth and died for all of
[4:40] Speaker 3: our sins that we might be at peace with God
[4:42] Speaker 3: once again. Peter finished by saying, All who have faith
[4:47] Speaker 3: in the Lord Jesus Christ will receive forgiveness of sins.
[4:51] Speaker 3: This tugged on Cornelius' heart. Is it really so simple?
[4:56] Speaker 3: He thought to himself. He jumped up and confessed to
[5:00] Speaker 3: faith in Jesus before everyone, and many of the other
[5:03] Speaker 3: Roman people did as well. Immediately the Holy Spirit appeared
[5:07] Speaker 3: in their presence, filling each believer, both Jewish and Roman.
[5:12] Speaker 3: Cornelius could tell by the faces of the Jewish Christians
[5:15] Speaker 3: that they were too in awe of what God was
[5:18] Speaker 3: doing with the present company. Peter then turned to the
[5:21] Speaker 3: other believers and asked, Is there any reason why they
[5:25] Speaker 3: should not be baptized here and now? No one could
[5:29] Speaker 3: come up with a reason against it, and Peter baptized
[5:32] Speaker 3: Cornelius and everyone in the household. This moment became an
[5:36] Speaker 3: example to churches everywhere. The Gentiles, non-Jews, were being accepted
[5:42] Speaker 3: into faith in Jesus Christ. The story of this spread
[5:47] Speaker 3: across the land and in times it became normal for
[5:51] Speaker 3: people outside of the Jewish faith to come to God.
[5:59] Speaker 1: I told you it was good news. Let's make sure
[6:03] Speaker 1: we understand everything that is happening in today's story. It's
[6:07] Speaker 1: a lot. Right off the bat, we meet a Roman
[6:10] Speaker 1: soldier named Cornelius. We learned that although there were not
[6:15] Speaker 1: many Romans who worshiped God or prayed to him, Cornelius
[6:19] Speaker 1: certainly did. He was not a Jew, yet he believed
[6:22] Speaker 1: in Jesus and talked to God all the time. In fact,
[6:26] Speaker 1: he prayed so much that one day God answered and
[6:30] Speaker 1: sent an angel to him. The angel told him that
[6:34] Speaker 1: God was listening and to send his men to Joppa
[6:37] Speaker 1: and look for Peter. And well, when an angel appears
[6:42] Speaker 1: in front of you and tells you to do something,
[6:45] Speaker 1: you do it. So while all of this is taking place,
[6:49] Speaker 1: around lunchtime, one day, Peter goes up to the rooftop
[6:52] Speaker 1: to pray. I wonder if this was his special spot
[6:56] Speaker 1: to talk to God. Maybe he felt closer to him there.
[7:00] Speaker 1: The Bible says that Peter fell into a trance, which
[7:03] Speaker 1: means he kind of fell asleep, but was still awake.
[7:07] Speaker 1: It's almost like a daydream, but you can't see or
[7:10] Speaker 1: hear anything else around you. It was then that Jesus
[7:14] Speaker 1: showed him a big sheet full of many different animals.
[7:18] Speaker 1: Now remember, when we were back in the Old Testament
[7:21] Speaker 1: and we talked about all the rules and the laws
[7:24] Speaker 1: the Jewish people had to follow, many of those laws
[7:28] Speaker 1: had to do with food. And there were only certain
[7:31] Speaker 1: animals that were allowed to eat. Even after Jesus died
[7:35] Speaker 1: and rose again, the Jews still kept all of these
[7:38] Speaker 1: laws from God. So when Peter heard, go, kill, and eat,
[7:43] Speaker 1: and saw all these unclean animals that were against the
[7:46] Speaker 1: Jewish laws to eat, he said, absolutely not. It's then
[7:52] Speaker 1: that Peter had heard those words from God himself. Do
[7:55] Speaker 1: not call unholy what God says is holy. Now, Peter
[8:00] Speaker 1: would have to think about this for a while and
[8:02] Speaker 1: ponder these words. What was God saying? What did it
[8:06] Speaker 1: all mean? I have a feeling that when Cornelius' friends
[8:10] Speaker 1: showed up at his door and told them why they came,
[8:13] Speaker 1: everything began to make sense. The animals in the sheet
[8:17] Speaker 1: are good to eat. Peter told him about his vision
[8:20] Speaker 1: of the animals and what God had said about it.
[8:23] Speaker 1: He went on to say that God showed him his
[8:26] Speaker 1: love for people of all nations, not just the Jews.
[8:30] Speaker 1: Peter shared how Jesus had lived a perfect life, died
[8:35] Speaker 1: a death that we all deserved, and rose again to
[8:38] Speaker 1: defeat death for good. He told them that if they believed,
[8:42] Speaker 1: they could be forgiven and a part of God's family forever.
[8:45] Speaker 1: It didn't take Cornelius too long to jump to his feet.
[8:50] Speaker 1: I believe, he said. The Bible then says that the
[8:54] Speaker 1: Holy Spirit filled every person there, both Jews and Romans.
[8:59] Speaker 1: And just like that, Gentiles were added to the faith
[9:02] Speaker 1: and baptized by Peter. God was doing something new and
[9:06] Speaker 1: making a way for all of us. But there's more.
[9:10] Speaker 1: You might think, that's great for Cornelius and all those Gentiles.
[9:15] Speaker 1: That's really cool. But do you know what this story
[9:18] Speaker 1: means for you and for me? For those of us
[9:21] Speaker 1: who are not part of the Jewish culture, this story
[9:24] Speaker 1: is everything. This is the moment when God opened his
[9:28] Speaker 1: arms and gave salvation to all of us. This is
[9:31] Speaker 1: the part where we enter the story.
[9:35] Speaker 2: So just in.
[9:36] Speaker 1: Case you ever doubt, just in case you ever think,
[9:40] Speaker 1: Is God's love and forgiveness really for me too? Or
[9:45] Speaker 1: is it just for everyone else's? Remember the story of Cornelius.
[9:50] Speaker 1: Remember how God showed Peter his love for all of
[9:53] Speaker 1: his children, including you. I hope you've enjoyed today's story
[9:58] Speaker 1: as much as I did. It really gives me comfort
[10:01] Speaker 1: and peace to know that Jesus wants me and chose me,
[10:06] Speaker 1: regardless of where I came from. It helps me remember
[10:09] Speaker 1: that no matter what I do, I am his, always
[10:13] Speaker 1: and forever. I hope you'll be back next time to
[10:16] Speaker 1: hear what happens in a city called Antioch. The Holy
[10:20] Speaker 1: Spirit is blowing through and the church is coming alive.
[10:24] Speaker 1: Don't miss it. Here we go. The Bible is the
[10:27] Speaker 1: best story ever told. It's God's story to you. And
[10:31] Speaker 1: it's all true. Are you hooked on our stories? Make
[10:35] Speaker 1: sure to subscribe to Kids Bible in a Year and
[10:37] Speaker 1: journey with us through the wonders of God's word. Thanks
[10:41] Speaker 1: for listening to Pray.com Kids Bible in a Year. For
[10:44] Speaker 1: more inspiring stories and wisdom to last a lifetime, download
[10:48] Speaker 1: the Pray.com app for free today. Thanks for listening to
[10:59] Speaker 1: Kids Bible in a Year. I want to invite our
[11:01] Speaker 1: adult listeners to check out my other show, Unapologetic, God's
[11:06] Speaker 1: Truth on Today's Topics. It's unfiltered, important, inspiring, and we
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[11:23] Speaker 1: and so many others. We are helping you have conversations
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[11:32] Speaker 1: You'll be excited, inspired, and encouraged in your faith as
[11:36] Speaker 1: you check out Unapologetic. Remember that you can tune in
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