Acts 10:1 There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius"... 2 A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway. 9 On the morrow"... "Peter went up upon the housetop to pray"... 10 And he became very hungry"... 11 And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending upon him"... 12 Wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air. 15 And the voice spake unto him"... "What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common".
This passage of scripture teaches us that God is able to carry forward the work of salvation in hearts that respond to His saving grace, even if in their early experience with God, they do not attend any church, and are not affiliated with some religious organization. While these various institutions are to be recognized in their legitimate sphere, yet The Lord here shows us that He is not dependent on mortal man to begin the work of salvation in those who shall be heirs of salvation. In this instance, Cornelius was living according to the knowledge he then had, and was practicing the active Christian virtues of benevolence and kindness in a consistent manner, thus giving evidence that the Holy Spirit was working on the inside.
But there were certain stereotypes existing in the Jews back then, which prevented them from understanding the fact that God could cleanse a person without all of the outer trimmings and requirements that were often imposed on prospective candidates. In Jewish culture back then, an unclean person was one who was not a bloodline Jew, or one who was not circumcised, and therefore a certain type of religious bigotry had found root in their minds, and prevented them from accepting with open arms, those who had come unto God by faith. And so in order that this erroneous concept be erased, God cautioned Peter and his associates, not to call any man unclean, whom God had cleansed. Let's read:
Acts 10:28 And he said unto them, Ye know how that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or come unto one of another nation; but God hath shewed me that I should not call any man common or unclean. 34 Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: 35 But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.
In our day there are also certain stereotypes which have taken root in modern Christianity, which have nothing to do with the work of salvation God is doing in many hearts. One of these concepts is that a person must be able to speak in tongues, as proof that the Holy Spirit is at work in the heart, and so many Christians have bought into this teaching that it has become a sort of prerequisite for spiritual validation, very much the same as when circumcision was required of all gentiles before the day of Pentecost.
There are people today who like Cornelius have not had the privileges and opportunities to study the word of God in a typical religious environment, as we do here in America, yet God is working in the hearts and minds of these people, and He bids us to tear down the spiritual walls of separation, which tend to foster an air of religious superiority over those of other faiths, or even non-Christians.
In the final analysis when all the chips are tallied, it will be found that many people would be saved eternally in God's kingdom, many of whom were regarded as most unlikely candidates, for God came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. It is therefore imperative that in our interaction with others, that we see the potential for them to become sons and daughters of God, for in so doing we would avoid the snare of limiting the work of God in the hearts and minds of men, to our sometimes restrictive or exclusive concepts of Christianity. We therefore end with a passage of scripture which encourages us to sow beside all waters, for one sows, while the other waters, but it is God who gives the increase. Let's read:
Romans 10:9 "If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. 12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. 13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
May God add His blessing to the study and practice of His word."Good night" and God bless!