From the time that God changed the name of Jacob to Israel until the coming of Christ, God's chose people were known as the Children of Israel. About six hundred years before the coming of Jesus Christ, Isaiah prophesied that the people of God would be called by a new name which the mouth of the Lord would name and that new name is "The Church of God."

In the gospel dispensation the gospel is for every one regardless of nation, race, color, for the Bible says, "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." This certainly takes in every person on the face of the earth. Also John 1:12-13 tells us, "He came unto his own, (The Jewish nation, or the Children of Israel) and his own received not. But as many as received him, to them he gave power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name."

God is no respecter of person and desires that every person of every nation be saved., for He is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. "Go ye into all world and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned." Now this command is to every last one of us that profess the name of Christ. I would like to impress your mind most emphatically with the fact that Jesus said to preach the gospel, and that is the one He preached on earth. And it is the same one Paul preached, producing the Church of God, the pillar and ground of the truth. It produced a church that had no divisions, but its members were perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment and they all spake the same thing. They had to live above all sin and to trust God for the healing of their bodies. They had power to cast devils out of those that were possessed and to pray the prayer of faith that brought deliverance to those that were sick. Surely signs and wonders did follow their preaching.

Peter Questioned For Fellowshipping

Acts 11:1---The apostles and brethren---They had not as yet come to the realization of the truth of Jesus' command to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.

Verse2---Contended with him---Her we see they criticized Peter for violating their traditions. This certainly sets at naught the claim of the Catholics that Peter was the first pope and the infallible head of the church. Had he been, they would not have dared to question any of his actions.

Verse 3---Thou wentest in to men uncircumcised---In their eyes this was no small offense to go in and worship with the Gentiles. They evidently had forgotten how that Jesus had dined with Zacchaeus and the friends of Matthew. When Jesus was questioned at the time for doing this He told them that He came to seek and to save them that were lost.

Verse 4---Peter rehearsed the matter---In order to set their mind at ease he gave them a full report of his vision and the command of the Lord to make the trip to Joppa and visit Cornelius and preach the truth to him and his household.

Peter's Defense

Acts 11:5---In a trance, I saw- a vision---Peter was in the spirit, and of course was able to comprehend just what truth God was trying to get to him. Perhaps the great sheet let down by the four corners represented the world and the various animals therein, the nation of the world. And the unclean animals could refer to the Gentiles and the clean ones to the Jews.

Verse 7---Peter, arise…eat---God's command to eat of the clean and unclean animals would indicate that the "middle wall of partition' had been pulled down and so far as God was concerned, there was to be no difference between the Jew and the Gentile, for both must come to Him through the blood of Christ to be accepted of God.

Verse 9---What God hath cleansed call not thou common---It was God that made the distinction between the Jew and the Gentile and it certainly was within His right to remove it any time He saw fit. From this time on it was God's will and desire that the pure gospel be preached to the Jew and Gentile alike.

Verse 10---And this was done three times---No doubt, this was done for the sake of emphasis and to more firmly impress upon Peter's mind the importance of this vision.

Three Men Arrive From Joppa

Acts 11:11-14---In these visions of Peter and Cornelius we see how God does work in mysterious ways. Cornelius had been praying and fasting and God gave him a vision preparing him for the visit which Peter was shortly to make, instructing him in the way of righteous. And as Peter prays, God gives him a vision preparing him for the message he was to take to Cornelius. And as thought on what the vision might mean, the God-sent messengers from Cornelius knocked at the gate inquiring for Peter. The spirit bade Peter to go with them nothing doubting, assuring him that in due time the whole matter would be made perfectly clear to him.

Peter At Cornelius House

Acts 11:15---The Holy Ghost fell on them as on us at the beginning---When the Holy Ghost came down upon them on the day of Pentecost there was a great demonstration of power. The building was shaken and they spake with tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. As Peter spoke there at the house of Cornelius the Holy Ghost came down in much the same way so that Peter would know of a certainty that the Gentiles were just as eligible for the Holy Spirit as were the Jews.

Verse 16---Then remember I the words of the Lord---This refers to the words of Jesus uttered shortly before He ascended to heaven, given in Acts 1:5. As Peter witnessed the Holy Ghost falling on the Gentiles at Joppa he realized that it was a fulfilling of the Lord's promise to baptize with the Holy Ghost and that it was for every one who believes on the Lord Jesus Christ.

Verse 17---What was I that I could withstand God---The Spirit of God had been present with such power and the baptism of the Holy Ghost so real that there could not be the least doubt but that it was of God. And if it was of God who could dare oppose it? None, so Peter unreservedly contended for the fellowship of the Gentiles that accepted Christ as their Savior.

Verse 18---They held their peace---As they carefully considered the matter, and having confidence in what Peter had told them, they realized it was from God. They dropped their prejudices and glorified God because He had granted to the Gentiles repentance unto life.