The Conversion of Peter

This chapter of the early church changes everything. There’s no way the world was ready for this... Jews and Gentiles coming together into divinely orchestrated unity. And there’s no way Peter was ready for this. Sure there were Scriptures that hinted at a reunion of all people, but most everyone relegated that idea to the age to come. Peter seemed to be a scrupulous Jew who kept things “clean” or kosher; that meant that he kept a safe distance from the contamination of Gentiles. But God had other plans for Peter.

He began His orchestration of Peter’s “conversion” (to open his mind for the inclusion of Gentiles into the Covenant) with the violent scattering in Acts 8. In Acts 9:32, He sent Peter to Lydda to bolster the works of the saints there. As Lydda was within 10km of Joppa, Peter easily answered a distress call from the saints in Joppa. Normally Joppa wouldn’t appeal to Peter; it’s location along the Mediterranean Sea made it an ideal spot for the slaughtering of animals for the leather trade. Normally this industry worked outside the kosher and traditional guidelines for spilling the life blood of animals. But God, step by intentional step, was recalibrating Peter’s sensibilities and repositioning Peter’s location for a bigger purpose.

Just down the coast from Joppa, God had just activated the Gentile side of this cosmic collision. An angel had sent Gentiles with clear instructions to summon Peter. While on their way, God brought Peter one step closer to his personal paradigm shift. God came to Peter in a dream with an invitation to slaughter and eat a wide variety of animals. Peter rejects God’s invitation three times, despite God’s assurance that He has now made all these animals clean. Both trouble and redemption has come to Peter in three’s. Soon after the dream, three Gentiles arrive at the tanner’s house and summoned Peter. The Holy Spirit then intervened to prompt Peter to cooperate with these men. In response, Peter actually welcomed these Gentiles into the Jewish home in which he was lodging (big step! - I think we’re up to six or seven steps so far).

The next day, Peter agreed to another giant leap - travel down to Caesarea to enter a Gentile’s home. When Peter arrived, he made it clear that he would never cross the threshold into a Gentile home if it were not for God’s progressive persuasion. And so in he stepped, and he began to preach the gospel message to Gentiles! And God had one more giant leap for mankind left to convince Peter of this incredible inclusion - He sent the Holy Spirit upon Cornelius and his Gentile household with miraculous effect.

Peter was convinced. Peter was “converted.” His new understanding climaxes with the grace offering of the Gospel - baptism. He “gave orders to have them baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.”

God orchestrated every move in this salvation story. He even predicted it when He outlined the mission in Acts 1:8.

And now for us, we are his workmanship (see Eph 2:10), created in Him for good works that He has prepared before time that we should walk in them.

What great steps does God have in store for you today?