“TRANSFORMED BY CHRIST”
ACTS 10:24-48
This Summer, we have watched the early church grow from its birth on the Day of Pentecost when 3,000 people were saved. In Acts 4, 5,000 more people come to faith in Christ as Savior as the church enjoys its fellowship together.
But, then come trouble. One of the leaders of the church, Stephen is stoned to death for his witness of Christ, and the church scatters away from the safety of Jerusalem. Saul is hot on their heels, persecuting those who claim Christ as their Savior. On his way to Damascus, Saul comes to faith in Christ. He turns from a persecutor to a proclaimer. As Paul, he preaches the gospel of Christ. In Acts 10, the church enters unchartered territory. Up to this point they focused taking the gospel the Jews. Now, they proclaim the gospel to the Gentiles. As a result, two people’s lives are transformed: Peter and Cornelius. SCRIPTURE
This past Friday, Sherry and I went to watch a friend play baseball in El Paso. Taylor plays for the Sugarland Space Cowboys, a AAA affiliate of the Houston Astros. The Space Cowboys were playing the El Paso Chihuahuas. As we entered the stadium, we were handed a plastic bag. Not thinking much of it, I placed them under our seats in Section 105.
Before the game started, a 10-year-old boy made his way to his seat in Section 104, carrying a plastic bag. For a while, he sat quietly; then he opened the plastic bag. In it was a cheap mask a professional wrestler might wear. What happened next transformed this kid. He put the mask over his head and began flexing. After awhile, he took the mask off and settled into his seat to watch the game.
A simple mask transformed a boy from a gentle child to a raging wannabe wrestler; but it was only temporary. Christ wants to transform your life, not for a moment in time, but for an eternity; not into a superhero, but into a follower of Christ. The transformation of Peter and Cornelius in Acts 10 reveals what Christ can do in us when we surrender to Him.
CORNELIUS
Cornelius, a centurion in the Roman army, is described, in verse 2, as God-fearing and devout. He was always donating money to the poor and praying to God regularly. Cornelius was living the religious life! He was a great guy, but something was wrong. He was not going to heaven. In his mind, living a good, clean is the way to heaven.
Peter, though, shares with Cornelius the true way of salvation is through faith in Jesus Christ. You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, telling the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. (36)
“If you are looking for peace, Cornelius, it comes through Jesus Christ, and nowhere else.” Peter goes on to describe how Jesus took away the sins of the world by dying on the cross, then rising from the dead.
Cornelius had always thought being a good person, helping the poor, and praying is how you please God, how you go to heaven. But, Cornelius learns no matter how good you are, you can never be good enough. Peter tells Cornelius Jesus has taken all of his sins away, God loves him and forgives him because of what Jesus had done for him. Prayer and good works are not the way to heaven, only through faith in Jesus.
You may relate to Cornelius. “I always thought I could get to heaven by being a good person. I pray once in a while. I help out the needy. I try to live a good, clean life. Just be a good person.” Then, you discover no matter how good you are, you will never be good enough; you will never do enough to earn God’s favor.
Jesus has taken all your faults, all your sins, and washed them away by dying on a cross. Rising from the dead, Jesus has overcome Satan’s hold on your life. You can be set free from the burden and guilt of your sin. Stop trying to earn your way to heaven and trust in Jesus Christ as your Savior.
This good news transformed Cornelius’ life. He was transformed from being a good church-going, religious person into a follower of Christ, a child of God. The only way to heaven is through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
PETER
Not only was an outsider transformed by Christ, Peter, and insider, was transformed by Christ as well. I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right. (34) Peter could not believe he was in the house of a Gentile, and God was converting Gentiles and blessing Gentiles just as God had done for the Jews.
This goes against everything Peter had been brought up to believe. Peter had always thought God was for the Jews only; Gentiles were the outsiders, second-class citizens undeserving of God’s attention.
But now, Peter understands God loves the Gentiles just like the Jews. He loves all people, regardless of their nationality. He wants all people to believe and be saved, not just a select few. This blew Peter away; changing everything he had believed.
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God. (Romans 12:2) The word conform refers to a mold, much like a Jell-O mold. To make Jell-O, you dissolve the powder in hot water, pour it into a mold, then place it into the refrigerator until it gels. Once it gels, you dump it onto a plate and the Jell-O assumes the shape of the mold.
The world has a mold as to how we ought to think, the values that ought to dominate our lives, the pleasures we ought to enjoy, how we ought to dress, how we ought to talk, and for every other area of our lives. It is continually trying to press us into its mold, so the Christian is no different from the non-Christian. Unfortunately, we have too many Jell-O Christians who profess faith in Jesus Christ, but live as those who deny God exists.
Peter was living in the mold of his Jewish world, believing a non-Jew was not worthy of the good news of Jesus Christ. But, the Lord transformed his thinking by renewing his mind. The Lord had spoken to Peter in a vision revealing all people are available to receive eternal life. He embraced this revealed truth of God’s love and lived it.
To break out of the mold of the world to live like Christ is a continual mind renewal process. Conversion is instantaneous; it occurs the moment we put our faith and trust in Christ. Transformation is gradual; it occurs as we focus our mental processes upon Christ and the things of the Spirit.
Someone expressed it this way, “It took God just one day to get Israel out of Egypt; but, it took God 40 years to get Egypt out of Israel.” In the same way, it takes God only a moment to get you out of sin; but, it takes a lifetime to get sin out of you.
We must daily, habitually, continually put our hearts and minds upon the things of God. The study of the Scriptures is not optional for the believer. Until your mind is renewed by the Word of God, you will always look and act more like those who live as if there were no God.
People who need to be transformed by Christ, like Cornelius, need to see people who have been transformed by Christ, like Peter. Many like Cornelius are placed in our lives. Will they see what God has done in you and me? The church was transformed that day because one man became obedient to Christ.
