Acts 10:1 In Caesarea there lived a Roman army officer named Cornelius, who was a captain of the Italian Regiment.
2 He was a devout, God-fearing man, as was everyone in his household. He gave generously to the poor and prayed regularly to God.
3 One afternoon about three o'clock, he had a vision in which he saw an angel of God coming toward him. "Cornelius!" the angel said.
4 Cornelius stared at him in terror. "What is it, sir?" he asked the angel. And the angel replied, "Your prayers and gifts to the poor have been received by God as an offering!
5 Now send some men to Joppa, and summon a man named Simon Peter.
6 He is staying with Simon, a tanner who lives near the seashore."
7 As soon as the angel was gone, Cornelius called two of his household servants and a devout soldier, one of his personal attendants.
8 He told them what had happened and sent them off to Joppa.
9 The next day as Cornelius's messengers were nearing the town, Peter went up on the flat roof to pray. It was about noon,
10 and he was hungry. But while a meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance.
11 He saw the sky open, and something like a large sheet was let down by its four corners.
12 In the sheet were all sorts of animals, reptiles, and birds.
13 Then a voice said to him, "Get up, Peter; kill and eat them."
14 "No, Lord," Peter declared. "I have never eaten anything that our Jewish laws have declared impure and unclean. "
15 But the voice spoke again: "Do not call something unclean if God has made it clean."
16 The same vision was repeated three times. Then the sheet was suddenly pulled up to heaven.
17 Peter was very perplexed. What could the vision mean? Just then the men sent by Cornelius found Simon's house. Standing outside the gate,
18 they asked if a man named Simon Peter was staying there.
19 Meanwhile, as Peter was puzzling over the vision, the Holy Spirit said to him, "Three men have come looking for you.
20 Get up, go downstairs, and go with them without hesitation. Don't worry, for I have sent them."
21 So Peter went down and said, "I'm the man you are looking for. Why have you come?"
22 They said, "We were sent by Cornelius, a Roman officer. He is a devout and God-fearing man, well respected by all the Jews. A holy angel instructed him to summon you to his house so that he can hear your message."
23 So Peter invited the men to stay for the night. The next day he went with them, accompanied by some of the brothers from Joppa.
24 They arrived in Caesarea the following day. Cornelius was waiting for them and had called together his relatives and close friends.
25 As Peter entered his home, Cornelius fell at his feet and worshiped him.
26 But Peter pulled him up and said, "Stand up! I'm a human being just like you!"
27 So they talked together and went inside, where many others were assembled.
28 Peter told them, "You know it is against our laws for a Jewish man to enter a Gentile home like this or to associate with you. But God has shown me that I should no longer think of anyone as impure or unclean.
29 So I came without objection as soon as I was sent for. Now tell me why you sent for me."
30 Cornelius replied, "Four days ago I was praying in my house about this same time, three o'clock in the afternoon. Suddenly, a man in dazzling clothes was standing in front of me.
31 He told me, 'Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your gifts to the poor have been noticed by God!
32 Now send messengers to Joppa, and summon a man named Simon Peter. He is staying in the home of Simon, a tanner who lives near the seashore.'
33 So I sent for you at once, and it was good of you to come. Now we are all here, waiting before God to hear the message the Lord has given you."
34 Then Peter replied, "I see very clearly that God shows no favoritism.
35 In every nation He accepts those who fear Him and do what is right.
36 This is the message of Good News for the people of Israel-that there is peace with God through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.
37 You know what happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee, after John began preaching his message of baptism.
38 And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.
39 "And we apostles are witnesses of all He did throughout Judea and in Jerusalem. They put Him to death by hanging Him on a cross,
40 but God raised Him to life on the third day. Then God allowed Him to appear,
41 not to the general public, but to us whom God had chosen in advance to be His witnesses. We were those who ate and drank with Him after He rose from the dead.
42 And He ordered us to preach everywhere and to testify that Jesus is the One appointed by God to be the Judge of all-the living and the dead.
43 He is the One all the prophets testified about, saying that everyone who believes in Him will have their sins forgiven through His name."
44 Even as Peter was saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who were listening to the message.
45 The Jewish believers who came with Peter were amazed that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles, too.
46 For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. Then Peter asked,
47 "Can anyone object to their being baptized, now that they have received the Holy Spirit just as we did?"
48 So he gave orders for them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Afterward Cornelius asked him to stay with them for several days.
Acts 11:1 Soon the news reached the apostles and other believers in Judea that the Gentiles had received the word of God.
2 But when Peter arrived back in Jerusalem, the Jewish believers criticized him.
3 "You entered the home of Gentiles and even ate with them!" they said.
4 Then Peter told them exactly what had happened.
5 "I was in the town of Joppa," he said, "and while I was praying, I went into a trance and saw a vision. Something like a large sheet was let down by its four corners from the sky. And it came right down to me.
6 When I looked inside the sheet, I saw all sorts of small animals, wild animals, reptiles, and birds.
7 And I heard a voice say, 'Get up, Peter; kill and eat them.'
8 "'No, Lord,' I replied. 'I have never eaten anything that our Jewish laws have declared impure or unclean. '
9 "But the voice from heaven spoke again: 'Do not call something unclean if God has made it clean.'
10 This happened three times before the sheet and all it contained was pulled back up to heaven.
11 "Just then three men who had been sent from Caesarea arrived at the house where we were staying.
12 The Holy Spirit told me to go with them and not to worry that they were Gentiles. These six brothers here accompanied me, and we soon entered the home of the man who had sent for us.
13 He told us how an angel had appeared to him in his home and had told him, 'Send messengers to Joppa, and summon a man named Simon Peter.
14 He will tell you how you and everyone in your household can be saved!'
15 "As I began to speak," Peter continued, "the Holy Spirit fell on them, just as He fell on us at the beginning.
16 Then I thought of the Lord's words when He said, 'John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.'
17 And since God gave these Gentiles the same gift He gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to stand in God's way?"
18 When the others heard this, they stopped objecting and began praising God. They said, "We can see that God has also given the Gentiles the privilege of repenting of their sins and receiving eternal life."
19 Meanwhile, the believers who had been scattered during the persecution after Stephen's death traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch of Syria. They preached the word of God, but only to Jews.
20 However, some of the believers who went to Antioch from Cyprus and Cyrene began preaching to the Gentiles about the Lord Jesus.
21 The power of the Lord was with them, and a large number of these Gentiles believed and turned to the Lord.
22 When the church at Jerusalem heard what had happened, they sent Barnabas to Antioch.
23 When he arrived and saw this evidence of God's blessing, he was filled with joy, and he encouraged the believers to stay true to the Lord.
24 Barnabas was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and strong in faith. And many people were brought to the Lord.
25 Then Barnabas went on to Tarsus to look for Saul.
26 When he found him, he brought him back to Antioch. Both of them stayed there with the church for a full year, teaching large crowds of people. (It was at Antioch that the believers were first called Christians.)
27 During this time some prophets traveled from Jerusalem to Antioch.
28 One of them named Agabus stood up in one of the meetings and predicted by the Spirit that a great famine was coming upon the entire Roman world. (This was fulfilled during the reign of Claudius.)
29 So the believers in Antioch decided to send relief to the brothers and sisters in Judea, everyone giving as much as they could.
30 This they did, entrusting their gifts to Barnabas and Saul to take to the elders of the church in Jerusalem.
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Proverbs 27:1 Don't brag about tomorrow, since you don't know what the day will bring.
2 Let someone else praise you, not your own mouth-a stranger, not your own lips.
3 A stone is heavy and sand is weighty, but the resentment caused by a fool is even heavier.
4 Anger is cruel, and wrath is like a flood, but jealousy is even more dangerous.
5 An open rebuke is better than hidden love!
6 Wounds from a sincere friend are better than many kisses from an enemy.
7 A person who is full refuses honey, but even bitter food tastes sweet to the hungry.
8 A person who strays from home is like a bird that strays from its nest.
9 The heartfelt counsel of a friend is as sweet as perfume and incense.
10 Never abandon a friend-either yours or your father's. When disaster strikes, you won't have to ask your brother for assistance. It's better to go to a neighbor than to a brother who lives far away.
11 Be wise, my child, and make my heart glad. Then I will be able to answer my critics.
12 A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions. The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.
13 Get security from someone who guarantees a stranger's debt. Get a deposit if he does it for foreigners.
14 A loud and cheerful greeting early in the morning will be taken as a curse!
15 A quarrelsome wife is as annoying as constant dripping on a rainy day.
16 Stopping her complaints is like trying to stop the wind or trying to hold something with greased hands.
17 As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.
18 As workers who tend a fig tree are allowed to eat the fruit, so workers who protect their employer's interests will be rewarded.
19 As a face is reflected in water, so the heart reflects the real person.
20 Just as Death and Destruction are never satisfied, so human desire is never satisfied.
21 Fire tests the purity of silver and gold, but a person is tested by being praised.
22 You cannot separate fools from their foolishness, even though you grind them like grain with mortar and pestle.
23 Know the state of your flocks, and put your heart into caring for your herds,
24 for riches don't last forever, and the crown might not be passed to the next generation.
25 After the hay is harvested and the new crop appears and the mountain grasses are gathered in,
26 your sheep will provide wool for clothing, and your goats will provide the price of a field.
27 And you will have enough goats' milk for yourself, your family, and your servant girls.
Prov. 28:1 The wicked run away when no one is chasing them, but the godly are as bold as lions.
2 When there is moral rot within a nation, its government topples easily. But wise and knowledgeable leaders bring stability.
3 A poor person who oppresses the poor is like a pounding rain that destroys the crops.
4 To reject the law is to praise the wicked; to obey the law is to fight them.
5 Evil people don't understand justice, but those who follow the LORD understand completely.
6 Better to be poor and honest than to be dishonest and rich.
7 Young people who obey the law are wise; those with wild friends bring shame to their parents.
8 Income from charging high interest rates will end up in the pocket of someone who is kind to the poor.
9 God detests the prayers of a person who ignores the law.
10 Those who lead good people along an evil path will fall into their own trap, but the honest will inherit good things.
11 Rich people may think they are wise, but a poor person with discernment can see right through them.
12 When the godly succeed, everyone is glad. When the wicked take charge, people go into hiding.
13 People who conceal their sins will not prosper, but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy.
14 Blessed are those who fear to do wrong, but the stubborn are headed for serious trouble.
15 A wicked ruler is as dangerous to the poor as a roaring lion or an attacking bear.
16 A ruler with no understanding will oppress his people, but one who hates corruption will have a long life.
17 A murderer's tormented conscience will drive him into the grave. Don't protect him!
18 The blameless will be rescued from harm, but the crooked will be suddenly destroyed.
19 A hard worker has plenty of food, but a person who chases fantasies ends up in poverty.
20 The trustworthy person will get a rich reward, but a person who wants quick riches will get into trouble.
21 Showing partiality is never good, yet some will do wrong for a mere piece of bread.
22 Greedy people try to get rich quick but don't realize they're headed for poverty.
23 In the end, people appreciate honest criticism far more than flattery.
24 Anyone who steals from his father and mother and says, "What's wrong with that?" is no better than a murderer.
25 Greed causes fighting; trusting the LORD leads to prosperity.
26 Those who trust their own insight are foolish, but anyone who walks in wisdom is safe.
27 Whoever gives to the poor will lack nothing, but those who close their eyes to poverty will be cursed.
28 When the wicked take charge, people go into hiding. When the wicked meet disaster, the godly flourish.
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