Act 10:1 There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian band, 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.
Goyim, that's what the Jews would call us Gentiles. Some would even have considered us dogs, because we were outside of the covenant.
But God so loved the world, not just a particular race of people that He sent His Son to die for all and as many would believe on Him could be saved.
The wall which separated Jew and Gentile would have to come down so that all believers could be one in Christ.
Enter the man that changed it all. His name was Cornelius. He was an Italian, a soldier among soldiers. It so happened that he loved and feared God when the rest were bowing to Caesar. He was a big hearted giver to the poor. His prayer life would have made many Jews jealous.
This is the Gentile that would first come to an apostle to show that the Goyim were indeed eligible to become equal to the Jew in the sight of God. Old ways die hard, but die they must if God's plan of world evangelization would come to pass.
So the Lord prepares two men, Cornelius that Gentile and Peter the Jew for a meeting that would change the economy of God's dealing with mankind.
It is because of this historic tete a tete between these two godly greats that we Gentiles have been brought in to the family. There is now no difference to God whether we are bond or free, male or female, Jew or Gentile. We are all made one and brought near to God through the blood of Christ.
Thank God for this godly Italian who was worthy to be the first of millions to be a part of a new dispensation of grace for the Gentiles.
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