Justin Joseph

Believers often say 'live to please God, not man.' Problem: sinners can't please God. They should rather say 'be who you are in Christ,' keeping The Savior in the foreground. Christ pleased God FOR us. If you're in Christ, God IS pleased with you. That can't increase or decrease.

Hell is separation from the favor of God, not God Himself. (Revelation 14:9-11) Brothers and sisters, take heart and be encouraged. We can't be separated from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. We always have God's favor. And God is always with us for good.

"It is finished." Brothers and sisters... The resurrection, ascension, and present advocacy and intercession confirm that.

Grace. It's visible. It gladdens and encourages. It causes devotion. "When he arrived and saw the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged all of them to remain true to The Lord with devoted hearts, for he was a good man, full of The Holy Spirit and of faith." - Acts 11:23

The Lord's hand was with them, and a large number who believed turned to The Lord. - Acts 11:21 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So, then, neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. - 1 Corinthians 3:6

"If, then, God gave them the same gift that He also gave to us when we believed in The Lord Jesus Christ, how could I possibly hinder God?" "...God has given repentance resulting in life even to the Gentiles." - Acts 11:17, 18b (see also 3:25, cf. Genesis 12:13, Galatians 3:8)

The message... "He will speak a message to you by which you and all your household will be saved." - Acts 11:14 (see also 10:36) "So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the message about Christ." - Romans 10:17 (see also v.8, cf. Deuteronomy 30:14)

"All the prophets testify about [Jesus] that through his name everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins." Brothers and sisters, your sins are forgiven. I'm just passing along what Acts 10:43 says. May we live embracing that truth. Trust that it pays dividends.

"He sent the message...proclaiming the good news of peace through Jesus Christ—he is Lord of all." "...God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with The Holy Spirit and with power..." "...God was with [Jesus]." Peter told Cornelius those things. Believers, we're blessed to know them.

"Peter said to them, `You know it's forbidden for a Jewish man to associate with or visit a foreigner, but God has shown me that I must not call any person impure or unclean.`" - Acts 10:28 God purifies and cleanses sinners by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.

Cornelius worshiped Peter. (Acts 10:25) John fell down at the feet of an angel to worship it, twice. (Revelation 19:10, 22:8) I'm thankful the blood of Jesus covers idolatry. It did for a former Roman centurion. And, a former apostle. Brothers...sisters, it also covers ours.

"Again, a second time, the voice said to him, 'What God has made clean, do not call impure.' This happened three times, and suddenly the object was taken up into heaven." - Acts 10:16 (cf. Genesis 41:31) Brothers and sisters, three times indicates the certainty of the message.

"You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you." - John 15:3 "What God has made clean, do not call impure." - Acts 10:15 "And everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself just as he is pure." - 1 John 3:3 Brothers and sisters, Jesus has made us clean.

Ceremonially, diet could once defile. Unsurprisingly, the Pharisees hedged that law. (Mark 7:3) Enter, Jesus. He communicated that it is sin which defiles, not food. Acts 10:15 thus echoes Mark 7:19. Dear brothers and sisters, rejoice that the blood of Jesus made us clean.

"He saw heaven opened and an object that resembled a large sheet coming down, being lowered by its four corners to the earth." - Acts 10:11 (see also 11:5, cf. Isaiah 11:12, Revelation 7:1) Dear brothers and sisters, our Father has always been gathering one people to Himself.

"[Cornelius] did many charitable deeds for the Jewish people and always prayed to God." - Acts 10:2b Always? "pray constantly" - 1 Thessalonians 5:17 Literally? Of course not. Brothers and sisters, the idea is that we develop an ongoing conscious dependence on our Father.

Brothers and sisters, Jesus is alive. So is everyone with him now, despite their bodies. And so will we be should our bodies fail.