Conversion of Cornelius
Are you saved?
(Notes from a sermon
preached by Jimmy Swaggart)
Acts
10:1-8
1
There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of what was
called the Italian Regiment,
2
a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms
generously to the people, and prayed to God always.
3
About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God
coming in and saying to him, “Cornelius!”
4
And when he observed him, he was afraid, and said, “What is it, lord?” So he
said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before
God.
5
Now send men to Joppa, and send for Simon whose surname is Peter.
6
He is lodging with Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea. He will tell you
what you must do.”
7
And when the angel who spoke to him had departed, Cornelius called two of his
household servants and a devout soldier from among those who waited on him
continually.
8
So when he had explained all these things to them, he sent them to Joppa. NKJV
Cornelius
was a Centurion of the Italian Band, and he answered directly to Caesar
himself.
Cornelius
had a heart for God, but he did not know God. He was not saved yet.
A.
He was a devout man, but was not saved.
B.
He gave alms, but was not saved.
C.
He was one who feared (revered) the Lord, but was not saved.
D.
He prayed to God always, but was not saved.
E.
He had a vision of the angel sent from God, but was not saved.
F.
What he did came up for a memorial before God, but he was not saved.
G.
He fasted, but was not saved.
H.
He was a just man, but was not saved.
Why
wasn’t he saved? He had all of these good credentials and had a heart that
sought after the Lord.
Being
a member of a church won’t save you. Water baptism won’t save you. Taking
Communion doesn’t mean you are saved. Reading the Bible and praying doesn’t
mean you are saved.
There
is only one way to salvation, and that is by accepting Jesus Christ as your
Lord and Savior.
God
knows where you live. The angel told Cornelius to go to Joppa, a small city
along the Mediterranean Coast, to the house of Simon the Tanner. It’s there
that he would find Simon Peter.
Cornelius
sent three of his men to Joppa. While God sent an angel to speak to Cornelius,
He also was speaking to Peter at the same time.
Peter
had a vision of all kinds of unclean animals, and a voice in the vision told
him to rise up, kill and eat. Peter, being a Jew, said that he had never eaten
anything forbidden, or common or unclean. Then God told Peter to not call the
Gentiles common or unclean anymore, because God calls them clean.
When
the three men arrived at the house they asked for Peter. He went with them to
Caesarea, to the home of Cornelius. He preached to Cornelius’ entire household
and friends, and all of them got saved and baptized in the Holy Spirit. They
all began to speak with other tongues and magnify God, and then were water
baptized.
God
had to deal with the prejudice in Peter’s heart towards the Gentiles.
Are
you saved, or just religious? There is a difference between the two. Are you
ready to make Jesus your Lord and Savior, and to acknowledge that salvation
only comes through the Cross?
Just
pray this simple prayer to be born again:
“Dear
Jesus,
Please
come into my heart. I make You my Lord and Savior. I believe that You died on
the Cross and rose from the dead. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit. Help me to
live for You.
In
Jesus’ Name, Amen.”
You
are now a child of God. Where is Jesus? Do you feel His Presence (velvety joy,
cleansing and peace-type of feeling) in your heart? You now are filled with His
Holy Spirit. You are accepted in the Beloved.
The
baptism of the Holy Spirit is the next higher level. Usually speaking in a
language you have never learned before is the initial evidence of the baptism
of the Holy Spirit. Just ask the Holy Spirit to immerse you into His Spirit,
and then when you hear syllables in your spirit, just speak it out. The Baptism
of the Holy Spirit is for greater levels of joy, and to be empowered by the
Spirit to live an overcoming Christian life, as well as for service to be used
by God to minister to others.
The
infilling and baptism of the Holy Spirit is likened to rivers of living water
flowing out of your belly (John 7:38) or like a well of water that springs up
and never runs dry (John 4:14). This river of God brings life to wherever it
goes.
For God so loved this world that He gave His only begotton Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
God did not send His Son into this world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him would be saved.
The thief (Satan the devil) comes only for to kill, steal and destroy. But Jesus has come to give us life, and life more abundantly, until it overflows.
I urge you to come to the Cross today and receive Jesus as your Savior and Lord. He will wash away all your sins and make you as clean and white as fresh snow.
Just pray this prayer and mean it with your heart:
Dear Lord Jesus (if you are not able to call him Lord yet, then just say "Jesus")
I receive You as my Savior and Lord. I give my life over to You. I believe that You died and rose again, and that if I call on the Name of the Lord I shall be saved.
I accept you into my heart right now, and confess that You are Lord and have risen from the dead and forever live to make intercession for me.
Thank You for washing my heart pure and clean and making me whole, and for giving me peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Thank You that now I am a new creature in Christ Jesus. The old has gone and the new has come.
And there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh (carnality and sin), but walk after the Spirit. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
If you prayed this prayer, I believe you got born again and are now heaven bound and will be with the Lord forever and have eternal life. Your sins are now forgiven. You are accepted in the Beloved.
I would encourage you to find a good Bible based local church to help you grow in your faith, to learn the Word of God, to praise and worship Him, and to have fellowship with the saints.
Serving Christ is the best decision you will ever make.
God bless you!!!
