Acts 10:1-23
The distance from Joppa to Caesarea was about 30 miles. Men could reasonably walk about three miles an hour, so that distance is a ten-hour journey. So on day 1 Cornelius has a vision around 3 pm. On day 2 the three men travel to Joppa and stay overnight. On day 3 Peter and the three men and other men from Joppa travel to Caesarea. So it’s day 4 before Peter and Cornelius spend time together – tomorrow’s reading. I am recounting all this to point out that God is not limited by time and distance. You may recall that this was a message we heard a week ago when our missionaries from Egypt spoke to us. If God were concerned with efficiency, he could have had Cornelius contact another apostle, Philip, who very possibly (very likely!) lived in Caesarea (Acts 8:40) and Philip could have come over the same day! But clearly God was working with Peter and it would be through Peter that the apostolic leaders in Jerusalem could extend a hand of discipleship to the Gentiles.
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