Cornelius’s Household
Acts 10:34-48 (NKJV)
34 Then
Peter opened his mouth and said: “In truth I perceive that God shows no
partiality. 35 But in every nation
whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him. 36 The word which
God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ—He is
Lord of all— 37 that word you know,
which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee after the
baptism which John preached: 38 how God
anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about
doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with
Him. 39 And we are witnesses of all
things which He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem, whom they killed by hanging on a tree. 40 Him God
raised up on the third day, and showed Him openly, 41 not to all the people, but to witnesses
chosen before by God, even to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from
the dead. 42 And He commanded us to
preach to the people, and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to
be Judge of the living and the dead. 43
To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him
will receive remission of sins.” 44 While Peter was still speaking
these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. 45 And those of the circumcision who believed
were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy
Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. 46 For they heard them speak with tongues and
magnify God. Then Peter answered, 47 “Can anyone forbid water, that these
should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” 48 And he
commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then they
asked him to stay a few days.
The Prison Keeper’s Household
Acts 16:25-34 (NKJV)
25 But at
midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the
prisoners were listening to them. 26
Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison
were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains
were loosed. 27 And the keeper of the
prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the
prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself. 28 But Paul called with a loud voice, saying,
“Do yourself no harm, for we are all here.” 29 Then he called for a light, ran
in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 And he brought
them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 So they said,
“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your
household.” 32 Then they spoke the word
of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. 33 And he took them the same hour of the night
and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all
his family were baptized. 34 Now when he had brought them into his house, he
set food before them; and he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his
household.
Abraham’s Household
Genesis 18:16-21 Living Bible (TLB)
16 Then the
men stood up from their meal and started on toward Sodom; and Abraham went with
them part of the way. 17 “Should I hide my plan from Abraham?” God asked. 18 “For Abraham shall become a mighty nation,
and he will be a source of blessing for all the nations of the earth. 19 And I have
picked him out to have godly descendants and a godly household—men who are just
and good—so that I can do for him all I have promised.” 20 So the Lord told Abraham, “I have heard that
the people of Sodom and Gomorrah are utterly evil, and that everything they do
is wicked. 21 I am going down to see
whether these reports are true or not. Then I will know.”
v God has always reckoned with man
according to families. To Abraham, His Friend, God said, “in you shall all the families of the earth be blessed.” (Gen
12:3).
v Gen 18:19 –God explains why He
singled Abraham out and related to Him – so that he will produce godly
descendants and a godly home-front.
v It appears that God always wanted
righteousness and faith in Him to be perpetuated from one generation to the
next, not by an ‘organisation’ called
church, but by any ‘organism’ called family.
v It is because family life or the
home-front became dysfunctional that organised ‘church’ became necessary.
v God expected men to lead their
households, teach them about Him and raise godly offspring to perpetuate
godliness (Malachi 2:15).
v Even in the early church, we see men
being saved with their whole households when the gospel was preached to them.
v Luke 19:9- When Jesus visited the
home of Zacchaeus, He said to him, “This is day has
salvation come to this house,…” not to this man. Jesus was reckoning
with his whole household.
v Imagine the atmosphere in the homes
of the Cornelius and the prison keeper after the gospel was preached to them
and they were saved! Everyone who visited those homes would definitely have the
gospel preached to them by any member of the household.
Prayer Points
- Lord, make my home a place where the cross-centred gospel is preached freely without reservation. Lord, let my household be completely open to the restating of the gospel at this crucial time.
- Lord Jesus, please let the mystery of the gospel affect my household and every member of it.
- Lord, let the heads of our homes be proactive and deliberate in opening our households up to the preaching or restating of the complete gospel.
- Lord, please include every member of my household in the final ingathering. Let no one be left out.
- Lord, please let my household become a place where the virtue of Your name and Your life is passed from one generation to another. Let 2 Tim 2:2 be a reality in my own household.
- Lord, impress on my heart and on the heart of the head of my home, the sense of urgency in passing on the cross-centred gospel and the restating of it to the next generation.
- Lord, let no child or youth in my household escape the restating of the gospel. Even people who stay in my home for a short time must have the gospel restated to them. Lord, help me and let Your wisdom prevail (Col 1:28-29).
- Lord, let my household be saturated with mystery of the gospel. Let this mystery be tangible in my home and let it have undeniable effects that will glorify You, producing disciples, godly offspring and a godly household.
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