The Bible’s witness about Cornelius was described as devout. What a label, a desired stamp of every Christian! Acts, wrote by Luke, by the hand of God testifies how this Roman officer achieved such a title from God. A simple repeatable recipe for spiritual life. When one mirrors a life that God esteemed, will not he find the same result? I tell you yes He will.
1 At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of what was known as the Italian Cohort, 2 a devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed continually to God.
3 About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God come in and say to him, “Cornelius.” 4 And he stared at him in terror and said, “What is it, Lord?” And he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God. 5 And now send men to Joppa and bring one Simon who is called Peter. 6 He is lodging with one Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea.” 7 When the angel who spoke to him had departed, he called two of his servants and a devout soldier from among those who attended him, 8 and having related everything to them, he sent them to Joppa.
Caesarea, never to be confused with Caesarea Philippi (located in the north-central area), was located on the Mediterranean Sea. The city of Caesarea had a residence of the Roman procurator the one in charge of the money.1 Caesarea was built by Herod about 15 years before Jesus’s birth. In a secular since Herod the Great was a builder if nothing else. His construction projects rivaled any in the world. The city boasted an impressive man-made harbor for shipping that received cargo from all over the world, a large, extensive theater complex, and a seven-mile aqueduct that brought fresh water into the city from the northeast. The city served as the administrative center of the province of Judaea during Rome’s rule. This was one of the geographical jewels of the first century. Being at the center of political life in Israel called for security. This security in part was fulfilled by Cornelius’ semi-permanently quartered legion.2
Cornelius was a Centurion; therefore, he commanded a centuria, the smallest unit of a Roman legion which was made up of 100 or so men. Centurions formed the backbone of each 4500 men legion and were responsible for discipline, training, inspections, and commanding in the field. A Roman Centurion would be the equivalent of a US Army captain today.3
It is easy to slip back into Cornelius’ society while walking amongst the ruins of Caesarea. One could easily imagine Cornelius at a chariot race at the horse track, meeting his commanding officer in the beachfront palace, and him praying on the beach in the mornings.
Before we take a look at Cornelius’ devoutness, let’s embrace a caveat: when one is looking to define or speak about an important, far-impacting doctrine, great care must be exercised. Hastily formed quips are not wise; for they could direct a hearer to oversimplify something that should be presented in a developed way then in turn thinking shallowly and therefore living wrongly. Or if one were to present the truth wrongly, having the same results–perhaps worse.
While thinking of the two greatest commandments, one may conclude, from the passage, that,
Devoutness is something we should all be striving for. In it, we get to know our holy Master, and His ways, and His wisdom in our everyday living. In devoutness, we hear His voice, experience His calming hand of peace, and are filled with His joy despite what the world may be using to discourage God’s holy ones. In devoutness we find direction. We find simpler thoughts in our “todays” (for that is what He told us to be focused on) with constantly renewed focus in His direction.
When I think of trying to live a devout life, the idea seems so far our of my reach. But when I listen to the Lord and apply His truth, I am reminded to focus on today. “Can’t I be devout for a day?” “Why yes, I think I can.” “If I focus on days, don’t these days turn into weeks and months?” “Don’t months turn into years and years into a life I hope to live?”
When we are not focused on devoutness for today the goal may be kicked down to the deathbed.
Cornelius was not procrastinating. His life was marked by devotion to Yahweh. But what was he doing that gave him this esteemed label most important of titles? In our text, we find a man who had the will to practice the smallest of disciplines that leads one to a devout life. It is reachable.
Cornelius “feared God with all his household.” He loved God and his family and servants did also. Their submission to the Lord was the reason that they bore fruit in the home and the community as well. Cornelius’ family had bended knees before the holy God of Heaven.
What does it mean to fear God? The word “fear” as used in the text may mean,
Take it in: reverence must contain obedience to God!
Cornelius was a captain of one hundred of the toughest soldiers in the world, but also an Italian Captain who knew his place in God’s creation.
Devoutness is not just a fear of God: in other words, it is not just reverence of God in the mind and heart in isolation. One may think about God rightly but never respond to God in uncommon ways in life.
Let us consistently remember who we are. We belong at the table due to Christ’s payment to be sure. And anytime when we consider ourselves rightly when thinking of God, humbleness follows. So we remember, we are at the table of an all-powerful, all-knowing, all-seeing, all-righteous, eternal, forgiving judge, righteous judge, Creator of this Universe, God. For when we remember God for who He is, we are reminded not only of our rightful humble place, but we are also reminded of His great power, love, and care for us. We remember we are nothing before and helpless without Him. He desires us to apply ourselves to the things He has commanded.
We need to remember that one cannot be described as a God-fearer with personal thoughts of the Great Almighty alone or with mechanical words of praise for Him; one must have the tangible, obedient actions and habits that align with the corresponding genuine, reverent thoughts of God.
But there are pitfalls waiting for us.
Paul rebuked the Church at Corinth with, “But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, for you are still of the flesh.” (1 Corinthians 3:1-3) We have all known people who know the Bible but struggle to even apply the milk truths. That surely describes us all at some point in our walks perhaps, but we should at least know that this is not a good place to live our lives!
Paul wrote to the Church at Ephesus, “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds, and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.” (Ephesians 4:11-14) To remain steady doctrinally, one must pursue Bible study and reading. To possess correct doctrine is to be equipped well for accurate thinking and living.
There are many warnings against not taking action on what we know to do. James’ warning stands out here: “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” (1:22) Not acting on the Word is self-deception, not reverence. We deceive ourselves with knowledge when it remains isolation to the ears.
Let’s look a Cornelius’ actions. Cornelius was a giver. He “gave alms generously to the people.” Alms are just what we think they are; gifts to the poor. He knew of the people in need of food and clothing in his community and he gave money to help them. He apparently sought them out, or perhaps he became aware of each one in need over time. At any rate, they were known. Cornelius was a man of mercy, empathy, and charity towards the poor around him. He did not store up his money for all of the wants of his heart, but instead, he was a giver of the wealth he managed for God.
We should remind ourselves here that the poor were a priority of the early church too. Peter, James, and John, leaders in the early Church, wrote to Paul and said, remember the poor? Did not Paul reply that that was the very thing [he] was eager to do? God has always placed a desire for the poor in the hearts of His Devout Ones. Devout people are not stingy with the money of God that they manage. They follow instructions. They know the owner of their money has made His priorities known. They are ready to act on the knowledge of The Most Benevolent One.
Let us listen to the Word of God regarding The Cheerful Giver:
6 The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. 9 As it is written,
“He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor;
his righteousness endures forever.”
10 He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. 12 For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God. (2 Corinthians 9)
We have already made the claim that genuine fear of the Lord in devoutness is not just proper, humble acknowledgment of who God is by the human voice, but must be validated by corresponding love/faith actions towards others. Giving is an example. But how do we ensure quality in the actions we take? What kind of actions are they? How do we make sure our giving is of quality and later rewarded? Four testers are surely known about devout actions:
Why spend so much time with the descriptive words that seem to hang as ornaments on this page? God will reward only such actions that live up to what He taught. God never forgets our actions that measure up. Hebrews 6:10 reminds us “God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints,” There is a huge payday for doing life right here! Take heed! These are the qualities that make our actions measure up devout: others, secret, love, faith.
Potential devoutness understands that all its actions must endure The Great Accounting of God that will ask the cutting questions: What did one do while thinking about God? Did one hear only, or did one do the Will of The Way? In the difference nets the degree of one’s devoutness to the Lord. These are the true measuring rods. When one is devout one fears the Lord.
True devoutness is birthed, via the in-taking of the Word through the senses, in the fear of the Lord, penetrating into a ready heart of flesh as it passed through the repentant mind. From there it flows, unadulterated from desires of self, into working into the lives of others and back to God.
As an application, we need to give to the poor. We need to find poor people in this community to help. Poor not due to laziness, drug addiction, or drunkenness, but people who are poor for being despised by the world.
Three thousand missionaries need our help right now. Go to getmissions.com to give and help.
Cornelius was a Gentile who had responded to God with prayer. Many of Cornelius’ peers and superiors would have instead insisted upon worshiping and serving “gods, the work of [their] hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell.” The worshiped the heavenly bodies that they know boast of God’s wisdom and power and would not exist without His handiwork. We have all heard of some of the Romans’ objects of worship: Cupid, Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, Neptune, Pluto, and Saturn. But Cornelius resisted the basely human impulses to worship things that God made or were made by craftsmen.
Cornelius thought about what he knew. He offered prayers to Yahweh in a real love relationship. He knew this to be a key to a devout life.
We could use our own prayer lives as an example perhaps for what to do and what not to do regarding prayer. We Christians often pray when our perceived needs drive us to the bent knee. Us and our families are usually at the center of these prayers. While we need to always pray for our families, our prayers are often self-centered too. We, believers, find some time for God when there is a problem, and especially in an emergency that needs God’s “undivided attention.” Haven’t we all been in these shoes?
Often too, we simply ignore God, leaving our lives to “fate” as we witness the workings of our world. We remember God is close sometimes (inside us of course), but we prove our indifferent thinking with our lack of proper praying. We align ourselves, through practice with the agnostic’s thoughts at times, and testify with our actions, that God is not overly involved in the affairs of humankind.
We often feel this way when God seems to say “No” or “Wait” “all the time.” This may dampen our prayer lives.
Sometimes I think of our Lord 's ministry of prayer. He prayed all night at times. I often wonder what words filled those hours.
I confess that I find it easier to look to Daniel’s prayer life: he prayed three times a day.
There seem to be few examples of prayer in the Bible. I believe that to be a good thing. Doesn’t God desire to hear from us in an honest, original conversation without prescription?
It’s through prayer that we spend purposeful time to connect with God. Our application is to “pray without ceasing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17)
Some keys to remember about prayer:
I believe the acrostic A.C.T.S., that we use here, is a simple tool one may use and teach to others. It reminds us what God-centered prayer looks like and the type of words that should fill them:
A - Adoration. Take time to adore God; brad on Him.
C - Confession. Take the time to confess all known sin to God. Take great care, not to re-confess sins.
T - Thanksgiving. Take time to thank God for what He has done in already your life.
S - Supplication (or stuff). Make your requests to God, not only for yourself and your family, but for leaders everywhere, for the saints, for the lost, for the local churches.
Cornelius’ devoutness was a draw and powerful testimony not only to those in his home, and in his community, but also in the record of heaven. Genuine good works prove our theology. We act on what we believe.
Acts explains that Cornelius was esteemed in heaven. The text also explains why. The Italian leader’s simple devout life has given us a pattern for our lives:
One cannot fake a devoutness to the Lord. It must be honest to be real. Our judged actions will prove our level of genuine devoutness or pyrite counterfeits.
Has God made devoutness unreachable? Has He made it difficult to draw close to Him? Is closeness to God for the religious few? Indeed, has not He made himself reachable to the simplest of the people of faith? He has made a way for all of the ones of simple faith and small disciplines to be devoted to Him. To be devout is to be consistent in the things we already know to do. It was in the small spiritual disciplines that we often neglect. We need reminding. Devoutness takes place in the simple, daily spiritual disciplines. These disciplines place our offerings of time, energy, money into the work of our Lord. We become a productive branch in God’s vineyard. We will feel the regrets of mismanaged time shedding from our lives as we stay on a persistent walk towards our impressive, visual encounter with our Risen God and Savior Lord Jesus.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. http://internationalstandardbible.com.
Roman Legions were never permanently quartered in Judaea until the great war which ended in the destruction of Jerusalem, 70 AD. It was garrisoned by auxiliary troops recruited amongst the Samaritans and Syrian Greeks. … But it would not have been prudent for a garrison in Judaea to be composed wholly of troops locally recruited. Therefore the Roman government mingled with the garrison 600 Italian soldiers. Source: International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. http://internationalstandardbible.com.
cf., Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/centurion-Roman-military-officer; International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. https://www.internationalstandardbible.com/C/centurion.html.