Someone once said that “you will never discover new worlds unless you have courage to lose sight of the shore.” The world of the unknown can be intimidating and scary for many people, and in Acts 10 Peter finds himself in just such a place. Peter, a devout Jew, is invited to the home of a Gentile, a Roman officer, to share the Gospel with Cornelius and his family. This invitation went against everything Peter had been taught in life and religion.

Everyone carries imprints from their upbringing. Some of those imprints are positive, and some are negative. What things have you been taught in your lifetime about people of different ethnicities that are positive? That are negative? Would any of those things that have helped shape your belief system make it difficult for you to entertain the possibility of having relationship with certain people? 

The Bible says about David in Acts 13:36 that he “served God’s purpose in his own generation”. We have all been created for a greater purpose. Not only is it vital that we discover what that purpose is, but that we do not allow anything to prevent us from fulfilling that purpose. Ultimately, we are on this earth to represent Jesus to a watching world.

What should a person do if he or she realizes that there are attitudes or certain stereotypes that are making it difficult for us to represent Jesus to someone of a different race or religion? Here are three things we see that Peter did:

1. He responds to the prompting of the Holy Spirit. As he is pondering the meaning of the vision, the Holy Spirit instructs him to get up, go downstairs, and to go with the men without hesitation. Peter did not argue, dig his heels in to his religious paradigm, or run and hide. He acted immediately.
   
   
2. He admits that he is wrong in his way of thinking. The word “repentance” in its original language means to do a one-eighty and walk in the opposite direction. Peter makes the statement in verse 28, “You know it is against our laws for a Jewish man to enter a Gentile home like this or to associate with you. But God has shown me that I should no longer think of anyone as impure or unclean.” His heart has been changed and he can now fulfill God’s purpose of taking the Gospel to Gentiles.
   
   
3. He allows his paradigm to be shifted. Some people are too prideful to change even when they realize it would be right to do so. How do we know that Peter experienced a true heart change?  Look at his statement in verse 34: “I see very clearly that God shows no favoritism.” 

When we view people through the lenses of the Word of God and not through the lenses of personal preference or opinion, we then see beyond skin pigmentation. We see human beings who are in need of relationship with Jesus.