The theme for day 7 is a harvest of households from Acts 10 where we find a Gentile, a Roman Centurion named Cornelius, that was devout, and generous to the Jewish people and the poor, and prayed regularly, yet he was lost. These acts, doing good and following religious traditions are not enough. Salvation only comes through the work that Jesus Christ did on the cross. Salvation only comes through his death, burial and resurrection. But God saw that Cornelius was seeking him and an angel of the Lord brought him a message in
Acts 10:4–5 And he stared at him and became terrified and* said, “What is it, Lord?” And he said to him, “Your prayers and your charitable deeds have gone up for a memorial offering before God. 5 And now, send men to Joppa and summon a certain Simon, who is also called Peter.
This was the moment for Cornelius to be saved, but the angel did not bring him the gospel. Men are entrusted with this message. We are the ones that deliver this good news.
But Peter was a Jewish man and they were forbidden by law to associate with the Gentiles. Even though Jesus had told his disciples the gospel was for the whole world in
Matthew 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed in the whole inhabited earth for a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.
they were still bound by the Jewish traditions. God had to prepare Peter so he would be willing to go to Cornelius so Peter also has a vision in
Acts 10:15 And the voice came again to him for the second time: “The things which God has made clean, you must not consider unclean!”
As Peter makes the journey from where he was, Joppa, to Caesarea and the home of Cornelius, Cornelius has gathered his whole household to hear what Peter has to say. Peter begins to speak the gospel in
Acts 10:38–40 Jesus of Nazareth—how God anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, because God was with him. 39 And we are witnesses of all the things that he did both in the land of the Judeans and in Jerusalem, whom they also executed by* hanging him* on a tree. 40 God raised this one up on the third day and granted that he should become visible
and as he is speaking, the Holy Ghost fell on them all in
Acts 10:44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell on all those who were listening to the message.
The culture of the day was somewhat different with extended families often living together so it was not uncommon for households to be saved as also happened with the Roman jailer in Acts 16:29-34. The gospel was often preached and taught as believers gathered together in these home groups as in
Acts 5:42 Every day, both in the temple courts and from house to house, they did not stop teaching and proclaiming the good news that the Christ was Jesus.
and it was in a home that Saul received the gospel in
Acts 9:11 And the Lord said to him, “Get up, go to the street called ‘Straight’ and in the house of Judas look for a man named Saul from Tarsus. For behold, he is praying,
and it was in a house that Peter went to find them praying together in
Acts 12:12 And when he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John (who is also called Mark), where many people were gathered together and were praying.
In the early years of the church, there were not organized, well-established bodies of believers in every place. They often met in homes and small groups as they were beginning to establish themselves in their communities. Today we might call them house churches, but whatever name we give, these were the homes of believers. And in these homes, there were Christ-loving, people-loving, Holy Spirit-filled, hospitable believers that joined together for prayer and to be the living witness those around them needed to see.
Today, it is not Jew and Gentile, but there are many different languages, cultural, and religious groups that are isolated from one another just as Cornelius and his household were isolated from Peter. Pray that God will move by drawing those that don’t know him and prepare us to be able to receive those that are not like us.
The Word Guiding Prayer for the Day
John 4:34–35 Jesus said to them, “My food is that I do the will of the one who sent me and complete his work. 35 Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months and the harvest comes’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, that they are white for harvest already.
Luke 10:1 And after these things, the Lord also appointed seventy-two others and sent them out two by two before him into every town and place where he was about to go.
Luke 1:37 “For nothing will be impossible with God”
James 5:16 Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous person accomplishes much.
The Needs
Boldly
Pray for an alignment between those ready to hear like Cornelius and those ready to tell like Peter
Acts 10:2, 23
Intercede
Intercede for those unchurched homes on your street, in your neighborhood. Name families and pray for them to all come to the Lord together.
Rend
Rend in Jesus’ name the veil of doubt
Matthew 16:19
2 Corinthians 4:3-4
Pray Persistently
Pray persistently for homes, including mixed families and fragmented families to be healed and saved
Colossians 4:2
Request
Set a target number and request of God that this number of new households visit your local congregation every week expecting that God will move through the whole region
Hebrews 4:16
Acts 13:49
Diligently
Take action and diligently request that local congregation members reach out to their neighborhoods with Bible studies, coffees, fellowships in whatever ways the Lord leads them to be more hospitable.
Philemon 6
Acts 19:20
Answers
Report on the harvest.
James 5:7–8 Therefore be patient, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. Behold, the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the soil, being patient concerning it until it receives the early and late rains. 8 You also be patient. Strengthen your hearts, because the coming of the Lord is near.
Day 7 Reading
- Acts 10:1-48
References
- 1. Teykl, T. (Dr.). (1997), Acts 29: 50 Days to Invite the Holy Spirit. Prayer Point Pr. https://www.amazon.com/Acts-29-Days-Invite-Spirit/dp/1578920450/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ref_=nav_signin&&linkCode=ll1&tag=prayny-20&linkId=f53533b082e7ab3aa9a206bf08fd85db&language=en_US