A List - The Outsider: Cornelius

In our culture we perceive every situation through the lines of “in-group” and “out-group”. At a football game, who are “my people”? At school, where are my friends? In family gatherings or at work, where are the people on my side of the arguments? Most of the time, we are looking inside of our circle of allies for validation and encouragement while we make every effort to completely ignore those outside. God does not have an “in-group.” He invites everyone to the party. In the story of Cornelius and Peter, the Holy Spirit guides a Jew and a Gentile to meet and interact with one another, totally contradicting the rules of society. The result is the public invitation of Gentiles into the faith. God always sees the current outsider as a future insider. God values the outsider. Do you?