Peter’s amazing experience with Cornelius leads him to go back and tell the church exactly what is going on “out there.” The bridge was being built! God cared for the whole world and the idea that He only loved the Jews was a wrong ideal and mentality by the Jewish people. God had chosen Abraham and blessed him “to be a blessing to all people.” God was setting things straight and moving mankind back to where they were meant to be.

The key of Peter’s report is when the others who hear Peter’s report that “If then God gave the same gift to them (Gentiles) as he gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way?” they reply “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.” Oh, God had plans to save them too! We think, “Duh” because we are recipients of this thinking. We are Gentile followers because of the grace given to us. This was radical at the time because the Jews had misunderstood their place in history. I believe we still do this today, unfortunately. We decide to do things our way instead of God’s way and it misses the mark.

The chapter ends with a spontaneous church breaking forth in Antioch. This becomes significant because Barnabas and eventually Saul/Paul settle in at this church. Here is where the followers of Jesus are first called “Christians” or “little Christs.”