The Gospel is For EVERYONE

If you’ve ever wondered how the message of Jesus went from a tiny sect in ancient Israel to a thriving and enduring global religion, Acts 10 holds the key.

It’s one of the key turning points in the entire Bible. Before Acts 10, the good news about Jesus was primarily reaching people with Jewish backgrounds—those who already shared Israel’s story, promises, and religious framework. But in this one God-directed story, everything changes. Peter, a Jewish follower of Jesus, is sent by God to meet Cornelius, a Roman centurion and Gentile on the outside of the Jewish faith.

Dr. Luke tells us Cornelius isn’t a blank slate. He’s already a devout, generous, and prayerful man. He fears God. But he hasn’t heard the gospel. So God sends an angel to Cornelius and a vision to Peter. And in a scene only the Holy Spirit could orchestrate, the two men meet.

Peter preaches Jesus—crucified and risen. And before he can even finish his sermon, the Holy Spirit falls on the whole room. It’s Pentecost all over again (Acts 2)—this time for the Gentiles (Acts 10).

And just like that, the door is OPEN.

Because of the story of Peter and Cornelius, the apostles and early church no longer think the gospel message belongs to a specific ethnic group or those with a certain cultural background. It’s global. A message for all people. And it’s a message for you.

It’s easy to forget how radical that is.

But for Peter and the early church, the Gospel reaching the Gentiles turned their whole world upside down. All because the same Holy Spirit who came to Jewish believers in Acts 2 came to Gentile believers in Acts 10. The same salvation. The same Jesus. No second-class citizens. No inner circles. No requirements to enter God’s family except faith in Jesus.

And here’s why that matters: It means that no one is unwanted. No one is unworthy. And no one is beyond the reach of God’s grace.

So if you feel like you’re on the outside looking in—too broken, too far gone, too messed up or too much of a stranger to all this “church stuff” and religion—Acts 10 is for you.

The gospel is for everyone.

And it’s for you.