Hey friends, fun update before getting to this weeks post. I’ve added audio! So now you can click the play button at the top of each blog entry. You can listen to my amateurish voice instead of reading my amateurish thoughts. I’ve done a few past posts too, and I hope to do all the future ones.
Okay, so that announced, on to this weeks post. Which is a really good one.
So here’s an idea. Let’s do something that triggers a global revival, establishes an entirely new set of theological ideas, changes a ton of cultural and social norms, has the very top religious leaders coming to meet us, and might even cause an angel to show up.
Sound like fun?
Well, if you are a regular reader of this blog then you probably owe a debt of gratitude to a Roman centurion who lived about 2000 years ago. His generosity changed the world.
I’m talking about Cornelius, the centurion in Caesarea who welcomed the apostle Peter into his home (which broke a ton of norms, but that’s another story). Tradition has it that Cornelius became the first Gentile to follow Jesus. We could draw a line between our faith today and that centurion’s generosity, humility, and prayerfulness of 2000 years ago.
For me the interesting part is how Cornelius’ generosity made him stand out. Acts 10:2 describes Cornelius as a man who gave generously to the poor. Verse 4 has an angel telling Cornelius that his giving was pleasing to God (in so many words), and later Cornelius describes the experience to Peter.
We tend to run right past the generosity detail when we read the story. We focus on the social, cultural, and theological implications.
But less focus is on the very human side of the story. Much of this happened because Cornelius was generous to the poor in his community. He didn’t have to be, but he was.
That’s doubly remarkable because it’s not like the Roman occupiers were an especially gentle, kind and generous bunch. True, the centurions mentioned in the New Testament tend to come off pretty good. But to become a centurion meant you were a warrior. These were tough people who knew how to lead tough men.
They would have been great foreman in the junkyard.
Look, I’m not suggesting that being generous to the poor will trigger an angel to show up. Or an apostle to visit your home. Or trigger entirely new cultural and theological norms. Or be the first step toward a spiritual renewal across the world.
But I am saying that it happened once. Because God seems to especially love the poor, and clearly uses those people who want to make a difference.