Last time we noted how Q&A 35 describes the church as the creation of the Son of God by the Holy Spirit. In the story of Peter's encounter with Cornelius, the Gentile centurion, the leading of the Lord becomes absolutely clear.

The church in Jerusalem and Judea was still a Jewish community, centered in the temple and its daily prayers, even as it grew in the homes of the believers. No one questioned the importance of circumcision or of following Jewish dietary laws. It was Judaism that had discovered its Messiah in Jesus of Nazareth.

However, Christ, through his Spirit, had a much bigger vision of a church that expanded to "the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8). And it all began in this unlikely meeting between Peter and Cornelius.

The Lord prepares the way through two visions. Cornelius receives one, an angel with a message about Peter. Peter receives an even stranger vision about a sheet full of unclean foods. (By the way, it's fascinating to hear stories of how the Spirit is bringing Muslims to faith through visions today.) These dual visions are the vehicles by which the Lord brings Peter and Cornelius together, and they send the church on a new trajectory.

Cornelius, though a Gentile, was a devout seeker. Evidently he became an adherent of the Jewish faith; he prayed to the God of Israel daily, and, like Barnabas, he gave generously. Note how prayer and generosity are marks of pious behavior for Jews as well as Christians. The angel tells him to contact Peter in Joppa.

In the meantime, the Lord has some harder work to do with Peter. While one vision was enough for Cornelius, it takes three visions of the sheet to finally bring Peter to some recognition of the Lord's message.

Dietary laws were deeply important for the Jews, and Jesus often had controversies with the Pharisees about them. These laws were one of the primary ways in which they saw themselves as a separate and holy people. The Jews could not really have fellowship with Gentiles, who didn't follow them. It's no surprise, then, that Peter would find it astonishing that the Lord would direct him to break the dietary laws by eating "unclean" food.

Something boldly new is happening; the Lord of the universe can change laws to suit his new and expanded purposes. The voice says, "Do not call anything impure that God has made clean" (v. 9). Peter never actually decides to eat, but there's a knock at the door with messengers from Cornelius asking him to visit this Gentile. Peter got the point!

Q&A 34 tells us that the Spirit "leads us in the truth, breaks our stubborn habits, and makes us obedient to God." That's exactly what's going on here, with staggering consequences. The Spirit is speaking a new truth, breaking an old habit, and calling Peter to be obedient.