<html><head></head><body><div><div><div><div><br></div>Acts 10;24-26<div><br></div><div><b>24. &nbsp;And on the following day they entered Caesarea. &nbsp;Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his kinsmen and close friends.</b></div><div><b>25. &nbsp;When Peter entered, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshipped him.</b></div><div><b>26. &nbsp;But Peter lifted him&nbsp;up, saying, “Stand up; I too am a man.”</b></div><div><b><br></b></div><div>It is part of our sinful nature to desire recognition, honor, fame,&nbsp;and praise. &nbsp;This is no small sin, it is the sin of Lucifer/Satan the fallen angel, who desired to be in the place of God, and have all the angels worship him. He&nbsp;tempted Eve and Adam with the false promise that if the ate of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, they&nbsp;would become like God.</div><div><br></div><div>The Greek culture was polytheistic, they worshipped many false gods, some of whom had intercourse with humans and gave birth to mythic hero’s, half god, half man, called Demigods. &nbsp;Achilles, Aeneas,&nbsp;Theses, Hercules, and Perseus were most notable.</div><div><br></div><div>Therefore, Cornelius’ worship of Peter, was a serious problem for him and other New Testament evangelists. &nbsp;The performance of miracles of healing was often believed to identify them as demigods.</div><div><br></div><div>As Believers, we do not attain a separate identity different from other men and also separate from our true God. &nbsp;Our new true identity is as forgiven sinners, cleansed and purified so that we can become one with God through Jesus Christ. &nbsp;By faith we enter into divine communion with God, a oneness best understood as that which belongs to marriage, <i>“the two become one.” &nbsp;</i>(Matthew 16.6). That is why Jesus is called the Bridegroom and the Church of all true Believers is called the Bride.</div><div><br></div><div>This new reality is mysterious and one we struggle to understand. &nbsp;But, it is the key to sanctification.</div><div><i>“The life we now live in the flesh, we live by faith in the Son of God who loved us and gave himself for us.” &nbsp;</i>(Galatians 2;20) Just as a husband gives himself to his wife in the wedding vow, and she to him.</div><div>Jesus does not simply give himself for us on the cross, he gives himself to us continually by the Holy Spirit and the Word.</div><div><br></div><div>When Peter says to Cornelius, <i>“I too am a man” </i>he is rejecting all glory offered to himself.</div><div>In Christ, we are, <i>“destined and appointed to live for the praise of his glory” </i>only.</div><div><br></div><div>Prayer: &nbsp;Merciful Father, grant us wisdom to deflect all honor and glory to you through Jesus Christ, by the power given us in the Spirit to deny ourselves, carry our crosses and follow Jesus. &nbsp;In Jesus we pray, Amen</div><div><br></div><div>Love,</div><div>Dad/Baba/Eric</div><div>Grandpa Pickle Pastor</div><div>“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word.”</div><div><br></div><div>The life-long study of God’s Word is everyone’s first earthly&nbsp;calling, not just pastors and teachers.</div><div><br></div><div><br><br><br><div><a href="https://mail.onelink.me/107872968?pid=nativeplacement&amp;c=Global_Acquisition_YMktg_315_Internal_EmailSignature&amp;af_sub1=Acquisition&amp;af_sub2=Global_YMktg&amp;af_sub3=&amp;af_sub4=100000604&amp;af_sub5=EmailSignature__Static_" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a><br></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>


Acts 10;24-26
24.  And on the following day they entered Caesarea.  Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his kinsmen and close friends.25.  When Peter entered, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshipped him.26.  But Peter lifted him up, saying, “Stand up; I too am a man.”
It is part of our sinful nature to desire recognition, honor, fame, and praise.  This is no small sin, it is the sin of Lucifer/Satan the fallen angel, who desired to be in the place of God, and have all the angels worship him. He tempted Eve and Adam with the false promise that if the ate of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, they would become like God.
The Greek culture was polytheistic, they worshipped many false gods, some of whom had intercourse with humans and gave birth to mythic hero’s, half god, half man, called Demigods.  Achilles, Aeneas, Theses, Hercules, and Perseus were most notable.
Therefore, Cornelius’ worship of Peter, was a serious problem for him and other New Testament evangelists.  The performance of miracles of healing was often believed to identify them as demigods.
As Believers, we do not attain a separate identity different from other men and also separate from our true God.  Our new true identity is as forgiven sinners, cleansed and purified so that we can become one with God through Jesus Christ.  By faith we enter into divine communion with God, a oneness best understood as that which belongs to marriage, “the two become one.”  (Matthew 16.6). That is why Jesus is called the Bridegroom and the Church of all true Believers is called the Bride.
This new reality is mysterious and one we struggle to understand.  But, it is the key to sanctification.“The life we now live in the flesh, we live by faith in the Son of God who loved us and gave himself for us.”  (Galatians 2;20) Just as a husband gives himself to his wife in the wedding vow, and she to him.Jesus does not simply give himself for us on the cross, he gives himself to us continually by the Holy Spirit and the Word.
When Peter says to Cornelius, “I too am a man” he is rejecting all glory offered to himself.In Christ, we are, “destined and appointed to live for the praise of his glory” only.
Prayer:  Merciful Father, grant us wisdom to deflect all honor and glory to you through Jesus Christ, by the power given us in the Spirit to deny ourselves, carry our crosses and follow Jesus.  In Jesus we pray, Amen
Love,Dad/Baba/EricGrandpa Pickle Pastor“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word.”
The life-long study of God’s Word is everyone’s first earthly calling, not just pastors and teachers.



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