The door has been officially opened to lead the Church of Christ into the whole world. It's why we know the gospel. The reason the gospel came to us and didn't just stay in Israel is because of what Peter did here. He was being obedient to the vision that he had received in Joppa.

In Galatians 3, 28 and 29, Paul tells us the wonderful truth that in Christ, there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave, nor free. We are all one in Christ, that if we are Christ's,

then we are Abraham's offspring. And we see this truth on full display in the events that take

place in Acts chapter 10. Thank you for being with us on this Tuesday edition of renewing your mind,

as we spend a week considering

the life of Peter. Derek Thomas's survey of the life of Peter, seeing his transformation

from brash fishermen into bold apostle, can guide us in pursuit of our own growth in grace.

So I do hope that you listen all week. Let's dive right in.

If you have your Bible, please turn to Acts 10. Here's Dr. Thomas.

We need to spend just a minute or so picking up what has happened. There has been the election of the seven deacons, proto-deacons, in the dispute between

the Hellenistic and Jewish widows.

Among them was Stephen.

And then there's Chapter 7 of Acts where Stephen preaches that extraordinary sermon and is killed and becomes the first martyr.

And then Saul is now coming into the picture and eventually there will be the conversion

of Saul of Tarsus to become the Paul that we know him to be. Chapter 8 begins with a huge

persecution that now arises partly driven or mainly driven by Saul of Tarsus, the persecution

now against the church.

And that produces the introduction of Philip at the end of chapter 8,

and then the conversion of Saul in chapter 9, and he escapes to Damascus.

And when we come to chapter 10, Peter is now in Jopper, which is on the coast, probably fleeing

the persecution in Jerusalem.

He seems to have had a house in Joppa, and there is a tradition that there's a church in modern day Jopper

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