It’s normal when we think about those who need to know Christ, to think about the people who are in our circle or who are in our culture. It is difficult to think of others who are in other countries that we do not know.
The truth is that the gospel, the good news of Salvation in Christ began with the Jews. Our Lord, who was a Jew, came to His own but his own did not receive Him as their Messiah or Savior. It was after the Lord rose from the dead and ascended to heaven that his disciples announced this good news to the Jewish people. And the church was born. The early years it was mostly a church composed of Jews. Up to this point, the Gospel has been officially presented only to Jews, half Jews (the Samaritans of Acts 8) but not to Gentiles. But this changes after this passage.
What this passage teaches us is that the gospel is for everyone regardless of ethnic, cultural, or linguistic background. Everyone needs to hear the good news of salvation. Peter, as the leader the Lord chose to help found the church, receives a mission from the Lord in an extraordinary way. This mission involves a Roman centurion to whom God has manifested Himself so that he can hear, receive, and believe the gospel. This will open the doors of the gospel to everyone regardless of ethnic, cultural, or linguistic background.
