He is Powerful

The best part about the Bible? You can read the same stuff over and over and over, and you can learn something completely new every time. Yesterday at church, we read from Acts 10:1-23a. Now, I know that I've read from this particular passage before, but for some reason I never quite understood it like this. Go ahead and take a quick look at the passage.
So basically, it's about these two completely different men: Cornelius and Peter. 
Cornelius is a Roman Centurion. Being these two things combined, he was probably pretty wealthy and pretty smart. Also, a centurion was a commander of the Roman army. 
Peter, on the other hand, was a poor fisherman turned follower of Jesus. He was also a Jew. 
Jews and Romans pretty much hated each other at this time. They weren't even allowed to talk to each other. 
The only thing these two men had in common was their fear of the Lord. 
But God was about to bring them together in Him. 
Then they both had visions from God. 
Cornelius' vision was God telling him to send messengers to go to Peter, asking him to go back to Cornelius.
Peter's vision was this:
'and [he] saw heaven opened and an object like a great sheet bound at the four corners, descending to him and let down to the earth. In it were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things and birds of the air. And a voice came to him, "Rise Peter; kill and eat." 
But Peter said, "Not so, Lord! For i have never eaten anything common or unclean." 
And a voice spoke to him again the second time, "What God has cleansed you must not call common."'
While Peter sat there wondering what it all meant, Cornelius' men appears on the scene. He invites them in so they can explain that their master wants him to return with them so Cornelius can hear the gospel. 
Now, I don't remember what I had thought the first time I read this passage, but I probably didn't think of it as much more than another conversion story, nothing out of the ordinary. But there's so much deeper stuff here! It mostly comes from Peter's end of the story. (vs. 11-16) 
My first thought? Way to go Peter, following the Law, you are so holy. Well apparently, he must have been thinking the same thing. Basically, what Peter is saying when he says that is, 'No Lord, I am too holy and have never and would never eat such things.' 
oooooh. 
Peter needs some humbling. And he gets it of course. 
God then tells him, 'It doesn't matter what you view to be unclean. I am GOD and I have made them pure. Do not call these things that I have made simple, common, unclean.'
BAM.
This happens three times. Maybe so it'll stick. (Reminds me of how he had also denied Jesus three times...)
But what does this mean? Well let's bring Cornelius onto the scene. Just when Jesus teaches Peter a lesson, He sends a Roman Centurion his way. Remember how I said Romans and Jews don't mix well? Romans are unclean. At least before Christ came to save Jews and Gentiles (basically everyone else) alike. And Peter obviously needed to be reminded of that before he was called to present the gospel to Cornelius. Peter needed to be reminded to not call common and unclean what He makes clean. God wasn't talking about food, He was talking about people. 
Amazing huh? 
Well that's not the only thing that struck me.
Another thing was that God chose Peter to do all this. To be humbled. And to be used. He wanted to use Peter. Imperfect Peter. His plan is perfect and right, even when He chooses us. 

Awesome. 
When we let Him use us, so much can happen.

He is Powerful.