Acts 10 tells how God brought a Roman centurion named Cornelius and the apostle Peter together, and how the good news of Jesus reached non-Jewish people for the first time in a clear, public way. These questions suit a small group, a Sunday class, or personal study. Each set moves from what the text says, to what it means, to how you might live it.
Acts 10 at a Glance
The chapter opens with Cornelius, a devout centurion who prays and gives generously, receiving a vision from an angel in the afternoon and sending men to Joppa to find Peter. At the same time, Peter goes up to pray on a rooftop and sees a vision of unclean animals lowered from heaven, with a voice telling him not to call anything unclean that God has made clean. The two visions run side by side, and Peter arrives at Cornelius’s house.
Peter then preaches a short summary of Jesus’s life, death and resurrection, and while he is still speaking the Holy Spirit falls on everyone listening. Those who came with Peter are astonished, and Peter orders them to be baptized. The chapter ends with the church’s first clear sign that the gospel is for all peoples.
Observation Questions
Use these questions first, before anyone offers an opinion. Ask the group to point to the text and name what it literally says. Give people a moment of silence so quieter members can speak before the more confident ones answer.
Acts 10:1-2
1 Now there was a certain man in Caesarea, Cornelius by name, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment, 2 a devout man, and one who feared God with all his house, who gave gifts for the needy generously to the people, and always prayed to God.
(WEB)
Read this opening passage to introduce Cornelius before the group discusses his prayers and gifts. It establishes his character before the angel appears, which helps the group see that God was already at work in his life.
Acts 10:15
A voice came to him again the second time, “What God has cleansed, you must not call unclean.”
(WEB)
This single verse carries the central message of Peter’s vision. Read it slowly and pause so the group can consider what it means to call something unclean that God has already made clean.
Acts 10:28
He said to them, “You yourselves know how it is an unlawful thing for a man who is a Jew to join himself or come to one of another nation, but God has shown me that I shouldn’t call any man unholy or unclean.
(WEB)
Peter’s own explanation of the vision comes in this verse, and reading it aloud in his voice helps the group hear the shift in his thinking. Ask someone to read it again after the discussion to reinforce the point.
Acts 10:34-35
34 Peter opened his mouth and said, “Truly I perceive that God doesn’t show favoritism; 35 but in every nation he who fears him and works righteousness is acceptable to him.
(WEB)
These two verses state the principle that God shows no favoritism and accepts those who fear him in every nation. Reading them together gives the group the clearest summary of what the chapter teaches about God’s character.
Acts 10:44-46
44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell on all those who heard the word. 45 They of the circumcision who believed were amazed, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was also poured out on the Gentiles. 46 For they heard them speaking in other languages and magnifying God. Then Peter answered…
(WEB)
This passage records the Spirit falling on the listeners and their praise in other languages. Reading it aloud allows the group to hear the moment of surprise that Luke describes, which anchors the rest of the discussion.
Memory Verse for Acts 10
Acts 10:34
Peter opened his mouth and said, “Truly I perceive that God doesn’t show favoritism…
(WEB)
This verse opens Peter’s declaration that God does not show favoritism, and it is short enough to memorize easily. Encourage the group to repeat it together and to think of one way it will shape how they see a stranger this week.
A Closing Prayer for the Group
Father, we thank you that you see and hear people like Cornelius long before we know their names, and that your Spirit moves across every boundary we set up. Forgive us for the ways we have called people common or unclean in our own hearts. Give us the courage Peter found when he went down to the men at the gate, and help us to act on what you show us without delay. Open our eyes to the people you are placing in our path this week, and let us speak of Jesus with humility and clarity. We ask this in the name of Jesus, who is Lord of all. Amen.
