(Peter’s version of ) God's Word to the "Gentile" household of a Roman Centurion ... Yeshua - the anointed one!

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So Petros then began to speak aloud:

“I re-a-lize now that this God quite true-

ly treats each group of people (as his crowd) 

the same. For all who fe-ar him and do

what's right are then acceptable to him,

no matter groups that they're belonging to.

You know God's word that he sent out to win

the people of Israel, proclaiming News.

Good News of peace through one good leader, Lord

of all, who's God's appointed / chosen / Christ /

anointed, and he's been named - (Salvador

which means "who saves", or "Jesus" will suffice!)

You must already know, (yourselves not daft),

that word that worked its way from Galilee

& through all of Judea, that is aft-

-er John, proclaimed the washing that must be:

how God anointed Jesus Nazarene,

with Holy Spirit and with God's own pow'r,

and ev'rywhere he went then, he has been

both doing good & healing, ev'ry hour,

all folk oppressed by devilish designs

because  the God was "with him" constantly,

and all the places that he went in time,

and he would trust God past biology.

We know that biological life needs

stuff streaming in, like water, food, and air,

compared to God's own Life which is the seed

of which this life's a metaphore we share.

So God was with him, God's Life there himself, 

that's living in his body as a tent,

although it didn't show up in great wealth

(except to those who saw it where he went).

We saw it with our eyes and here declare

these things were done in all the regions he

went with the Jews, Jer-u-sa-lem (place where

they chose his fruit:  "Death - hanging on a tree")

They made their choice with him. But God did too,

undoing death, as stories said he would

at end of our Book One, before Book Two,

to start a new creation with a good

man in the centre garden, a new birth!

-  but this time one who'll (when he hears the sound

of God his Father walking on the earth

he'll choose to walk with him, he'll follow 'round

about where God is going (- to his kids

espesh'ly those in trouble, or in need)

and work in partnership with God, eyelids

wide open, and then scatter out good seed.

This is the one God raised up on the third

day after, and made him to then appear

(not to all people, as a human herd)

but to his chosen witnesses (who’d hear

and see, and then report, so truth is said)

to us who after, ate and drank with him

- that’s since his rising from among the dead.

And he instructed us, not just a whim,

to then proclaim to people, testify-

ing fully that he is the very Head, 

who’s been appointed by the God on High -

"High Judge of all", both living and the dead!

To him the prophets all bear witness, that

forgiveness of all human sin’s achieved

through trusting in his living name. How zat!

Humanity is free once it’s received.

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34 Ἀνοίξας δὲ Πέτρος τὸ στόμα εἶπεν· ἐπ’ ἀληθείας καταλαμβάνομαι ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν προσωπολήμπτης ὁ θεός, 35ἀλλ’ ἐν παντὶ ἔθνει ὁ φοβούμενος αὐτὸν καὶ ἐργαζόμενος δικαιοσύνην δεκτὸς αὐτῷ ἐστιν. 36  τὸν λόγον [ὃν] ἀπέστειλεν τοῖς υἱοῖς Ἰσραὴλ εὐαγγελιζόμενος εἰρήνην διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, οὗτός ἐστιν πάντων κύριος, 37ὑμεῖς οἴδατε τὸ γενόμενον ῥῆμα καθ’ ὅλης τῆς Ἰουδαίας, ἀρξάμενος ἀπὸ τῆς Γαλιλαίας μετὰ τὸ βάπτισμα ὃ ἐκήρυξεν Ἰωάννης, 38Ἰησοῦν τὸν ἀπὸ Ναζαρέθ, ὡς ἔχρισεν αὐτὸν ὁ θεὸς πνεύματι ἁγίῳ καὶ δυνάμει, ὃς διῆλθεν εὐεργετῶν καὶ ἰώμενος πάντας τοὺς καταδυναστευομένους ὑπὸ τοῦ διαβόλου, ὅτι ὁ θεὸς ἦν μετ’ αὐτοῦ. 39καὶ ἡμεῖς μάρτυρες πάντων ὧν ἐποίησεν ἔν τε τῇ χώρᾳ τῶν Ἰουδαίων καὶ [ἐν] Ἰερουσαλήμ. ὃν καὶ ἀνεῖλαν κρεμάσαντες ἐπὶ ξύλου, 40τοῦτον ὁ θεὸς ἤγειρεν [ἐν] τῇ τρίτῃ ἡμέρᾳ καὶ ἔδωκεν αὐτὸν ἐμφανῆ γενέσθαι, 41οὐ παντὶ τῷ λαῷ, ἀλλὰ μάρτυσιν τοῖς προκεχειροτονημένοις ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ, ἡμῖν, οἵτινες συνεφάγομεν καὶ συνεπίομεν αὐτῷ μετὰ τὸ ἀναστῆναι αὐτὸν ἐκ νεκρῶν· 42καὶ παρήγγειλεν ἡμῖν κηρύξαι τῷ λαῷ καὶ διαμαρτύρασθαι ὅτι οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ ὡρισμένος ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ κριτὴς ζώντων καὶ νεκρῶν. 43τούτῳ πάντες οἱ προφῆται μαρτυροῦσιν ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτιῶν λαβεῖν διὰ τοῦ ὀνόματος αὐτοῦ πάντα τὸν πιστεύοντα εἰς αὐτόν. Acts 10:34-43 NA28

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So I sent for you immediately, and it was good of you to come. Now we are all here in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has commanded you to tell us.’ 

Then Peter began to speak: ‘I now realise how true it is that God does not show favouritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right. You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached – how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.  ‘We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a cross, but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen – by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.’ While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles. For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. Then Peter said, ‘Surely no-one can stand in the way of their being baptised with water. They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.’ So he ordered that they be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days.  Acts 10:33‭-‬48 NIVUK

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Peter began to speak: “I now realize that it is true that God treats everyone on the same basis. Those who fear him and do what is right are acceptable to him, no matter what race they belong to. You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, proclaiming the Good News of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. You know of the great event that took place throughout the land of Israel, beginning in Galilee after John preached his message of baptism. You know about Jesus of Nazareth and how God poured out on him the Holy Spirit and power. He went everywhere, doing good and healing all who were under the power of the Devil, for God was with him. We are witnesses of everything that he did in the land of Israel and in Jerusalem. Then they put him to death by nailing him to a cross. But God raised him from death three days later and caused him to appear, not to everyone, but only to the witnesses that God had already chosen, that is, to us who ate and drank with him after he rose from death. And he commanded us to preach the gospel to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God has appointed judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets spoke about him, saying that all who believe in him will have their sins forgiven through the power of his name.”  While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit came down on all those who were listening to his message. The Jewish believers who had come from Joppa with Peter were amazed that God had poured out his gift of the Holy Spirit on the Gentiles also. For they heard them speaking in strange tongues and praising God's greatness. Peter spoke up: “These people have received the Holy Spirit, just as we also did. Can anyone, then, stop them from being baptized with water?” So he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay with them for a few days. Acts 10:33-‬48 GNTD

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(Paul's version of ) God's Word to the "Gentile*" World... Yeshua - the anointed one!

24THE personality, from whom this world,
all matter, and all makers, came to BE,
is Lord of hea'en and earth and all that's curled
within, without, and roundabout, all sea,

and sky, and space and time, and meaning too.
They've all come from someone - and life and breath,
He doesn't need a thing that we can do,
or what we bring on here ourselves, like death.

His home or place to live is not man-made,
it's right the other way about you see.
Our home or place to live is in his shade,
close to him, like a chick with hen would be.

He's made a world that's wonderful and raw,

with ocean depths, volcanoes, and big suns,
with scary things like viruses, before
you know it in his story there are runs

of high adventure, mys-ter-y, sci-fi,

and magic pow'r within atomic shells.
God truly doesn't need us to supply
him with some fibro, or plastic to sell.

Sometimes we get transactional mindsets
that shrink the magic of relationships
into a business contract, and God lets
us do it. We must learn and make some slips

from trial and error. And we could spend time
to listen to his still, small, voice of love.
We cannot be transcendent over rime

and reason, though at times we've tried to shove

each other and our maker with these tools
and make for him our trinkets so he'll be 

indebted to our systems and our rules
& caught by our own ingenuity.

God doesn't live in temples made by hands.
Nor does he need a thing we can supply.

He only loves us. Can you understand?
He knows and loves much more than you and I.

And God, as self, gives life and breath to all,
and everything of substance which matters,

but also sources friendship that's faithful,
and fairness/justice, with stuff that shatters

indiff-er-ence and hate that sure exist
within our human life. He cultured then

the racial diff'rences and made his list
of peoples with our cultures, and made them

to live throughout the whole earth. He himself 

has fixed the limits of both time and place,

where they would live, and guided them to health.

He did this so that they would look for grace

and help with all these opportunities.
And in our times of need he hopes we'll look

for him, perhaps to find him (very pleased)
as we felt 'round for him. God is our chook!

Yes, God is never far away from one.
And, God is never far away from each,

from any one of us, we're like a son,
or daughter, who may (ought'a?) let God teach...

that's any one of us; as poets said,
‘It is in him we live and move and be’... 
‘his own offspring we are, from toe to head.’

Since we are God's own children, we should see

& not suppose that he is made like us.
His nature isn't made by jig 'n dance,
or shaped by human art or skill and fuss.
God's overlooked our times of ignorance

and now says that it's time to grow on up!
For he commands all people everywhere
to turn away from our self-centred stuff
For he has fixed a time and place, that pair

so needful for our stories on this Earth,
when we will be lined up against "Adarm -
our last", and too "archetypal", with "new birth",
he's quite concerned that justice, and no harm

be perpetrated in his name, or else...
(And then he is quite graphic about hell's
existence for religious folk, he spells
it out with all it's suffering levels!)

But God has chosen this man by his life -
'ts "style" & "kindness" much more than most folk,
with wisdom of the village kind that's rife
in territ-or-ies occupied. A bloke

who's like they say, "a good man". And you know
that ultimately "they can't be kept down".
His life that God raised up, is for to show
that he's who God is pleased with. Judge, or clown?

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Look at the precursors of Paul’s speech, and what Paul, saw, and felt, and did as a result. And then at the topics spoken of and the authorities quoted and made explicit mention of as well as the way he uses the Jewish scriptures that he has spent his life studying. Note Paul’s default and the ways it could be mis-interpretted, and what happened when it was, and the results of this. Learn from Jesus’ apostle to the Gentiles*:  Acts 17:16‭-31 

18While Paul was waiting in Athens for Silas and Timothy, he was greatly upset when he noticed how full of idols the city was. 17 So he held discussions in the synagogue with the Jews and with the Gentiles who worshiped God, and also in the public square every day with the people who happened to come by.
18 Certain Epicurean and Stoic teachers also debated with him. Some of them asked, “What is this ignorant show-off trying to say?”
Others answered, “He seems to be talking about foreign gods.” They said this because Paul was preaching about Jesus and the resurrection.[a] 19 So they took Paul, brought him before the city council, the Areopagus, and said, “We would like to know what this new teaching is that you are talking about. 20 Some of the things we hear you say sound strange to us, and we would like to know what they mean.” (21 For all the citizens of Athens and the foreigners who lived there liked to spend all their time telling and hearing the latest new thing.)
22 Paul stood up in front of the city council and said, “I see that in every way you Athenians are very religious. 23 For as I walked through your city and looked at the places where you worship, I found an altar on which is written, ‘To an Unknown God.’ That which you worship, then, even though you do not know it, is what I now proclaim to you. 

24God, who made the world and everything in it, is Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples made by human hands. Nor does he need anything that we can supply by working for him, since it is he himself who gives life and breath and everything else to everyone. From one human being he created all races of people and made them live throughout the whole earth. He himself fixed beforehand the exact times and the limits of the places where they would live. He did this so that they would look for him, and perhaps find him as they felt around for him. Yet God is actually not far from any one of us; as someone has said, ‘In him we live and move and exist.’ It is as some of your poets have said, ‘We too are his children.’  Since we are God's children, we should not suppose that his nature is anything like an image of gold or silver or stone, shaped by human art and skill. God has overlooked the times when people did not know him, but now he commands all of them everywhere to turn away from their evil ways. For he has fixed a day in which he will judge the whole world with justice by means of a man he has chosen. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising that man from death!”  Acts 17:16‭-31 GNTD

And check out some of Paul’s letter spelling out the end story (not the mechanisms) of the gospel to a Roman, mixed (Jewish & Gentile*) audience of already-Jesus-followers, in a model way that can make sense to both mindsets, (and be a gospel gift to connect with the predominantly Graeko-Roman culture around them) in the context of “don’t you dare try to do the judgement job of God on others, take and live the gospel to them:

5b...the Day when God's anger and righteous judgments will be revealed. 6 For God will reward each of us according to what we have done. Some people keep on doing good, and seek glory, honor, and immortal life; to them God will give eternal life. Other people are selfish and reject what is right, in order to follow what is wrong; on them God will pour out his anger and fury. There will be suffering and pain for all those who do what is evil, for the Jews first and also for the Gentiles*. But God will give glory, honor, and peace to all who do what is good, to the Jews first and also to the Gentiles*. For God judges everyone by the same standard.”  Romans 2:6‭-‬11 GNTD

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* Gentiles are non-Jewish people, as defined by the mindset that sees Jewish people as the chosen people of God.  This (above passage) is addressing a specific historical situation, but an equivalent reading of it for our day and age (in my estimation) is the read "people who have been churched" instead of "Jews"; and "unchurched people" for "Gentiles". Try reading it with this exchange, and see if you think Paul might mean that for today?

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Acts 17:16-31 NA28 16Ἐν δὲ ταῖς Ἀθήναις ἐκδεχομένου αὐτοὺς τοῦ Παύλου παρωξύνετο τὸ πνεῦμα αὐτοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ θεωροῦντος κατείδωλον οὖσαν τὴν πόλιν. 17διελέγετο μὲν οὖν ἐν τῇ συναγωγῇ τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις καὶ τοῖς σεβομένοις καὶ ἐν τῇ ἀγορᾷ κατὰ πᾶσαν ἡμέραν πρὸς τοὺς παρατυγχάνοντας. 18τινὲς δὲ καὶ τῶν Ἐπικουρείων καὶ Στοϊκῶν φιλοσόφων συνέβαλλον αὐτῷ, καί τινες ἔλεγον· τί ἂν θέλοι ὁ σπερμολόγος οὗτος λέγειν; οἱ δέ· ξένων δαιμονίων δοκεῖ καταγγελεὺς εἶναι, ὅτι τὸν Ἰησοῦν καὶ τὴν ἀνάστασιν εὐηγγελίζετο. 19ἐπιλαβόμενοί τε αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τὸν Ἄρειον πάγον ἤγαγον λέγοντες· δυνάμεθα γνῶναι τίς ἡ καινὴ αὕτη ἡ ὑπὸ σοῦ λαλουμένη διδαχή; 20ξενίζοντα γάρ τινα εἰσφέρεις εἰς τὰς ἀκοὰς ἡμῶν· βουλόμεθα οὖν γνῶναι τίνα θέλει ταῦτα εἶναι. 21Ἀθηναῖοι δὲ πάντες καὶ οἱ ἐπιδημοῦντες ξένοι εἰς οὐδὲν ἕτερον ηὐκαίρουν ἢ λέγειν τι ἢ ἀκούειν τι καινότερον.

22Σταθεὶς δὲ [ὁ] Παῦλος ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ Ἀρείου πάγου ἔφη· ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, κατὰ πάντα ὡς δεισιδαιμονεστέρους ὑμᾶς θεωρῶ. 23διερχόμενος γὰρ καὶ ἀναθεωρῶν τὰ σεβάσματα ὑμῶν εὗρον καὶ βωμὸν ἐν ᾧ ἐπεγέγραπτο·

Ἀγνώστῳ θεῷ.

ὃ οὖν ἀγνοοῦντες εὐσεβεῖτε, τοῦτο ἐγὼ καταγγέλλω ὑμῖν. 24ὁ θεὸς ὁ ποιήσας τὸν κόσμον καὶ πάντα τὰ ἐν αὐτῷ, οὗτος οὐρανοῦ καὶ γῆς ὑπάρχων κύριος οὐκ ἐν χειροποιήτοις ναοῖς κατοικεῖ 25οὐδὲ ὑπὸ χειρῶν ἀνθρωπίνων θεραπεύεται προσδεόμενός τινος, αὐτὸς διδοὺς πᾶσιν ζωὴν καὶ πνοὴν καὶ τὰ πάντα· 26ἐποίησέν τε ἐξ ἑνὸς πᾶν ἔθνος ἀνθρώπων κατοικεῖν ἐπὶ παντὸς προσώπου τῆς γῆς, ὁρίσας προστεταγμένους καιροὺς καὶ τὰς ὁροθεσίας τῆς κατοικίας αὐτῶν 27ζητεῖν τὸν θεόν, εἰ ἄρα γε ψηλαφήσειαν αὐτὸν καὶ εὕροιεν, καί γε οὐ μακρὰν ἀπὸ ἑνὸς ἑκάστου ἡμῶν ὑπάρχοντα.

 28ἐν αὐτῷ γὰρ ζῶμεν καὶ κινούμεθα καὶ ἐσμέν,

ὡς καί τινες τῶν καθ’ ὑμᾶς ποιητῶν εἰρήκασιν·

τοῦ γὰρ καὶ γένος ἐσμέν.

29γένος οὖν ὑπάρχοντες τοῦ θεοῦ οὐκ ὀφείλομεν νομίζειν χρυσῷ ἢ ἀργύρῳ ἢ λίθῳ, χαράγματι τέχνης καὶ ἐνθυμήσεως ἀνθρώπου, τὸ θεῖον εἶναι ὅμοιον. 30τοὺς μὲν οὖν χρόνους τῆς ἀγνοίας ὑπεριδὼν ὁ θεός, τὰ νῦν παραγγέλλει τοῖς ἀνθρώποις πάντας πανταχοῦ μετανοεῖν, 31καθότι ἔστησεν ἡμέραν ἐν ᾗ μέλλει κρίνειν τὴν οἰκουμένην ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ, ἐν ἀνδρὶ ᾧ ὥρισεν, πίστιν παρασχὼν πᾶσιν ἀναστήσας αὐτὸν ἐκ νεκρῶν. 32Ἀκούσαντες δὲ ἀνάστασιν νεκρῶν οἱ μὲν ἐχλεύαζον, οἱ δὲ εἶπαν· ἀκουσόμεθά σου περὶ τούτου καὶ πάλιν. 33οὕτως ὁ Παῦλος ἐξῆλθεν ἐκ μέσου αὐτῶν. 34τινὲς δὲ ἄνδρες κολληθέντες αὐτῷ ἐπίστευσαν, ἐν οἷς καὶ Διονύσιος ὁ Ἀρεοπαγίτης καὶ γυνὴ ὀνόματι Δάμαρις καὶ ἕτεροι σὺν αὐτοῖς. 

Acts 17:16-31 NA28

Romans 2:5b-11 NA28  ...5b ἀποκαλύψεως δικαιοκρισίας τοῦ θεοῦ 6ὃς

• ἀποδώσει ἑκάστῳ κατὰ τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ·*

7τοῖς μὲν καθ’ ὑπομονὴν ἔργου ἀγαθοῦ δόξαν καὶ τιμὴν καὶ ἀφθαρσίαν ζητοῦσιν ζωὴν αἰώνιον, 8τοῖς δὲ ἐξ ἐριθείας καὶ ἀπειθοῦσιν τῇ ἀληθείᾳ πειθομένοις δὲ τῇ ἀδικίᾳ ὀργὴ καὶ θυμός. 9θλῖψις καὶ στενοχωρία ἐπὶ πᾶσαν ψυχὴν ἀνθρώπου τοῦ κατεργαζομένου τὸ κακόν, Ἰουδαίου τε πρῶτον καὶ Ἕλληνος· 10δόξα δὲ καὶ τιμὴ καὶ εἰρήνη παντὶ τῷ ἐργαζομένῳ τὸ ἀγαθόν, Ἰουδαίῳ τε πρῶτον καὶ Ἕλληνι· 11οὐ γάρ ἐστιν προσωπολημψία παρὰ τῷ θεῷ. Romans 2:5b-11 NA28

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