Menu
Close
Acts 10:1-16 NIV
At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly. One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, “Cornelius!” Cornelius stared at him in fear. “What is it, Lord?” he asked. The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God. Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is called Peter. He is staying with Simon the tanner, whose house is by the sea.” When the angel who spoke to him had gone, Cornelius called two of his servants and a devout soldier who was one of his attendants. He told them everything that had happened and sent them to Joppa. About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles and birds. Then a voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.” “Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.” The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.” This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven.
Additional Scripture References: Acts 10:17-33, Acts 10:25-29, Acts 10:34-48, Jonah 1:1-3
What’s the best gift you’ve ever received? Maybe it was a surprise party, a thoughtful note, or an exciting trip. Whatever comes to mind, the gift was likely an unexpected and undeserved surprise. The same is true about God’s grace. Grace means unmerited favor — we don’t deserve it, and we can’t earn it, but God freely gives it. Grace is not a principle, it’s a person, and His name is Jesus.
God’s favor might come unexpectedly, but His character is consistent
In our own limited perspective, it’s easy to believe that what we see is what we get. The truth is that we never know the full extent of what God is doing. While He’s working on us, He’s also working on the people around us. Acts 10, we learn about Cornelius, a God-fearing centurion in Caesarea. With no context, God instructed him to seek out Peter. Less than 24 hours later, God instructed Peter to meet with Cornelius. Both men stepped out in faith not knowing what God was doing but trusting in His plan. No matter our circumstances, if we continue to walk in obedience, we can trust that God is working out the other side.
Sometimes God gives a promise, other times He gives a path, but rarely does He give us both. Without even realizing it, Cornelius and Peter watched God’s plan unfold step by step, leading to a transformative moment as the Gentiles heard the Gospel, repented, received the Holy Spirit, and got water baptized for the first time. Even when we don’t understand, God sets us up to encounter unexpected favor — it’s usually on the other side of what we perceive as an inconvenience.
It’s always been God’s plan to rescue and redeem us. He doesn’t need our strength, He wants our surrender. No matter how much we veer off course or try to hide from our calling, we can never outrun grace. May we learn to receive grace in its entirety so we can extend it to others.
Take time this week to ask the Lord if there are any areas where you’ve been avoiding a step of faith. Ask the Lord to show you His unexpected grace, then resolve to follow His instruction and take the next step.
Need a midweek reset? Join us every Wednesday at VOUS Miami Gardens and VOUS Design District in the Prayer Room for an incredible hour of prayer starting at 12PM. Make it part of your weekly rhythm!
Where: VOUS Miami Gardens and VOUS Design District
When: Every Wednesday
Time: 12:00PM - 1:00PM
Join us for Vision Sunday! Pastor Rich & DawnCheré Wilkerson will be sharing vision and marching orders for the year ahead. Be sure to invite your friends & family and get in the room!
For more information on Vision Sunday, click here
Team Night is happening on Wednesday, November 12th across all four VOUS locations starting at 7:00 PM!
Whether you’ve been serving for years or are just getting started, your presence matters. Team Night isn’t just for a specific team or department, it’s for our locations to come together as one cohesive team and move forward as one.
Sign up for your location below:
SoMi | City | Miami Gardens | Design District
Are you interested in leading a crew? Click here to fill out an application to become a crew leader in SZN 1 2026!
You don't want to miss the chance to hang with us at VOUS High Nite on Wednesday, November 5th @ 7PM, a night for the middle and high school community of VOUS Church.
We'll be hosting a Parent Hangout during VHN – an opportunity to get to know other parents in our community. Dinner provided.
To RSVP for VOUS High Nite, click here
To RSVP for the Parent Hang, click here
Where:
VOUS SoMi @ One City Church | 6750 Sunset Drive
VOUS Miami Gardens | 17801 NW Second Ave
Make Thanksgiving special for a family in need by serving at our annual Thanksgiving Bash, a morning of distributing hundreds of meals to families in our community and watching teams compete for the VOUS Bowl Title in our spirited 7-on-7 flag football tournament.
To donate a meal kit online, click here
To serve, click here
Date: Saturday, November 22nd
Time: 11:00AM
Location: Charles Hadley Park
Join us bright and early at Peacock Park for the VOUS 10K Turkey Trot! Start your Thanksgiving with fresh air, great friends, and all-around fun! We’ll see you at the starting line!
Sign up for the Turkey Trot, click here
Date: Thursday, November 27th
Time: 6:00AM
Location: Peacock Park
VOUS SoMi
10:00AM / 12:00PM / 6PM
VOUS City
10:00AM / 12:00PM / 6PM
VOUS Miami Gardens
8:30AM / 10:00AM / 12:00PM
VOUS Design District
8:30AM / 10:00AM / 12:00PM
Church Online
10:30AM / 12:30PM / 5PM Español
Growth Track
After every service or join online at vouschurch.com/growthtrack
