<p>10:7 <i>And when the angel that spoke to him had departed, he called two of his household servants</i>- Luke uses this term about Angels speaking to Moses and Philip (7:38; 8:26). Gentile Cornelius was no less a significant player in God's unfolding purpose.</p><p><i>And a devout soldier of them that served him continually</i>- &quot;Devout&quot; means just that; the word has a religious overtone of piety. To place the word together with &quot;soldier&quot; may seem an oxymoron; it could seem inappropriate, at first blush, to imagine that a Roman soldier could be &quot;devout&quot;. Here we have an intentional challenge of stereotype. Those we might consider to be in a status which precludes spirituality may indeed be spiritually devout. &quot;Devout&quot; is the Spirit's comment through Luke upon this man. Clearly Cornelius' search for the Lord had not been a private matter; he had spread it to those closest to him in his family and workplace. As the Gospel spreads to the secular and unchurched, such challenges to stereotype are frequent in our day.</p>