Driven: Compelled to Missions by Christ’s LoveShembull

“I have sent them”

Jesus had gone from the Earth, but He still built up the faith of His followers. Peter was a leader of the young movement, and he loved Jesus. But Peter also remained a devout Jew who wouldn’t come near pork and may have felt the same about stepping across the threshold of a Gentile home. If the gospel were to cross cultural barriers, something had to give.

God’s magnificent engineering of the events that followed built the cultural bridge that Peter had to cross. The Lord wanted to see the work done, but first the Holy Spirit had to convince a Jew to respond to the summons of a Gentile. 

In quick succession, a God-fearing Roman centurion named Cornelius had a vision, saw and heard an angel, took directions, and sent two servants and a soldier to Joppa. 

Meanwhile, back in Joppa, Peter climbed up to the roof, prayed, got hungry, went into a trance, dreamed a food dream, and heard a voice telling him to do the opposite of what he was raised to do. The dream scenario happened three times. 

Just as he was coming out of his dream, Peter heard different voices, the men sent from Cornelius. Then the Holy Spirit spoke to Peter directly, telling him, “I have sent them,” and that Peter needed to go with them. 

God’s direction left no doubt in Peter’s mind. Peter invited the Gentile visitors into his home and the next day was sitting in a Gentile’s living room. No one, including Peter, could make this stuff up, so when he and his fellow witnesses related the story to concerned Jewish-background believers, the latter took it to heart. God, using events and workers like Peter, was building the Kingdom by spanning cultures. 

God is still expanding His Kingdom beyond your shores. Where do you see the Lord building His Church, and how might the Holy Spirit be asking you to grab a shovel?