ODJ: a dream

May 18, 2015 

READ: Acts 10:1-8 

The angel replied, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have been received by God as an offering! Now send some men to Joppa, and summon a man named Simon Peter” (vv.4-5).

Cornelius was praying when he had a vision of an angel who told him to invite the apostle Peter to his home (Acts 10:2-6). The Roman officer sent his servants to find the apostle, making it clear that Cornelius and his family were ready to hear Peter’s message (v.22). Having had his own divine guidance (vv.9-21), Peter went with them, shared the gospel and Cornelius’ whole family became believers (vv.23-48). The event is one beautiful, divinely arranged appointment.

The story of Cornelius’ dream that helped lead him to faith in Jesus is astonishing, but now let’s consider a modern version . . .

It’s been told that Ben Staggs, a missionary to the Boshu people, had an amazing encounter when he began ministering to the extremely isolated group in Ethiopia’s Me’en territory. On first meeting the Boshu, Ben and his team were welcomed by a local named Golon Kabule. “We sat down and spoke a bit,” Ben says, “explaining that we had come to tell them of ‘God’s talk’. I described who God is, what He is like and where He lives.” But Golon soon interrupted.

“We must follow Christosi,” Golon said, using the Me’en word for Christ. Astonished, as Christ’s name had not been mentioned, Ben asked the man how he had heard that name. Golon explained that He had appeared to him in a dream, told him that it was He who had given him his life, blood and bones, and that Golon was to follow Him. Jesus had then said that in just 5 days someone would come to tell him about following that path. Ben and his team had arrived on the fifth day!

—Sheridan Voysey

365-day-plan: Psalm 145:1-21