ARISE, KILL AND EAT PART 7: WHEN GOD MAKES YOU GO WHERE YOU NEVER PLANNED TO GO

ARISE, KILL AND EAT

PART 7: WHEN GOD MAKES YOU GO WHERE YOU NEVER PLANNED TO GO

Acts 10:21–23 (NLT)

“Peter went down and said, ‘I'm the man you're looking for. Why have you come?’ They said, ‘We were sent by Cornelius, a Roman officer. He is a devout and God-fearing man, as are all his household. The Jews speak highly of him. A holy angel instructed him to summon you to his house so he can hear your message.’ So Peter invited the men to stay for the night. The next day he went with them, accompanied by some of the brothers from Joppa.”

In Part 6, we discovered what happens when the answer comes knocking. Peter was still trying to understand the vision when Cornelius' messengers arrived at the house.

The Holy Spirit told him:

“Get up, go downstairs, and go with them without hesitation. I have sent them.”

Peter did not have the entire picture.

He simply had the next instruction.

And that taught us something important:

You do not always need the complete map to take the next step.

Peter's obedience could also become someone else's breakthrough.

Now the moment has arrived. The men have come. The instruction has been given. And Peter must leave the familiar.

He is about to go somewhere he had never planned to go.

PETER ASKED, “WHY HAVE YOU COME?”

When Peter came downstairs, he asked the men:

“Why have you come?”

This was a reasonable question. Peter did not blindly follow strangers. He listened. He asked. He discerned. And they explained that Cornelius had sent them.

This gives us an important balance:

Faith is not foolishness.

Trusting God does not mean abandoning wisdom.

Peter was willing to obey, but he also wanted to understand the assignment. There is nothing wrong with asking God for clarity.

The problem comes when we use the desire for complete understanding as an excuse for never obeying.

CORNELIUS WAS A ROMAN OFFICER

The men introduced Cornelius as a Roman officer. This is significant. Cornelius was not simply another Jewish man waiting for Peter. He was a Gentile. He belonged to the Roman world. He was part of the system that governed Israel.

Yet something about his life had already attracted attention.

He was described as devout and God-fearing.

His household also followed his example.

And the Jewish people spoke highly of him.

This tells us something beautiful:

God can begin preparing someone for the Gospel before the messenger ever arrives.

GOD WAS WORKING ON BOTH SIDES

Think about what God was doing. While Peter was on the rooftop, God was dealing with Peter. At the same time, God had already been working in Cornelius' life.

Cornelius was praying.

Cornelius was seeking God.

Cornelius was giving to the needy.

And now God was arranging an encounter between Cornelius and Peter.

This is one of the most encouraging truths in Acts 10:

When God sends you to someone, He may already be working in that person's life.

You may think:

“I have to convince them.”

But God may already have prepared their heart. Your responsibility may simply be to obey and deliver what God has given you.

PETER DID NOT KNOW CORNELIUS

Peter had never met Cornelius. Yet God had already heard Cornelius' prayers.

Peter knew nothing about what was happening inside Cornelius' household.

But heaven knew. This should encourage anyone involved in ministry, evangelism, teaching, or outreach.

You may not know what God is doing behind the scenes. You may speak to someone for five minutes and think nothing happened.

But God may use those five minutes to begin something that will last for years.

You may share one Scripture.

One testimony.

One word of encouragement.

One invitation.

One prayer.

You may walk away thinking:

“I don't know if it made any difference.”

But you are not responsible for controlling the outcome. You are responsible for obedience.

THE ASSIGNMENT REQUIRED PETER TO CROSS A BOUNDARY

The men were asking Peter to go to Cornelius' house. That was not a small request.

Peter was being asked to cross a boundary.

He was going into the home of a Gentile.

He was going to interact with people who did not belong to his Jewish community.

His old understanding had created distance.

But God's revelation was now removing that distance.

Peter had to decide whether his obedience to God would be greater than his discomfort.

OBEDIENCE OFTEN TAKES YOU BEYOND YOUR COMFORT ZONE

We often pray:

“Lord, use me.”

But we sometimes forget that being used by God may require us to go somewhere uncomfortable.

God may ask you to speak to someone you normally avoid.

He may ask you to forgive someone.

He may ask you to serve where nobody recognizes you.

He may ask you to enter a ministry area you never considered.

He may ask you to leave a familiar environment.

He may ask you to cross a social or cultural boundary.

And your first reaction may be:

“Lord, are You sure?”

Peter's story reminds us:

God's assignment is not always designed around our comfort.

PETER DID SOMETHING UNEXPECTED

Acts 10:23 says:

“So Peter invited the men to stay for the night.”

That is a small detail with a big message.

Peter did not merely agree to travel with them. He welcomed them. He allowed them to stay.

The man who was learning not to call people unclean was already beginning to practice the lesson. His mindset was changing.

Revelation was becoming behavior.

This is how we know real transformation is taking place.

Not simply because we say:

“I understand.” But because our actions begin to change.

YOUR NEW MINDSET MUST SHOW UP IN YOUR ACTIONS

It is easy to say:

“I have changed.”

But transformation becomes visible in how we treat people.

If God has changed your heart, your relationships should eventually reflect it.

If God has changed your attitude, your speech should reflect it.

If God has changed your perspective, your decisions should reflect it.

Peter's revelation was now affecting how he treated the very people he previously might have kept at a distance.

The vision was becoming practical.

THE NEXT DAY, PETER WENT WITH THEM

Peter did not stop at hospitality.

The next day, he went with them.

This is where faith becomes movement.

The previous day, he had received the revelation.

Now he was walking into the assignment.

There is a point where preparation must give way to participation.

You can prepare forever.

You can pray forever.

You can study forever.

You can plan forever.

But eventually:

You have to go.

PETER DID NOT GO ALONE

The Bible tells us that Peter was accompanied by some of the believers from Joppa.

This is another beautiful lesson.

Peter was not completely isolated.

He took other believers with him.

There is power in godly companionship.

Some assignments require people who can pray with you, encourage you, witness what God is doing, and help you process what you experience.

Not every journey should be walked alone.

THE JOURNEY WAS A LESSON ITSELF

Peter was travelling toward a place he had never intended to visit. But while he was walking, something else was happening.

God was preparing him for what he would see when he arrived. The journey itself was part of the transformation.

Sometimes God does not change everything at once. He gives you enough grace for the next step. Then another. Then another.

And eventually you look back and realize:

“God was changing me while I was moving.”

GOD CAN SEND YOU INTO UNFAMILIAR TERRITORY

Perhaps you are entering a season you did not plan.

A new responsibility.

A new workplace.

A new ministry.

A new relationship.

A new community.

A new opportunity.

A new challenge.

Your first response may be fear.

But ask:

“Could God be sending me here for a purpose?”

Not every unfamiliar place is God's assignment. 

That is why discernment matters.

But when God makes the direction clear, don't let unfamiliarity become an excuse for disobedience.

THE PEOPLE YOU FEAR MAY BE THE PEOPLE GOD SENT YOU TO

Peter had been prepared to see Gentiles differently. Now he was going toward one.

This is a powerful challenge to the Church today. Sometimes we want to preach to people we already understand.

People who think like us.

People who dress like us.

People who speak like us.

People who come from our background.

But Jesus' command is bigger than our comfort zones.

The Gospel crosses boundaries. God's love is not restricted to the people we naturally prefer.

DON'T BUILD A MINISTRY ONLY AROUND PEOPLE LIKE YOU

If everyone around you is exactly like you, you may never discover the full reach of your assignment.

Peter had to leave his familiar community.

He had to enter another community.

And there he discovered that God had already been working.

This is a challenge for churches, ministries, and individual believers:

Are we building walls where God wants us to build bridges?

THE GOSPEL IS A BRIDGE

The Gospel was about to cross from one world into another. Jew to Gentile. Familiar to unfamiliar. Peter to Cornelius. Joppa to Caesarea. And this was not a compromise of the Gospel.

It was the expansion of its reach.

The message remained the same.

But the audience was becoming larger.

The Gospel does not become weaker when it crosses boundaries.

It becomes visible in places where people have not yet heard it.

YOUR NEXT ASSIGNMENT MAY BE OUTSIDE YOUR CIRCLE

Maybe you have been asking God:

“What is my next assignment?”

Perhaps you should also ask:

“Who is outside my current circle that God wants me to reach?”

Your next assignment may not be another person who looks like you. It may be someone who thinks differently.

Someone with a different background. Someone whose story is completely different from yours. Someone you would never naturally approach.

But remember Peter.

The person you would never have chosen may be the person God has chosen you to reach.

GOD WAS PREPARING BOTH THE MESSENGER AND THE RECEIVER

This is perhaps the most beautiful lesson from the journey.

Peter needed preparation.

Cornelius needed preparation.

The messenger needed preparation.

The receiver needed preparation.

And God was working on both sides.

Before God brought them together, He prepared them separately.

That means your waiting season may not be wasted.

Perhaps while you are waiting for the person, opportunity, or assignment to appear, God is preparing you for it.

And somewhere else, God may be preparing the person or circumstance to receive what you carry.

PRACTICAL LESSONS

1. Do not confuse faith with foolishness.

Peter asked questions and listened before moving.

2. Be willing to leave your comfort zone when God gives direction.

The assignment required Peter to enter unfamiliar territory.

3. Remember that God may already be working on the people He sends you to.

You may be entering a situation God has already prepared.

4. Let revelation change your behavior.

A changed perspective should eventually produce changed actions.

5. Don't walk every assignment alone.

Godly companions can provide encouragement, wisdom, prayer, and accountability.

KEY TAKEAWAY

Sometimes obedience means going somewhere you never planned to go because God has prepared something you could never have discovered by staying where you were comfortable.

Peter did not plan the journey to Cornelius.

But God did.

Peter did not know what awaited him.

But God did.

Peter did not know how the encounter would change the early Church.

But God did.

Peter simply obeyed.

And his obedience became part of God's larger plan.

Your unfamiliar territory may be someone else's answered prayer.

Your uncomfortable assignment may be someone else's doorway to hope.

Your willingness to go may become the reason someone encounters Jesus.

When God says go, don't let comfort keep you where obedience requires you to move.

CALL TO ACTION

Ask yourself today:

What familiar place may God be asking me to leave?

Is there an assignment I have avoided because it makes me uncomfortable?

Am I willing to reach people outside my normal circle?

Have I allowed my preferences to become barriers to God's mission?

Who might God be preparing me to reach?

Remember:

God may be preparing someone somewhere for the obedience He is asking from you here.

Don't miss the person because you are afraid of the place.

Don't miss the assignment because it looks unfamiliar.

And don't miss the opportunity because it does not fit your original plan.

Sometimes the road you never planned to travel leads to the assignment God planned for you all along.

PRAYER

1. Father, give me courage to leave my comfort zone whenever You direct me into unfamiliar territory for Your purpose.

2. Lord, remove every prejudice, fear, and personal preference that prevents me from reaching the people You have assigned me to serve.

3. Father, help me to recognize that You may already be preparing the people and circumstances connected to my assignment.

4. Lord Jesus, surround me with godly people who will encourage, guide, and strengthen me as I walk in obedience.

5. Father, make my obedience a bridge through which people outside my usual circle can encounter Your love, grace, and salvation.

NEXT PART PREVIEW

PART 8: WHEN YOU ARRIVE AT THE PLACE GOD SENT YOU

Peter has left Joppa.

He has crossed the boundary.

He has gone with Cornelius' messengers.

Now he is about to arrive at Cornelius' house.

But what will Peter find when he gets there?

A single man?

A family?

A crowd?

Or something much bigger than he expected?

Cornelius has gathered his relatives and close friends.

They are waiting.

They are hungry for the Word.

And Peter is about to discover that his obedience has brought him into a prepared room.

What happens when you finally arrive at the place God has been sending you?

In Part 8, we will discover that sometimes God prepares the room before He sends the messenger.

Join us as we continue our journey through:

ARISE, KILL AND EAT

Grace and peace be with you until we meet again in the next part of this life-transforming journey.

God is speaking, are you listening?

Prince Julius Nenebi-Darkson

(EL-PJ God's Penman)