Acts 10:5–6

“Now send men to Joppa, and send for Simon whose surname is Peter. He is lodging with Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea. He will tell you what you must do.” – Acts 10:5–6

In this passage, God sent an angel in a vision to Cornelius, a Roman centurion who was described as devout, prayerful, and generous. The angel instructed Cornelius to send men to Joppa to find Peter, who would tell him what he must do.

If God sent an angel, why didn’t the angel just share the gospel himself? Why send Cornelius on a mission to find Peter?

This passage in Acts gives us a clear answer to questions many of us wrestle with:

• If God is all-powerful, why does He need us?
• Why doesn’t He just fix everything instantly?

God is faithful to His divine purpose. From the beginning, God gave the earth to mankind to steward and rule over.

“The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord’s; but the earth He has given to the children of men.” — Psalm 115:16

For many Christians who haven’t grasped this yet, the earth is our territory, given by God, and we are accountable for what happens here. That’s why God often chooses to work through people, not apart from them. Think these for a moment, the Lord Jesus had to be born as a human? Because God is holy, and His Word becomes law. He knew that we had messed up the earth He entrusted to us, even in Romans it says that “all creation is groaning” because we are slowly destroying it.

The Lord had to put on human flesh to deal with our sins because we were all walking toward destruction(Hell). He came to regain the keys from the devil, the authority Adam lost through sin. Jesus conquered death through His death, and His resurrection is the guarantee of our faith.

We see this pattern all throughout Scripture:

• God sent Moses to deliver Israel, even though He could have done it with a word.
• God fought with Joshua and Israel to drive out the Canaanites.
• God sent Philip to explain the Scriptures to the Ethiopian eunuch so that he could believe and be saved.
• God sent Ananias to minister to Saul (Paul), to restore his sight and confirm his calling.
• And now, in Acts 10, God sent Peter to preach salvation to Cornelius and his household.

Even the angel who appeared to Cornelius respected and was aware of this divine order. His role was to give direction, not revelation. The gospel of the Lord Jesus “the good news that brings salvation to mankind” is entrusted to men and women, not to angels, because the Earth is our domain.

The Lord Jesus, before He ascended to heaven, left a commission to all the disciples who were present and to you and I as well. 

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you.” — Matthew 28:19–20

And in Acts 1:8, He said:

“You shall be witnesses to Me… to the end of the earth.”

My friend, We are God messengers and His ambassadors here on Earth. Our obedience to His call is how His Kingdom advances on the earth. God still works through people today, through you.

You must be sensitive to the leading of the LORD Jesus and His voice. Don’t underestimate the power of simple obedience. Just as Peter’s obedience led to the salvation of an entire household, your obedience might be the key to someone else’s breakthrough, healing, or salvation.