Uncommon Dreams Mix with Common People.

Meditation on Collaboration #2



Paul and Cornelius had nothing in common. Paul was a religious drifter, going from town to town presenting his views about Jesus, Jews and how a person needed to be Jewish to be a Christian. It stood to reason, that since Jesus was a Jew, everyone who was really going to have a shot at being saved needed to be Jewish. Cornelius was an Italian warrior, and though he was deeply spiritual and faithful to God, he was not Jewish. He had no real thought of being Jewish either, since he was an occupying foreigner and an officer in the army. He was tolerated and feared. He was as welcomed as any occupying army has ever been.

Both Paul and Cornelius had dreams—the kind you have when sleeping. Cornelius’s dream was a message to bring Paul from his seaside accommodations to the interior of the land. Paul was dreaming about how someone would send for him and he should go. And by the way, another part of the dream was this: all animals are clean (being clean is a really important concept—remember the story of the Good Samaritan? The man by the side of the road was unclean—that’s why no one wanted to stop and help. To read more of that story, go to Matthew 10: 25-37).

Paul went to Caesaria and all heaven broke loose on the people (who weren’t Jewish). This amazed Paul because he had been trained to think nothing beat being Jewish. He was wrong, it seems. In fact, it turns out that nothing is better than being with God. Wherever and whoever believes in God can have a share of the Holy Spirit.

Paul and Cornelius were collaborators for God—even though they started their spiritual journeys in different places. Does that mean people have to give up being Jewish or being worshippers of God to be saved? Some would say so.

I say, however, it’s not whether a person is this faith or that. The message of God is that God blesses collaboration and those who listen to and act on their dreams. These dreams are the vehicles of God.

God is looking for people to hear and see dreams. Dreams are the messengers of God.

The result, at the end of Chapter 10, is that all the people were blessed—and they became radically hospitable to one another. The non-Jews invited the Jews to stay for a few more days to exult in God’s spiritual life, even though they weren’t Jewish. The Jews decided to stay with the gentiles, even though the people in Caesarea had been viewed to be substandard and unclean.

Collaborators break down barriers, are really hospitable and move on with God.

Have you had any dreams lately? Maybe your dream is the collaborating link God is looking for. Why not wake up and smell a dream?



Acts, Chapter 10

1In Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of the Italian Cohort, as it was called. 2He was a devout man who feared God with all his household; he gave alms generously to the people and prayed constantly to God. 3One afternoon at about three o’clock he had a vision in which he clearly saw an angel of God coming in and saying to him, “Cornelius.” 4He stared at him in terror and said, “What is it, Lord?” He answered, “Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God. 5Now send men to Joppa for a certain Simon who is called Peter; 6he is lodging with Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the seaside.” 7When the angel who spoke to him had left, he called two of his slaves and a devout soldier from the ranks of those who served him, 8and after telling them everything, he sent them to Joppa. (There’s more to this story in a Bible—there’s one somewhere around you, I just know it).