Jonah stood on Joppa’s docks, salt air stinging his face. God said, “Go to Nineveh,” but Jonah bought a ticket to Tarshish instead. He chose rebellion over obedience, comfort over courage. The ship’s creaking boards mirrored the tension in his heart—a prophet fleeing the God who called him. Yet even in his defiance, Jonah’s story reveals God’s relentless love for nations beyond Israel’s borders. [00:46]
God didn’t call Jonah to preach judgment—He invited him to join His rescue mission for Assyria. Nineveh was Israel’s enemy, a violent city undeserving of mercy in Jonah’s eyes. But God saw people made in His image, worth pursuing even through a runaway prophet. His heart beats for those we label “unreachable.”
Many of us build our own Joppa moments—places where we choose comfort over God’s uncomfortable call. What relationships, conversations, or steps of obedience have you avoided because they feel too costly? Where is your “Tarshish”—the escape you cling to instead of trusting God’s heart for the nations?
“The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: ‘Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it…’ But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish.”
(Jonah 1:1-3, NIV)
Prayer: Ask God to reveal any rebellion in your heart toward His call.
Challenge: Write down one way you’ve avoided obeying God recently. Burn or tear the paper as a surrender.
Peter climbed the Joppa rooftop, hunger gnawing his stomach. As pray-ers cooked below, God ripped open heaven’s curtain. A sheet descended, filled with “unclean” animals. “Kill and eat,” God said. Peter refused three times, clinging to religious rules. But God declared, “What I call clean, you must not call impure.” The vision wasn’t about food—it was about people. [24:44]
God shattered Peter’s prejudice that day. The sheet represented Gentiles like Cornelius—men Peter saw as outsiders. While Peter prayed, God was already moving in a Roman soldier’s heart miles away. Divine appointments wait where our comfort zones end.
What labels do you assign people God calls “clean”? Immigrants? Muslims? The neighbor whose lifestyle unsettles you? God is already working in their stories. Will you let Him rewrite your assumptions?
“He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth… Then a voice told him, ‘Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.’ ‘Surely not, Lord!’ Peter replied.”
(Acts 10:11-14, NIV)
Prayer: Confess one prejudice to God. Ask for His eyes toward that person or group.
Challenge: Greet someone from another culture today—learn their name and country.
John squinted at heaven’s throne, overwhelmed. Before him stood a crowd “no one could count”—every nation, tribe, and language worshipping Jesus. This wasn’t Israel 2.0. These were Ethiopians, Romans, Persians—people once called “unclean” now radiant in salvation. The promise to Abraham echoed: “All peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” [07:34]
God’s plan always included the nations. From Genesis to Revelation, He pursues a family, not a franchise. Today, 7,000 people groups still haven’t heard this good news. They’re not resistant—they’re unreached, waiting for someone to cross cultural barriers.
Your city has its own “unreached”—international students, refugees, or workers. What keeps you from seeing them as part of God’s global mosaic? When did you last share a meal with someone outside your culture?
“After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count… standing before the throne and before the Lamb.”
(Revelation 7:9, NIV)
Prayer: Thank God for three specific nations represented in your city.
Challenge: Visit JoshuaProject.org. Research one unreached group; pray for them by name.
Cornelius, a Roman soldier, prayed faithfully but didn’t know Christ. God sent an angel: “Find Peter in Joppa.” Meanwhile, Peter’s rooftop vision prepared him to welcome this “unclean” Gentile. When Cornelius’ men knocked, Peter went—not to a sermon, but to a home. There, the Holy Spirit fell on outsiders, shocking Jewish believers. [31:42]
God often works through unlikely friendships. Cornelius sought truth; Peter needed his heart stretched. Their encounter birthed the Gentile church. Today, “Cornelius” might be a Moroccan shopkeeper or Venezuelan construction worker—someone hungry for God but unfamiliar with church.
Who has God placed near you that religion labels “outsider”? What simple step—a smile, a coffee invite—could mirror Peter’s obedience?
“He said to them: ‘You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile. But God has shown me that I should not call anyone impure or unclean.’”
(Acts 10:28, NIV)
Prayer: Ask God for courage to initiate with one “outsider” this week.
Challenge: Buy a snack or drink for someone from another nation. Say, “God bless you.”
Joppa became a crossroads for Jonah and Peter. Jonah fled God’s call; Peter embraced it. Both knew Scripture. Both heard God’s voice. But only Peter let his heart be broken for what breaks God’s. The same choice faces us daily—retreat to comfort or advance God’s kingdom among the nations, starting next door. [43:49]
God doesn’t need experts—He needs available people. A runaway prophet still pointed sailors to God. A prejudiced disciple became the Gentiles’ apostle. Your small yes—a prayer, a conversation, a gift—can ripple into eternity.
What’s your Joppa moment today? A Senegalese neighbor? A divine interruption like Peter’s snack-sharing moment? How will you align your heart with the God of all nations?
“Then Peter began to speak: ‘I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him.’”
(Acts 10:34-35, NIV)
Prayer: Tell God, “I’m here—use me in someone’s story today.”
Challenge: Write “ACTS 10:35” on your hand. Let it remind you to see everyone as God’s beloved.
El texto parte de un lugar concreto, Jope, y lo usa como símbolo de confrontación entre la voluntad de Dios y los deseos humanos. La narrativa recuerda a Jonás, quien huyó de la misión a Nínive, para subrayar que la historia no se centra en la imposibilidad de escapar de Dios, sino en el corazón de Dios por todas las etnias. Desde Génesis hasta Apocalipsis la Escritura articula una promesa y un cumplimiento: la bendición a todas las familias de la tierra y la visión final de una multitud de todas las naciones ante el trono.
El término "nación" en la Biblia aparece como etnia: grupos que comparten lengua, cultura y costumbres. Esa mirada obliga a pensar la gran comisión no como una tarea hacia países políticos, sino como una labor entre pueblos distintos dentro y fuera de las fronteras modernas. Las estadísticas contemporáneas confirman la urgencia: miles de etnias siguen siendo no alcanzadas, y una porción importante de la población vive en la llamada ventana 10/40, donde la pobreza extrema, la persecución y la ausencia del evangelio convergen.
La experiencia de Pedro en Jope, junto al relato de Cornelio en Cesarea, ilustra cómo Dios confronta corazones cómodos y excluyentes para abrirlos a otras culturas. La revelación le exige a Pedro dejar de llamar impuro a quien Dios ya ha purificado; la lección central consiste en que la barrera principal no es la distancia, el dinero o la logística, sino la disposición del corazón para aceptar y amar al extranjero.
La comunidad recibe tres llamados prácticos: disponerse a ser tratado por Dios, cambiar la mirada hacia los extranjeros que viven cerca y dar pasos concretos de acercamiento —orar por ellos, aprender sus nombres, compartir una comida o una conversación—. Las historias de campo muestran que los encuentros con otras etnias transforman tanto al que recibe como al que da; la misión no es un tráfico unilateral de bienes o creencias, sino un intercambio humano que redefine la iglesia como intercultural.
El cierre convoca a orar por las etnias no alcanzadas y a comprometerse en la propia ciudad con los forasteros que Dios ha traído, reconociendo que muchas naciones podrían conocer a Dios si la iglesia local cambiara su corazón y sus prácticas.
El problema ya no es la distancia, el problema ya no es el dinero. El problema que tenemos ahora, queridos hermanos, es el corazón. Es nuestro corazón, es el corazón de la iglesia de Jesús, que al final de cuentas es nuestro propio corazón. Y por eso quiero volver a Jope, por eso dije, el pasaje del principio no era por el pasaje, era por el lugar. Pero ahora quiero que volvamos a Jope. En hechos capítulo 10, versículo 9 al 15. Hechos 10, 9 al 15. [00:23:38] (37 seconds)
Al igual que Jonás Pedro era un hombre de Dios. Había sido perdonado, ya había negado Jesús, ya había sido perdonado, ya había predicado aquel pedazo de de sermón donde se convirtieron 3000 personas Pedro era un hombre de Dios. Jonás también lo era. Y nosotros que estamos aquí también lo somos. Somos personas de dios. Pero Pedro era un hombre de dios con un corazón que todavía necesitaba ser tratado. Puedes ser un creyente comprometido, venir a la iglesia, asistir a las actividades, diezmar fielmente, y aún así tener áreas en tu corazón que no reflejan el corazón de dios. [00:25:18] (50 seconds)
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