HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF A
PERSON OF PEACE?
We walked to a village in Africa to tell Bible stories and share the Gospel. Finding the chief, I sought his per-mission to tell our stories. He was reluctant and so I asked if he would like to hear one of our stories. When I told him the story of the Prodigal Son he happily agreed. This chief, who opened the door for us to visit his village, became our Person of Peace. A Person of Peace is someone for whom you pray to become the open door or the gateway to a village, neighborhood, or even a country where you want to share the Gospel.
In Luke 10, Jesus sent seventy disciples to villages where he would later visit. They were to announce the coming of the Kingdom. In a village they were to find someone who would welcome, feed, and lodge them. These friendly and helpful people are who we call Persons of Peace.
A Gambian lady riding on a bus in Senegal was overheard to say, "I have no hope." A Meridian adjunct faculty member, Titus Davis, heard her and said, "I know Someone Who can give you hope." The lady moved to the seat next to Titus and he invited her to a Meridian training seminar where she heard the Gospel clearly. Titus led this lady, a Muslim, to the Lord. She returned to Gambia and located a pastor. She told him about her experience and Titus. He contacted Titus and now we offer training in Gambia. The lady, Mariama, was our Person of Peace who opened the door for us to Gambia! As a business woman, much like Lydia in Philippi, Miriama also opened the door for Meridian to start a training stream in the country of Mali. She is a remarkable Person of Peace.
Haba Kouly from Guinea, a Meridian Master Trainer, was riding in a taxi and sharing his excitement about God's stories. A passenger from Togo heard his stories and said he was a Christian and wanted to reach his villages for Jesus. He invited Haba to Togo to train and a training stream was recently started there. The passenger became Haba's Person of Peace, opening the door for the Gospel in the West Africa country of Togo.
We are grateful for the many Persons of Peace God has sent to us opening doors for us to train, evangelize, disciple, and plant churches. - Ralph Speas, Author