Jonah: Recent Episodes
David W. Hegg
The story of Jonah, while ancient, forces us to deal with the question the prophet faced: when we know what God asks of us, will we do it? This is especially relevant in the area of living out the Gospel in our everyday rhythms of life as “everyday evangelists.”
Throughout this study, we will consider how deeply Jonah’s biases and fears may be influencing our desire to be contagious carriers of the Good News of God’s redeeming love, offered freely to all in Christ Jesus.
It took three nights in the belly of a great fish for Jonah to acknowledge God’s power and right to rule over all things … including him! And so he headed off to Nineveh where his preaching was the tool God used to turn the people of Nineveh from their wicked ways. The mission had been accomplished, and Jonah was mad about it.
This weekend we close up our look at Jonah, the reluctant evangelist. Along the way, we’ve found there is some Jonah in all of us. Like he did in Jonah’s life, God is asking penetrating questions of us to make us more and more aware of ways our fear and commitment to comfort may be blinding our eyes to the joys of going “all in” for Christ, of delighting to obey from our hearts.
The story of Jonah intersects with our lives in many powerful ways. Jonah was a religious leader and very committed to his worldview. Yet, when God asked him to do something he didn’t like, he ran the other direction. And, when he ran into trouble, he chose death rather than obedience. But God in His mercy, delivered him through discipline, and in the belly of the great fish, Jonah determined obedience was his best option.
This weekend we see the mercy of God on Nineveh. Jonah, the reluctant evangelist, is simply the messenger. It is the power of God, working through the simple message of the prophet, that changes hearts and lives.
When Jonah chose to rebel against God and go his own way, he soon realized it was impossible to run from the presence of the Lord. Yet, it was through the gracious discipline of God on the prophet that he came to realize the sovereign grace of the Lord.
While in the belly of the great fish, Jonah had time to reflect, and he came to the conclusion that God was in charge, not him. God alone holds the power of life and death, of salvation and judgment.
The story of Jonah, while ancient, forces us to deal with the question the prophet faced: when we know what God asks of us, will we do it? This is especially relevant in the area of living out the Gospel in our everyday rhythms of life as “everyday evangelists.”
Throughout this study, we will consider how deeply Jonah’s biases and fears may be influencing our desire to be contagious carriers of the Good News of God’s redeeming love, offered freely to all in Christ Jesus.