We have a well known story here in Jonah and the 'whale', The rebel with a cause. He ran from God, was thrown overboard in the middle of the ocean, and swallowed by a great fish. Then after 3 days in the belly of the great fish he was vomited up on the beach. I am sure he was quite the sight after all that time in the stomach acid of the fish. the stink of dead and rotting carcasses all over him. The bleached skin I am almost certain was caused by the exposure to the acids. I am quite certain he was a site walking through the streets of Nineveh.
Yet when he finally heeded the call of God and got down to business he was all business. Nineveh was a good sized city. It took 3 days to transverse the city walking and preaching. and what was the message he presented? "yet 40 days and Nineveh shall be overthrown."
I can almost picture him walking shouting this as he walks. Remember he has no Neiman-Marcus or Wal-Mart to go to so it is a safe bet he is in the same condition that he was when the fish threw him up on the sand. I am willing to conjecture that at this point a hot shower alone would have done him a lot of good with a bit of soap as well.
3 So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days' journey.
4 And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.
5 So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.
6 For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.
7 And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing: let them not feed, nor drink water:
8 But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands.
9 Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not?
10 And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.
So Jonah went and preached a simple repent message and the city of Nineveh believed. They believed, repented and God relented.
So what's my point to all of this? We build mighty cathedrals and put on shows to try and woo crowds. We "update" our music and our material to make it easier for people to relate too. We entertain and cajole and make nice and we do not get results.
A half-dead man walks through a city bedraggled and a mess and converts a city.
The point is this -- The Word of God is all we need. Not a dog and pony show. Not a new age approach. We need to preach the undiluted full flavor of Repentance. People are looking for something, humans have a need to find purpose and fulfillment. we need boundaries and structure. We can find all that in Jesus Christ.
There needs to be a return to the Word. There needs to be a return to personal accountability. We need to win our nation. We can only do that through the Holy Word of God.
Yet when he finally heeded the call of God and got down to business he was all business. Nineveh was a good sized city. It took 3 days to transverse the city walking and preaching. and what was the message he presented? "yet 40 days and Nineveh shall be overthrown."
I can almost picture him walking shouting this as he walks. Remember he has no Neiman-Marcus or Wal-Mart to go to so it is a safe bet he is in the same condition that he was when the fish threw him up on the sand. I am willing to conjecture that at this point a hot shower alone would have done him a lot of good with a bit of soap as well.
Jonah 3
King James Version (KJV)
3 And the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the second time, saying,
2 Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee.3 So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days' journey.
4 And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.
5 So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.
6 For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.
7 And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing: let them not feed, nor drink water:
8 But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands.
9 Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not?
10 And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.
So Jonah went and preached a simple repent message and the city of Nineveh believed. They believed, repented and God relented.
So what's my point to all of this? We build mighty cathedrals and put on shows to try and woo crowds. We "update" our music and our material to make it easier for people to relate too. We entertain and cajole and make nice and we do not get results.
A half-dead man walks through a city bedraggled and a mess and converts a city.
The point is this -- The Word of God is all we need. Not a dog and pony show. Not a new age approach. We need to preach the undiluted full flavor of Repentance. People are looking for something, humans have a need to find purpose and fulfillment. we need boundaries and structure. We can find all that in Jesus Christ.
There needs to be a return to the Word. There needs to be a return to personal accountability. We need to win our nation. We can only do that through the Holy Word of God.
Isaiah 55:10-11
King James Version (KJV)
10 For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:
11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
God has promised us that His Word is all we need. That is what we must preach. Once we sow the seeds He can work and bring forth the Harvest. The Holy Spirit is here to work through the seeds we drop. He is here to nudge the conscience of the hearers. We are here to preach the Word and witness.
So stop looking for ways to make it new and fresh, quit wasting time updating, and just get in the Word and start disseminating the gospel in it's purest form.
It is not up to us to look for response, or to judge how effective we are. That is up to God. You may never know if your witness or work was effective, But come judgment day we shall learn of the results. It is up to us to labor for the Master from the dawn till the setting sun. It is up to us to be faithful and true in getting the Word out.
Pastors preach to one as if 100 showed up. Teachers teach 2 as if 200 were there. Our tithes may be responsible for 1000's of saved souls, our witness to one may start a chain that reaches millions.
We are to tell of the Good News of Christ. He is responsible for the results.
Run the race, fight the good fight, and stay the course even when you can't see the results. When there is no tally sheet, maintain the pace. God is keeping score. He has the rewards.
11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
God has promised us that His Word is all we need. That is what we must preach. Once we sow the seeds He can work and bring forth the Harvest. The Holy Spirit is here to work through the seeds we drop. He is here to nudge the conscience of the hearers. We are here to preach the Word and witness.
So stop looking for ways to make it new and fresh, quit wasting time updating, and just get in the Word and start disseminating the gospel in it's purest form.
It is not up to us to look for response, or to judge how effective we are. That is up to God. You may never know if your witness or work was effective, But come judgment day we shall learn of the results. It is up to us to labor for the Master from the dawn till the setting sun. It is up to us to be faithful and true in getting the Word out.
Pastors preach to one as if 100 showed up. Teachers teach 2 as if 200 were there. Our tithes may be responsible for 1000's of saved souls, our witness to one may start a chain that reaches millions.
We are to tell of the Good News of Christ. He is responsible for the results.
Run the race, fight the good fight, and stay the course even when you can't see the results. When there is no tally sheet, maintain the pace. God is keeping score. He has the rewards.
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