The Call: Jonah 1:1-2

Our passage today is short but the issue is very weighty. Recently, our pastors asked us to reach out to all the un-believers in our networks and bring them to church where they will have a chance to hear the gospel. This was a call, just like Jonah’s. If we understand the call then we will act with urgency in the interests of all those in our networks.

First, Jonah received a very specific call. This kind of commissioning “the word of the Lord came to” is common in the books of the prophets such as Jeremiah 1: 1-2, Hosea 1:1, Joel 1:1. God got Moses attention by burning a bush. David was visited by old prophet Samuel to be commissioned as king of Israel. Jesus saw Peter and Andrew at the lake and simply said, ‘follow me and I will make you fishers of men'. Whatever means God used to call his servants, there would be no doubt that he had intercepted their ‘normal’ business to give them some urgent work. 2Corinthians 5: 18-20 reminds us that God is in the business of reconciling the world to himself and has co-opted us into that business; we are his ambassadors in this world. Every Christian is called to participate with Christ is saving the world.

Secondly, Jonah was specifically commissioned to Nineveh. For the average person reading this blog, attending Nairobi Chapel and working in Nairobi, the Lord has probably not called you to evangelize in China or Nicaragua. You are sent to speak prophetically to the social networks in your locale, your workplace, your family. The question is, do you care?

Quite often, you as a faithful Christian want to bring others to Christ. But your life is too stretched, demand on your time is too much, challenges to surmount are too many. If you are this kind of Christian, ask the Holy Spirit to stir you with compassion for the unbelievers. An old high school song had this line “Lord, share with me the great bitterness that you have when man sins and I will show your sweet love to thousands of men”. Make this your prayer.

Thirdly, Jonah’s instruction was to urgently announce judgment—destruction—to Nineveh because of the evil of the people in that city. The book of Nahum is a later prophecy against Nineveh. Some of the sins that Nahum mentions include prostitution, violence, bloodshed, extreme cruelty in war, witchcraft, and commercial exploitation; every kind of evil you can imagine. But before God destroyed Nineveh, he sent a warning first. As we see at the end of Jonah, Nineveh did repent and was saved. The book of Nahum shows that that Nineveh later reverted to her wicked ways. It was destroyed about 80-100 years after Jonah's preaching.

Do you recognize what this means? You may be happily saved, going to heaven, full of peace and prosperity because you are walking well with the Lord. Very good. However, all the people in your networks are awaiting God’s judgment if they do know him. It is a very uncomfortable, very uncommon message, probably because it is terrifying to even think about: they are going to hell if their lives are not already hell on earth. Do you care? If you care, then do something about it urgently. Just as God’s promises for his children are true and will be fulfilled, so will his threats of judgment over all evil. You may be the only means that God can use to help avert judgment over people you deeply care about.

Pray for them, preach to them, and/ or bring them to church and let them have a chance to hear and respond to the gospel.

Please share your insights and comments with others on this blog.