He Went Further

Scripture Reference: Jonah 1:1-3

The Lord gave this message to Jonah, son of Amittai: “Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh. Announce my judgment against it because I have seen how wicked its people are.” But Jonah got up and went in the opposite direction to get away from the Lord. He went down to the port of Joppa, where he found a ship leaving for Tarshish. He bought a ticket and went on board, hoping to escape from the Lord by sailing to Tarshish.

God called Jonah for an assignment to preach to the Ninevites about 500 miles away. However, he decided to flee to Tarshish which is about 2500 miles away. This is also like some of us who could be running away from church, responsibilities, etc. For some reason, Jonah probably felt that these cruel Ninevites deserved to be totally annihilated.

Scripture Reference: Jonah 1:4

But the Lord hurled a powerful wind over the sea, causing a violent storm that threatened to break the ship apart.

God dealt with Jonah by sending a great storm his way. He was sound asleep in the ship. When probed, Jonah admitted he was the culprit for he was fleeing from a divine mission to Nineveh. He even told them to throw him into the sea to still the tempest.

Scripture Reference: Jonah 1:17

Now the Lord had arranged for a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was inside the fish for three days and three nights.

God in His mercy sent a great fish to rescue Jonah. He survived for three days and three nights in the belly of the fish. God was determined to use Jonah for his divine purpose.

From going further away to Tarshish, Jonah now went further down into the sea. Much as he tried, he could not escape from God. God saw him even while he was in the big fish. In his distress, Jonah prayed and declared salvation comes from the Lord. God heard his cry and commanded the fish to spit him onto dry land. Even the fish obeyed God’s command!

Scripture Reference: Jonah 3:1-4

Then the Lord spoke to Jonah a second time: “Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh, and deliver the message I have given you.” This time Jonah obeyed the Lord’s command and went to Nineveh, a city so large that it took three days to see it all. On the day Jonah entered the city, he shouted to the crowds: “Forty days from now Nineveh will be destroyed!”

God gave Jonah a second chance, just like many a times, He gave His people second and even third chances. Jonah arose and went to Nineveh to fulfill God’s calling. Now Jonah has learned submission to do His will. He even went further inland to deliver the message of judgment. He called upon the Ninevites to repent in forty days or else they would be completely destroyed.

The lesson we can all learn is submission to God’s will. Submission is so essential, especially when we go to the mission field as a team. There will be many headaches, heartache, and hurt when one cannot submit to leadership.

Jonah’s preaching brought resounding victory. He succeeded in gaining the attention of all Ninevites, from the king, nobles to all his subjects. They proclaimed a fast, repented, and turned from all their wicked ways. We see how the hardest of hard-core can be transformed by God’s amazing grace. God saw the awesome change, relented, and did not do as he had forewarned.

Comparatively, the result of Jonah’s preaching is unlike Abraham’s intercession for Sodom and Gomorrah. Jonah reaped an abundant harvest of souls, unlike Abraham, who only saved Lot and his family.

After the successful assignment, Jonah was upset with God. However, God made him happy for a while when He prepared a plant to shade him from the hot sun. However, the next day, God prepared a worm which ate the plant. Jonah was sad over the plant that died. God wanted Jonah to see just as he was sad over the dead plant that he did not labor to grow, how much more for God to see the precious souls in Nineveh saved.

What is God doing to prepare things around us to teach us useful lessons or to draw our attention to Him? In this time, there are many, locally and abroad, who have not come to the saving knowledge of Christ. We need the power of the Holy Spirit to be effective witnesses for Him.

Scripture Reference: Acts 4:31-33

After this prayer, the meeting place shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they preached the word of God with boldness. All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had. The apostles testified powerfully to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God’s great blessing was upon them all.

This is a passage to remind us on Pentecost the need to come together as a united body, to pray and to be filled with the Holy Spirit again and again. We are not a mega church but we need the mega power and the mega grace to do the will of God, not fearing imprisonment, shame and even sacrificing our lives.

Scripture Reference: John 21:15-17

Jesus asked Simon Peter “Do you love me?” three times. As Simon was told to feed the lambs, we must be careful what we feed on. As we mature in the Lord, we need to feed the younger ones so that they will not feed on the phone and other sources so much so they are so confused that they are not able to discern right from wrong. Many of these young ones need to be guided into the right ways of God. Likewise, live groups also have a pastoral role to play.

In conclusion, let me encourage you with these heroes who went further with their divine assignments. Each had different issues, challenges, and trying circumstances. In spite of these, they persevered and overcame them all. These heroes include Jacob, Joseph, Joshua, Jehoshaphat, Job, Jeremiah, and Joel.

Scripture Reference: Hebrews 11:39-40

We see these heroes of faith in Hebrew 11 did not receive what was promised. God had provided something better for us which is the Holy Spirit, to empower us to be effective witnesses for Him. Therefore, we are reminded in Hebrews 12:1-2 to put aside every weight and sin and to run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith.