Hello, friends, and welcome back to Nations 4 Jesus. Today I want to ask you a question that might make some of us uncomfortable: Are we Jonahs?
I think many of us have heard the story of Jonah and the whale. We probably learned it in Sunday school. Maybe we've taught it to our own kids, focusing on the drama of being swallowed by a fish. But friends, there's so much more to Jonah's story than a miraculous fish tale. And if we're honest, his story hits uncomfortably close to home.
[The big question - where did missions begin?]
Let me ask you: Did the idea of missional outreach—of sharing the message of who God is and His love for mankind—begin with the Great Commission? Is that the first time God tells His people to share His message with the surrounding nations?
The answer is no. In fact, mission outreach can be seen throughout the entire Bible, beginning with Abraham. God's missionary heart didn't start with Jesus on the mountain in Galilee. It's been His heart from the very beginning!
[Abraham and Israel - blessed to be a blessing]
Let's go back to Genesis 12. God didn't choose Abraham just because He liked him. God chose Abraham and made him this incredible promise: "All peoples on earth will be blessed through you" (Genesis 12:3). From the very beginning, God's plan was global. His heart was for the nations.
Why was Israel chosen? Was it because they were better or more holy than other nations? Friends, it only takes reading the Bible a bit to see that's not true! Israel sinned just like the other nations did. God singled them out to show Himself through them. Theologian Johannes Verkuyl writes that "Israel was a minority called to serve the majority."
They weren't blessed just to be blessed. They were blessed to be a blessing! They were set apart to call all nations to God, to reflect His glory. This idea of being blessed to be a blessing is what we as Christians are also called to do.
[The missionary theme throughout Scripture]
You can see this missionary theme woven throughout Scripture. Psalm 67:1-2 says, "May God be gracious to us and bless us—so that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations." In Revelation 5:9-10, we see people from "every tribe and language and people and nation" worshiping before God's throne. God's heart for the nations runs from Genesis to Revelation!
Throughout the Old Testament, God drew people from other nations to Himself. Remember Rahab the Canaanite? Ruth the Moabite? The city of Nineveh? God was always working to draw the nations to Himself!
[Jonah's story - a lesson in missionary education]
Which brings us to Jonah. Verkuyl writes that "Jonah is a lesson in educating a person to be a missionary. It reveals the need for a radical conversion of one's natural tendencies and a complete restructuring of his life to make it serviceable for mission."
Here's what happened: God told Jonah to go to Nineveh and preach repentance. But Jonah didn't want to. Why? Because he didn't think the Ninevites deserved it. Nineveh was the capital of Assyria, and the Assyrians had persecuted the Jews horribly. Jonah didn't just fear them—he hated them. They didn't deserve salvation in his eyes.
So Jonah ran in the opposite direction! But friends, you can't run from God's missionary mandate on your life. God pursued him relentlessly—through a storm, through being thrown overboard, through three days in a great fish—until Jonah finally obeyed.
[God's relentless pursuit and surprising results]
And when Jonah finally, reluctantly preached to Nineveh, something amazing happened. The people turned to God with all their hearts and repented! The entire city—from the king down—put on sackcloth, fasted, and cried out to God. And God, in His mercy, relented from judgment.
Verkuyl notes something fascinating: "What Israel continually refused to do, these heathen Gentiles did do. The cruel king of Nineveh stands as anti-type to the disobedient kings of Judah." The people who supposedly didn't deserve God's mercy responded better than God's chosen people often did!
This should humble us. God's call and desire is that all nations and all people groups to turn to Him!
[The Great Commission - continuing the mission]
Fast forward to the New Testament. When Jesus gave the Great Commission, He was continuing this same mission. Like the Hebrews before them, believers were blessed to be a blessing to all nations. They were directed to go into all the world and preach the good news to everyone.
So here we are two thousand years later, and the mission isn't finished. According to Joshua Project, there are still over 7,000 unreached people groups representing about 3.4 billion people who have never heard the Gospel even once. Romans 10:14 asks, "How can they hear without someone preaching to them?" People are still waiting. The question is: Will we go? Or will we be like Jonah?
[The uncomfortable question - are we Jonahs?]
So let me ask you again: Are we Jonahs? Are we sitting in our comfortable houses, enjoying the blessings of knowing Christ, but refusing the responsibility that comes with that blessing? Verkuyl writes something convicting: "Jonah is father to all those Christians who desire the benefits and blessings of election but refuse its responsibility."
How many of us love being blessed by God—love His presence, His provision, His peace—but don't want the responsibility of taking that blessing to others?
[The reasons we're like Jonah]
Let's be honest about why we're sometimes like Jonah. Maybe we think certain people don't deserve God's mercy. Or maybe we're just too comfortable. Going to the nations—or even going across the street to share with our neighbor—would disrupt our comfort. Or maybe we think we're not qualified. Friends, God doesn't need your qualifications. He needs your availability and your obedience!
[Jonah's reluctant obedience]
Here's what I find convicting: Even when Jonah finally obeyed, he obeyed reluctantly. He went to Nineveh, but he didn't want to. And when they repented, he was angry! He sat outside the city pouting, waiting for God to come around to his way of thinking.
There's a powerful poem by Thomas Carlisle that ends with these lines:
"And Jonah stalked to his shaded seat and waited for God to come around to his way of thinking. And God is still waiting for a host of Jonahs in their comfortable houses to come around to His way of thinking."
God is still waiting. He's waiting for us to come around to His way of thinking—to see the nations the way He sees them, to care about the unreached the way He cares about them.
[Five ways to stop being Jonah]
So how do we stop being Jonah? Let me give you five practical steps. First, pray for the unreached. Get Operation World or the Joshua Project app and start praying regularly for an unreached people group. Second, support missionaries financially. Put your money where God's heart is. Third, go on a mission trip if possible—overseas or local, serving immigrants or refugees in your city.
Fourth, raise mission-minded children. Read them missionary biographies. Pray with them for the nations. And fifth, ask God where He's calling you specifically. Maybe not to another country, but to share with your neighbor, support missionaries, host international students, or befriend refugees. Ask Him, and then obey!
[The choice is ours]
We have a choice. Will we obey or disobey? And will we obey joyfully or reluctantly? While God never forces us, He tenderly asks us to put our whole heart into the work of mission. If God could use reluctant, angry Jonah, He can use you and me! The question is: Will we let Him?
Let me pray:
Thank you for joining me today, friends. Let's stop being Jonahs. Let's align our hearts with God's missionary heart. Let's be the blessing to the nations that we were always meant to be.
Until next time, keep your eyes on the nations and share the blessing of Jesus Christ with a world that's desperate to know Him.
Episode Description: Jonah ran from Nineveh because he thought they didn't deserve mercy. When they repented, he was angry, waiting in his comfortable seat for God to come around to his way of thinking. Today, with 3.4 billion unreached people, God is still waiting for comfortable Christians to come around to His way of thinking. Are we Jonahs, hoarding blessings while refusing responsibility? Five ways to align your heart with God's missionary heart.
Scripture: Genesis 12:3, Psalm 67:1-2, Matthew 28:18-20, Romans 10:14-15, Revelation 5:9-10
Read more: nations4jesus.blogspot.com
