Jonah The Prophet

“The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: ‘Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me’” (Jonah 1:1-2).

 

It’s hard for us to grasp how shocking this must have been for Jonah. In Jonah’s lifetime there was one world superpower: the Assyrians.    The Assyrians were known for their brutality. They had refined the art of torture in a way that is recorded in history. It would make your hair stand on end. They were the terror of Jonah’s time.

 

Nineveh was one of the major Assyrians cities. The prophet Nahum describes it as “the city of blood, full of lies, full or plunder, never without victims” (Nahum 3:1). This was not a place you would want to visit. If you saw that in a vacation brochure “city of blood, full of lies,” you would not go there.

 

The Word of God came to this successful prophet. He was highly esteemed in Israel. His wonderful prophecies about extending the borders of the Promised Land came true. He was settled and secure in what he was doing for God. Then God said to him “Go to Nineveh!”

 

Suddenly, the music stops in Jonah’s life:

 

“Lord I am really happy in the work you’ve called me to do here in Gath Hepher.”

 

“I want you to go somewhere else.”

 

“You want me to leave the ministry I love?”

 

“That’s right.”

 

“Where do you want me to go?”

 

“Nineveh”

 

“That’s in Assyria. There are terrorists and torturers there. What do you want me to say?”

 

“Preach against the city, because its wickedness has come up before me.”

 

“That’s not surprising. Their wickedness is notorious! And if you judge them now, it will be a big relief to all of us!”

 

Put yourself in Jonah’s shoes: This man has a successful ministry among God’s people. He was known for prophesying good things like extending the borders of Israel. He has a good life in a good place, doing good work. And now the Word of the Lord disturbs his comfortable life.

 

Our culture says “live your dreams,” but God has a way of disturbing our dreams. We all have hopes and dreams of what our lives will be. We plan our families. We plan our futures. We plan our finances. Then God breaks into the plan: A child is born, a loved one dies, the market crashes, you lose your job, and suddenly your life is not going according to your plan.

 

When God stepped into Jonah’s plan, his heart was revealed. Jonah’s self-centeredness was hidden under the surface of his successful ministry but his “I want a comfortable life, God,” was exposed when God called him to leave something old and to start something new.

 

You can avoid it by running after your own plans

“But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord” (Jonah 1:3).

 

“Jonah ran away from the Lord.” Jonah was a prophet, well-schooled in the Scriptures written during that time. He knew that God is present everywhere. Jonah would have known David’s words:

 

“Where can I go from your Spirit?

Where can I flee from your presence?

…if I settle on the far side of the sea,

even there your hand will guide me,

your right hand will hold me fast” (Psalm 139:7-10).

 

Jonah knows he can’t escape from God’s presence. What he is running from is God’s call. That’s the issue here. When he gets in the boat, he is giving up being a prophet. He is resigning from the work God called him to do. He is saying, in effect:

 

“There are other things in life that I could do, besides bringing the Word of the Lord. I’m quitting this ministry and I’m going to make a new life in Tarshish.”

 

Jonah is dodging a God-centered life: He planned where he wanted to live and what he wanted to do. When God disrupted his plan, he quit.

 

If your plan becomes more important than God’s plan, you cannot live a God-centered life. What if God wants you in another place? What if God wants you to do another kind of work? What if God has another purpose for you for the sake of people who need to hear the Gospel?

Refining your mind

Recognize that whatever you are doing now is only for a time

The world wants you to believe that everything is stable, secure and permanent. But it is not so. The home that you live in is yours for a time. The work that you do is yours for a time. The people you love are yours for a time.

 

One day, others will live in your home. One day, others will continue your work. One day, others will have your money. James says:

 

“What is your life?  You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes” (James 4:14).

 

David says:

 

“Teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12).

 

Whatever you are doing in your life, hold it lightly because it will not be forever

The Mysterious Pontius Pilate

Pontius Pilate

Pontius Pilate was the Roman official who gave the final order for the crucifixion. According to the gospels, he actually believed that Jesus was innocent, and wanted to save him, but was pressured into ordering his death by the Jewish religious leaders and a disorderly crowd of spectators.
Why did Pilate give in to the pressure even though he believed that Jesus was innocent?

To try to answer this question, we first need to examine his previous life and how it may have affected his attitudes and his character.

Some evidence suggests that Pilate had served as an officer in the Roman army before he was sent to Judea. If so, he probably came from the equestrian (knightly) class of Romans, one step down from the senatorial class. But he may have gained some additional status through marriage, because one source says that his wife, Claudia Procula, was a niece of Emperor Tiberius.
He was appointed to his position in Judea in 26 AD, and held it for about ten years. His official title, Praefect, is usually translated as "governor". His two main duties were to keep order in the country and to make sure that all imperial tax revenues were collected and sent to Rome.

Here is a list of some possible other factors:
-- As an upper-class Roman, Pilate wouldn't have put much value on the life of a lower-class Jew like Jesus.
-- The question of guilt or innocence was probably of little importance to Pilate. During his time as governor, he must have sent many innocent people to their deaths. Jesus would just be one more.
-- Because of previous difficulties with riots and uprisings, Pilate would have been predisposed to take strong action against anyone who might be a potential threat to the stability of the country. A man like Jesus, who had a large number of followers, could have appeared to be such a threat.
-- Pilate sometimes needed the collaboration of the Jewish leaders on other matters. To try to stay on good terms with them, he would have paid attention to their wishes in this case

Some scholars think that the gospel writers didn't mention these other factors because they wanted to put all the blame for the crucifixion on the Jewish leaders. Of course the Jewish leaders did play an essential role. They were clearly the main instigators, and the pressure they applied clearly had a strong influence. Thus they obviously do deserve a lot of the blame.
Yet surely some blame also has to go to Pilate. After all, he did make the final decision. And he probably knew that he was condemning an innocent man to death.
But because of what the gospels say, many people have believed that Pilate really wanted to save Jesus, and would have done so if he could. In fact a fourth-century book called The Acts of Pilate even suggested that the governor was a secret Christian. And in the sixth century he was declared a saint by the Coptic and Ethiopian Churches.

There are conflicting stories about how he finally died. The early church historian Eusebius wrote that he committed suicide in 39 AD. But according to a legend, he lived until the reign of Nero and then died a horrible death in France, his body being eaten by worms.

Source: gospelmysteries.net

Today's Wonder - Baguio City - April Kickstart Day 1

Praise God for His righteousness and Holiness. HIS Kingdom is as pure and His love endures forever! Praise Jesus for the strength and boldness....

Today was a great day!
I met people and I've shared the Gospel to them. Many people in my city are very religious and thought that Jesus is religion. And that they could believe whatever they wanted.
I am amazed by God's Spirit that guides me, for I have preached radically and spoke that if people then claim they believe in Jesus but still can do what they want, they are liars and deceives themselves. Some young people got scared of what I've spoken because I shared them the Holiness and Righteousness of God. But the adversary came to their mind and told me to bid them goodbye. So I left.

There were certain people whom are able to hear, there was a young lady whom have been touched by the Holy Spirit and have been into a Catholic church system. When I spoke to her, I asked, "why do you believe?" And she was quiet. she have never heard the truth of the Gospel and I've got the chance to share my witness. She received it and will think about the true meaning of her faith in Jesus.

There was a woman from a Jehovas witness and she was very open to the Gospel and was curious. But she was not able to resist the word I shared because she felt it is true but also bid me goodbye.

Later, I prayed for a woman who had a pain in her bladder, I prayed for her and she got healed.
Another man got healed from a constant pain also.

My little sister arrived and there was a man that God had blessed as we cross the street. The Spirit spoke through this old man. He spoke " if you know you are right, you don't have to be afraid! You just have to go and walk straight" and I could discern that the Spirit indeed was guiding  me for I was dismayed after all the rejection that my people in my city could not receive the true Gospel.
Then I asked the man if he has pain. He has a constant pain that also makes him imbalance and would make him fall whenever he would walk up the stairs. So I prayed for him and he explains the pain went and the feeling was lighter. So I told my sister to pray for the man. And he got healed.

My sister by the way couldn't believe her eyes, although it was her first time to pray and experience the power of God in Jesus name, she doubted. When I was about to speak, the old man came and was in cheerful joy. He said, " how could this be? I'm healed, and the pain is gone" then I got the chance to share the Gospel and my sister was in awe and speechless.. for me! This is daily life as a disciple..
We thank the Lord for this miracles and wonders..