God's Mercy

Welcome all to this wondrous gathering! It is with great joy that I write, as the Father delights in the increase of His Son, within us, and with new ones brought to life! Behold the two verses ending the third book of Jonah:

"Who knoweth whether God will not turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not?" And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil which he said he would do unto them; and he did it not.

Where did the king of Nineveh get this thought? Where did this hope of escape from destruction come from? Amazing! The word of destruction from Jonah carried with it a Spirit of hope. However, we who have seen the new life in Christ, know that the judgement of God could not be held at bay forever. They all perished, all have sinned. And that God did not turn away, but provided a pure sacrifice to satisfy that eternal judgement.

Yet the next verse is so provocative. The Eternal saw their works, and repented of the evil which was planned. Now, I personally don't care much for this translations treatment of this verse, however, there is no great difficulty. It just seems that in our day, the words repent and evil have religious baggage. The Spirit leads us to not stumble over such matters. So focus simply on God 'changing' His mind.

It was the will of God to destroy the city. The residents changed their hearts, called upon the living God, and He listened to them. He withheld judgement, and let them live. How merciful is our God! He inclines His ear to our cry, and delivers us from destruction!

But did He change His mind? Dear saints, each one must wrestle with the question of His wisdom, of His plan, inside of the heart. I believe that God has a plan, and that plan is to build a family. To grow up sons and daughters, clothing them with glory in His son. This purpose was set forth before the foundation of civilization, before the Moses and the Law. By the prophet Jonah, the Eternal is displaying His will, that none should perish, and all would come to know Him.

On that, He never changes. And in judgement of sin, of the reward for transgression which is death, there is only one path to eternal life. On that, He has not wavered. Yet all must choose life. Our Father will not force a man to follow after life. It must be by free will. That system of free will, that gift that sets us apart from the animals, even the angels of heaven, is jealously protected. There are no robots in Christ. We bind ourselves to Him by choice.

This same free will means man can choose to turn from God. Even to violence, to the envy and destruction of other men. It must be! If man were stopped at every turn, from every deed, there would be no free will.

Here is where the dynamic of the cross separates. A man may struggle against death in his own power during the days of his life. And God may hinder the curse of death. The Eternal may 'change His mind' concerning the destruction of a man. Praise God! Let us glorify Him for grace! Is not grace itself the Fathers 'changed mind'? That the sentence of death, of which we all came under through the natural man, was stayed, the execution on hold, until we made the choice of eternal life? Indeed, by grace I have been saved!

Now in the next verses at the beginning of chapter four, Jonah gets in a bit of a bother with the Lord. It displeased Jonah, that the Lord displayed His mercy, and held off the judgement of Nineveh. He knew God was gracious, merciful, slow to anger, and willing to withhold destruction. Now we get to the heart of things. Is Jonah simply a bitter old prophet who sees that the Assyrians have caused great harm and wants them to be destroyed? Or is he regretful that the prophecy of destruction has now led to mercy and repentance?

I laughed at myself when thinking about this. My natural inclination led me to think of the prophecy. A prophet who speaks, and yet the word does not come to pass, what is he? Nothing... according to man. Yes, my own natural man cringed at the thought of such a 'fall' from office. But the gift is in the Spirit! There is no natural office that matters in the city of light. The Lord is the one who directs the prophet to speak. Man can judge, yet that judgement is counted for nothing in the house of God.

For the social context, by Jonah, the enemy of Israel has just found deliverance from destruction. Perhaps there is no home worth going to after everyone finds out? For today, be confident that persecution can find you, even in the midst of the 'people of God', but it is to His glory, and He will be your strength! I don't want to shrink back from declaring the whole gospel, even the part about destruction, perhaps because I think it will cause a loss of social standing.

Later, as I considered the social context, or Jonah's own judgement of the Assyrians, I sensed it was perhaps something else. A clue comes forward, yet we will need to wait for the end of the book. My guess is that Jonah really does want the Lord to relieve him of the torment at this time, the torment of his own natural man. Whatever the case, it is reminiscent of Elijah, calling out to God, to take his life (before Jezebel's hordes find him). Even so, as we (with the scholars of today as well) surmise that Jonah wrote this himself, it becomes to me a treasure to dig for, the gold of why Jonah included (by the Spirit) this discourse with the Eternal.


For this meeting, here is the current agenda:

Prayer and Thanksgiving:
Pray for the manifest presence of our Saviour! That His intention, His power, His light would break through the shells we surround ourselves in. Pray for the increase, that new ones would see the power, see the light and come to know Him. Even the increase of our experience of Christ, that we would forgo the personal life of satisfaction and lean into the practical corporate expression of the body.

Open questions:
Obviously this weeks open question is why did Jonah want God to take his life?
What was the purpose or picture of having the beasts (i.e. livestock) fast? This question eluded me, but God is faithful! The Assyrians dominated their neighbors through military advancement. Modern technology so to speak, in the form of chariots (driven by horses) and cavalry. Fasting the horses represents putting the peoples security at risk. They were willing to sacrifice one of the most important parts of their socio-economic structure in seeking the mercy of the Eternal.

Current topic:
Next up is Jonah 4:4-7. A HUGE challenge to us, in our walk, with these verses. Have you heard anything similar from the Lord? "Are you right in feeling/thinking this way?" And we get a personal miracle just for Jonah!

Conclusion:
Please forgive my wordiness this week. I can not take lightly the matters surrounding the will of the Father. I pray that grace would cover your ears anyplace where I have strayed. To seek His will, to understand what pleases God, and how that happens practically in our lives is so important. Therefore, be blessed that you were called to be in the Family! Praise God for a moment! Be well in love.

Repentance!

Welcome all, may you be blessed in this hour by the indwelling Spirit, the comforter and guide in the living word. We left Jonah proclaiming destruction upon Nineveh. Bringing forth the word of God to a people who are not of the Mosaic revelation. I keep thinking of Paul proclaiming the true circumcision being in the heart, and that Jonah's experience with God is one of separation within. Jonah is not shackled by the law, and can function in the word to a lost people.

The people believed God. That is cool. Very interesting. Here is a prophet preaching destruction, but in the word is life, and the evidence of God. They believed God, not "they believed Jonah", or any other response. So they jumped into sackcloth and proclaimed a fast. The sackcloth is not cushy burlap bags at this time in history, but thick, hot, dirty, hairy cloth which would be like curling up in a mohair carpet. They turned away from enjoyment, from food, from physical comfort to force their hearts into seeking God.

the word of God reached the king who laid aside his robe. This is relevant in that he has come out from his own authority and turned to God, acknowledging someone higher. This is the ruler of perhaps the largest empire at the time, Jonah was definitely in the flow! Now the king sat in ashes after putting on his hairy mu'u mu'u, some identify this with lowness, filth was hard to clean. I tend to see ashes as a symbol of death, that in this state one is proclaiming a need of life from God. With our own strength we can not avoid death.

Now the king makes a proclamation, a decree of fasting, of personal sacrifice, no comfort for any. Evey the beasts were included. In addition, " ... let them cry mightily unto God ..." Here is the king of a empire that plundered, pillaged, and generally destroyed anyone around, including the people of God, who now commands his people to cry unto the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Finally the king exhorts all to turn from their evil way. To turn from the violence that is in his hands. This absolutely amazes me. Jonah is the vehicle of God's word. That word is one of destruction, yet with the life and love of God within. The people hear the word, and even the king repents. The word from the king is one of calling on God, of repentance, of fasting and praying. Are not these words of the king our expectation of the gospel? Is the king of Assyria's proclamation the gospel of life as well? Something to ponder.

When I was letting these verses soak, especially the term "violence that is in his hands", I kept thinking of Cain. Cain was Abel's brother, and a representation of the natural man. Abel sacrificed unto God what was acceptable, but God rejected Cain's offering. Cain's "evil way" was envy, jealousy of his brothers position, and unwillingness to submit to God. The result of envy was violence. Even that he slew his own brother. Does the king of Nineveh recognize the heart of the natural man?

What amazing verses! I am strengthened by the word. Even in the singular point, the core principle, it is for all of us. Let all cry mightily unto God! Each of us can heed this word, in joy, in sorrow, from high or low places. The answer is to subjugate the natural man, and let the inner man cry out mightily to God! We don't need sackcloth or ashes, we have been baptised into His death! We put on the cross, a more perfect ministry. Praise God for this life giving reality.

For this meeting, here is the current agenda:

Prayer and Thanksgiving:
Thank the Lord for each minute of life with Him. Each hour of being together with the saints. Each day spent with family and friends. Let us seek corporately this week the release of any curses upon members of the body. Ask God to reveal any ties we have to this dead realm, that we could break them practically. Pray for freedom!

Open questions:
What was the purpose or picture of having the beasts (i.e. livestock) fast?

Current topic:
Next up is Jonah 3:9,10 and 4:1-3. Two separate topics, but each contains a similar principle. The core for next time is inside of Jonah. What is the anger really? What does it represent?

Conclusion:
May all receive great Grace in the coming week. The cares and stress of this world are no match for the indwelling life! Lord, release to each who are reading, even at this time, a measure of Your peace. Bring us into alignment with the highest purpose. Free our wills to choose the path of life each hour, to follow on after You. Be glorified in the good works You have prepared for use to walk.

Jonah Preaches

Death, burial, and resurrection! This is the message of the cross. This is the ministry of our Messiah. This is the core of the Christian life. We are baptised into his death. Reckoned dead to sin by His supreme sacrifice. And by the new life He gave us, we bury our baggage. We leave the natural man in the dead realm. By this we find transformation, resurrection of a man inside who is not subject to death. How incredibly awesome is that!

But what does this new man do? What is the result of walking this path? Well, we have reached some verses that can bring light. Jonah is fresh from the experience of death, burial, and resurrection. Of course, he is a living prophecy, a picture to the world revealing the nature of our Messiah, and his salvation was by the hand of God as a display of the coming perfection. But I believe that the progression from Jonah's salvation to the preaching of God's word in Nineveh is a glorious continuation of His purpose.

Jonah responds to the call, and heads out on the month long trek to Nineveh. Perhaps he makes the trip with joy and thanksgiving? When he arrives, he begins to speak, walking throughout the city proclaiming its destruction in forty days. It is the the word of God that leads to life! He preaches the cross here, even the judgement of God upon the flesh. For us now, Jesus is the complete fulfillment of this ministry. The gospel of Jesus is one of destruction, even His life in exchange for ours. The perfect judgement of God has been decreed upon all. All have fallen short of His purpose.

It is this word of destruction that Jonah speaks. We may infer many things about what he said, who he talked too. Or weather he just went about yelling at the top of his lungs "Destruction! Forty days left for Nineveh!" No matter how it happened, the scripture only records the message of destruction. And that message prompted a response. This is the core of the gospel for me. The power in the word towards more life. My hope and joy is great at all the goodness He provides, at the abundance of love we share. Yet I must not shrink back from the reality that is the destruction of the natural man.

I believe Nineveh is a good parallel for our day, in this age. Perhaps number one or two at the time in largest cities throughout the world. Prosperous beyond competing societies. Powerful, full of riches. And destined for destruction. These are not the people of God (i.e. those He brought out of Egypt). In fact, the Assyrians sacked, looted, and conquered the Israelites many times. Yet our amazing Father displayed His will in Jonah. He intends for all man to believe. Salvation is for those who are destined for destruction. Directly after the "Sign of Jonah", the prophesy in picture, comes the preaching of the gospel to the world.

Can we see the amazing intention of the Eternal? More than seven hundred years before the Messiah, a living picture went out. A expression of God's will, of His love. And in these few verses, that love is the revealing light of man's condition. The proof of salvation's work in Jonah personally is displayed as evangelism to the world. And that ministry is filled with God's amazing love. Even though the message was one of destruction, even as a curse, it was light. It was truth. It was filled with compassion.

Our inner man bears witness to the message. The natural mans sees a angry vengeful God. The gospel of Christ penetrates to the core of the heart with that choice, where to dwell. What life to choose. Eternal life with the amazing Creator, or utter destruction.

As a aside, when I became a believer, I was one of the zealous sort, who annoyingly went to every person, friend and family alike, and beat them over the head with the bible. This is a defense mechanism, born of insecurity and immature faith. There are times for strong words, and times for strong light, but the life inside us delivers these by faith, and in love. By no means do I want to give an interpretation that all should go out and cry in the streets "Destruction is at hand!" Some of us may be anointed to do that. But what I see in these verses, and the encouragement I get from the Spirit, is to speak honest truth to those we share Life with. Don't shrink from sharing in love the result of living forever in darkness.

Jonah walked some 500 miles to do just that.


For this meeting, here is the current agenda:

Prayer and Thanksgiving:
Let us seek the Lord for grace and guidance to be given for the families we know. Lift up the children, that God would reveal life to them. Pray for grace upon each mother and father, that they would see with His vision how to raise up these young ones. Seek protection from the dead influences of the world upon all, especially in school. Ask for a special empowerment from the Lord for those you know with single parent households, that they would have His leadership in the home.

Open questions:
Do you think Jonah traveled to Nineveh with an entourage, an assistant?

Current topic:
Read Jonah 3:5-8 with the openness to hear the living word. Often I recite a few lines over and over, then come back to them in a couple days. It is like marinating a good steak, needs to soak for a while. Keep in mind a few thoughts: sackcloth and ashes, turning from evil, violence in hand. Anything odd strike you about the King's decree?

Conclusion:
May everyone have a fantastic week. I want to be true to the gospel this week, and speak of the cross to each that the Lord brings me in contact with. The word to the satisfied, to the consumer mentality is one of destruction. I hope that the burdens on your hearts are lifted up, share them with the body. Let us embrace one another and walk forward into the good works He has prepared.