The Reluctant Missionary, August 24, 2014

The Reluctant Missionary

Jonah 1:1-10, Matthew 5:43-48

Grace Presbyterian Church

August 24, 2014

Rev. Dr. Richard E. Miller

 

Introduction  This is the story of God, a man, a command, a ship, a great fish, and a wicked city. It might be a television mini-series, but it isn’t. Instead, it is the saga of Jonah being commanded by God to go to Nineveh and tell the people to repent of their sins. Captured in his adventure are many of the same human emotions and responses that we feel when God asks us to do something we don’t want to do.

The Man Called Jonah  Let’s start by quickly reviewing the adventures of Jonah. Jonah was a Jew, born and raised in a small village about two miles north of Nazareth. Jonah was one of God’s prophets. As such, it was Jonah’s job to do or say whatever God asked. Jonah was fairly content with his job description until one day God said to him, “Go to the great city of Nineveh and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before me.” [Jonah 1:2] For Jonah to “cry out against it” meant he was to tell the people of Nineveh to repent of their sins or else suffer the consequences of God’s wrath.

Nineveh  Jonah didn’t want to do this for this reason. Nineveh was a great Gentile city on the bank of the Tigris River in present day Iraq. And it was the capital of Assyria, one of the most formidable enemies of Israel. Every Jew hated and despised all that Assyria, and particularly Ninevah, stood for. Why? Because the Ninevites didn’t believe in Yahweh, but worshiped false gods instead. Jews such as Jonah regarded that city as synonymous with the worst infamies, vicious practices and blasphemies. In the book of Nahum, Nineveh is described in this way:

“Ah! City of bloodshed, utterly deceitful, full of booty-- no end to the plunder!” [Nahum 3:1]

Thus, Jonah really despised the city of Nineveh. His greatest desire was to see the city destroyed, wiped out, and demolished. Now God asks him to actually travel to that cursed city and urge all the inhabitants to repent of their sins.  

Jonah Flees from God  But he wanted God to destroy them. So he boarded a ship headed for Tarshish, 1,500 miles west of Nineveh in Spain. But God caused a great storm to pummel the ship upon which Jonah was sailing. Both Jonah and the ship’s crew finally realized that God’s displeasure with Jonah was the cause of their troubles. So Jonah asked them throw him into the sea in order to calm the storm and save the sailors. At this point, a whale swallowed him, the storm subsided, and at the end of three days, Jonah was spewed out on dry land.

Then God asks him a second time to warn Nineveh of its sins. Jonah no longer runs away, but goes to Nineveh and urges them to repent. But when they do repent, Jonah gets really upset with God for having that much compassion Israel’s enemies. So he goes outside the city, sits down by the side of the road, and sulks in a flimsy shelter. Then God causes a great plant to grow up over night to provide him shade, but the next day the plant withers and dies. The senseless destruction of the young plant angers Jonah. Then God says to him, "Do you have a right to be angry about the vine?" "I do," he said. "I am angry enough to die." God replied, "You have been concerned about this vine, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. But Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, and many cattle as well. Should I not be concerned about that great city?" [Jonah 4:9-11] And so Jonah was taught the virtue of compassion for one’s enemies.

Sign of Jonah The experience of Jonah being in the belly of a fish for three days and then released to declare grace and mercy to the unsaved of Nineveh has been likened to the three days Jesus spent in the tomb prior to being resurrected and declaring grace and mercy to the unsaved of the world.

When the Pharisees asked Jesus for a sign, he said, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale, so will the son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” [Matthew 12:39-40]

 

 

We Are Prophets  What has the experience of Jonah have to do with us?

First of all, it shows that God loves and cares for all people - whether they are Christians or not, whether they are law-abiding or not, whether they go to church or not. How can God do this? It’s simple. God separates sin from the sinner. God hates the sin but loves the sinner. We, on the other hand, rarely separate the two. If we hate the sin, we also hate the sinner.

Second, whether or not we realize it, as with Jonah, each of us has been called to be a prophet or spokesperson for God. That is, we are called to speak and act as God wants us to. And God asks us to speak his word of love and forgiveness to those around us, including those who aren’t like us, and including our enemies.

We are Reluctant Missionaries  God asked Jonah to preach repentance to the Ninevites. Jonah ran away. Christ commissions us to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.” [Matthew 28:19] This simply means reaching out to the unchurched right here in Jefferson County and to invite them to come to Grace. But sometimes, like Jonah, we are reluctant missionaries. We try to run from God and ignore his commands. It is said that only 2% of all Christians ever invite someone to worship. And the Bama Group Research found that 73% of the unchurched have never been invited to church. It also found that 82% of the unchurched are at least somewhat likely to attend if invited.

I know that to invite someone to worship or to come to a function here at Grace can feel awkward. We are hesitant to reach out to people we don’t know, or to people that aren’t like us. Whether we realize it or not, we sometimes play God and decide for ourselves who does and does not belong in the Church of Jesus Christ. We might do this in subtle ways by deciding who we’re going to make feel welcome on Sunday mornings. If they’re not dressed right, look right, or speak right, we won’t reach out as warmly as otherwise, and inside we hope they won’t come back. The following is an illustration of this point.

Mark Comes to Church  His name is Mark. He has wild hair, wears a T-shirt with holes in it, ,jeans and no shoes. This was literally his wardrobe for his entire four years of college. He is brilliant, a bit esoteric and very, very bright. He became a Christian while attending college. Across the street from the campus is a well-dressed, very conservative church.

One day Mark decides to worship there. He’s late and arrives just before the sermon is to begin. He walks down the center aisle in his jeans, his ragged T-shirt, wild hair, and no shoes looking for a seat. The church is completely packed and he can't find a seat. By now people are looking a bit uncomfortable, but no one says anything.

Mark gets closer and closer and closer to the pulpit and, when he realizes there are no seats, he just sits down right on the carpet. By now the people are really uptight, and the tension in the air is thick. About this time, from way at the back of the church, an elder slowly makes his way toward Mark. The elder is in his eighties, has silver-gray hair, a three-piece suit, and a pocket watch. A godly man, very elegant, very dignified, very courtly. He walks with a cane and as he starts walking toward this boy, everyone is saying to themselves, “You can't blame him for telling the boy to leave. How can you expect a man of his age and of his background to understand some college kid on the floor?” It takes a long time for the elder to reach the boy. The church is utterly silent except for the clicking of the man's cane. All eyes are focused on him. You can't even hear anyone breathing. The minister can't start his sermon until the elder does what he has to do. As the elder reaches the boy, he drops his cane on the floor.

With great difficulty he lowers himself and sits down next to Mark, takes his hand to worship with him so he won't be alone. Everyone chokes up with emotion. When the minister is finally able to speak, he says, "What I'm about to preach, you may never remember. What you have just seen, you will never forget."

Remember, God isn’t asking us to go into a store, walk up to strangers, and invite them to Grace. But God is asking us to look for moments with friends and acquaintances where you can ask the simple question, “Do you have a church home?” If they say, “Yes,” then that’s great. If they say, “No” then you have an opportunity to invite them to Grace.

Hardware Clerk  Years ago, I was called to a new congregation as pastor. As we were moving in, I needed to go to the local hardware store to buy some supplies. When I was paying my bill, the clerk said, “I was just wondering. Do you have a church home? When I told him I was the new Presbyterian pastor, he was delighted. And he said, “I’ve been inviting customers to our church for over forty years. Hundreds of my invites have become members.

Waiting for the Big Gun   Leighton Ford, brother-in-law of Billy Graham, was speaking at the opening night of an open-air crusade in Halifax. Billy Graham was scheduled to speak the next night and had arrived a day early. Dr. Graham came to Leighton’s crusade and sat on the grass in the back. Because he was wearing a hat and dark glasses, no one recognized him. When Leighton issued the invitation for people to come forward to accept Christ, Billy Graham tapped a man in front of him on the shoulder and asked, “Would you like to accept Christ? I’ll be glad to walk down with you if you want to.” The man turned around, looked at Billy Graham, and then said, “Naw, I think I’ll just wait till the big gun comes tomorrow night.”

Looking for the Big Gun   As you know, the PNC is looking for a new pastor - a big gun who will help grow the congregation - someone who will lead Grace into the future as a dynamic, enthusiastic church. I say to you this morning, don’t wait for your big gun! Don’t tread water until he or she arrives. Whomever you call cannot be expected to grow the church alone! Each of you is called to reach out to the unchurched and invite them to become a part of this fantastic, dynamic outpost of the Kingdom.

Question  “What will Grace Presbyterian Church be like in ten years?” Will it be strong and healthy? Will it be a dynamic force for Christ in the community? Or will it have closed its doors? The answers to such questions will depend upon how well we fulfill the great commission of Christ. It will depend on how well we go and make disciples.

The Challenge  I challenge you this morning to do one thing this coming week - ask just one person if they have a church home. That includes you teenagers and youth as well. If they say they haven’t a church home, invite them to Grace. Ask them to come and sit with you during worship. If each of you does this, then next Sunday we’ll have another cause to celebrate. Amen.

 
Jonah 1:1-10 NRSV

Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai, saying, ‘Go at once to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before me.’ But Jonah set out to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid his fare and went on board, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord.

 But the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, and such a mighty storm came upon the sea that the ship threatened to break up. Then the mariners were afraid, and each cried to his god. They threw the cargo that was in the ship into the sea, to lighten it for them. Jonah, meanwhile, had gone down into the hold of the ship and had lain down, and was fast asleep. The captain came and said to him, ‘What are you doing sound asleep? Get up, call on your god! Perhaps the god will spare us a thought so that we do not perish.’

 The sailors said to one another, ‘Come, let us cast lots, so that we may know on whose account this calamity has come upon us.’ So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. Then they said to him, ‘Tell us why this calamity has come upon us. What is your occupation? Where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?’ ‘I am a Hebrew,’ he replied. ‘I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.’ Then the men were even more afraid, and said to him, ‘What is this that you have done!’ For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them so.

Matthew 5:43-48 NRSV

‘You have heard that it was said, “You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax-collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.