The tension of the narrative is created in first three verses of the book of Jonah. God has called, and the prophet has run away; God commanded him to “get up,” Jonah “went down;” God called to go northeast to Nineveh, and he drudged 60 miles southwest to the port of Joppa; from receiving the Word of the Lord, Jonah sought to flee the presence of the Lord. At Joppa, Jonah found just what he was looking for – a ship headed for Tarshish. The rapidity of these successive events is striking – here we are, only 3 verses into the text, and so much has already transpired! What next?
Though things may have seemed to slow down for Jonah, as he settled into the lower deck of the ship and fell fast asleep, the Lord would not allow him to continue comfortably in his rebellion. So the LORD sent a great wind on the sea; but this storm was not the chaotic retributive act of an angry vengeful deity, but a very specific and deliberate act of a loving God. Rather than a random wind and tempest, this storm had a merciful and salvific intent. The storm that hit Jonah's get-away ship was a storm of the Lord. Just as was the case when Jesus stilled the storm on the Sea of Galilee, the winds and the waves obeyed Him, as they precisely hit Jonah's ship. The Lord was working out His purpose to save His prophet and His people. Jonah's storm is no coincidence, it is no act of an unaffected “mother nature,” much less is it a fable; it is God's providential action, with the atmospheric elements doing His bidding.
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“ Great Sermon! ” The Only Hope for America is an Outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
God is Spirit. Therefore, pray in the spirit. Be filled with the spirit. Jesus said "The words that I speak unto you are spirit and they are life (John 6). Praying is worship. They that worship God must worship in spirit and in truth. Thy word is truth. The word of God is sharper than any two-edged sword. With gentleness and meekness, speak truth to thy neighbor. God sought us out to worship Him in spirit and in truth.
The spiritual man, the regenerated twice born believer, has God's promise that His will will be done if we seek His righteousness and His kingdom first.
So let us storm the gates of heaven in prayer that our great and merciful Redeemer be revealed to the lost, in every place and situation, that the Spirit of God be poured out upon the souls of man; that pain suffered in the storm not be in vain. May all suffering be redemptive for His name's sake. To God be the glory in every storm.
He is too lovely for us to keep Him from the eyes of others.
Let us meet Jesus once again at the well and drink of waters springing up to everlasting life.
Un Identified (4/10/2015)
from Everywhere
“ Great Sermon! ” Mephibosheth, you get it!
Ninevah, Samaria, Jericho, and other abandoned cities need us. We can't simply know about the idolatry and sin only to make a sermon from it. We need to go into that town with the gospel. The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation.
Sermons today are simply making believers knowledgeable about what is wrong with the world we were once a part of. Saints need to be equipped with the word; which is sharper than a two-edged sword, so that it cuts through stinkin thinkin - anti-biblical views. And always with love. That love which God hath shed in the hearts of all the redeemed, and with gentleness.
Rock the boat. Invite a lost soul to dinner. It just might hold back an impending storm.
Mephibosheth (4/9/2015)
from The King's Table
“ Self Satisfied. ” Wow. That's The Most Dangerous Place To Be.
A native of New York, Pastor LoSardo was saved by the grace of God in 1986 after hearing the Gospel from his brother, while pursuing a career in scientific research. He was ordained into the ministry in 1995 and served as the Associate Pastor of a large Messianic Congregation...
