THE STUBBORN EVANGELIST: PART TWO (2 OF 4)
by Scott Maze
The Stubborn Evangelist: Part Two (2 of 4)
Series: The Stubborn Evangelist
Scott Maze
Jonah 2
Today we continue a four part series entitled Jonah: The Stubborn Evangelist. Many of you know the story of Jonah, a man on the run from God. Many of us know this as an amusing story about a prophet and a ''whale.'' Yet, Jonah is also a man on the run from his responsibility - to share the message of God's mercy to others. And this is what Jonah is really about - first experiencing God's mercy and then extending God's mercy. And it's just this reason why Jonah shows his stubbornness. For he hates his enemies and does not want to show God's mercy to them.
God had commanded Jonah to speak His message to Nineveh, a city that is on the edge of Mosul, Iraq today. At the very mention of the city of Nineveh, Jonah revolts from God and runs from God. Jonah's association with this area remains well-known as there is an old Muslim mosque and cemetery on the site called the Tomb of Jonah. And all throughout this short story is one where Jonah is in flight; it's also one where God is in pursuit. And in the end, it's God's pursuit that eventually extinguishes Jonah's rebellion.
Jonah's life is really one of a boomerang for he ends up in the very place that ran from in the beginning. For four chapters we witness Jonah's futile flight as well as God's persistent pursuit. Today we see the story from the bottom of the Mediterranean Ocean where Jonah has been swallowed by a fish. And it is from the vantage point of a seabed that God captures both Jonah and his attention.
Today's Scripture
Let's listen to his prayer together:
And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. 1 Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish, 2 saying,
''I called out to the Lord, out of my distress,
and he answered me;
out of the belly of Sheol I cried,
and you heard my voice.
3 For you cas ...
Series: The Stubborn Evangelist
Scott Maze
Jonah 2
Today we continue a four part series entitled Jonah: The Stubborn Evangelist. Many of you know the story of Jonah, a man on the run from God. Many of us know this as an amusing story about a prophet and a ''whale.'' Yet, Jonah is also a man on the run from his responsibility - to share the message of God's mercy to others. And this is what Jonah is really about - first experiencing God's mercy and then extending God's mercy. And it's just this reason why Jonah shows his stubbornness. For he hates his enemies and does not want to show God's mercy to them.
God had commanded Jonah to speak His message to Nineveh, a city that is on the edge of Mosul, Iraq today. At the very mention of the city of Nineveh, Jonah revolts from God and runs from God. Jonah's association with this area remains well-known as there is an old Muslim mosque and cemetery on the site called the Tomb of Jonah. And all throughout this short story is one where Jonah is in flight; it's also one where God is in pursuit. And in the end, it's God's pursuit that eventually extinguishes Jonah's rebellion.
Jonah's life is really one of a boomerang for he ends up in the very place that ran from in the beginning. For four chapters we witness Jonah's futile flight as well as God's persistent pursuit. Today we see the story from the bottom of the Mediterranean Ocean where Jonah has been swallowed by a fish. And it is from the vantage point of a seabed that God captures both Jonah and his attention.
Today's Scripture
Let's listen to his prayer together:
And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. 1 Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish, 2 saying,
''I called out to the Lord, out of my distress,
and he answered me;
out of the belly of Sheol I cried,
and you heard my voice.
3 For you cas ...
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