-
Becoming World Class Christians Series
Contributed by Glenn Pease on Apr 9, 2021 (message contributor)
Summary: God was the God of Israel and Jonah wanted to keep it that way. He did not want every Tom, Dick, and Harry of the pagan world finding out about the real God. Let them perish with their stupid man-made idols. That is what they deserve.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- Next
Trying to be a world class Christian can be a world class
pain. Ralph Hult learned this the hard way. This Nebraska
born Swede at age 32 went to Africa as a missionary, but on
his first furlough in 1926 he was told there was no money to
send him back. So he started a fruit farm near Springfield,
Missouri. He was quite fruitful himself in that he had 10
children with his wife. He wanted to start a home mission
church, but again he was told there was no money available.
It was 1941 before the board could send him back to Africa,
and then two years later he died of a heart attack.
His story sounds like a good reason not to bother with a
world vision. But his story does not end with his death. His
world class perspective was passed on, and 5 of his children
became missionaries to Africa and other nations. His
attitudes and values live on and fulfill the Great Commission
of our Lord. The reason I start with this true story of a
missionary who did not accomplish a great deal with his own
efforts, yet did a lot by his attitudes, is because that is the
key to being a world class Christian. You can read mission
books by the dozens, and even go to the mission field, and
still not be a world class Christian. It is not where you go
and what you do, but it is your spirit that makes you a world
class Christian.
Jonah is the best example in the Bible of a missionary
who did not have a world class spirit. He went to Nineveh
and preached the message God gave him, but he did not
have the spirit of God at all. Jonah cared only about Israel
and not the rest of the world, which was full of mere Gentile
dogs. God was the God of Israel and He wanted to keep it
that way. He did not want every Tom, Dick, and Harry of
the pagan world finding out about the real God. Let them
perish with their stupid man-made idols. That is what they
deserve.
In Jonah we see the dark side that can be in even the
most godly people. They can be so narrow in their
perspective that they do not care about people who are not
like them. They want God to love and care for them
exclusively, and not waste His time with the worthless of the
world. As far as Jonah was concerned, he wanted God to
forsake the Gentile scum and just focus on blessing the
people of Israel. When God had compassion on the people
of Nineveh because they repented it made Jonah angry. He
threw a hissy fit like none other we find in the Bible. He was
so thoroughly discussed with God's love for these people that
he did not want to live anymore. He did not want to live in a
world where God loved everybody.
I have heard people say, "Who wants to bring a child into
this evil fouled up world where there is so much hatred and
violence." But here is a man of God saying, "I can't stand
living in a world where there is so much love and grace
shown to people who deserve to be wiped out. If that is the
way God is going to be, then get me out of here, for I'd
rather be dead." If you think that a man of God cannot be
filled with bitter prejudice against those who are not of the
same race or religion, you had better think again, for here is
a biblical prophet who reeks with the foul stench of putrid
prejudice.
You can't get any worse than Jonah, for he was mad at
God for not conforming to his self-centered conviction that
the Ninevites did not deserve to live. Jonah would have
loved to fire God and get a new God on the throne who
could see the need to narrow his focus and knock off this
concern for the whole world. Godly people do not life God
when He cares too much about the ungodly. The godly
leaders of Israel killed the Son of God because He cared
about people they knew better than to care about. Here is
the ultimate idolatry. It is the worshipping of your own
feelings, convictions, and opinions. Even God is rejected by
those who make these things their God.
The world is filled with people who are angry at God
because He will not conform to their bigoted view point. He
goes on loving Ninevites and other minorities all over the
world just like someone who never reads the paper to see
how despicable they can really be. God would be a lot more