We read in Jonah 1:7-8, Then the men said to each other, "We should throw lots to find out why this is happening to us." So the men threw lots. The lots showed that the troubles came to them because of Jonah. Then the men said to Jonah, "It is your fault that this terrible thing is happening to us. Tell us, what have you done? What is your job? Where do you come from? What is your country? Who are your people?" (ERV)
To summarize what’s happened up until now, God’s word came to the prophet Jonah to go to Nineveh to preach against it. However, Jonah disobeyed God’s command, and got into a ship to flee to Tarshish. God allowed a furious storm which caused everyone on the ship to be filled with dread. As each man called out to his god, the shipmaster went to the lower part of the ship to find Jonah in deep sleep. Jonah was awakened and beckoned to call on his God. All efforts to lighten the ship and all their best efforts proved futile against the terrible tempest that confronted them. It was then that the mariners perceived that there was someone on the ship who was responsible for this unmanageable tempest that they were encountered with. They cast then lots to find out who the offender was, and they found that Jonah was responsible.
Sometimes we think we can operate against God’s will and hide, and that we will not be found out. The fact is that irrespective of what or where we are hiding, everyone who rebels against God will certainly be discovered. There are those who are doing many things secretly believing that no one will ever know what they are up to. Let us be reminded today that there is nothing hidden from the view of the Almighty God.
Nothing is hidden from God
This incident in the life of Jonah, reminds us of another event that took place in the early church.
Ananias and Sapphira were exposed
We read in Acts 5:1-2, But there was a certain man named Ananias who, with his wife, Sapphira, sold some property. He brought part of the money to the apostles, claiming it was the full amount. With his wife’s consent, he kept the rest. (NLT)
There was a couple named Ananias and Sapphira, who were so impressed by the life of the apostles, but sadly failed to be sensitive to the promptings of the Holy Spirit inside of them. The early church believers sold their properties and willingly laid them at the apostle’s feet. I guess that when they did so, they must have been appreciated and approved by the apostles and the leaders in the church. As this became known to all, I guess the majority of the believers wanted to be part of this great move of the Holy Spirit to share their possessions with others.
Ananias and Sapphira who observed this practice also desired to do their part. Something important to take note of is the fact that there was no rule or obligation for believers to sell their property and give to the church. Everyone did so willingly, and out of no compulsion whatsoever. Ananias and Sapphira too sold some property, but deceitfully held back part of it. Ananias brought the rest, and left it at the apostle’s feet as though it was the full amount of their sales. Their thought was that this deceptive plot of theirs would remain between the two of them, and would not in any way be disclosed to others. They must have assumed that the elders in the church were mere men who would never get to know their secret.
Often we may observe ministers of God from a worldly point of view, and fail to perceive the Holy Spirit of God who is at work in and through them. There are some who will make a vow to the Lord that they would do certain things if their prayers were answered. God will give a favorable reply, but once their request is granted, they will forget their part of the deal that they made to God or be hesitant to fulfill the same.
God is all-knowing and He can discern the secret thoughts of all men. Nothing in all of creation is hidden from His sight. That’s the reason why when some people work against ministers of God, the Holy Spirit of God Himself will reveal these things to them.
We read in Acts 5:3, God revealed their secret to Peter, so he said to him, “Ananias, why did you let Satan fill your heart and make you think you could lie to the Holy Spirit? You only pretended to give it all, yet you hid back part of the proceeds from the sale of your property to keep for yourselves.(TPT)
When Ananias brought the money to hand it over to the apostles, the above were the words of Peter to Ananias. Instantly the Holy Spirit of God revealed this truth to Peter, that without a moment’s hesitation he revealed the hidden sin of Ananias and his wife. Peter declared that the lie that was told was against the Holy Spirit who is present everywhere, and knows everything. Peter also asked them why they had allowed Satan to fill their heart.
No room for lying
There are many for whom telling lies seems insignificant and acceptable. The problem about lies is that if we do not deal with it immediately, one lie leads to another, and before we know it this becomes a habit. There are no small lies or big lies before God, and we must be cautious to not allow any untruthful speech to proceed from our mouth. Often lies are told as a means to cover up something with the thought that it will not be discovered by others.
The story is told of four students who skipped their exam and went out for an outing. Since the four of them always travelled to and from college together in the same vehicle, the professor on the next day wanted to know what kept them from attending classes on the previous day. They all promptly replied that their car tyre was punctured, and that this prevented them from attending the exam. The professor agreed to conduct the exam again for them. The professor being a wise man, made all four of them sit at different places in the class room, and asked them this one question, ‘Which tyre in the car got punctured?’. Once can imagine the fix they were all in. Sounds funny, but if we cannot escape being found out by mere men, how can we even imagine that we will escape from our Almighty and All-Knowing God.
Since the early church was a Spirit-filled and Spirit-led church, one may wonder as to how this was a possibility that Satan could fill someone’s heart? Let us realize that Satan is the father of lies, but these lies will have no way of entering our lives unless we give the enemy permission to do so. Only if we open the door for lying will Satan gain entry into our lives. I have observed that many believer’s back-sliding begins with lies. For instance, they will avoid coming to church and if you ask them why they did not come, instead of giving the true reason, they will cite their ill-health as the reason. As parents if we practice the habit of lying, we should not be surprised if our children do the same. Let us learn to speak the truth with no concealment, for this is what truly pleases the Lord.
The Questions Jonah was asked
We read in Jonah 1:8, Then they said to him, “Tell us on whose account this evil has come upon us. What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?” (ESV)
There were four questions that the men on the ship asked Jonah. These questions pertained to his occupation, his country and the people he belonged to.
1. What is your occupation?
The first question that the mariners asked Jonah was, “What is your occupation?”
Generally when we meet someone for the first time, in the first five minutes or so, one of the frequent questions will be with regard to their occupation. Sadly, many people will pursue the relationship with the person or abruptly end it based on this answer. Often many want to pursue a relationship with someone only if there is some sort of benefit in it from them. Hence, a person who has no job or is doing a menial job is considered insignificant. We must keep in mind that our jobs are not guaranteed to us permanently. During this recent pandemic we might have heard of many who lost their jobs most unexpectedly. It is therefore good to remind ourselves that we should judge nobody based on their occupation.
If this question was thrown to the church, I wonder what the answer would be? It is woeful that today the church has become an institution to do the mundane like conducting naming ceremonies, weddings and funerals. Of course there is also the regular programs like the weekly services and special meetings. However, the purpose of the church as taught by the word of God is to share the good news to all the world. This responsibility is not for an exclusive few who are in leadership positions. This is the mandate to every believer who has tasted the goodness of the Lord and have received His bountiful blessings, they are obligated to share these testimonies with everyone they meet.
When Jesus commenced His ministry, He chose men whom He sent ahead of Him to various towns and villages to preach the good news of the Kingdom. So many are content that they are good believers who mind their own business, and are not a trouble to others, but we forget the fact that we have been called and blessed by God to be those who will share these blessings with others. It is our bounden duty as believers to share the good news with everyone.
Have you noticed how we have no inhibitions to share so many other things? For example we have a meal at a newly opened restaurant, we right away share our experience with our friends and acquaintances. We don’t do this because the restaurant manager paid us to do so, but simply because we liked the food, and want to share this joy with others.
Let me give you another common example from our everyday experience. Suppose a person with an ailment goes to many reputed hospitals to get treated and had no relief. At such a juncture, let’s say he finds this small hospital that gives free treatment, and to his surprise the ailment is totally cured. What do you think he would do? If he is a grateful person, he will certainly share about this hospital, and his experience with others. How much more should we who have enjoyed the favor and blessings of the Lord on our life, be filled with thankfulness and share this with everyone who comes along our way. Our desire should be that the joy and peace that is ours should be experienced by all those around us as well.
The primary responsibility of the church is to share the good news of the gospel, and the next is to make disciples of the Lord Jesus. Good news is sharing the gospel with those who have never heard, and disciple-making is to help those who have heard the good news to grow to a higher level in their commitment to Christ. If we as a church do not fulfill this task, we have failed in accomplishing the very purpose for which Christ established the church
2. Where do you come from?
The second question that was asked Jonah was “Where do you come from?”
If this question were posed to the church here is what we should be able to say. The church is not a building. Often the picture that will come to the mind of many when we mention church is a building, but this is not so, as a building can be broken down at any time. Jesus told Peter in Matthew 16:18, “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” (ESV). Church is a group of believers gathering together in His name which no one can destroy, and that is why Jesus said that wherever two or three gather His name, He is there in the midst of them.
We read in Acts 20:28, Be careful for yourselves and for all the people God has given you. The Holy Spirit gave you the work of caring for this flock. You must be shepherds to the church of God, the people he bought with his own blood. (ERV)
The church belongs to the Lord, and He is the sole owner as He purchased the church with His own precious blood. No one on earth can claim that the church belongs to them. Jesus paid the price for the church with His own precious blood, and those who can comprehend this will willingly pay any price for the well-being of the church.
There were many missionaries in days gone by who took arduous journeys across the globe, and many of them made hefty sacrifices to proclaim the good news of the gospel, and share the love of Christ to those who did not know. They sacrificed their families, comforts, had dangers in their journeys, faced opposition, but they never wavered in their commitment to spread the love of Christ. This was simply because they knew that Jesus made a supreme sacrifice by shedding His precious blood for the sake of the church.
We also read in Hebrews 12:23, And as members of the church of the Firstborn all our names have been legally registered as citizens of heaven! (TPT)
In certain places we may have been threatened that if we do not comply with certain rules our name will be removed from the enrolment. However, we must rejoice that our names as believers, have been written in the book of life in heaven. Every one of us are therefore members of the church of the firstborn. The Jews considered the firstborn special and dedicated the child to the Lord. So also all of us are members of the church, we are the firstborn and we belong to Christ. It is the assembly of such a group of believers that makes up the church.
3. Which is your country?
This was the third question that was asked Jonah, ‘Which is your country?’
Here’s another question that often pops up when we meet someone for the first time. Especially for those who live in a country far from their homeland, when they get to meet someone who is from their same city and also speaks the same language, there is great excitement over such a connection.
If the church were to be asked which country we belong to, I wonder what our reply would be?
Paul says it this way in Philippians 3:20, But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.(ESV)
Let us always be mindful that we are citizens of heaven, who are eagerly awaiting the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. . We are only strangers and pilgrims on earth, which means that we are ever mindful of the fact that we have our home eternal in the heavens. If we can keep this thought foremost in our minds, we will live cautiously for we know that we are just sojourners on this earth. If someone were to ask us which country we belong to, we can confidently say, we are citizens of a heavenly kingdom. Every country sends their ambassadors or representatives to other countries. Their job is to keep their own country informed about the developments and proceedings in the country that they have been delegated to. So also, we are ambassadors of God’s kingdom, and we should proclaim the wonders of His kingdom to everyone we meet.
4. What people are you?
The fourth question that was asked Jonah was, ‘What people are you?’
This is another common question and today humanity is widely divided based on this answer. Everyone who has made Jesus Christ the Lord and Savior of their lives will not pride themselves about the people group they represent. On the other hand, having understood who they really are, they will glorify God in every way.
We read in 1 Peter 2:9, But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. (NLT)
Look at all that the Lord has bestowed on those who have become His children. Most importantly we are called to be a holy people, set apart for God. There are therefore only two distinctions that God makes with human beings, those who are holy and those who choose to stay defiled and in rebellion against God.
This call to holiness is not found only in the New Testament. These are the words of God to Moses as found in Exodus 19:6, “and you shall be to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.” (ESV)
God had choses the people of Israel to be His own special nation. That is the same call of God to every one of us who are believers, to be a holy people.
In conclusion, there are two important aspects we looked at in this study. Firstly, there is nothing that can be done concealed, that will be hidden from the sight of God. Therefore, there should be no place for lies or deception in our lives. Secondly, we discovered who we are as a church, where we came from, and what God’s purpose is for us as the church today. Let us constantly be reminded of who we are and do everything we can so that the Lord will be glorified in and through our lives.
Rev. F. Andrew Dixon
www.goodnewsfriends.net
Transcribed by: Sis. Esther Collins
