We read in Jonah 1:11, Then they said to him, "What shall we do to you, that the sea may be calm to us?" For the sea was raging and growing more tempestuous. (AFV)
The events that preceded this verse were that the ship on which Jonah voyaged was faced with a severe tempest. The mariners somehow realized that someone on that ship was responsible for the furious storm that they encountered. They cast lots and found that Jonah was the one who had disobeyed God. God’s instruction to Jonah was straight forward. He was asked him to go and preach against the city of Nineveh. Jonah who did not wish to obey God, went in the opposite direction towards Tarshish. Now that Jonah was found out, the men on the ship asked him what they were to do for the tempest to subside. They knew that if the storm continued, their ship would be destroyed, and all of them would lose their lives in the bargain.
No one should ever think that they can disobey God, and escape without being found out, for that is an unwise thought. God knows everything, and there is nothing that is hidden from His sight. The sins that some people commit, not only affects them, but also has adverse effects on the lives of those around them.
As we continue to compare the life of Jonah with the church today, we will try to understand what the Lord is teaching us through this incident. None of the people aboard the ship that Jonah voyaged in anticipated that they would encounter a tumultuous situation. They probably assumed that they would have a safe journey to their desired destination. The reason for this calamity was the disobedience of one man, who decided to walk away from God’s command.
Even in the church there are those people who are trouble makers. Initially one cannot identify them as they too seem to blend in and enjoy being part of the fellowship. However as time goes by, we can identify them as those who will create all sorts of problems and issues. In Jonah’s case they found out the person responsible by casting lots, which is not a probability in a church. Nonetheless, we have the responsibility to identify such people in our midst. Let us look at some of the ways we can recognize such people.
Forgive each other as Christ forgave
We read in Colossians 3:13, Tolerate the weaknesses of those in the family of faith, forgiving one another in the same way you have been graciously forgiven by Jesus Christ. If you find fault with someone, release this same gift of forgiveness to them. (TPT)
As human beings whenever we come together, we will have to deal with each other’s weaknesses. There will be difference of opinion in various matters. Nonetheless, we must be willing to forgive one another, the exact same way Jesus forgives us. The forgiveness that Jesus offers is unconditional, and we find it hard to share this kind of forgiveness with those who offend us in any way. Sometimes when there is a trivial matter, instead of sorting it out with the person concerned, there are those who seeking to justify themselves, will share this with others, and complain about the one who offended them. They are desperate for the support of people, and would delight to have more people on their side. If we come across such people, we should most certainly be wary of them. If the church were likened to the ship that Jonah travelled in, we should be very careful about those who hinder the progress of the Church of God.
1. Learning to speak right
We read in Proverbs 16:28, Troublemakers are always causing problems. Their gossip breaks up the closest of friends. (ERV)
There are two kind of people Proverbs talks about. One group are troublemakers who create confusion and chaos in a place where there is peace and harmony. The other group are those who gossip, and the trouble with such people is that they will never speak about the issues to the person concerned, but will speak about it to everyone else. If we want to progress in our faith walk with the Lord, it is imperative that we avoid such people.
Nowhere can we find a church that is without fault. When we come across such failings, we must make sure to share them with those who can help set them right. Never share these things with those who are not connected to the problems as it only causes division.
Proverbs 16:28 warns us that a person who gossips can even separate very close friends. If we face a situation where someone comes and gossips to us about someone else, we must firstly discern as to what their purpose is for doing so. Secondly, we must also be cautious as the ones who gossip to us will also gossip about us.
Many churches have been challenged with disharmony and divisions simply because of those few troublemakers and busybodies. These people will rock the boat and cause enormous confusion within the body of Christ, just as Jonah did on that ship.
How do we handle divisive people?
Paul says it this way in Romans 16:17, And now, dear brothers and sisters, I’d like to give one final word of caution: Watch out for those who cause divisions and offenses among you. When they antagonize you by speaking of things that are contrary to the teachings that you’ve received, don’t be caught in their snare! (TPT)
Here the word of God cautions us about those who cause division, and offences in the church, and to specially to be discreet about those who teach doctrines that are contrary to God’s word. We are not expected to correct them, counsel them or explain things to them, but rather to avoid those who are divisive. If we do not obey God’s word, and stay away from such people, we will surely fall prey to their trap.
2. Wrong place wrong time
Jonah was the prophet who was supposed to be in Nineveh preaching to them. Instead he was in a ship that was heading in an entirely opposite direction. When Jonah put himself in a place where he should not be, the consequence was trouble for the entire crew who were on that ship.
When David stayed back
We read in 2 Samuel 11:2, One evening he got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of his house. From there he saw a woman bathing. She was very beautiful, (ERV)
In the above mentioned verse we read about King David who walked around on the roof of his palace, and set his eyes on a woman who was bathing. The root of the problem did not begin here but it commenced much earlier.
We read in 2 Samuel 11:1, In the spring, when kings go out to war, David sent Joab, his officers, and all the Israelites out to destroy the Ammonites. Joab's army surrounded their capital city, Rabbah. David stayed in Jerusalem. (ERV)
God chose David from being a shepherd boy, and anointed him to be king over Israel. As a king instead of being at war, as was the custom for all kings, David chose to stay back in Jerusalem, and sent all of his men and armies to war. David wanted to enjoy the comforts of his palace, and the consequence was that he fell into adultery. Not only did David commit adultery he also covered his sin with deceit and murder. David was the King of Israel, and he had wives, but it was his lethargy in not being where he should have been that caused him to fall into sin. This caused a great setback for David in his life, as the Lord was totally displeased with him.
When we don’t spend time on our knees fighting our battles, we can be certain that we will surely be trapped by the schemes of the enemy. Every day we must begin the day on our knees in God’s presence, committing ourselves to the Lord, surrendering our all to Him, seeking His strength for all the challenges for only then God will counsel, lead us and teach us how to live each day. Only when we depend on God this way can we overcome the lust of the flesh that we struggle against.
Watch and pray
Jesus said these words to His disciples in the Garden of Gethsamane in Matthew 26:40-41, Then he went back to his followers and found them sleeping. He said to Peter, "Could you men not stay awake with me for one hour? Stay awake and pray for strength against temptation. Your spirit wants to do what is right, but your body is weak." (TNT)
Here the Lord Jesus encouraged His disciples to watch and pray with Him, so that they would not enter into temptation. There are many who struggle to spend time in prayer. Every time they want to pray they are overcome with sleep or tiredness. The Lord reminds us that our bodies are weak, but the Lord is able to strengthen our frail bodies. Many have the good intention to begin the day with prayer, but they get caught up with the business of their morning chores. They then think they could do it later, but this becomes impossible with the hectic schedules of each day, and finally at night they are too tired to spend meaningful time with the Lord.
Let us be reminded that David was the chief musician, who praised God like none other. However, when David put himself in a place where he should not have been, there was a major moral failure, the consequence of which affected David, his family and his entire kingdom. May we decide to rebuild our prayer life and wait on the Lord, for the word of God promises us that those who do so will renew their strength and rise up like eagles. If we neglect prayer for any reason, the flesh will take over and we will be defeated.
3. To do or not to do
The people of Israel were challenged with the mighty city of Jericho with its formidable walls, as they advanced toward the Promise Land. When they thought they were faced with an impossible situation, the Lord Himself fought for them, and won a mighty victory over Jericho. However, when they progressed and went on to capture the city of Ai which was insignificant compared to Jericho, they encountered total defeat. It was at this point that Joshua and the leaders sought the Lord with tears to find out the reason for this defeat.
We read in Joshua 7:8, O Lord, what can I say, when Israel has turned their backs before their enemies! (ESV)
These are the words of the Lord in response in Joshua 7:11, Israel has sinned; they have transgressed my covenant that I commanded them; they have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen and lied and put them among their own belongings. (ESV)
These were the sins that the Lord held against the Israelites.
They broke the covenant
They took the devoted things
They coveted
They deceived
They hid them among their belongings
Though there was one man who sinned, the Lord pronounced that Israel had sinned, and broken their covenant with God. They had taken the devoted things that God had forbidden them to take and hid them. They also coveted and stole things that they were prohibited to take.
Being baptized and becoming a part of a Church to fellowship and worship is the first step towards growing in the nature of Christ. But often we allow bitterness to take root in our hearts, and keep it hidden, not realizing how deep these roots can go. Someone said it this way, ‘if we harbor bitterness in our hearts against someone, hoping things will go bad for them, it is likened to a man who consumes poison meant for a rat, and then eagerly waits for the rat to die’. Bitterness is harmful and instead of concealing this inside, it is far better to forgive and let go of all our ill-feelings towards others. Let us decide to forgive others just the way God forgives us. When God forgives, he never keeps record of our wrongs and will not hold it against us forever.
The word of God clearly admonishes us that none of us have the right to pass judgement on others, because judgment belongs to God who is just. We do not have the right to judge if a person is right or wrong, but we must have the discernment to know that kind of spirit that is in a person. Since as human beings we are not in a position to comprehend the entirety of a situation, the Lord exhorts us to refrain from judging others. Often times these judgments are faulty, because they are based on one person’s opinion, and can be biased. To judge others means to take into our hands what belongs to the Lord and do with it as we wish.
The other thing that God held against the Israelites was that they deceived God. To deceive means to have something in your heart, and to say something contrary on the outside. Actually there was only one man Achan who took the devoted things and hid them in his tent unknowns to anyone. Whatever we do, we must realize that we can hide things from the sight of men, but nothing is hidden from the eyes of God. It is important that we set right in our life all those areas where we are lacking, and are failing to live up to God’s expectation of us. There are so many in the church who have been members for long years, but have not allowed the word of God to bring transformation to their lives.
There are many who complain about the faults of the church. Think about this, there was no one who was as perfect as Jesus, no one who could teach like Jesus did, who was a perfect example in word and deed. Interestingly, among His disciples was one who betrayed Him. Notice how Judas Iscariot broke the covenant with the Lord, took what did not belong to him, coveted, deceived and hid the truth. Judas had his heart in two places, he wanted to be with Jesus, but also wanted to have a part of this world.
If the church were likened to the church that Jonah voyaged in, the question is ‘Who are the ones who can wreck the progress of the church, from fulfilling God’s purposes?’ They are those who do not speak what they are supposed to at the appropriate place. Let us ask God for wisdom to speak where we should, and to remain silent where we should. We must also continue in prayer, in reading of the word, and in fellowship with believers. If we avoid this, we will end up being in the place where we are not supposed to be. We also saw the life of Achan, who had seen the wonders of God at Jericho, but failed to obey God, not realizing that God was watching. This one man caused a huge defeat to the people of Israel. It would be beneficial for us do only those things that God wants us to do all the time.
May this be our prayer to the Lord that whichever church we belong to, we will be a blessing, and support to the growth and progress of the church. Let us never be a hindrance to this expansion of God’s kingdom in any way. We also need to have the discernment to identify those who cause trouble and division, and be sure to stay away from them. Let us run with patience and with perseverance to accomplish the ministry that God has entrusted to us. Jonah disobeyed and was found out. We can be sure that those who cause peril to the church will certainly be found out, and dealt with accordingly, and there is no doubt about it. May God help us to be a blessing to our families, our neighbors, at our work place and to everyone we meet in society.
Rev. F. Andrew Dixon
www.goodnewsfriends.net
Transcribed by: Sis. Esther Collins
