We read in Jonah 4:8, “And it came to pass, when the sun did arise, that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah, that he fainted, and wished in himself to die, and said, It is better for me to die than to live.” (KJV)
As we observe the works of God they astound us. God sent a vehement east wind, and the sole purpose of it was to see if Jonah would have a change of heart. Observe the various things God did in order to get Jonah’s attention, to help him get back on track. The storm in the sea, the big fish that swallowed Jonah, the huge gourd plant, the worm, and finally the vehement east wind. While it was God’s desire that the people of Nineveh should be saved, He was equally concerned that Jonah’s heart too should understand God’s ways, and turn towards Him.
This is also God’s will for each one of us, that we perceive His thoughts, and can comprehend His purposes for our lives. The changes in society have brought about many changes in our thoughts too, and sadly many have become strangers to the heart and will of God.
Here are some things we need to recognize about the heart of God.
1. God is compassionate
It was the compassionate heart of God that sent the Lord Jesus Christ into this world.
We read in Matthew 9:36-38, “When he saw the vast crowds of people, Jesus’ heart was deeply moved with compassion, because they seemed weary and helpless, like wandering sheep without a shepherd. He turned to his disciples and said, “The harvest is huge and ripe! But there are not enough harvesters to bring it all in. As you go, plead with the Owner of the Harvest to thrust out many more reapers to harvest his grain!” (TPT)
When Jesus preached there were thousands that thronged after Him, just to hear Him. Though most of Jesus’ teachings were done on the mountains, and in the wilderness outside the town, the crowds pursued Him since what Jesus taught them was something they did not receive at the temple. The teachings in the temple by the Pharisees were aimed at an exclusive group, and this was not available to the common people who were shunned away as sinners. John the Baptist who preceded Jesus had the tax collectors, soldiers and many other people come to him as He preached, because they were neglected elsewhere as being sinful people. The multitudes that came by foot to see Jesus, and hear Him preach were drawn to Him because of His compassion. Jesus’ teachings, deeds and miracles were all aimed at easing the burdens and pains of the people who came seeking for Him.
As Jesus beheld these huge crowds that came to Him, His heart was moved with compassion because He perceived that they were like sheep without a shepherd. No wonder then Jesus encouraged His disciples to pray much that God will send many more workers into the harvest field which was ripe and plentiful.
• Pray for more workers
Firstly, we too must pray that the Lord will raise many people who will proclaim to the world who the Lord Jesus is, and all that He is able to do for them. These are hard days when many servants of God have passed on, having completed the race that God had set for them. Anyways, if the work of the Lord must continue unhindered, we must pray more fervently. In the place of one servant of God who is no more, may we pray that the Lord will raise up hundreds to carry on His work. There is tremendous need, as we certainly require many who will go after those who are lost and share the love of Jesus with them.
• Support those who serve the Lord
Secondly, it is crucial that we stand with those who are serving the Lord, and support them in every possible way. If you observe the ministry of Jesus, He never asked for money for anything that He did, and instead He miraculously provided food for the people a couple of times when they were really hungry with the little that was available. We realize that Jesus and His disciples too had needs like food and shelter and in order for these to be met they too were in need of money.
This is how their needs were met as we read in Luke 8:2-3, “and so did some women who had been healed of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (who was called Magdalene), from whom seven demons had been driven out; Joanna, whose husband Chuza was an officer in Herod's court; and Susanna, and many other women who used their own resources to help Jesus and his disciples.” (GNB)
There were women who supported the ministry of Jesus and His disciples with their resources.
• Share the good news with everyone
Thirdly, every one of us should rise up to share the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ with others. If we truly love the Lord, we will do all that we can to serve Him.
These were the words of Jesus to Peter in John 21:17, A third time Jesus said, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" Peter became sad because Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love me?" and so he said to him, "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you!" Jesus said to him, "Take care of my sheep. (GNB)
Three times Jesus had to ask Peter if he truly loved Him. Many people infer that since Peter denied Jesus thrice, the Lord had to confirm it three times with Peter that he really loved him. When Peter affirmed it the third time with much vehemence, Jesus encouraged him to display that love in tangible ways by taking care of the sheep that were going to be entrusted to him.
So to summarize what is required of us, we must firstly pray for many more workers to be raised to serve the Lord, secondly support them in every way, and finally we ourselves must be witnesses unto the Lord wherever we are. Every day before we go to bed we should ask ourselves, ‘What did I do for the Lord today?’ This may mean enquiring after someone who is not well and praying for them, or praying along with someone who is confused about some issues in their lives. Instead, if we are only bothered about our immediate family, and just feel content to go to church once a week, we have failed to be what God intended for us to be. The Lord Jesus desires that we should be His eyes, His hands and His feet who will see, do and go out to be a blessing to those around us. Sadly, there are many who have been Christians for many generations, but have led no one to the Lord.
When we send our children to university, they graduate after three years. We rejoice and hope that they will then find good jobs, and be able to stand on their own feet. Our goal is that the education they received will be beneficial to their future. Similarly, if we are just members of a church for many years, and have not shared the loved of Christ with anyone or been a blessing to anyone, we are wasting our time. Interestingly, when a student does not complete the course on time and repeats the years over and over again, they will only become troublesome to those who are fresher’s to their class. So also, if there are people who do not do what God desires for them to do, they will become those who create issues over petty matter in the church. They will be more concerned about where they should sit, the positions they should hold, and the prominence that they should receive in church, instead of being zealous about sharing the gospel with others.
• Invite people and share the good news
If you feel diffident to share the gospel with others, there is something else that all of us can do with ease.
We read in John 1:46,"Can anything good come from Nazareth?" Nathanael asked. "Come and see," answered Philip. (GNB)
Here was an invitation that Philip gave to Nathanael to come, and see Jesus so he could listen to Him and discover who Jesus truly was.
I was watching a little video that was sent to me last week, and in that the person who was sharing gave a little summary of how the bible was written, the period over which it was written, all the opposition that came against it by so many kings, and how the bible is God’s word that is still speaking to and transforming the lives of many people all over the world. Finally, they also gave a contact number encouraging people to call them in case they wanted to receive a bible which they were willing to send freely. This was a unique ministry that they were involved in. So also, there are a myriad ways in which we can serve God if we truly desire to do so.
All of us were living in sin, when somebody proclaimed who Jesus was to us, we accepted Him and over the years many people displayed God’s love to us, and taught us the word. Today we have the assurance that we will be with the Lord when we die. However, this good news should be shared with those around us. A simple tract or a bible can be shared to those who don’t know the Lord Jesus, and if we do not do this, it means we have not understood the compassionate heart of God as we should. If you have the mind to be a blessing to others, be certain that the Lord will do marvelous things through your life. We must ask God to give us a heart of compassion for there are thousands all around us who are dying without knowing Him. The Lord encourages us to not be silent, but to proclaim the good news to everyone who comes across our way.
2. God is merciful
We read in Matthew 12:7, Don't you know what the Scriptures mean when they say, "Instead of offering sacrifices to me, I want you to be merciful to others?" If you knew what this means, you would not condemn these innocent disciples of mine. (CEV)
The disciples of Jesus were walking through the grain fields one Sabbath. When they plucked the ears of corn and ate them to satisfy their hunger, the Pharisees were annoyed. According to them the Sabbath day, and all the traditions pertaining to it were so much more important than the people themselves. To those men who found fault with Jesus’ disciples, Jesus was emphatic to remind them that what God required of them was not sacrifices, but that they be merciful to each other.
Even today we have many people who are hung up on which day is the Sabbath day, and will find fault with those who worship on Sundays. Sadly, they have held on to the day, and forgotten the purpose of the Sabbath, and can be likened to the Pharisees of Jesus’ day. These people will burden others, and make them feel guilty about not observing certain traditions of men. We are called to be witnesses for the Lord on all seven days, and we decide to set aside one day exclusively for the Lord. In the Old Testament the Sabbath laws were so stringent that those who did not adhere to it were stoned to death. Today instead of stones people use the social media to hurt people who don’t subscribe to their ideals and doctrines about days. But God requires of us that we be merciful to everyone and not judge them.
We read in Matthew 9:13, Go and learn what the Scriptures mean when they say, 'Instead of offering sacrifices to me, I want you to be merciful to others.' I didn't come to invite good people to be my followers. I came to invite sinners." (CEV)
In the previous incident the Pharisees found fault with the disciples of Jesus, but in Chapter 9 they criticized Jesus for dining with tax collectors and sinners. Here again Jesus admonished them to go and search the scriptures, which would teach them that God desired mercy over sacrifices.
God is not interested in our rituals and traditions, but rather that we be merciful to others. If we are not merciful, all other tradition that we follow will become meaningless and futile. Oftentimes the church has failed to demonstrate this aspect of compassion to those outside, and had therefore hindered them from coming in to be part of the church.
A story is told of an alcoholic man who walked into church one day. As the service proceeded, his phone rang, and before he could turn it off, he found many people turning around to give him looks of annoyance and disapproval. Feeling distraught, he went back to the bar to have a drink. When the waiter brought the drink to the table, by mistake the man tipped the glass over. At once, some men from other tables came to enquire after him, and helped him to get the table cleaned. Isn’t it a dismal thought that the man did not receive love and mercy where he should have, and instead received it from those outside the church? Our churches should be open to allow anyone with all their weaknesses to walk in, and feel totally loved and accepted, where they can experience the mercy and grace of God. If not, the purpose of our churches is lost, no matter how magnificent our structures are and how fantastic the interiors.
The temple had lost its purpose
In Jesus’ day, the temple at Jerusalem was outstanding, but the zeal of the religious leaders was more for the temple, and the traditions of men, rather than having a zeal for God. Our zeal should always be for the Lord, and never for the church, pastor or organization that we belong to. If we do so we have certainly be setting God aside, and we can be certain that none of these things will take us to heaven. Our personal relationship with the Lord is of utmost importance, and all these are just means to get to know the Lord better.
The temple in Jerusalem too had just become a monument, and the people forgot the true purpose for its existence. Though the temple was huge and splendid in its architecture, the rituals and sacrifices were all going on with much vigor, the word of the Lord came to John the Baptist who was preaching in the wilderness. No wonder then that the multitudes came flocking to John the Baptist. When Jesus was brought into the temple as a little baby the ones who recognized Him were not the priests in the temple, but the elderly Simeon and Anna who were prayerfully waiting on the Lord.
The destruction of the temple was predicted
This was the response of Jesus to His disciples in Matthew 24:1-2, Jesus left the Temple area and was walking away. But his followers came to him to show him the Temple’s buildings. He asked them, “Are you looking at these buildings? The fact is, they will be destroyed. Every stone will be thrown down to the ground. Not one stone will be left on another.” (ERV)
What Jesus predicted actually happened. Over a period of time the very purpose of the temple was forgotten, and Jesus foretold that the temple would be destroyed, and it happened just as He declared.
Everything that God has given to us should be used to demonstrate the compassion and mercy of God to others. If we do not use them well they will all slip out of our hands. The two-fold purpose of God choosing us to be His children is that we should share the good news of the gospel to those who have not heard, and to make disciples of those who receive Him. Worship and preaching of the word are important aspects of any church, but our focus should always be to share the gospel with those outside the church, so that they too can become disciples of the Lord Jesus. If we do forget to do this, our churches too would have failed to fulfill God’s purpose for our existence. Today church growth is often biological, and greater importance is given to naming ceremonies, weddings and funerals.
All of us are called to be compassionate like Jesus, and to go all out to seek and find those who are lost. Once they have come into the fold, it is God’s will that we deal with them mercifully, and help them become worthy disciples of Jesus. Just so that Jonah would have a change of heart, God did so many acts just to draw Jonah’s attention to Himself. God desires that through messages like these we too will be able to understand the heart of God, and become more compassionate and merciful. Only then will the Lord bless us, and make us a blessing to others. The coming of the Lord is at hand, and all the prophecies are being fulfilled. Let us keep in mind that we will leave behind all those things that we are striving and working hard for. The only thing that we can take with us to heaven are the souls that we have reached, and led into the kingdom of God.
Rev. F. Andrew Dixon
www.goodnewfriends.net
Transcribed by: Sis. Esther Collins
