Jesus Train... God is Good... All the Time?

If you missed last week's class, you missed a powerful class from Skip Jenkins on the current "Where Faith Meets Real Life" series. Take a look at Skip's summary below for the highlight's. God is Good... All The Time?

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The church found itself to be the target of sporadic, but yet intense and debilitating persecution by the Roman empire. In response, when their "faith met life," the second and third century church developed a discipleship theology that one could call "martyr theology." In this context, they understood the world in general to be a place of suffering, turmoil and trouble, but that in the church, one could "get on the Jesus train" and move from this Lost World toward the New World where Jesus was king. But, the "purchase" of one's ticket on the Jesus train (which occurred when one enrolled for baptism, and which meant that you "bought into" the christian worldview and its proclamation about Jesus of Nazareth) did not rescue one from suffering, but rather entailed a new kind of suffering. The generic suffering of all humanity in the Lost World was transformed into the imitative suffering of Christ. In fact, for these Christians, the highest call on the Jesus train would have been the call to martyrdom; that is, to suffer like Christ as one confesses Christ to be Lord and Master. For them, Jesus' call to "take up your cross," or to "drink of the cup from which I drink" was not some spiritualized process of self-denial. Jesus meant it literally.


This discipleship theology strikes at the very heart of a comfortable, affluent and "fat" American culture and church. We often tell ourselves, "God is good, all the time." But what if things are not good at all? We seem to have lost the insight of our foremothers and fathers, namely, that this is not a statement to describe the situation, but a statement of our hope in the God who transcends the situation. In other words, we don't say it as a talisman against bad fortune, a mantra of self-deception, or an incantation to magically remove difficulties and dangers. We proclaim it as our expectation that Jesus, when he returns, will make all suffering-- of both the Lost World and the Christians on the "train"-- go away. Yet, while suffering will not be able to survive at his coming, until he comes, christians look through their suffering to the One who himself suffered. So, Christians say, "God is good, all the time" even when things are not good; and this is why we have to say, "I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ." For, when things are bad, and remain so, such that it looks as if God has abandoned us, the world and/or the church, we still confess, "God is good," and it is this confession that makes us the fools of the world and despised of all peoples. For any healing, any reprive, any liberation is a signpost of that day, when all will be healed, all will receive reprive, and all will be free. These are not "ends in themselves," but hints and clues of the truth that is in Christ; the truth that God wins and we overcome in Christ.

Be Gathered In

“The church is full of hypocrites.”
”I don’t have to go to church to find God.”
“That’s our family time.”
“I’ve been hurt by people in the church.”

There are as many reasons why people don’t regularly attend church services as there are motivations for being there. I’ve even heard a family member say that he’s as close to God as he can get when he’s out fishing on a Sunday morning. (Don’t worry, Andy, I won’t tell them who.)

Going to church every Sunday won’t save your soul. Nor will being a member of the “right” denomination, serving as a deacon, teaching Sunday school, or tithing. But just as God exhorts us to serve others, to make disciples, and to give back 1/10th of all that He blesses us with, He has a purpose when He tells us in Hebrews 10:25, “And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.”

Coming together with other believers, worshipping, praying, and being taught the Word encourages healthy spiritual growth. Corporate worship brings near the presence of God: “For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them,” says Matthew 18:20. Being in a service with fellow believers is therapeutic; rejuvenation for a soul oppressed by a world ruled by Satan.

When I enter those doors, it’s like walking into God’s embassy here in the world: asylum, refreshment, and friendly conversation with those who speak the same language, who face the same fears, and who encourage me. Sure, when Monday comes around, I have to venture back out into the “real” world, but I go out there knowing I am not alone, and I can always go home. –John Garrod

The Good and the Bad vs. The Ugly

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation. 1 Peter 4:12-13

There’s no apparent rhyme nor reason, just what seems like a determined path of destruction. Over here, you see an old pine tree, or a pressure-treated utility pole, snapped half way up like it was nothing more than a Popsicle stick. A quarter of a mile down the road, a mobile home sits seemingly undisturbed, while a site-built home another block down is nothing more than a shambles. Peaceful, green pastures are littered with people’s furniture, their clothing, and their memories.

Tragedy comes, as do blessings, to both the evil and the good. There is no guarantee that we won’t see trials; the Scripture is full of admonition for those who are expecting a rose garden. To be sure, prayer is effective, and we serve a God who hears them, but nonetheless, sometimes, the storms hit even the most faithful. Ironically, the same events that bring the lost into the church are also the catalysts for some to abandon it.

It’s a normal part of the process for even the most faithful of Christians to question God when the storms wash away what we’ve cherished. I have enough faith in His love to believe He’s okay with the occasional “Hey, what’s the deal?!” kind of question. He knows it’s tough. Maybe He didn’t spare your house, or your loved one. Maybe you’re questioning why one person prayed and was spared, and your loved one wasn’t. I don’t know the answer, but I know that we don’t have to know; we just have to trust Him, and rely on Him to bear us through. That’s what faith does: it give us peace when we don’t understand, strength when we can’t walk, hope when we can’t see far enough.

John Garrod

(Click on the above title for a related video put together by Athena Davis)

Praying for the Bread Truck, and Here “HE” comes!

“Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.” Mark 14:38

I grew to detest that sound. It doesn’t matter what tune they play, it’s all the same-the sound quality is horrible, but the lure is irresistible. To make it worse, we lived on the corner of a loop, so we got him coming in, we got him going out, and we heard him go through the other loop behind us. I’m inside praying for a bread truck to swing by with free samples, and instead, HE shows up.

I think he had a hidden camera in my house. Seems like we were always scrounging pennies for gas, or bread, or something, and here he comes: The Pied Piper of Sugar. He’s trolling through, casting that audible bait, and the kids’ ears would perk up: The Ice Cream Man is Coming!

But that’s the way temptation works: it tempts you. The Tofu Truck would never have pulled me out of my air-conditioned living room. The Veggie Van? I’m not giving up my last $5.73 for frozen carrot juice! But an ice cream sandwich, melting so fast in the Florida heat that you have to lick the last half of it off your fingers? That’s some good stuff!

Trials aren’t just about dramatic and fiery tests of your will to live. Trials come in the form of day-to-day tests of what is right versus what feels good and what everybody around you seems to want you to do. Ice cream vs. bread isn’t a major trial for most of us (unless you’re down to your last $5.73), but sexual immorality, coarse language, gossip-these and other opportunities are always around us. “Everybody’s doing it; it’s not that bad; it’s fun; come on, live a little!” Have you heard any of those?

That’s why it is so important for us to focus on the basics of the Christian walk. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and the only prevention is to be paid up, prayed up, praised up, and focusing on the Bread at all times. Because somewhere, lurking around the corner, waiting to hit the music, is the Ice Cream Man, and he wants your bread money.
by John Garrod

Something DOES Happen

“And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.” –Matthew 21:22


I could never be a Buddhist or a Muslim, and certainly never an atheist. I guess I’m spoiled, because I’m used to praying to my God, and then something happening. Mohammed can’t answer my prayers, he can’t heal my body. Buddha, while giving me comfort about my physical stature, has never seen me through a trial. And believing there is no God, or possibly worse, that I am a god, in and of myself? Now that’s a terrifying thought!

As a Christian, I’ve seen clear, miraculous, and undeniably God-wrought answers to prayer: people healed of “incurable” cancer, deliveries from addictions, and financial provisions when our storehouses were empty. The common denominator is that Christians were united in prayer. They were all in one accord, even if they couldn’t all be in one place.

That’s where the secret to our power lies. When God’s people unite in prayer, there is no end to what God will do. We’ve been pressing forward as a church, in a concerted prayer effort, with expectation. Jesus said if we have faith so much as a tiny mustard seed, we can cast mountains into the sea. Imagine if two or three, ten, a hundred such hearts of faith united in prayer and purpose! What can we achieve? What obstacle can we not overcome?

When we pray, our God hears from His throne, He answers, and He moves in our lives and in the lives of those for whom we pray. Something happens because we serve a God who is alive and powerful! He’s not trapped in a dusty old tomb. His Spirit’s not trapped in a rat or a cow. He is real, and He hears the prayers and the praises of His children. And when He hears His children call his name, something happens.

By John Garrod

We're Still Here...

Lots of things have been happening in the Driven Discipleship group over the last few months. We are in the middle of a new series we are calling "Back to the Basics": Good Milk, Good Meat, Let's Eat. We are being challenged to know what it is that we actually believe about things like salvation. Is Jesus really the only way? We are also being challenged to move beyond the common surface level Christianity to a deeper daily walk of discipleship with our savior. Does our life look like a disciple or do we really just look and act like everbody else?

Coming in the very near future, we have a couple of people from our group that have agreed to write on this blog. I'm excited to see how God uses them for his purpose in this new role.

As we roll out the new writers, you will be introduced and we will announce in class and facebook when something new is on the site.

In the mean time and beyond, if you have any ideas for this blog site in relation to the group, let us know.

See you "this time tomorrow".

Freddy

Answering the Call...Part 1

To kick off our series, we look at the nation of Israel instead of a specific person. For this, we turn to Joshua 5. Leading up to this is a pretty familiar series of events - the Israelites spy out the Promised Land but lose faith at the prospect of fighting for the land. They turn against God and, in response, they are barred from their inheritance. God promises that these people will be passed over and the next generation will receive the inheritance. We fast forward 40 years and find ourselves in the book of Joshua with that generation poised to advance into their promise.
The people are reminded in Joshua 3:4 to follow the Ark because they are going somewhere they have never been before. They follow the Ark across the Jordan River and into the promised land. Before they advance into the promised land, the Ark comes to a stop and during the wait God tells Joshua that this nation needs to be circumcised. This is, to say the least, a surprising turn of events for the men of Israel. Because it is so surprising is why it is so essential. The generation that was banned from the promised land had not communicated to their children the basics of the covenant. Before moving forward, God is going to reaffirm the covenant that he made to Abraham. From a theological standpoint, this is really a sensible move. From a practical standpoint, this borders on crazy. God leads his people across the river, into the land of their enemies. Now that they are completely exposed to their enemy, God calls for the men to be circumcised. This will, in effect, incapacitate the fighting men. They are now completely vulnerable to attack. The practical thing to do is take care of this business on the other side of the river while they are protected from their enemies. God is reminding his people of his faithfulness, but He is also reminding them of their need to trust and obey.
Once this is complete and the nation is healed, God meets Joshua and gives him the battle plan to take the city of Jericho. Don't miss the significance of the sequence of events: first the people are consecrated, then they wait and then God meets with them to give the specifics of their call. Too often we want to charge ahead in response to a call when God is waiting for us to prepare ourselves. The call to circumcision is a reminder that before we can respond to the call, we must remove the things that separate us from being His people. This is sometimes a painful or uncomfortable process, but it is essential.
The other thing to recognize about answering the call is that their victory would only come from responding in obedience. Jericho and Ai establish this process. God gave them instructions to take Jericho. Those istructions were not meant for every situation. What worked at Jericho wasn't intended for all the cities in Canaan. That plan would have met with disaster. Equally disastrous was their forgetfulness following the success of Jericho. God met with Joshua after consecration and waiting. Ai showed a people in the wake of success forgetting God and going ahead on their own. We are prone to this too. We look around for what God did somewhere else or for someone else and try to make it work for us. Sometimes we go the way of Ai. We obey and meet with success and then try to follow up that success with our own strength and wisdom. The process of consecration slows us and forces us to wait in God's presence and under his protection.
The question is about our willingness. Will we wait to hear what God is speaking? To meet with God is to change. Are we willing to make the changes God calls us to? The truth is that too often I am willing to sacrifice God's best for my good enough because I'm unwilling to pay the price. The land is before us but the next move is ours.

Great Song

As we get into this series on "Answering the Call", take a look and listen at this song from Matthew West. Is this your hearts cry? Are you going through the motions? What is God calling you to do in your life?

** I messed up and put the wrong ling originally... the song is "Motions". Click the link on the "Song" title above to listen. **


See you next week as Daniel Milsaps leads us in a look at Gideon. What a call... what an answer!

Promises, Promises

We have finished up our look at the life of Abraham. Finished isn't technically correct since we could keep looking at this subject for another month without breaking a sweat, but we'll call it a day anyway...
In our last week, we see God finally make good on his promise to Abram. The journey isn't without its pitfalls. The most noticeable bump in the road is the whole Ishmael situation. Sarai suggests that Abraham have a child by her Egyptian servant, Hagar. Usually, we like to sit in judgment at this point. We talk about the lack of faith that this couple shows, but let's be honest. This is a couple that has waited a decade for God to bring about his outlandish promise. They feel that the clock is ticking and they actually don't violate the letter of the promise of God. His promise was "a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir". A child by Hagar would still be his own flesh and blood, so they aren't technically disobeying. This, to some of us, would be a familiar line of thinking and a wait of 10 weeks for a promise to come to pass is inconceivable, let alone 10 years. As we would expect, convincing your husband to father a child with another woman doesn't exactly go as planned. The end result is that a pregnant Hagar runs away across the desert. It is during her flight that she encounters God, who tells her to return and submit to her harsh treatment because he will watch over her. Because God has found her in her desperation and reassured her that his eyes are always on her, she named God "the God who sees me." You may or may not feel specifically that way about God, but you can be sure that He wants to reveal Himself to you in a personal way. What would you name God?
Another decade passes, and God returns. Upon his return, we find that Ishmael is now a teenager and God reaffirms his promise, but with a new wrinkle. A timetable. God tells Abraham that the promise will be fulfilled in one year's time. After years and years of waiting, Abraham can finally see the end. He is so excited that he politely declines. He asks God if perhaps the promise could just be fulfilled using the child that's already there. We can identify with the sentiment behind this, too. After a long wait, Abraham has moved on. He has a son and, although it isn't what God had set aside as best, it's good enough. After the disappointment and worry that comes with waiting has piled up, Abraham isn't necessarily looking for a chance to be let down. His own attempt to fulfil the promise is something he can settle with. This is where Abram truly turns into Abraham - where a man of failure turns into a man of faith. God tells him to send Ishmael (his first born son, by the way) away since the new child will be the child of the promise. This may seem a little harsh to us. After all, could God have used Ishmael to fulfil the promise? He could have, but God had something better in store. But the only way to fully lay hold of the promise was to send away the thing that he was still holding on to. Abraham would never have to fully trust God to keep this promise as long as plan B was sitting at his dinner table. The call to us is the same...when God speaks, will we respond and walk in his best or simply stay put with the good enough that we've crafted for ourselves.

Abraham... Mess to Messiah

This past week, Skip Jenkins led us in our latest discussion regarding Abraham. He started off with a look at Abraham and his family tree. Talk about dysfunctional! These guys had all kinds of skeletons in their closet that would definitely be censored by today's local media. Fortunately, God saw fit to put their faults and all in the most popular book of all time.


Fortunately you ask? Absolutely! It is through the lives of individuals like Abraham that we get an understanding of the grace & mercy of God in dealing with (us) his fallen children. We find a "life worth living" when we understand our perfection comes from faith in the perfect God who sent the perfect lamb (Jesus) to bridge the gap caused by sin. This is incredible news for those who feel like they can't measure up to God's perfection and are at the point of giving up. He doesn't expect that you ever will be perfect on this side of heaven. He only asks that you have faith in his perfect plan.


Now, as we've seen with Abraham's life so far, faith and action go hand-in-hand. If you believe in God's plan of redemption, your heart's desire will be to follow his command. According to Romans 4, Abraham's heart never wavered in believing God's promise. As we see in scripture, he stumbled in his actions on multiple occasions but he always got back up again because of his unwavering faith in God. It is absolutely imperative that we see this incredibly important truth in God's plan. Faith never follows action in God's plan but action always follows faith. God credited Abraham with righteousness not because of what he did but rather for the faith he had before he did anything.


Now that's a Life Worth Living!

Abraham... Faithfulness and Integrity

Yesterday we took a look at Genesis chapter 14 where we find Lot in a precarious situation. After making a poor decision to put his family in harms way on the doorstep of Sodom in Chapter 13, Lot and his entire household are captured by King Chedorlaomer (say that fast three times) during his sacking of Sodom.

Now, many might say that Lot had this coming to him since he had put himself in the situation by his own poor decision. In fact, I wonder if I might say the same thing if I saw someone in a "Lot situation" today. This guy had acted selfishly and knowingly led his family away from God's plan with Abraham to his own desire for what he saw as easy living.

Thankfully for Lot, we see in Chapter 14, that Abram is a man of faithfulness and integrity when it comes to his family and friends. He quickly pulls together 318 trained men from his household and rides to the rescue of Lot. It's importanat to notice here that Abram was prepared for the battle in advance. The scripture says his men were already trained for battle. I wonder how prepared we are for the spiritual battles we will all face? How faithful are we in prepping ourselves by putting on the full armor of God? Are we, like Abram, ready to ride to the rescue of a sister or brother who is on the losing end of a spiritual fight or are we spending our time shaking our heads at their failure?

Abram goes on to an amazing victory against an army with an assumed vast numerical advantage. (Now, I mispoke last night, Abram did have allies but they were made up of those already defeated by King Chedorlaomer's forces.) Abram devises a plan that not only gets Lot and his family back but also gets all of the loot that was stolen away from Sodom.

Upon his return, he is greeted by two kings. The first we all know by the name Melchizedek. Without retelling this part of the story, we see in this meeting God providing Abram with a reminder of who he is as the provider of his blessed life. The second, the king of Sodom, provided him with our greatest tandem temptation; wealth and recognition. Given his earlier reminder, Abram quickly rejects this offer so that no one could claim his blessing was from anyone other than God. In this interaction with the two kings, Abram is seen as a man of integrity who is faithful in his worship and with his wealth.

As we finish up this week's look at the life of Abram, I wonder how our lives measure up in the areas of faithfullness and integrity. Are we men and women who live our lives in a way that is actively faithful to God? Are we preparing ourselves for the storms and battles that will inevitably come? Do we live our lives with integrity in the areas of worship and wealth? I pray today that my walk will continue to mature so that I can live this kind of life for God. How about you?

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Don't forget to invite someone to class next week as we take a look at the Abrahamic covenent. This is one of the most important events in the Old testament. You won't want to miss this one as a very qualified expert on the subject, Skip Jenkins, leads this class. See you there.

Abraham... Faith In Action

Now that Abram's journey is underway, we'll begin taking a closer look at the trip itself. This is a great opportunity to examine faith in action. This is essential for us because, if we're telling the truth, we get a very good look at ourselves as we watch Abram on his way to becoming Abraham. We'll also become aware that faith in action doesn't necessarily equal perfection...
One of the questions that was brought to our attention last week was "Who are you travelling with?" It's worth noting that even though God calls Abram, he doesn't make the journey alone. It's true that you're responsible for the condition of your soul, but your journey of faith isn't travelled in isolation. Abram is the man with the call, but Sarai travels alongside him and Lot follows him on the journey. We will all find ourselves in each of those roles. Sometimes, you'll be the one with the call; sometimes you'll be the companion; sometimes you'll be the follower.
The biggest thing to keep in mind is that even though Abram (and by extension you and I) is walking in obedience to the call of God, his journey isn't without a few speed bumps. He reaches the land, receives the promise of God and calls on the name of the Lord (Gen 12:1-8). Things seem to be going well, but verse 10 changes the scenery with the knowledge that there is a severe famine in the promised land. Abram leaves the promised land because of the famine. Knowing he has left the place of God's provision, Abram takes steps to ensure his safety. I'm not saying the famine wasn't bad and I'm not saying I would have stayed, but it can't be overstated that Abram's problems begin because he left the place where God had called him. Ultimately, his attempted deception almost cost him his wife. He left the place of God promise and allowed Sarai, the means of God's promise, to be taken from him. God silently intervenes and allows Abram to return to the promised land and preserves Sarai in a bad situation, not because Abram has shown such great faith but because God is supremely faithful.
Once Abram returns, he goes directly to the altar he built after he first heard the promise of God and calls on him again. Abram is restored and is back on the road to becoming Abraham. As a result of his time in Egypt, Abram is now a wealthy man - to the degree that he and Lot can no longer coexist without fighting. He allows Lot to choose where he will go and Lot chooses to go in the direction of Sodom because it looks better. In essence, he ignores the promised land of God, thinks of himself first and chooses something he thinks will work out better. Sound familiar? It should, because Lot learned this move from Abram. When Abram left during the famine, he showed Lot that God's destination is flexible. When he lied and allowed his wife to be taken, he showed Lot that the promise of God is disposable. When he returned with the wealth of Egypt that he had received dishonestly, he showed Lot that the provision of man is as necessary as the provision of God. Is it any surprise that Lot makes the choice that he does?
Whether you are aware or not, you have a Lot - someone who follows you on your journey. Someones eyes are on you to see how you navigate your spiritual journey. What are we teaching the ones who follow behind us? What are we telling them about the God we serve? Just as important, where is your Abram? Whose journey have you joined and what is being modelled for you?

J.R.

"Abraham: A Life Worth Living" Series Kick-Off

So where did you come from? Where are going?

(BTW - Listen to the first song on the playlist... it really ties in our theme for this series.)

This week was the kick-off to the new Discipleship Hour and our new series "Abraham: A Life Worth Living". If you missed this first week, we missed you and can't wait to see you next week. Here's a short summary of what we talked about:

For those of you who saw the commercial in church, we started off with John's word of the day "amalgamate". We all learned that we in Driven are in fact an amalgamate of different people who have joined together as a body of believers to help each other grow in our walk with Christ and to work together on the harvest coming to South. We also learned that the Driven group may be the only place you can get a word of the day like amalgamate. ;-)

We then reviewed the direction God has been leading the church in the call for revival. A revival of real change... Change that causes us to pause and consider what kind of individual and corporate eternal legacy we are building here on earth. Do we really have faith enough to give our all to God.

This led into our kick-off for the "Abraham: A Life Worth Living series. Here are the high points:

A. God Calls Abram away from his comfort zone

1. Background from Shem to Abram (Genesis 11:27-32)

• Terah (Abram's father headed for Canan but stopped and settled in Haran (How about us? Do we settle for less than God's full purpose for our life)
• Terah was an idolater living in his comfort zone. (Are we stuck in our own Haran living among our own idols in our comfort zone)

2. Haran was a flourishing city with all of the comforts of city life

• Multiple God's worshiped with Moon God among them
• 10's of 1000's of people
• Easy living, Easy money...

3. Abram's Call to Leave (Genesis 12:1-3)

• Leave country, people, father's house
• Great promise for obedience

B. The Step of Faith (Genesis 12:4-5)

1. No idea where he was going (Hebrews 11:8)
2. Abraham had no hesitation and Total Faith in God

We finished up with by answering a few questions on a hand-out that we will review again at the end of this series. They were:

1. What is your Ur/Haran?

2. Where are you in your journey to the place God has called you?

3. Who are you traveling with on your journey?

4. What will

As we start this journey together looking at Abraham's life as an example of real living, we must ask the question about our faith... is it total or only in part.

If you get a chance this week, read the story of Abraham starting in Genesis 12. Also take a look at James 2:14-26 for a description of real faith.

That's it for this week. See you next week when John will be leading us in part two of "Abraham: A Life Worth Living".

Revival: What's It All About

Over the last two weeks, Jason Moore led us in a discussion about Revival. If you missed, it was an excellent couple of weeks with great discussion regarding this very important topic.

Two weeks ago we took a look at several video clips and Jason asked us what true revival is really about. After some good discussion, these are the take aways I wrote down:

1. Revival is a return to obedience to God.
2. True revival isn't defined by emotionalism but rather by repentance.

Last week Jason continued the topic with a look at 2 Kings 22. This excellent example of revival showed Josiah finding the book of the law and results in a great change among the people of Judah. Jason related this story with our lives and listed several steps required in revival:

1. Return to God's Word
2. Sorrow for Sin
3. Repentance... Completely turning away from old things...
4. Prayer that gets God's attention

Outcomes of revival:

1. Missionary Movement (Domestic & Foreign)
2. Reconciliation
3. Changed Community

As we are all aware, all signs are pointing to God leading us at South to revival. We don't want to miss what he wants to do in our lives. Let me encourage you to be in prayer for our church and the upcoming revival God has in store for all of us.

See you next week.

Keep Walking

There isn't a lot to add to this. To get in discipleshape, we have to keep walking.

Jonah's Big Finish

We've followed Jonah for a few weeks on his journey and hopefully found ourselves along the way. At the end of Jonah, we finally get the answers to the obvious questions at the beginning of Jonah - why is he running away and why is he so angry?
At first, Jonah's reason for running seems pretty petty. He didn't want to go to Nineveh because he was sure that God would forgive them. Even more, Jonah's prophecy against Nineveh was pretty weak, but it was the most effective sermon ever. The king even had the animals fast and repent. That's pretty impressive for an 8 word sermon repeated over and over. Rather than be amazed and what God can do, Jonah is furious. He even tells God that he is angry enough to die.
Even in the middle of Jonah's tantrum, God hasn't abandoned him. God sends a vine to give him shade and for the first time in the entire story, Jonah is happy.
Just so we're clear...God forgives him? Unhappy. God rescues him? Unhappy. God gives him a second chance? Unhappy. God makes him the most successful evangelist ever with minimal effort? Unhappy. Thousand of people will find their way to heaven? Unhappy. A plant randomly grows out of the ground? Happy!! This next part seems almost spiteful. God sends a worm to destroy the vine overnight and then makes it really hot. Jonah, as is his style, wishes for death again. God is using even that to show Jonah where he has gone astray.

I imagine a conversation something like this taking place (see if any of this sounds familiar to you):
Jonah: How can you just let them off the hook? They say "I'm sorry" and that's just the end of it? How will they ever learn their lesson? You need to punish them some.
God: Why can't I forgive them?
Jonah: Really? I need to explain this? It's because they are terrible!!
God: What have they done that is so terrible that I shouldn't forgive?
Jonah: With every breath and every heartbeat they have disobeyed you. They don't deserve it.
God: Is that different from your disobedience and the forgiveness I gave you?
Jonah:...
God: Seriously, is there a difference?
Jonah: Yes, because I made a mistake. They are actually bad. If you're keeping score..
God: I'm not. You're looking at this all wrong.
Jonah: No I'm not. They deserve to be punished and you're not doing it.
God: You deserve to be punished and I didn't do it.
Jonah: Yes you did. You killed my plant and made it ridiculously hot. Boy did I learn my lesson.
God: No you didn't. You're still upset about a plant. It's also worth noting that it isn't your plant. It's mine. Meanwhile, there is a gigantic city of people that are in need of my mercy and you want me to withhold it. Why is that?
Jonah: You're my God and it's your job to fight for me. They are the enemy.
God: You're half right. I'm your God, but it's your job to follow me, not my job to follow you. I created them just like I created you. You may not want to see it, but they are my children too. I'm asking you to act on my behalf and be the one to show them that I love them.
Jonah: But I hate them...
God: But I don't

We're left at that part of the story. No happy ending, no Jonah learns a lesson. Just the lingering question - Can you serve a God who won't love and hate what you love and hate? More importantly, can you serve a God who asks you instead to love who He loves and hate what he hates? Jonah doesn't have a tidy ending because only you have the answer.

The Womb of God's Grace

For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.... Hebrews 4:12


So this week we looked again at what the Word of God has to say through the life of Jonah. We discussed how we all define the word "idiot" and agreed that Jonah met the criteria. This guy was a prophet of God as described in 2 Kings 14, Matthew 12, Luke 11, and in the book of Jonah but yet he chose not to obey God's command. Why is this? Could we be the same or worse than this idiot?

Before you all stone me for using bad words like idiot, I'll change my language to a more acceptable tone. If this guy was in the church today, the conversation might go something like this: "Well bless his heart... (southern churchese for idiot) why would he go and do something like that?" Whatever way you choose to phrase the description, I'm afraid that we all might hear a resounding "bless his/her heart" if we overheard the angels discussing some of our obedience stunts.

So what's God's answer to this disobedience? He provides discipline that takes Jonah to a "womb of his grace" (fish smell and all) so he would have:

1. The time for REFLECTION
2. The chance for REPENTANCE
3. The opportunity for a RE-DO

Now, I don't know about you but to me this is an amazing display of God's grace. Instead of giving up on Jonah and allowing him to die in his disobedience, God in his infinite love chose to give Jonah a place to remind him of who he was and what he was designed to accomplish.

There's no doubt that this prophet's misstep is simply the story of our lives. So many times I've taken Jonah's path heading in the opposite direction of God's word. I'm not sure why that is... maybe the path seems easier, maybe it seems more exciting at the time, or maybe its just me wanting my own way. Whatever the reason, I choose do to the opposite of what God commands but instead of giving up on me like I deserve, he picks me up and points me back in the right direction.

There's no doubt God's word shows that he demands nothing short of absolute obedience but thankfully for us "idiots" he offers grace when we stumble along the way. Grace providing a chance for Reflection, Repentance and a Re-Do.

Something Fishy?

This week we started our look at the book of Jonah. Usually the first response to that sentence is something along the lines of "How many weeks will it take to tell that a disobedient guy got eaten by a fish?" The truth is that this book has little to do with a fish. Jonah's story is our story and to read it is to see ourselves.
Jonah is given a specific command (go to Nineveh and preach against it). Not only does Jonah refuse to go, he goes in the opposite direction. To make it even better, his intent is to go about as far as he can in that direction. At that point in time, Tarshish is essentially the end of the world. This is the part where we feel better about ourselves because clearly Jonah is worse than us, right? After all, when I disobey I have the decency to stay put rather than run away. I'm sure God is much happier with that. He probably leans over to one of the angels and says something like "At least we don't have another runner. The ones that take off just burn me up."
While on his journey, God sends a storm to Jonah. During the storm, the sailors are baffled by Jonah. He acknowledges that he serves the God or earth and sky, the master of the storm they are in, and then admits that he is running away from that God. They have been knocking themselves out trying to save the ship and they realize that there is no rescue from a God this great. Jonah's solution is for them to toss him overboard. It's worth noting that this isn't an attempt by Jonah to meet up with the fish that will head him in the right direction. His goal is to die in the ocean. He has no knowledge that God has more in store for him.
So far, the account of Jonah tells us that up is down. Here are a few of the twists...
1. Jonah, the prophet, is supposed to be God's agent on earth. Instead he defies God.
2. In order to flee from God, he heads away from wickedness to a place of safety.
3. The "good" guy ignores the peril of those around him, content to let them go to the bottom of the ocean with him.
4. The "bad" guys risk everything to save Jonah, even though they know nothing of God.
5. The unbelieving sailors believe God, while the believing prophet tries to end his life rather than obey.
What in the world is this telling us? It's a mirror. We all have a place of escape that we turn to. Jonah had Tarshish. What's yours? Where is the place in your heart that you keep in order to retreat rather than obey? Jonah seemed to be under the impression that if he could just get to Tarshish, he would be free of God. That place doesn't exist. Our Tarshish is an illusion, a self-deception. Jonah's race was doomed to failure, because his run to Tarshish would never be complete. If not for the storm, he would have arrived in Tarshish to find that God was already there. God pursued Jonah - not out of anger, but out of love. To secretly hold on to the idea that a part of our heart is reserved for us alone is to follow Jonah's course. We are loved by a God that relentlessly pursues us. He is present in our trial and triumphs; our obedience and disobedience; our Tarshish, our Nineveh and all the places in between.

Unanswered Prayers?

So what are your questions on prayers that seemingly go unanswered? Click the comments link below to leave your questions.

Prayer: Power, Petition, Promise?

Over the last two weeks in class, we have had an opportunity to hear from Pastor Larry Evans and Steve Barnes in our series "Prayer, What's the Big Deal?" Both offered many important reminders about the importance of prayer in our daily lives.

Two week ago Larry reminded us about the Power we have at our fingertips in this gift of prayer.
1. God himself has promised to work with us when we pray.
2. The early church relied on prayer for everything. (Acts 1:7-14)
3. God used their prayer to turn small things into big displays of his great power.
4. Prayer released the power of the Holy Spirit in the church. (Acts 2)
5. Prayer changes those around us.

We were left with this question: What does our life look like? A grain silo or a grain elevator? Are we failing to pray and hoarding the very power God wants to release through us or are we praying and distributing the power of God to change the lives of people around us?

Last week we were reminded by Steve of some of the important aspects of a powerful prayer life.
1. Go to our closet to pray where we will find God in "his" secret place (Matt 6:6)
2. Know God's will through his Spirit when we pray
(work, healing, strength, knowledge, salvation)
3. Understand God's compassion when we pray (Matt 14:14, Heb. 4:15)
4. Be bold in approaching the throne room of God when we pray (Hebrews 4:14-16)
5. Remain humble remembering God is in control. (Luke 18:1-14)

Next week, Skip Jenkins will look to address the very difficult question that we have all asked at some point in our lives.

"What About Unanswered Prayer?"

You won't want to miss this one. See you there.