Jonah 3 - Called to Encounter Culture
Tom Shrader examines Jonah 3, where God gives the prophet a second chance and Nineveh repents after Jonah's preaching. He challenges believers to follow their calling to be salt and light in their culture rather than withdrawing from it. Like Jonah walking into wicked Nineveh, Christians are called to move into their neighborhoods and workplaces as ambassadors for Christ, encountering people on their terms while never compromising the gospel message.
“God saved me in spite of me not because of me - God was not moved when He came in contact with me and said boy this guy's really something, but in spite of what He saw He brought you into His kingdom.”
— Tom Shrader
Series: Jonah
Recorded: June 25, 2015
Duration: 36 min
Themes: obedience, calling, mission, evangelism, witness, courage, repentance, sovereignty, avoiding god's call, workplace evangelism, neighborhood outreach, feeling called to ministry, missionary, community leader, struggling with obedience, new to evangelism
Scripture: Jonah 3:1-10, John 1:14, 1 Corinthians 1, Acts 17:22, John 3:16, Romans 12:1, Ephesians 4:1
Theological Themes: missiology, cultural engagement, divine sovereignty, god's control, second chances, gospel witness, biblical calling, prophetic ministry
Full Transcript
Open your Bibles to the book of Jonah. This is week five in this study of this little book and we are into the part of the book that I really love but I'm a little nervous in that it's really repetitive. We're going here for the application juggler.
Do you remember when we started the book we said here's our catchy little theme is that there's a little bit of Jonah in all of us? So I look at Jonah and my flinch is to throw rocks at Jonah and say Jonah you jerk, Jonah you idiot, Jonah you know what to do right? Chapter 1 verse 1 the word of the Lord came to Jonah go to Nineveh you know what to do but you don't do it and I find that to be my problem. I know what to do. It's not very often when I'm faced with a I don't mean a business decision or what color to paint a room but in a moral setting it's rare that I don't know what to do. I know what to do my challenge is to do it.
The Call and Our Response
What I want to do today is tee up right now and then try to consistently come back to it even after we look at the story of Jonah consistently come back to it is like Jonah there's a call on your life. It may not be as specific in terms of details as it is here in chapter 1 verse 2 arise and go to Nineveh but there's a call on your life and your flinch is oftentimes like Jonah the end of verse 3 he tried to run from the presence of the Lord. Jonah had convinced himself that he could somehow avoid discipline that he could hide from God.
God's Sovereignty in Every Detail
God intervenes. We saw in chapter 1 verse 4 the Lord hurled a great wind by now that should be yellowed or underlined or something in your Bible and we see it again in verse 17 the Lord appointed a great fish in chapter 2 verse 10 the Lord commanded the fish and then we'll see next week in chapter 4 verse 6 the Lord appointed a plant verse 7 the Lord appointed a worm verse 8 the Lord appointed a scorching wind. This is about the sovereignty of God that God is in control that this world is not spinning. We have to be careful with words it's not spinning out of God's control it's clearly beyond our control.
There are certain things that we can control that was part of the coaching stuff there's two things you can control your attitude and your effort. You can't control what the other guy does you can't control what the elements are going to be you can't control if the greens are fat. That was the best quote of last week the US Open Henrik Stenson this is like putting on broccoli. I thought that was the best quote of the week.
You can't control that. You can sit on the first tee and complain that this is a crummy course and you don't like it. Gary Player said Friday the happiest guys on this whole place right now are the guys that missed the cut meaning and get home and get out of here. You can do that but it was like Jordan Spieth afterwards he said I got out and played this round he certainly didn't like the 18th hole the dumbest hole I've ever played but you can either go listen I got to play it so let's get rid of that and let's play what we have.
Beyond Our Control, Not Out of God's Control
In life you have those things you can control but by and large we have to be careful to say oh gosh everything's out of control. I'm the only guy you know not running for president of the United States. I'm the only one left but I watched this and I go this is like it's reality TV it's nutty guys are girls girls are guys. I'm gone a month and I don't know what happened I don't know what you did to the country you messed it all up in a month it's crazy. I want it's out of control no it's beyond your control it's not out of God's control and that's what we rest in.
The key to this and this is another point I want to make today is the darker and nuttier it gets the better for us because you have the message that brings reality to reality TV to this real world.
The Game-Changer
Here you go God moves in Jonah is in this boat sound asleep thinking he's escaped God and all of a sudden there's a storm you know the story and the captain says what's your deal and he tells them who I am and they're afraid they said we know your God and the storm comes and Jonah says throw me overboard they said we don't want to do that finally they do and then what here you go what we would call a game-changer along comes the great fish and swallows Jonah. The fish after three days vomits Jonah onto the land and this is where we left off chapter 3 verse 1 and the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time.
The God of Second Chances
It's really easy in there to pump out a message on God is the God of the second chance and when you get to the age that we are in this room with a couple of exceptions old people there's about two of you that don't have a boot on or a wrist brace. I know our generation. I went to a Paul McCartney concert I wanted to see my card never seen McCartney and every person that came in did this they walked to the top of the aisle held their ticket went looked up looked around the drug of choice that night was metamucil.
God's a God of a second chance and by now we know we want it and we need it. But equally maybe more amazing in some ways is God is a God of the first chance that I truly need to come to grips with what a sinful person I am that I'm born in sin conceived in sin I come into this world with a sinful nature and then I just confirm this at every turn.
Then God and I use this phrase in Kansas City I use this language so much we've been together I don't know if you know this but many of us have been together now in January it will be a quarter of a century 25 years that's amazing. I use these phrases all the time and we're accustomed to them but I said this God saved me in spite of me not
Because of me, and this guy got this kind of weird look. He said, "I don't know what that means." And I said, "Oh wow, I need to explain that more." What I'm saying is God was not moved when He came in contact with me and said, "Boy, this guy's really something. This guy's real. He's got potential."
When I'm back home I was in a recruiting phase right now, and we recruit only guys with potential—no one that's accomplished anything, just guys that might someday accomplish something. That's the tier we're at. The draft is tonight or tomorrow night, and so they're looking and they're going, "What's his potential?" Well, God didn't look at you and go, "Boy, he's got real potential. She could really be something." God looked at you and in spite of what He saw and what He knows about you—in spite of that—He brought you into His kingdom. He changed your heart. He opened your eyes. You were blind; now you can see.
Now the gospel becomes not foolishness, because we were perishing and it was foolish. That's First Corinthians 1: the gospel is foolishness to those who are perishing. And sometimes we lose track of it.
An Extraordinary Story
Let me digress here a little bit. I'm all wound up; I haven't had a chance to talk in a month. We lose track of this: if you're sitting beside somebody who's not a Christian and they say, "Well, tell me what you believe," well, here's what we believe. We believe that the Bible was written thousands of years ago by 40 different authors and all that, but we believe it's the infallible Word of God. We believe that God created us all, and He created a guy and a gal—Adam and Eve—and Adam sinned long, long, long ago. But when he sinned, it meant we all sin and we couldn't fix it.
So God had to solve that—remedy that restoration and redemption—so He sent His Son. Well, this gets confusing now because there's three persons but one God. And He sent His Son who was born physically but didn't have a father. And then He lived in obscurity but perfectly for 30 years, and then publicly for three. And then He died on a cross. It's a long story, but then when He died on the cross, He died for our sins if we believe in Him. And then they buried Him, thought it was over—no, He rose from the dead. And then He wandered around for 40 days, and then He ascended into heaven. And now He's in heaven and running this whole thing.
Really? Really, that's it? I mean, that's it. Sometimes I think we forget this is an extraordinary story—supernatural—and it only makes sense to you if God opened your eyes to see that He's the God of the first chance.
Jonah's Second Chance
Here's Jonah coming out of the belly of that fish, and the Word of the Lord comes to Jonah a second time. I have on those sheets scripture—it's the first ten verses. Most of you have Bibles where the Lord came to Jonah a second time, same message: "Arise and go to Nineveh the great city and proclaim to it the proclamation which I'm going to tell you."
Jonah rose and went to Nineveh according to the Word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, a three days' walk. Most ancient scholars believe that Nineveh was about 60 miles—metro Nineveh—in circumference. That's a big area. I flew into Phoenix Monday—Tuesday night—and I'm reminded every time I come in and look out that window how giant geographically metro Phoenix is. So Nineveh is comparable.
And Jonah's walking. We're told in verse 4 that he began, and he's about one day's journey into this—about a third of the way in—and he cried out. Evidently this is the message God gave him: "Yet 40 days and Nineveh will be overthrown. It'll be destroyed."
The Response of Nineveh
Then the people of Nineveh believed in God—didn't believe in Jonah, they believed in God—and they called a fast. And they put on sackcloth from the greatest to the least, from the king to the kids. And the word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne and laid aside his robe and covered himself with sackcloth—a sign of repentance—and sat on ash.
And he issued a proclamation and he said, "In Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, here's the rule number one: Do not let man, beast, herd, or flock taste a thing. Don't let them eat or drink water." He put everybody, including the cows, on a fast. "And both man and beast must be covered with sackcloth, and let every man call on God earnestly that each may turn from his wicked ways"—there's repentance—"from violence which is in his hands. Who knows? God may turn and relent and withdraw His burning anger so that we shall not perish."
And when God saw their deeds, that they had turned from their wicked ways, then God relented concerning the calamity which He declared He would bring upon them, and He did not do it.
Our Call to Encounter Culture
There's a little bit of Jonah in all of us. I want us to climb, if you will, into the picture and to see that just like there was a call on Jonah's life, there's a call on your life. And it's of that same nature: it's to be salt and light. I mean, one of the primary reasons we're here is to go and make disciples—literally. We've got this by now; we've been through it. It's as you go, as you live, as you live you are proclaiming to the world around you this very truth: repent, believe.
It's as simple as "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life."
A Historical Note
I thought it was just an interesting note in terms of study and research: there's always this discussion about could a man live in the belly of a fish for three days. And obviously the answer is yes, because he did. But there's a guy by the name of Dr. Harry Rimmer who's the president of the Research Science Bureau of Los Angeles, and he was studying a case that took place in England. There was a man who on a boat trying to harpoon a shark missed, fell overboard—they never found him or couldn't find him. Forty-eight hours later they saw the shark, killed him, cut him open, and the guy was in there unconscious but alive. And he went around England and billed himself as the
Encountering the Culture on Their Terms
There's a fascinating account from 1926 where Rimmer met a man who had supposedly been swallowed by a whale. The man's appearance was odd - his body was devoid of hair and patches of yellow-brown covered his entire skin. I thought about what Jonah must have looked like walking into this wicked city filled with debauchery - this hairless, oddly colored guy walking through town saying "Repent! Repent!" You are not to look necessarily physically distinctive, but your life is to be such that people see something distinctive about you, and they get it. They understand it.
Let me take the next 20 minutes and walk you through what I think God wants to see in your life. The big picture is to encounter and continue to come in contact with the culture around you - not to withdraw from it. I hang around with a lot of really conservative people, and I don't mean politically conservative, I mean theologically conservative, lifestyle conservative. One of the things that I see, and it's an understandable tendency, is to withdraw from the culture rather than encounter the culture.
The night before He died, Jesus prayed for you and He said, "Father, don't take them out of the world, just as you didn't take me out of the world." John chapter 1 verse 14 says, "And the word became flesh and dwelt among us." Here's Eugene Peterson's paraphrase of John 1:14: "The word became flesh and blood and moved into the neighborhood." That's what He wants you to do.
Acting Like Christians Where We Are
I remember years ago I hadn't been a Christian very long and was already frustrated with stuff I saw around us. We had a guy in who was working with the Reagan administration as a liaison to Africa, and he did this talk. Then he said questions and answers, and the first question was this: "Do we need more Christians in government?" I thought, "Here we go again." The guy said, "No." I thought, "Wow, I got an ally. What's your deal, buddy?" He said, "No, we don't need more Christians in government. We need the Christians that are there to act like it." Now do we need more Christians? Sure, I get it. But what he's saying is stand up.
I talked to a guy that did a Bible study years ago on Capitol Hill and he said they'd be in these Bible studies with senators from both sides of the aisle. He said, "We'd have this moment and they would say those things and that door would open and those lights would come on and everything we talked about changed." Do we need more Christians at Intel? We need the ones that are there to act like it. Do we need more Christians at Discount Tire? We need the ones that are there to act like it. Do we need more Christians at where you work, or in your gym?
Moving Into the Neighborhood
The houses on both sides of me have been for sale, and while we were gone somebody bought the house on one side. I saw a bunch of little bikes out there, and I am determined - you can hold me to this, you can hold me accountable in a gentle way - I am going to reach out to these people. I've screwed this up everywhere I go. I'm going to go over there. Sandy's going to be out of town next week. I'm going to go over there one of those nights and knock on the door.
I'm Tom. I'm going to say, "I'm Tom and I'm your neighbor and I didn't see you move in here. Welcome. Where are you from? What's going on?" And that's what He wants from you. That's your call. That's your "go to Nineveh" - to go into the neighborhood. Maybe not literally in our day and age. Much more, our neighbor is the gal in the cube next to us, or the barista that we have every morning, or the person at the club or the trainer or the waiter that you have. To encounter them. Salt and light. You're an ambassador.
Overcoming Our Fear of Culture
I get that there's a soberness about it, but we're so afraid of the culture and it just goes to music. I was in a church the other day and they were playing some music and you could see some people grunt - and it tends to be older people like us. Grumpy. They didn't like it. You could see it. The music started and they were grumpy. Let me add here: I didn't like it either. But I don't care. The music's not in the way.
I went through this when I was running the church. We'd get complaints: "Why can't we sing those old songs? Those old great songs like 'A Mighty Fortress.' Why don't we sing 'A Mighty Fortress'?" Well, that moved right into my wheelhouse and I said, "Do you know anything about that song? I love it. Do you know anything about it?" Well, no. The melody was an old beer drinking melody. If you went to the bar, they're singing the secular equivalent of this with "The Wind Beneath My Wings" melody. They're going into this bar.
So somebody came into church that first time and they cranked that organ and somebody said, "We're bringing the beer drinking music into the church." Now the cry is, "I want the beer drinking music." We're so screwed up. We don't know what we're talking about. Encounter the culture.
Meeting People Where They Are
Here you go. Now listen to me - I mean this on their terms. It's not so they clean up their act and then they have the privilege of hanging out with you. Or they come to Christ and then you want to clean them up: "Stop doing this. Stop doing that. Get rid of that." No, you encounter them the way God encountered you. He came.
Here you go: "The word became flesh and moved into the neighborhood." I wonder if the disciples as a group, what were they like? Do you think they were ever walking along and Jesus said "Knock knock?" I mean, you think there was ever - can't you just see Peter saying "Pull my finger?" I mean, can't you just see this stuff going on there? They're 12 guys. I just hung out with 45 guys. I mean, they're guys. Can't there be some of that?
You're an ambassador.
When Paul arrived in Athens in AD 72, it became a pivotal moment in my understanding of how I'm called to live. Paul had some free time, so he went out and encountered the culture. He observed the city and saw a statue. I don't think he knew what he was going to do with that information at first.
He got an invitation to speak to the intelligentsia of Athens. When he opened his address, he said, "I've been hanging out in the town and I saw you're really religious people. Here are all these statues." They say there were as many as 32,000 statues, but there was one that served as a caveat at the end—it was dedicated to the unknown God. So here's his connection: "What you worship in ignorance, I'm here to talk about."
Understanding Your Audience
When we were in Kansas City at FCA, they had a guy come in who was a speech coach. He teaches you how to speak and what to do. Sandy leaned over and said, "You're doing everything wrong." Which wasn't very encouraging, but I was. One of his main points was that you have to know your audience—if you can connect with them, you can communicate effectively.
Paul was a master communicator. When Paul spoke to the Jews, he would say, "Open your Bible"—and I'm making this part up—"Here's what Isaiah said." But he didn't say that to the Greeks. They would have responded, "Isaiah? Is he a power forward? What is he?" They had no connection to that reference. But when speaking to the Greeks, he said, "Here's what your poets say."
See, this is not a matter of changing where you're going or what you're doing. It's a matter of understanding the world you live in. Now, for those of you at this point who are wound up really tight and afraid—if I start to live like this and think this way, am I going to get compromised? Not unless you compromise. Never compromise the message, but clearly the method changes. It's as simple as in our church: we don't teach the five-year-olds the way we teach the 50-year-olds. I communicate the gospel in different ways.
The Answer in a Dark World
This connects to what I started with: as the world gets dark—and it gets so dark—you have the answer. I've had a hard time being out of the loop, so I don't know everything that's happening. But the whole Caitlyn Jenner situation—I don't hear the uproar here, and something is wrong, really wrong.
This person—and I don't say that in a flip way, I don't know what to call him out of respect, or her, I guess it's Caitlyn—Caitlyn's looking for something. And I don't think it's just a soft, nice-fitting gown. There's something missing. Something's wrong there regarding identity.
My identity isn't that I sell real estate or that I'm a teacher or that I'm a doctor. My identity is in Christ. I'm a follower of His, and that's where I'm going to find fulfillment.
How Evangelism Has Changed
I've been thinking a lot about when I became a Christian and how different the environment, the culture, the world, and the Christian community was then compared to now. In those early 1980s days, it was all event-driven evangelism. Get somebody to a breakfast, a lunch, or a dinner. Get a speaker.
There were one of two types of speakers, with nobody in the middle. There was either a guy who was infamous—like Chuck Colson, someone who'd been a mobster or something—and how he cleaned up his act and now he's your neighbor. Or there was a very famous, successful person who had accomplished much and had much, but their life was empty and now it's fulfilled.
That's not the gospel message. The last ten breakfasts, dinners, and testimonials that I went to, nine of the speakers never mentioned sin.
The Real Problem and Solution
My problem is sin. It's not low self-esteem or high self-esteem. Those are symptoms of my problem, which is a sin problem. My identity is in Christ. My problem is sin. The problem in the world is sin.
So confusing is sin, and so is the blindness, that I don't even know if I'm a guy or a girl or black or white. I don't even know what I am. Well, that's what sin does. Sin clouds my eyes. So I have this missing piece—Pascal called it a God-shaped vacuum. I have this missing piece and I try to fill it with something: accomplishment, success, girls, guys, drugs, whatever it is.
And here's the big point: when I come to the fact and realization that I'm a mess, my tendency is to keep trying, and that's called religion. I'll clean my act up. I'll just work harder. No, my problem is sin and the solution is Jesus. And yes, I will find joy, and I will find fulfillment, and I will find that life is sweet because I'm now in union with the God that created me through His Son Jesus.
And that transforms the way that I live.
The Pattern in Romans and Ephesians
Take two books: Romans and Ephesians. Paul's pattern in the book of Romans—Romans chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11—doctrine, doctrine, doctrine, doctrine. Then chapter 12, verse 1: "Therefore, because all this doctrine's true, because Jesus is now your Lord and Savior, therefore don't be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." Now your life looks different. You stay in the same job; you just do it differently.
Paul does the same thing in Ephesians. Ephesians chapters 1, 2, 3—great, great, just great truth. God chose you. God saved you. God brought you into His kingdom. Chapter 4, verse 1: "Therefore, walk in a manner worthy of your calling." Look like it. Same guy, same gal, same earth suit, same job, same neighborhood, same clothes, but somebody goes, "There's something different."
about you. You do deals different. I've never had an experience like this before. And that's your platform. That's the beginning.
I was talking to somebody the other day, and they were saying, "Jordan Spieth, I don't know if he's a Christian or not. I don't either. But oh, I hope he becomes a Christian. What a platform." Well, okay, good. I mean, the last thing he needs now is not another burden of you putting him on a platform. Let's do this. What's your platform, and how are you handling your platform? And it may only be to two or three people.
Your Platform May Be Small But Significant
My daughter Sarah, my daughter Haley—Haley even more than Sarah—Haley's platform are four little kids: nine, seven, four, three. That's her platform. And she, in my mind, she is there to be salt and light in their world. She doesn't need a job and a title. She's got one: mom, husband. And they look at her, and they see the kids go, "There's something different about my mom."
That was a whole thing in this coaches conference that we were at and communicating to coaches is that there's a way to coach that's different. The stats are really overwhelming when you get into this. Outside of school, which is mandatory, the number one activity that the majority of kids are in is sports. More people watch ESPN than all the news channels combined. 50%, at least—I think that number's far lower than they're using—50% of kids live with one biological parent. That means at least one of the two people that are most influential in their life is not there.
It's this unique opportunity for coaches to influence kids. And I want to get carried away and go, "This is great. Let's influence. Let's coach the coaches. Let's see if we can help in this area. We want to be part of it. Count me in." But the same thing is true in your life.
Your Call to Encounter Culture
And just like Jonah, let's tie it up, and we'll let you go. Just like Jonah, you have an opportunity. You're saved by grace through faith. But that faith is now alive. And just like Jonah, there's a call in your life. And the call is to go and to make disciples, to go and encounter your Nineveh.
And just like it was a great and wicked city, it may be a great and wicked world. Or it may be—I'll tell you a great place to evangelize: church. Church is a great place to evangelize. When we know that—I've been around this thing for a long time, so have you—that place is filled with people who don't know Christ. Because that's a natural place to go. If I'm going to be very religious, I start going to church.
And I come in there, and pretty soon I'm pretty—and here's how it is—now I'm sermon proof. Here comes that conviction. "Almost got me that time." Here comes that word. "Oh man, I got away just in time. I had to go to the bathroom. I was so glad today. My stomach was upset and I had to leave. Didn't have to listen to the whole thing." You can go and be salt and light there.
Arise and Preach
So here you go. Next week we finish Jonah. But you're to arise—a little bit of Jonah in all of this. You're to arise, move into your neighborhood, wherever it is, your sphere of influence. And you're to preach. Speak the truth. Make the invisible God visible. And speak the truth boldly.
We pick up next week, and I'll tease you with this. It'll be our last week. It's not on your schedule, so you're going to have to make a mental note of it. You better go with physical notes. Some of you may not remember the mental note. Physical note that we're going to be here next week.
And I'll tease you with this: there's one moment in this whole book that we see Jonah happy. And we see it next week. And we see what is believed to be the largest revival in the history of mankind next week.