July 13, 2025 • 22 mins
This episode continues the discussion of Jonah and what his reluctant obedience teaches us about our own attitudes toward evangelism and missions today.
• Jonah's need for a second command to "arise and go" after the fish incident reveals our own reluctance to obey God
• The bare minimum approach Jonah takes in delivering God's message parallels how we sometimes share the gospel without love
• Nineveh's repentance and Jonah's anger highlights our tendency to resent God's mercy toward those we deem unworthy
• Practical tips for sharing the gospel include keeping tracts handy and starting with simple conversations
• The love of Christ within us is essential for effective evangelism, especially when called to difficult situations
Check out Delight Thyself Ministries for gospel tracts that can help you start conversations about Jesus in your community.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello and welcome to Simply Edifies podcast.
Our goal is to encourage womenas we navigate the messiness of
life through biblical studies,personal stories and practical
tips that bolster our walk withJesus daily.
Thank you for joining us in ourepisode today.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Hello and welcome to our second episode in the series
on missions, and we started offtalking about Jonah.
We're just going to make a fewquick more comments about Jonah.
We talked last time a littlebit about how Jonah was told to
arise and go and how it's oftenright there where we end up
(00:44):
falling short of the command formissions.
We don't arise and go and wejust stay where it's comfortable
.
And then we also mentioned howGod has, you know, divine wisdom
and when it comes to thejudgment of nations and things
(01:05):
like that, and it's not ourplace to question God's
sovereign will for these things.
We are our duty is to obey thecommand that he's given to us.
Yeah, we talked a little bitabout Jonah and how he was just
(01:26):
kind of a not a very happyperson.
He's kind of more of adepressed prophet and a few
other things.
So if you haven't listened tothat, go on ahead and listen to
that episode today.
I kind of wanted to talk aboutafter his punishment.
We all know kind of the basicstory of Jonah he disobeys, he
(01:48):
is swallowed by the fish,there's his prayer in the
whale's belly and all of that.
And then a second time God saysarise and go, so just right
there.
Arise and go, so just rightthere.
(02:09):
It's kind of funny to me,because I think that if I had
just gotten spat out of a fish,I wouldn't have to be told again
to go.
I would just go.
At least that's what I wouldthink.
Speaker 3 (02:17):
But yeah, I would probably need to hear it a
second time.
As tragic as that wholescenario is, I probably would
still be like god, I repentedand you, you know, showed mercy
on me.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
Thank you so much, and then not gonna go I just
know my track record.
Speaker 3 (02:40):
I usually need to be told things a few times love it,
thinking but it.
But it is a, it is a funny.
It's funny because it's we'reso like far removed from it.
But to think about, really justyou know Jonah standing there
on the water edge of the watercovered in, who knows what he
could have.
Speaker 2 (02:59):
He could have, I mean , we don't know the timeframe he
could have like just gone backto Jerusalem at.
I mean we don't know the timeframe he could have like just
gone back to Jerusalem.
I mean we don't know if it waslike right away that God said
arise, go.
I mean.
Speaker 3 (03:10):
Yeah, we don't know.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
Or he could have just been spat out and sitting there
Picturing him just likedisgusting and being like okay.
Okay.
Speaker 3 (03:24):
I'll go, I'll go this time and we I mean, it's easy
to like, it's funny, it's funnyfrom so far being so far removed
, but it really is a sad pictureof how we just don't take that
commission very seriously, right, and we do need a lot of
(03:49):
pushing sometimes to really takewhat god has told all of us to
do seriously.
Um, even just witnessing to ouryou know, our neighbors, let
alone.
You know, answering a call togoing to a foreign field, and
some people are called to that.
We're all called to a missionof witnessing and sharing the
(04:12):
gospel.
So anyway, I find the story ofdoing a comical, but then every
once in a while it just kind ofpunches me in the gut a little
bit Right.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
It's very, very relatable to how we actually do
respond.
A lot of times that's for sure.
So, yes, the word of the Lordcomes to Jonah second time in
chapter three and says arise andgo.
So this time he goes right andhis message is not filled with
(04:46):
love, it is not filled withcompassion or, um, any of the
warm, fuzzy feelies that youmight hear in some preaching of
today it's yet 40 days andnineveh shall be overthrown, and
that that was his message.
It kind of speaks to his ideaof okay, god, I'll do it, I'll
(05:11):
say what you told me exactly tosay.
I'm not going to like it,though it's almost like the bare
minimum.
Speaker 3 (05:19):
The bare minimum, and , like we talked about last time
, it's not necessarily like wereally see into Jonah's heart at
all.
There's nothing.
We see his actions and hisattitudes, but we don't ever see
like a change of his heart, andI find it.
I just find the whole story sointeresting because of how
(05:43):
little character development wesee in him right.
The part that I love about thisstory, though, is that nineveh
god does not really bear anywords either, where he's like.
You know, it's a wicked city,and we're so quick to write
things off, people off, groupsoff whatever, um, and call them
(06:05):
wicked, then wash our hands ofthem, and instead of that's not
what god shows us here he showsus yes, they are wicked.
Now go, go, reach them right.
Speaker 2 (06:17):
Yeah, I mean, if you were to think about this in
modern day today, I mean you canthink of someone from Israel
going into Iran and preachingthe gospel to Iranians.
I mean, that's kind of the ideahere that we're talking about.
I don't think anyone would beany Israeli, would be too fond
(06:41):
of that prospect.
You know, um, we're not calledto go to the people who who love
us, who like us or who are atleast tolerable towards us.
We're called to whoever we meetacross our path, that the Holy
spirit says share the gospelwith like, and to every nation
(07:03):
and every tribe.
And we in ourselves say, well, Idon't think that we might not
say it out loud, but in ourminds, well, do they really
deserve god's compassion, dothey really need the gospel?
(07:27):
And we might just verybegrudgingly be like oh, here's
a track, you know, or somethinglike that.
If we see somebody who is, iswicked and has that, that
wickedness all plastered aboutthem, I mean they are against
god and they have no problemsaying that they're against god.
(07:50):
So we say in our minds fine,god will judge you right.
Speaker 3 (07:55):
We write people off too, as like too far gone.
Maybe their wickedness doesn'teven necessarily offend us, but
it's oh, they just, they have nointerest.
Oh, they're very, very this orthat, whatever you know label
that is doesn't line up withchristianity.
(08:15):
Um, they're an atheist orthey're a drug addict or
something, and we think they'rejust too far gone.
Right, but that's not reallyour, our call to make.
Speaker 2 (08:28):
Right.
So yes, jonah goes to Nineveh.
He, he does exactly what Godsaid, nothing more, nothing less
.
And the people of Ninevehrepent.
They proclaim the fast.
They put on sackcloth and ash,they, they repent.
They proclaim a fast, they puton sackcloth and ash, they, they
(08:49):
repent.
And we know that that did notbring joy and happiness to the
man of God.
He, he says it's so funny, it'sI, it's sad, but it's funny
because it's exactly us, it'shuman nature, and you know
chapter four, verse one.
But it displeased Jonahexceedingly.
He was very angry and he prayedunto the Lord and said I pray
(09:10):
thee.
Oh Lord, was not this my sayingwhen I was yet in my country?
Therefore, I fled unto Tarshish, for I knew that thou art a
gracious God and merciful, slowto anger and of great kindness.
And repentantly of the evil, Itold you, god, like this is why
I didn't want to do it.
Speaker 3 (09:29):
I can just like hear my kids to me.
Speaker 2 (09:34):
But, yes, I say the same thing to God, like oh God,
okay, I did it.
Oh man God, I knew you weregoing to be merciful, merciful.
Speaker 3 (09:44):
I was really mad at that person.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
I didn't want to forgive them and I forgave them
and then you like put blessingsupon them, and now I get to see
their blessings and I'm just somad about it, like for real,
yeah there's.
Speaker 3 (09:59):
Yes, I have lived through that scenario before and
had to realize like you're nota nice person sometimes because
you want forgiveness and youwant mercy and you want all this
stuff, but then when you seegod doing it for other people,
somehow that's not okay rightand really sad.
(10:20):
I I'll be honest, there arecertain stories in the Bible.
When I picture them, I have ahard time not picturing the
VeggieTale version of them.
Oh, this is one of them.
And I don't know if you'vewatched it, but the asparagus
that plays Jonah is.
I think he's an asparagus, Idon't know Whatever he is.
(10:41):
He's green.
He's very whiny the whole timewhiny and his little like high
pitch.
Speaker 2 (10:51):
Like is what I imagine when I'm reading it
right and I mean I mean he'slike he goes on and he's like
basically asking God to take hislife.
You know he said take my lifefrom me.
It's better for me to die thanto live.
(11:11):
When we see God working insomebody's life who is maybe not
our arch enemy maybe wewouldn't say that but somebody
who has hurt us, somebody whohas wronged us, somebody who we
feel is not deserving because ofthe way that and they could
(11:34):
have been completely in 100%wrong and you could have been,
you know, right in thatsituation, but you have still
harbored bitterness,resentfulness and anger towards
them.
So when they have repented ofwhat they have done wrong and
God is working in their life,all of a sudden we see that and
it stirs up that anger.
(11:55):
It shows us that we need God'smercy, just like they do.
We need God's forgiveness andwe are not to stand in a place
of judgment of other peoplebecause really, deep down inside
we are the same.
We are sinners saved by grace.
And when it comes to sharing thegospel with other people and
(12:18):
just to kind of like put us inthe bigger picture of missions,
we are not in the position tosay who God will have mercy on
and who God won't have mercy on.
Jonah was not in that positioneither, and God showed him that
All we are to do is to obey thecall Go into all the world and
(12:42):
preach the gospel.
We are to obey the call tosupport those who are going
around the world to share thegospel, you know, to give to the
Lord with a happy heart, notbegrudgingly, to show love and
(13:02):
compassion, not water down thetruth of the gospel at all or to
present the gospel with a heartof love, not a heart of.
I'm just doing this because Godtold me to do this and I'm
going to preach against your.
You know who you are as aperson, because I don't like who
you are as a person.
I don't like who you are as aperson.
Speaker 3 (13:24):
You know there's there's a difference between
presenting the gospel and beingdegrading and mean and hurtful
in your present presentation ofthe truth one comes from a place
of humility and gratefulnessfor what god has done for us and
(13:45):
the others pride truthfully andI somehow deserved my mercy,
but you don't deserve yoursright, like the pharisee, who
was praying and was like god.
Speaker 2 (13:57):
I thank you that I'm not like this publican and this
sinner and that I, I am so piousand I pray and I do all these
great things.
But that, publican, you know,and if we're truthful, I think
that all of us can kind of havethat tendency in some way shape
(14:19):
or form.
Even though we might not say insome way shape or form, even
though we might not say, it'skind of funny, there's like a,
there's like a pharisaicalspirit in legalism and there's a
pharisaical spirit incontemporaryism.
I guess you could say whatevertoo, and you can kind of see it
when the one talks about theother.
Speaker 3 (14:42):
Yeah, oh, ain't that the truth?
Speaker 2 (14:47):
So just throwing that one out there for free.
Anyhow, when it comes tomissions, I guess my overall
thought that I want to try tokeep in my life is that I have
to be sensitive to the HolySpirit's leading and when he
tells me to arise and go, I needto be sensitive to the Holy
(15:08):
Spirit's leading and when hetells me to arise and go, I need
to do it.
I need to stop just puttingthose excuses and roadblocks and
I just need to do it Likesomeone's walking in the store
or whatever.
First of all, you have to keeptracks with you.
Tracks are just a way to kindof simply start a conversation,
(15:34):
like maybe somebody is passingyou in the store and you've seen
them a couple of times throughthe store and the Holy Spirit
said you know you should givethem a track.
Maybe there was like a smallconversation you know, like in
the grocery line or something,and you can just give him a
track.
At that point you don't have alot of time, but you at least
something to open that door, tosay you know something simple
(15:56):
like God loves you, here's alittle information about Jesus,
like nothing too extravagant,but you have to be ready and
having tracks on you is a goodway to be ready.
If you do not have access totracks, if maybe your church
doesn't have some, like in thefoyer or whatever, um, delight
(16:16):
thyself.
Ministries designs and makestracks, and I've gotten them,
some from them, like atchristmas time.
Um, we've gone around ourneighborhood and gotten like
some Christmas tracks from themand passed out, you know, like
candy canes and the gospeltracks and stuff.
So you can just order them Ifyou want to check that out.
(16:40):
Delight thyself, ministries.
Speaker 3 (16:44):
So they have these really pretty ones that say,
just say god loves you, andthey're flowery.
So I try to keep a couple, incase it's a guy that I'm handing
out to.
But, um, like a differentdesign, but that's my favorite
one because it's just pretty andwhen you hand it to somebody,
nine times out of ten they smileand the back has the full
(17:08):
gospel written on it.
It has our church information,um, but it's just an easy one to
give out and I don't want tolike I don't know, it's not
always easy and it shouldn'tjust make and it doesn't have to
be easy, but there's justsomething about just it's like a
gift that you're givingsomebody versus like um, there's
(17:31):
some ones that have veryinflammatory right kind of like
eye catching, like uh,statements that can be kind of
off-putting yes.
So like this one is more likehey, I just want you to have
this right and it just tells youyou know more about Jesus or
something, and I've had nothingbut good responses from that.
(17:53):
I sometimes drag my childreninto it, to be honest.
I'm like, hey, I honestly saidthis because my kids were on
this like track giving out kickfor a while.
Our church has an emphasis onit on Tuesday nights and um,
anyway, I'll be like, hey, mykids gave these to me because
they wanted me to hand them out.
(18:14):
Can I hand one to you?
And they're like it's, it'svery, I'm a wimp, I'm a wimp,
but again, sometimes you can bea wimp and still give out the
gospel.
Speaker 2 (18:29):
And the more you do it, the easier it becomes.
Speaker 3 (18:31):
Anyhow maybe.
Speaker 2 (18:32):
God is calling you to something that's bigger and
scarier like Jonah Bigger,scarier, a lot more like
(18:53):
repercussions or whatever.
I guess in that situation, andyou're not totally happy about
the prospect of what God iscalling you to do, I would say
that the only way that you canhave a heart for people is when
you are filled with the HolySpirit, and that's for us in our
daily living and that's for theperson who's being called to
something that is hard andpeople that are hard.
If we don't have the love ofChrist, we can't show the love
(19:17):
of Christ and we can't portrayhis message in that love.
So really what needs to happenis more of Jesus within us and
really a prayer, a focusedprayer, maybe even fasting and,
um, just concentrated and havingpeople pray for you, for that
(19:38):
burden, for that heart of Christyou know, for that compassion,
and to really seek for the workof God in your own heart, and I
think we all need that.
I'm the first to say that it'seasy to stop seeing people as
(20:03):
souls in need and to see them asjust you know.
You're just just your neighbors, or just that.
You know, coworker, that'swhatever is causing trouble, or
just the person at the checkoutline.
You know it's.
It's really easy to forget thatthey are souls and we need to
(20:24):
keep the command, the commission, the great commission, in our
hearts and show the love ofchrist it's true and imagine.
Speaker 3 (20:35):
Imagine if there was a book with our name on it, like
jonah has in the bible and ithad your name across it, and it
was the account of how you havefollowed God's call in this area
.
What would it look like?
Speaker 1 (20:51):
Would there be much character?
Speaker 3 (20:52):
development?
Yeah, and would you want anyoneto read it, right?
Speaker 2 (20:58):
Oh, I'm afraid probably not.
Speaker 3 (21:01):
Well, hopefully, I can say already in my life
there's definitely been somecharacter development in that
regard.
I can say already in my lifethere's definitely been some
character development in thatregard, Because I am an
extrovert but also a giant wimpwhen it comes to doing
uncomfortable things Right.
Speaker 2 (21:18):
And so we want people to like us?
Speaker 3 (21:21):
Yes, and so this is a really hard thing for me.
I know people who are much moreintroverted than I am, who are
really good at sharing thegospel, and I'm always very
convicted by that, and sosomething I'm continually
working on, but I can say that Ihave grown in that area and I
(21:46):
hope to continue, but still I'mnot ready for anyone to read
that book.
Speaker 2 (21:50):
No, I'm thankful the canon of scripture is complete.
Amen, all right.
Well, thanks for joining ustoday and we have some guests
coming on that we are reallyexcited to share just their
mission and their heart for thepeople that they work with and
(22:14):
we're working with.
And yeah, as we've got a fewdifferent missionary ladies and
then one who's on deputation andone who wasn't on the mission
field for a while, so we'll havesome nice conversations, I
think oh yeah, I'm excited Staytuned.
Hello and welcome to Simply Edifies podcast.
Our goal is to encourage womenas we navigate the messiness of
life through biblical studies,personal stories and practical
tips that bolster our walk withJesus daily.
Thank you for joining us in ourepisode today.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Hello and welcome to our second episode in the series
on missions, and we started offtalking about Jonah.
We're just going to make a fewquick more comments about Jonah.
We talked last time a littlebit about how Jonah was told to
arise and go and how it's oftenright there where we end up
(00:44):
falling short of the command formissions.
We don't arise and go and wejust stay where it's comfortable
.
And then we also mentioned howGod has, you know, divine wisdom
and when it comes to thejudgment of nations and things
(01:05):
like that, and it's not ourplace to question God's
sovereign will for these things.
We are our duty is to obey thecommand that he's given to us.
Yeah, we talked a little bitabout Jonah and how he was just
(01:26):
kind of a not a very happyperson.
He's kind of more of adepressed prophet and a few
other things.
So if you haven't listened tothat, go on ahead and listen to
that episode today.
I kind of wanted to talk aboutafter his punishment.
We all know kind of the basicstory of Jonah he disobeys, he
(01:48):
is swallowed by the fish,there's his prayer in the
whale's belly and all of that.
And then a second time God saysarise and go, so just right
there.
Arise and go, so just rightthere.
(02:09):
It's kind of funny to me,because I think that if I had
just gotten spat out of a fish,I wouldn't have to be told again
to go.
I would just go.
At least that's what I wouldthink.
Speaker 3 (02:17):
But yeah, I would probably need to hear it a
second time.
As tragic as that wholescenario is, I probably would
still be like god, I repentedand you, you know, showed mercy
on me.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
Thank you so much, and then not gonna go I just
know my track record.
Speaker 3 (02:40):
I usually need to be told things a few times love it,
thinking but it.
But it is a, it is a funny.
It's funny because it's we'reso like far removed from it.
But to think about, really justyou know Jonah standing there
on the water edge of the watercovered in, who knows what he
could have.
Speaker 2 (02:59):
He could have, I mean , we don't know the timeframe he
could have like just gone backto Jerusalem at.
I mean we don't know the timeframe he could have like just
gone back to Jerusalem.
I mean we don't know if it waslike right away that God said
arise, go.
I mean.
Speaker 3 (03:10):
Yeah, we don't know.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
Or he could have just been spat out and sitting there
Picturing him just likedisgusting and being like okay.
Okay.
Speaker 3 (03:24):
I'll go, I'll go this time and we I mean, it's easy
to like, it's funny, it's funnyfrom so far being so far removed
, but it really is a sad pictureof how we just don't take that
commission very seriously, right, and we do need a lot of
(03:49):
pushing sometimes to really takewhat god has told all of us to
do seriously.
Um, even just witnessing to ouryou know, our neighbors, let
alone.
You know, answering a call togoing to a foreign field, and
some people are called to that.
We're all called to a missionof witnessing and sharing the
(04:12):
gospel.
So anyway, I find the story ofdoing a comical, but then every
once in a while it just kind ofpunches me in the gut a little
bit Right.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
It's very, very relatable to how we actually do
respond.
A lot of times that's for sure.
So, yes, the word of the Lordcomes to Jonah second time in
chapter three and says arise andgo.
So this time he goes right andhis message is not filled with
(04:46):
love, it is not filled withcompassion or, um, any of the
warm, fuzzy feelies that youmight hear in some preaching of
today it's yet 40 days andnineveh shall be overthrown, and
that that was his message.
It kind of speaks to his ideaof okay, god, I'll do it, I'll
(05:11):
say what you told me exactly tosay.
I'm not going to like it,though it's almost like the bare
minimum.
Speaker 3 (05:19):
The bare minimum, and , like we talked about last time
, it's not necessarily like wereally see into Jonah's heart at
all.
There's nothing.
We see his actions and hisattitudes, but we don't ever see
like a change of his heart, andI find it.
I just find the whole story sointeresting because of how
(05:43):
little character development wesee in him right.
The part that I love about thisstory, though, is that nineveh
god does not really bear anywords either, where he's like.
You know, it's a wicked city,and we're so quick to write
things off, people off, groupsoff whatever, um, and call them
(06:05):
wicked, then wash our hands ofthem, and instead of that's not
what god shows us here he showsus yes, they are wicked.
Now go, go, reach them right.
Speaker 2 (06:17):
Yeah, I mean, if you were to think about this in
modern day today, I mean you canthink of someone from Israel
going into Iran and preachingthe gospel to Iranians.
I mean, that's kind of the ideahere that we're talking about.
I don't think anyone would beany Israeli, would be too fond
(06:41):
of that prospect.
You know, um, we're not calledto go to the people who who love
us, who like us or who are atleast tolerable towards us.
We're called to whoever we meetacross our path, that the Holy
spirit says share the gospelwith like, and to every nation
(07:03):
and every tribe.
And we in ourselves say, well, Idon't think that we might not
say it out loud, but in ourminds, well, do they really
deserve god's compassion, dothey really need the gospel?
(07:27):
And we might just verybegrudgingly be like oh, here's
a track, you know, or somethinglike that.
If we see somebody who is, iswicked and has that, that
wickedness all plastered aboutthem, I mean they are against
god and they have no problemsaying that they're against god.
(07:50):
So we say in our minds fine,god will judge you right.
Speaker 3 (07:55):
We write people off too, as like too far gone.
Maybe their wickedness doesn'teven necessarily offend us, but
it's oh, they just, they have nointerest.
Oh, they're very, very this orthat, whatever you know label
that is doesn't line up withchristianity.
(08:15):
Um, they're an atheist orthey're a drug addict or
something, and we think they'rejust too far gone.
Right, but that's not reallyour, our call to make.
Speaker 2 (08:28):
Right.
So yes, jonah goes to Nineveh.
He, he does exactly what Godsaid, nothing more, nothing less
.
And the people of Ninevehrepent.
They proclaim the fast.
They put on sackcloth and ash,they, they repent.
They proclaim a fast, they puton sackcloth and ash, they, they
(08:49):
repent.
And we know that that did notbring joy and happiness to the
man of God.
He, he says it's so funny, it'sI, it's sad, but it's funny
because it's exactly us, it'shuman nature, and you know
chapter four, verse one.
But it displeased Jonahexceedingly.
He was very angry and he prayedunto the Lord and said I pray
(09:10):
thee.
Oh Lord, was not this my sayingwhen I was yet in my country?
Therefore, I fled unto Tarshish, for I knew that thou art a
gracious God and merciful, slowto anger and of great kindness.
And repentantly of the evil, Itold you, god, like this is why
I didn't want to do it.
Speaker 3 (09:29):
I can just like hear my kids to me.
Speaker 2 (09:34):
But, yes, I say the same thing to God, like oh God,
okay, I did it.
Oh man God, I knew you weregoing to be merciful, merciful.
Speaker 3 (09:44):
I was really mad at that person.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
I didn't want to forgive them and I forgave them
and then you like put blessingsupon them, and now I get to see
their blessings and I'm just somad about it, like for real,
yeah there's.
Speaker 3 (09:59):
Yes, I have lived through that scenario before and
had to realize like you're nota nice person sometimes because
you want forgiveness and youwant mercy and you want all this
stuff, but then when you seegod doing it for other people,
somehow that's not okay rightand really sad.
(10:20):
I I'll be honest, there arecertain stories in the Bible.
When I picture them, I have ahard time not picturing the
VeggieTale version of them.
Oh, this is one of them.
And I don't know if you'vewatched it, but the asparagus
that plays Jonah is.
I think he's an asparagus, Idon't know Whatever he is.
(10:41):
He's green.
He's very whiny the whole timewhiny and his little like high
pitch.
Speaker 2 (10:51):
Like is what I imagine when I'm reading it
right and I mean I mean he'slike he goes on and he's like
basically asking God to take hislife.
You know he said take my lifefrom me.
It's better for me to die thanto live.
(11:11):
When we see God working insomebody's life who is maybe not
our arch enemy maybe wewouldn't say that but somebody
who has hurt us, somebody whohas wronged us, somebody who we
feel is not deserving because ofthe way that and they could
(11:34):
have been completely in 100%wrong and you could have been,
you know, right in thatsituation, but you have still
harbored bitterness,resentfulness and anger towards
them.
So when they have repented ofwhat they have done wrong and
God is working in their life,all of a sudden we see that and
it stirs up that anger.
(11:55):
It shows us that we need God'smercy, just like they do.
We need God's forgiveness andwe are not to stand in a place
of judgment of other peoplebecause really, deep down inside
we are the same.
We are sinners saved by grace.
And when it comes to sharing thegospel with other people and
(12:18):
just to kind of like put us inthe bigger picture of missions,
we are not in the position tosay who God will have mercy on
and who God won't have mercy on.
Jonah was not in that positioneither, and God showed him that
All we are to do is to obey thecall Go into all the world and
(12:42):
preach the gospel.
We are to obey the call tosupport those who are going
around the world to share thegospel, you know, to give to the
Lord with a happy heart, notbegrudgingly, to show love and
(13:02):
compassion, not water down thetruth of the gospel at all or to
present the gospel with a heartof love, not a heart of.
I'm just doing this because Godtold me to do this and I'm
going to preach against your.
You know who you are as aperson, because I don't like who
you are as a person.
I don't like who you are as aperson.
Speaker 3 (13:24):
You know there's there's a difference between
presenting the gospel and beingdegrading and mean and hurtful
in your present presentation ofthe truth one comes from a place
of humility and gratefulnessfor what god has done for us and
(13:45):
the others pride truthfully andI somehow deserved my mercy,
but you don't deserve yoursright, like the pharisee, who
was praying and was like god.
Speaker 2 (13:57):
I thank you that I'm not like this publican and this
sinner and that I, I am so piousand I pray and I do all these
great things.
But that, publican, you know,and if we're truthful, I think
that all of us can kind of havethat tendency in some way shape
(14:19):
or form.
Even though we might not say insome way shape or form, even
though we might not say, it'skind of funny, there's like a,
there's like a pharisaicalspirit in legalism and there's a
pharisaical spirit incontemporaryism.
I guess you could say whatevertoo, and you can kind of see it
when the one talks about theother.
Speaker 3 (14:42):
Yeah, oh, ain't that the truth?
Speaker 2 (14:47):
So just throwing that one out there for free.
Anyhow, when it comes tomissions, I guess my overall
thought that I want to try tokeep in my life is that I have
to be sensitive to the HolySpirit's leading and when he
tells me to arise and go, I needto be sensitive to the Holy
(15:08):
Spirit's leading and when hetells me to arise and go, I need
to do it.
I need to stop just puttingthose excuses and roadblocks and
I just need to do it Likesomeone's walking in the store
or whatever.
First of all, you have to keeptracks with you.
Tracks are just a way to kindof simply start a conversation,
(15:34):
like maybe somebody is passingyou in the store and you've seen
them a couple of times throughthe store and the Holy Spirit
said you know you should givethem a track.
Maybe there was like a smallconversation you know, like in
the grocery line or something,and you can just give him a
track.
At that point you don't have alot of time, but you at least
something to open that door, tosay you know something simple
(15:56):
like God loves you, here's alittle information about Jesus,
like nothing too extravagant,but you have to be ready and
having tracks on you is a goodway to be ready.
If you do not have access totracks, if maybe your church
doesn't have some, like in thefoyer or whatever, um, delight
(16:16):
thyself.
Ministries designs and makestracks, and I've gotten them,
some from them, like atchristmas time.
Um, we've gone around ourneighborhood and gotten like
some Christmas tracks from themand passed out, you know, like
candy canes and the gospeltracks and stuff.
So you can just order them Ifyou want to check that out.
(16:40):
Delight thyself, ministries.
Speaker 3 (16:44):
So they have these really pretty ones that say,
just say god loves you, andthey're flowery.
So I try to keep a couple, incase it's a guy that I'm handing
out to.
But, um, like a differentdesign, but that's my favorite
one because it's just pretty andwhen you hand it to somebody,
nine times out of ten they smileand the back has the full
(17:08):
gospel written on it.
It has our church information,um, but it's just an easy one to
give out and I don't want tolike I don't know, it's not
always easy and it shouldn'tjust make and it doesn't have to
be easy, but there's justsomething about just it's like a
gift that you're givingsomebody versus like um, there's
(17:31):
some ones that have veryinflammatory right kind of like
eye catching, like uh,statements that can be kind of
off-putting yes.
So like this one is more likehey, I just want you to have
this right and it just tells youyou know more about Jesus or
something, and I've had nothingbut good responses from that.
(17:53):
I sometimes drag my childreninto it, to be honest.
I'm like, hey, I honestly saidthis because my kids were on
this like track giving out kickfor a while.
Our church has an emphasis onit on Tuesday nights and um,
anyway, I'll be like, hey, mykids gave these to me because
they wanted me to hand them out.
(18:14):
Can I hand one to you?
And they're like it's, it'svery, I'm a wimp, I'm a wimp,
but again, sometimes you can bea wimp and still give out the
gospel.
Speaker 2 (18:29):
And the more you do it, the easier it becomes.
Speaker 3 (18:31):
Anyhow maybe.
Speaker 2 (18:32):
God is calling you to something that's bigger and
scarier like Jonah Bigger,scarier, a lot more like
(18:53):
repercussions or whatever.
I guess in that situation, andyou're not totally happy about
the prospect of what God iscalling you to do, I would say
that the only way that you canhave a heart for people is when
you are filled with the HolySpirit, and that's for us in our
daily living and that's for theperson who's being called to
something that is hard andpeople that are hard.
If we don't have the love ofChrist, we can't show the love
(19:17):
of Christ and we can't portrayhis message in that love.
So really what needs to happenis more of Jesus within us and
really a prayer, a focusedprayer, maybe even fasting and,
um, just concentrated and havingpeople pray for you, for that
(19:38):
burden, for that heart of Christyou know, for that compassion,
and to really seek for the workof God in your own heart, and I
think we all need that.
I'm the first to say that it'seasy to stop seeing people as
(20:03):
souls in need and to see them asjust you know.
You're just just your neighbors, or just that.
You know, coworker, that'swhatever is causing trouble, or
just the person at the checkoutline.
You know it's.
It's really easy to forget thatthey are souls and we need to
(20:24):
keep the command, the commission, the great commission, in our
hearts and show the love ofchrist it's true and imagine.
Speaker 3 (20:35):
Imagine if there was a book with our name on it, like
jonah has in the bible and ithad your name across it, and it
was the account of how you havefollowed God's call in this area
.
What would it look like?
Speaker 1 (20:51):
Would there be much character?
Speaker 3 (20:52):
development?
Yeah, and would you want anyoneto read it, right?
Speaker 2 (20:58):
Oh, I'm afraid probably not.
Speaker 3 (21:01):
Well, hopefully, I can say already in my life
there's definitely been somecharacter development in that
regard.
I can say already in my lifethere's definitely been some
character development in thatregard, Because I am an
extrovert but also a giant wimpwhen it comes to doing
uncomfortable things Right.
Speaker 2 (21:18):
And so we want people to like us?
Speaker 3 (21:21):
Yes, and so this is a really hard thing for me.
I know people who are much moreintroverted than I am, who are
really good at sharing thegospel, and I'm always very
convicted by that, and sosomething I'm continually
working on, but I can say that Ihave grown in that area and I
(21:46):
hope to continue, but still I'mnot ready for anyone to read
that book.
Speaker 2 (21:50):
No, I'm thankful the canon of scripture is complete.
Amen, all right.
Well, thanks for joining ustoday and we have some guests
coming on that we are reallyexcited to share just their
mission and their heart for thepeople that they work with and
(22:14):
we're working with.
And yeah, as we've got a fewdifferent missionary ladies and
then one who's on deputation andone who wasn't on the mission
field for a while, so we'll havesome nice conversations, I
think oh yeah, I'm excited Staytuned.
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