Have you ever been called to work with people you didn’t really want to minister or work with ? Jonah certainly did. The Lord’s ministry was not just to the Ninevites, but also to Jonah.
Jonah 3: Jonah Goes to Nineveh
1 Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah the second time, saying,
2 "Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you."
3 So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, three days' journey in breadth.
4 Jonah began to go into the city, going a day's journey. And he called out, "Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!"
5 And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them.
The People of Nineveh Repent
6 The word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.
7 And he issued a proclamation and published through Nineveh, "By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything. Let them not feed or drink water,
8 but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them call out mightily to God. Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands.
9 Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish."
10 When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.
Things to think about…
Second time lucky! Jonah is called to go to Nineveh a second time, Jon 3:2. This time he obeys without question. What is the Lord bringing back to your attention that you have ignored up to this point? Often we need a jolt to get us to listen?
How did Jonah survive this calling to preach against Nineveh? Think about it. Assyria was the superpower and Nineveh was the capital. Israel was paying tribute to Assyria by this time. Jonah says, “forty days then you will be overthrown”, Jon 3:4. Have you ever been called to do something for Christ that could put your life in danger? Paul tells us that we should ’die daily’ for the gospel.
The Assyrians were among the most brutal people to have ever lived. They did atrocious things to those they encountered in battle – the flaying of skin by tearing strips off their captives was one of their specialties. Here they not only repent, but they fast and cover themselves in sackcloth, not just the people, but they cover all the livestock as well. Has this level of repentance ever been exhibited in the history of Israel or any other nation whether Christian or otherwise at any point in history? God had great mercy because there was great humility and repentance. May the Lord grant this level of repentance to Australia (even with all our livestock J).
The king of Nineveh was the instigator of such an overwhelming response. It was likely the king was Ashur-dan III (reigned 772–755 BC. He made some reforms after a period of trial at Nineveh. The leaders of nations are in an incredible position of influence and responsibility. Let’s pray for our government in Australia. We have as a people voted against God’s revealed laws, but that does not mean we cannot repent. Pray for the Lord to have mercy over our nation. We are also slipping scholastically with our children being three years behind China and not ranking well compared with many other OECD countries - https://www.smh.com.au/education/alarm-bells-australian-students-record-worst-result-in-global-tests-20191203-p53gie.html
Vision statement for CBC
CBC’s Vision :- To be a growing biblical church community, significantly influencing our city and beyond, through intentional outreach, fulfilling our mission.
Prayer points
1. Pray for Iran and a short war. May the Iranian people see the prophesy of Jer 49:34-39 fulfilled over the coming weeks and months.
2. Pray for the church in Australia that it focuses on Christ, His Word and holiness.
3. Pray for our leaders in Australia that they press in closer to Christ.
4. Pray the influence of Russia and China is minimised militarily.
5. The Royal Commission that the Jewish people will feel safe in Australia.
6. One for Israel ministry.
7. Conflict zones- Israel, Iran and Ukraine
8. Pray for new people to step into ministries at CBC – eg worship, café, sound/technical, giving, podcast.
9. Reform and Revival over our city and country.
10. Finances to cover our needs
11. Growth, conversions, joy in the Word and Spirit to increase.
Praise Points
1. US and Israeli strikes on Iran and Lebanon
2. Praise God for the Lord’s blessing over our service on Sunday
3. Praise God for ministries – Life Groups, Prayer meetings, Kids@Church
4. Café team every week. Thankyou to all those who serve and bring food. Especially Fiona, Maddie and Suzy.
5. Worship, Admin and Technical teams – Nita, Brendon, AJ, Suzy, Maddie, Mathys, Doug.
6. Kids Church teachers – Jacqueline, Maddie, Elise, Anastacia and Fiona
7. The Lord’s faithfulness this year to CBC and all who have served in ministries
8. Joy, peace and grace we see at CBC. Thankyou Lord
Announcements
1. Prayer meeting Wed 5:30pm at church
2. All Life Groups are back.
3. Kids@Church has started back
4. Mothers Day High tea celebration – Saturday morning, May 9th at Church.
5. Church bank details bsb:- 704 913 and Acc number:- 4000 4388 1
6. Tune in again this week on our YouTube page. Subscribe to the CBC channel Chuwar Baptist YouTube channel.
Catechism questions for February...
Q. 5. Did our Lord Jesus Christ ever sin? A. No; he was holy, blameless, and undefiled.
