Thursday, April 18, 2013

Jonah Evangelist

Jonah is an interesting figure. Of the Old Testament Prophets he is often the one most like us. The one who does not want to go out and proclaim the good news.

I guess I feel a certain connection to Jonah as he is far easier to relate to myself then many of the other prophets. The good news of a Prophet like Jonah is that God can do great things even with broken vessels.

Jonah’s success in Nineveh is not a success of Jonah is a success of God. In reality it is the Lord who brings success to gospel preaching. With great preachers with outstanding character and proven track record this can be hidden.

But Jonah is an example of how God can use flawed sinners to further his kingdom.

A great fear of evangelism is simply often “can I even articulate the Good News.” The reality is that God can use any faithful articulation of faith if it is a true articulation even if it falls far short of eloquent or profound.

It is God who brings sinners to himself and the good news of this is the freedom to realize we can express our faith freely and if God wills he can use it.

No comments: