0231. Jonah Recommissioned

Jonah Recommissioned

"And the Word of the Lord came unto Jonah the second time, saying, Arise, and go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto them the preaching that I bid thee" (Jon_3:1).

1. "The second time." How thankful we are for these words. The vessel was marred in the hands of the potter "so he made it again." "Go tell My disciples and Peter." The "and Peter" was "the second time." Peter counted himself out, but God counted him in.

Some one has said, "The bird with the broken pinion never soared so high again." But that is not true. When the backslider comes back to God, and is forgiven and restored, he may get back again into service, with even renewed and redoubled power.

2. "Arise and go to Nineveh." When God has restored, He always recommissions. Get back to the old job. On to Nineveh, is God’s voice to one who ran away. One cannot but think of the time wasted. Jonah ran from the presence of the Lord; immediately he began to wander about under clouds of judgment; he has harrowing experiences; finally he is back again at the crossing of the roads–back to the very spot from whence he took the bypath. But, oh, the wasted time.

To Jacob it was, "Back to Bethel;" to Onesimus, it was "Back to Philemon." It is always "back," to the soul that runs away from God. Peter was told of the Cross of Christ; he began to rebuke the Lord and to say: "Pity Thyself, Lord." There Peter’s backsliding began. When he was, after many an heartache, restored, immediately the Cross loomed again in sight. It was: "Back to the cross roads, Peter," and it was back to the Cross. "When thou art old, another shall gird thee * * this spake He concerning the cross, by which Peter should glorify God." Then said Christ "Follow thou Me."

3. "Preach the preaching that I bid thee." The preacher must obey God implicitly. He must preach what God gives him to preach. The question is not what do the people want; nor is it, what will please the people–we must preach what we are told to preach.

Ours is not to make a gospel, but to preach the Gospel. God pity men who pose as ministers of Christ, but who are proclaiming messages which they get from the pulse throbbings of the twentieth century.

Autor: R.E. NEIGHBOUR