This week’s blog is from our special speaker - Pastor Troy Trout.
The book of Jonah is different from the other prophetic books. It is not mainly about Jonah’s message. It is about Jonah’s heart.
That is what made this sermon so strong. Jonah is not just a prophet in a story. Jonah is a mirror. When we read his story, we are meant to ask a hard question: Do I see myself in him?
God called Jonah to go to Nineveh. Jonah ran the other way. He did not want God to show mercy to people he had already judged in his heart. He was willing to receive grace for himself, but he did not want grace for them. That is the danger the sermon exposed. It is possible to know God, hear His call, and still resist His heart.
Jonah went down. He went down to Joppa. Down into the ship. Down into sleep. Down into the sea. Down into despair. That downward movement becomes a picture of what happens when fear, anger, pride, prejudice, and self-righteousness take root in us. We sink when we cling to idols.
The message warned us that outrage can become an idol. National pride can become an idol. Politics can become an idol. Even being right can become an idol. Jonah cared more about his own comfort and reputation than about a city full of people who needed mercy.
But God cared about Nineveh.
That matters because God still cares about people we may be tempted to overlook, avoid, fear, or judge. The sermon pointed to the heart of God throughout Scripture. The Lord has always cared about the nations. He has always cared about the foreigner, the outsider, and the one far from home. At Pentecost, God did not erase the nations. He spoke to them. He met people from many languages with one gospel and one Spirit.
This is where the message became deeply personal. The church was asked to consider whether we have God’s heart or the heart of the world around us. Are we growing in love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, and self-control? Or are we being formed by bitterness, rage, suspicion, and endless arguments?
The call was not political. It was spiritual. It was a call to repentance.
The church is not called to be a weapon of destruction. The church is called to be an agent of renewal. We are the body of Christ in the world. His hands. His feet. His voice. His witness.
That means we must pray before we post. We must think deeply. We must act justly. We must live wholeheartedly as Christ’s people in the world God has placed us in. We must not let outrage choke out compassion.
Jonah ends with a question from God. It is a question we still need to hear: Shouldn’t I care about that great city?
The answer is yes. And if God cares, we should too.