‘Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time: “Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.”’ (Jonah 3:1-2)
Summary: The Holy Spirit wants to remind us and empower us for God’s mission every day.
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Jonah is told a second time to go to Nineveh. God has not given up on Jonah or the people of Nineveh. I may feel inadequate in the realm of evangelism but God has not given up on me or the people that He wants to reach through me. That applies to you as well. Today, and on a regular basis, we need to hear Jesus’ commission again:
‘Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”’ (Matthew 28:18-20)
I think that ‘keeping the main thing the main thing’ is difficult in most areas of our lives and in our churches. Due to various pressures, we may find ourselves drifting away from what is truly valuable. Maybe you’re like me: you’re tired, you should go to bed but, instead, you watch something. An hour passes and you realise that you haven’t done what you wanted to do and what was good for you - to go to bed! Likewise, we love to share our faith, we feel compassion for people and we have a love for Jesus that we want to share, but we get distracted from doing what’s of vital importance in the places that God has put us.
We must constantly remind ourselves and align ourselves with God's call to be witnesses in the world. Jesus has promised that the ‘Spirit of truth’ would teach us and empower us. He reminds us of Jesus’ words, if we are attentive, He equips us with the courage, compassion, and ability to bear fruit. The Holy Spirit also empowers us to be witnesses. We may feel weak and not very good at sharing our faith but if we listen and receive the Spirit, He will make us courageous, compassionate and fruitful."
RESPONSE - BE REMINDED OF YOUR MISSION EVERY DAY
Let’s put ourselves in a place to be freshly called, encouraged and empowered as witnesses. As we go into this day, let’s be reminded by the Spirit, from His word, that we are commissioned as bearers of love and good news from God.
COMMUNITY GROUP NOTES AND STUDY
1. NOTICES
It might be good to begin with notices. Please share from this week’s Church News.
Please try to use the COME TO JESUS DAILY DEVOTIONALS (blog). This will help us to get deep into this book together. There is also a video option if that helps (Ensure that everyone knows how to access this)
Please get signed up for Funky Monkeys and invite your friends: https://www.communitychurchputney.com/funkymonkeys
2. ICEBREAKER
What have been your 'highs' and 'lows' from the past few weeks?
3. RECAP OF SUNDAY’S MESSAGE - PLEASE SHARE IN YOUR GROUP
JONAH OBEYED AND WENT
Please read Jonah 2:1-3
MAIN IDEA: WE ALWAYS HAVE A FRESH OPPORTUNITY TO COME BACK TO GOD AND TO SERVE HIM.
1. THE WORD OF THE LORD CAME A SECOND TIME
God speaks to Jonah again and recommissions him to go to preach to Nineveh.
2. GO TO THE CITY
God repeats his commission to Jonah. The Holy Spirit, if we give Him space, want to continually remind us of the Great Commission that is spoken over us (See Matthew 28:18-20).
3. GIVE THE MESSAGE THAT GOD GIVES
God sends Jonah to proclaim His message. Likewise, the gospel - Jesus’ death and resurrection for our sin and salvation - is the message that God has given and that we are to give.
4. RESPONSE: JONAH OBEYED AND WENT. WHAT WILL OUR RESPONSE BE?
Jonah, this time, responds by going on God’s mission to Nineveh. As with Jonah, we always have a fresh opportunity to come back to God and to serve Him in His mission.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
How would you counsel someone who said that they felt that God had given up on them and that they could never be forgiven and restored?
Jonah obeyed God's call to preach in Nineveh. This shows us the importance of obedience to God's mission in our lives. What does it mean for you to follow God's mission in your life?
How have you Served, Invested and Invited in your communities this week? (Let’s share about this again next week)
How have you got on with making a list and praying for your non-believing friends each day? (Let’s share about this again next week)
Let’s now pray for specific people that God has put on your heart and in your life.
Let’s pray for each other that the Spirit would fill us with His resurrection power so as to be compassionate and courageous this week.