Worship

“Promises” by Maverick City Music, featuring Joe L Barnes and Naomi Raine

Scripture

“Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, ‘Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.’ But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the LORD.

But the LORD hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up. Then the mariners were afraid, and each cried out to his god. And they hurled the cargo that was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them. But Jonah had gone down into the inner part of the ship and had lain down and was fast asleep. So the captain came and said to him, ‘What do you mean, you sleeper? Arise, call out to your god! Perhaps the god will give a thought to us, that we may not perish.’ …

Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows. And the LORD appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.” -Jonah 1:1-6, 16-17 (ESV)

“One day he got into a boat with his disciples, and he said to them, ‘Let us go across to the other side of the lake.’ So they set out, and as they sailed he fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water and were in danger. And they went and woke him, saying, ‘Master, Master, we are perishing!’ And he awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging waves, and they ceased, and there was a calm. He said to them, ‘Where is your faith?’ And they were afraid, and they marveled, saying to one another, ‘Who then is this, that he commands even winds and water, and they obey him?'” -Luke 8:22-25 (ESV)

God’s Sovereign Plan in Missions

Before the foundations of the world, the Lord had planned great exploits for both Jonah and for Jesus’ disciples. A city and a region both needed revival. He knew that if He could get His word to them, He could get it through them. Each of them had their moment to step into a divinely appointed time to bring an encounter to a king and a demon-possessed man.

Jonah wasn’t super keen on his calling to Nineveh, and so he fled to the furthest, most opposite place from his assignment. The Lord called him east, but he went west! The Lord called him to travel to a city, but Jonah set sail on the sea to the end of the world as he knew it. But God is the God who sees and is familiar with all of our ways, and there was a city that needed to be saved. Someone had to go.

Take a look at the disciples. Commanded to go, they jumped in a boat with Jesus, clearly directed as to where they were heading. All was good until the storm raged and they lost sight of both their calling to go, their destination, and their reality that Jesus was with them. On the other side was a demon-possessed man who was crying out for help. God heard him. In fact He didn’t only hear him but the whole region that was ready for an encounter with Jesus (Luke 8:38-39). Someone had to go.

The Lord’s Faithfulness Through Every Storm

I find these two passages beautifully parallel one another as they each had the word of the Lord to bring revival to a designated place. God clearly knew the outcome even when they couldn’t see it in the middle of the storm, in the bottom of a boat, or in the belly of a fish. But He is faithful to fulfill His promises (Psalm 145:13), and He will do everything to keep us on track!

They were given a destination and a direction because God’s mercy never relented for His people or for those far from Him. Someone had to go and share. We don’t like the storms of life, but in both cases a storm was used to reroute their journeys so they could fulfill God’s plan and purposes. Sometimes, the storm redirects us to the place God has originally intended, but we are off either one degree or 180 degrees on our compass. They both had to rely on God to calm the storm—one through a spoken word and one through an offering. And in the midst of this reality, people saw God! In spite of their frailty and fear, both resulted in the salvation of many. A king and a demon-possessed man became the conduits of God’s salvation and mercy to a city and a region. Anyone can be used by the Lord to bring revival!

“Jonah could not see that deep within the terror of the storm God’s mercy was at work, drawing him back to change his heart. It’s not surprising that Jonah missed this initially. He did not know how God would come into the world to save us. We, however, living on this side of the cross, know that god can save through weakness, suffering, and apparent defeat. Those who watched Jesus dying saw nothing but loss and tragedy. Yet at the heart of that darkness the divine mercy was powerfully at work, bringing about pardon and forgiveness for us. God’s salvation came into the world through suffering, so his saving grace and power can work in our lives more and more as we go through difficulty and sorrow. There’s mercy deep inside our storms.” -Timothy Keller, “The Prodigal Prophet”

Our Commission to Go Forth

Now it’s our turn, dear sisters!

“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, baptizing 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, emphasis added

We have our destination and our direction—to take the gospel to the ends of the Earth! In this case, it’s OK to get a one-way ticket to the end of the world! We have the word of the Lord commanding us to open our mouths and speak because the compassion and mercy for lost people and nations resides in us in the person of Jesus! Some of you have been running from this command your whole lives, and storm after storm, Jesus is trying to redirect you to your port of entry where He is calling you to put your anchor down. God’s command to go and tell was the same for Jonah, as it was for Jesus’ disciples, as it is for us today. Nothing has changed because God seeks to save the lost through our surrendered yes to Him—a life laid before Him no matter what the cost. Christ in us is compelled to run to a dying world. If we are headed in the wrong direction, it’s time to reroute first our hearts toward Him and then our feet. Revival is not pending; it is here! What we have been praying for decades is now upon us, and a Bride that is awakened will be the one to harvest what God has prepared for her. I beseech you: do not dismiss your directive to co-mission with God in this hour! Don’t spend three days in the metaphorical belly of a fish to get you to the place that He has been telling you to go. There’s not time to waste, dear sisters. Many are in the valley of decision, and if we open our mouths, eternity will change for them.

For years and years the Lord had been calling my aunt to give up her teaching job and follow Him into a new season of ministry. For years she determined it wasn’t time; she still had more to do. It was impractical. Maybe next year. Finally, she had a profound encounter with the Lord, resigned from her teaching job, and followed Jesus. She was able to partner with Jesus over the next few years before being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer that took her life. I always wonder the fruit of what could have been if only she had said, “Yes,” when He originally asked. It may not look practical to you, but if God is calling you to jump overboard head first, you better believe it will be the adventure of a lifetime, and He will provide everything you need. With all that I am, I implore you to run into your greatest commission with the God of the universe! There’s nothing better! Cities, regions, and nations have been assigned to you! It’s time to go!

“Do you know where the hope for your city is? It’s sitting in your chair right now. God’s plan for revival for your city is you—Him working in and through you. There’s no need to wait for something else to come. You’ve come. And because you’ve come, Christ has shown up. I pray that you believe that. I pray that you grab hold of God’s promises for you. Christ came to seek and save what was lost and to destroy the works of the enemy. Because taking His power and presence to the streets is important to Him, it’s got to be important to you and me.” -Robby Dawkins, “Do What Jesus Did”

Meet me in the harvest fields; they are ripe and ready! Let’s go!

A Few Key Notes

• We have a $50,000 match in place through December 31 to expand the Arise movement into 70 cities in 2022. You can give here to the Arise match.
• Join us for this upcoming Arise event. Email me at [email protected] for details.
  • Kathy Gray will lead another three-part dream class for Arise women. Come to The Hope Center in the East-West Board room at 7 p.m. on November 3, 10, and 17. Cost: $30. Register today!
• We are now recruiting for an Arise short-term mission team to South America from March 19-26, 2022. Apply online to join the team.