A little too close to home...

So, this past Friday we had a Lock-In for kids & teens and it was a HUGE success. We even had someone from US Cellular donate LED lightsticks, which made our band feel as if they were the real STUFF! With the combination of swirling lights, 2 strobe lights, a large light bank, a turning disco ball (lit up, of course), a fog machine, and 50+ shimmering lightsticks, we could have been in any concert venue in the world! It was cool!

After each of the four sets, I preached a chapter of the book of Jonah. I had the front of the church decorated to look sort of like where the action was taking place. The middle of the stage area was the ocean. To the right, organ side, was Tarshish, basically just wicker walls and then hills and mountains to the far right. On the left, piano side, was Ninevah, that Great City. Or, as I referred to it in our story, "that Great Party City"! As soon as I said the word 'party', they flipped on the lights for the disco ball and my Ninevites began dancing a bit.

I'm getting ahead of myself. As I preached, I used our kids & teens as my silent actors to mimic the action of the narrative. When the Bible said the sailors were scared, I would pause & give them opportunity to be scared. They were great sports (most are big hams like me). It was awesome! I've got it on VHS, I'll make you a copy, cheap. :)

Now, to the hard part of this blog. In the final chapter of Jonah, after he has finally wised up & repented from running from God, after he has gone to Ninevah & given them God's message, after THEY have repented & turned from their wicked ways and turned to God, we find Jonah sitting up on the hill. Instead of being thrilled that the entire nation has turned to God (shouldn't that be, you know, like the goal of God's people, that others come to worship our God???), well, instead of being happy that the ENTIRE nation has turned to God, Jonah is actually rather ticked off about it! The Bible says He is mad at God that He didn't destroy them before they could repent.

If God's purpose in the book of Jonah were only the people of Ninevah, I think the book would have ended after chapter 3. But God had something more in mind: He was still not finished with Jonah. Chapter 4 teaches that God brought up this plant to bring shade to Jonah's head (apparently it was scorchingly hot). Then, God brought along a worm to eat that same plant the next night. What was Jonah's reaction? He was angry that the plant was gone! Angry! Upset! Downright frustrated!

Then God drew in His net around Jonah. God asked him, "is it right for you to have pity on a plant for which you did not labor?" And then He said, "And should I not pity Ninevah, that great city, in which are more than 120,000 persons who cannot discern between their right hand & their left?" I think God was referring to there being more than 120,000 children. If there are that many children, just think how many people there must be!

God was telling Jonah, your priorities are messed up! Jonah cared more about his own comfort than the souls of people. He cared more about his immediate surroundings than the eternity of all those people.

Now, at the Lock-In I stressed that life is not all about US! I am not the center of the universe. Life does not revolve around me. Life does does not revolve around any of those kids or teens present, even when they think it does. Life is a mission trip! Our mission is to tell others about the awesome God that we serve.

Between the wee hours of Sat. morning & the preaching hour of Sunday morning, my focus changed a bit when it came to that silly plant of Jonah's. You see, I began to wonder if we as a church haven't become more focused on our plants of comfort & ease than we are on the goal of lostness & mission? We love our church: As long as no one messes with our style of music, as long as we have our padded pews, as long as the heating & a/c work, as long as the choir hits all the right notes.

We've got to be more willing to sacrifice our personal preferences & desires for the sake of reaching people for Christ. Paul said, therefore I've become all things to all men that I might by all means save some. I Cor 9:19

Don't worry about the plant!