Discipleship Essentials – Pt II Missionary Motives Jonah 1:1-10

1. Discipleship Essentials – Pt IIMissionary MotivesJonah 1:1-10 In 1999, Julia Roberts starred in the movie “Runaway Bride, a romandic comedy about a woman who left three fiancés at the altar. But other runaways in our society include children who leave home, men who abandon their families, women who leave their husbands, and people who avoid the truth. An example of someone running from truth is the prophet Jonah, who ran away from Ninevah in present day northern Iraq to Tarshish in southern Spain. 1.We Must Overcome Cultural Bias And Prejudice. Common essentials, whether for missionary work or leading a Fortune 500 company, are: clarity of mission, buy-in to the mission, passion for the mission, and the execution of the mission. Jonah clearly heard God’s voice and knew God’s compassion for the Ninevites. However, he was prejudiced against them because they were enemies of Israel who tortured their enemies, desecrating their bodies. Jonah initially fled, so God would either choose someone else or be forced to punish the Ninevites. He eventually preached God’s promise of destruction in 40 days. 2. We Choose Vacation Over Vocation. God called Jonah as His prophet to Ninevah, but Jonah chose to flee from his responsibility. God sent a storm that threatened all aboard the ship Jonah rode, sending a “wake up call” for Jonah’s repentance. Jonah’s experience inside the great fish made him accept his responsibility. We must similarly choose daily to accept and execute our responsibilities for God over selfishness, indifference and convenience. 3. Discipleship Essentials Involves Motives. While Jonah knew God’s call and compassion, he didn’t know his own heart. Even after enduring God’s discipline, he never overcame his bias against the Ninevites, only preaching God’s justice, not His call for repentance. God still used Jonah’s grudging work to change the hearts of the Ninevites, granting them grace.