Reaching Out    Fire in Our Bones

Last week:
Reaching In - Outreach inside the church
- Making room for everybody
- Reaching out to those on the inside but feel like they are on the outside looking in.

Today:
Reaching Out - fire in our bones

God has called every believer to take the Gospel to those in the world without Christ.

That can be intimidating.

I. Jesus Said: You shall be my witness

Ac 1:4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.  5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."  6 So when they met together, they asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?"  7 He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.  8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

A.  Witness: Same Greek word we get our word Martyr
    Something that you are so sure of that you would legally testify and if need be die for.

B. What would help most of us is an encounter with God that would leave us with no doubt.

C. Paul said:
2Ti 1:11 And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher.  12 That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.

D. The problem with some of us is that we're saved, but untouched by God.

II. The Story of a Reluctant Witness: Jonah

A. Jonah's story:
     - Who: Little known about Jonah
                  - Son of Amittai
                  - A prophet
     -  What
     - Given a prophetic word to go to Nineveh in Assyria and tell them judgment is coming if they don't repent.
    
-  Why He Didn't want to go.

1. Assyria's cruelty was legendary
2. Butcher men, women, and children.
3. Impale enemy soldiers at the gates of the cities they conquer.
4. No mercy what so ever.

B. Purpose of the Book of Jonah
     1. Obvious: God's desire to give grace to Nineveh
     2.  Story behind the story: A lesson from God for Jonah.

- God did want Nineveh saved
-  But He could have sent someone more willing.
- He chose Jonah, because God had Jonah in school.
- He wanted something from Jonah

The storm, the fish thing :
Was not just forcing a guy to do what God wanted
- God: "Hey watch me make this guy do something!"

- It was directed at Jonah - It was for Jonah
- It was God's love, trying to teach him something

(Your storm, may be God's school house)

C. Jonah Runs from God
     - boat to Tarshish
     - Storm and thrown overboard
     - Swallowed by a whale
     - Says OK I'll go
  
Jon 2:1 From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the LORD his God.  2 He said: "In my distress I called to the LORD, and he answered me. From the depths of the grave I called for help, and you listened to my cry.  3 You hurled me into the deep, into the very heart of the seas, and the currents swirled about me; all your waves and breakers swept over me. 4 I said, 'I have been banished from your sight; yet I will look again toward your holy temple.' 5 The engulfing waters threatened me, the deep surrounded me; seaweed was wrapped around my head.  6 To the roots of the mountains I sank down; the earth beneath barred me in forever. But you brought my life up from the pit, O LORD my God.  7 "When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, LORD, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple.  8 "Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs.  9 But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. Salvation comes from the LORD."  10 And the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.

  - Whale spits him up and he goes
  -  He reluctantly walks through Nineveh

(You don't want to repent do you.  I don't really care… but God told me to tell you.)

II. Sets up camp on a hill overlooking Nineveh

He wants a show: God Please Blow them Away!

Jon 3:10 When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened. (NIV)

Jon 4:1 But Jonah was greatly displeased and became angry.  2 He prayed to the LORD, "O LORD, is this not what I said when I was still at home? That is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity.
 3 Now, O LORD, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live."  4 But the LORD replied, "Have you any right to be angry?"

Do you have a right to be angry that I didn't destroy them?

Here is he main point of the book/the spot light
Jon 4:5 Jonah went out and sat down at a place east of the city. There he made himself a shelter, sat in its shade and waited to see what would happen to the city.  6 Then the LORD God provided a vine and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the vine.  7 But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the vine so that it withered.  8 When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah's head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die, and said, "It would be better for me to die than to live." 9 But God said to Jonah, "Do you have a right to be angry about the vine?" "I do," he said. "I am angry enough to die."  10 But the LORD said, "You have been concerned about this vine, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight.  11 But Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, and many cattle as well. Should I not be concerned about that great city?" (NIV)

Do you have a right to be angry? Did any of this belong to you? Did you create it?

III. God Wanted Three Things From Jonah

- He wanted Jonah to Have a burden for these lost people.
- He wanted Jonah to learn to look past their sin.
-He wanted Jonah to have a God set fire in his bones.

Let's look at each one:

#1.  He wanted Jonah to Have a burden for these lost people.

The founder of the Salvation Army Gen William Booth once said:

That he would like to dangle his workers over hell for 20 minutes each time they went out into the streets to share the Gospel

- We need to ask God for a clear understanding of the danger of one more minute without Christ.

-  Jonah, was only concerned for himself.

1. I've been wronged, let them fry - they deserve it
2. Where did my shade go?

We accuse Jonah, but are often more concerned over our small stuff, rather than the souls of the lost.

- I'll be embarrassed
- I'll be inconvenienced, don't have time - you know I'm so busy.

- Isn't our inconvenience or embarrassment small compared to their eternity in hell?

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We also need to ask God to help us see past the covers people wear.

1. Strip away the covers, and we are all the same.
2. We get intimidated by the covers
3. We get proud by what we think are inferior  covers.

Under our covers we are all the same.

- Concerned with food on the table
-  Worried about the things of life
-  Trying to hold off Old age, or break out of our youth.
-   Worried about kids, job, marriage
-   We're all sacred about something.

We get hung up on the covers - intimidated
- Ask God to see past them
- To see the fear
- To feel the need
-  Let desire rise inside you to give them hope in Jesus.

GOD GIVE US A BURDEN FOR PEOPLE

 #2.  He wanted Jonah to learn to look past their sin.

- It was personal for Jonah
- He hated them for what they did.
- They were awful, bloody, violent, evil

They were loved by God too.

A word for somebody:

Your key to freedom is:
1. Forgiving
2. Praying for
3. Actively seek the salvation of someone who has  hurt you very badly.

Satan has held you in bondage for years with you pain and resentment.

Spiritual warfare is not just praying against the devil.

- It is marching into his playing field of pain, resentment, and unforgiveness and declaring:

1. I FORGIVE
2. I BRING THE LIGHT OF JESUS TO THIS DARKJENESS
3. IM HEAR TO BRING HOPE TO THOSE WHO DESRVE NIONE.

A blinding light shines in the darkness at that moment.
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God Looks past sin and draws people to Himself in Christ

We must do the same.  Look past sin and extend a invitation and a hand into the kingdom of God.

 #3.  He wanted Jonah to have a God set fire in his bones.

Jonah went through the motions, but actually wanted them destroyed.

It is not enough to be religious - mechanical because we should be.

GOD WANTED JONAH TO HAVE TWO THINGS:
#1. Passion: A fiery fervency about God
      - about His word
      - About who He is
      - About what He's promised

#2. Compassion: Ability to see the need of people and the desire to meet that need. 

PASSION: Sees God
COMPASSION: Sees People

Jeremiah the prophet is a good example

1. Jeremiah was also reluctant.
2.  Then God touched him

Jeer 20:7 O LORD, you deceived; me, and I was deceived you overpowered me and prevailed. I am ridiculed all day long; everyone mocks me.
 8 Whenever I speak, I cry out proclaiming violence and destruction. So the word of the LORD has brought me insult and reproach all day long.
 9 But if I say, "I will not mention him or speak any more in his name," his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.

What happened? God touched him - fire of passion filled him

AFTER ISREAL WAS OVERCOME BY BABYLON WE SEE HIS COMPASSION:

La 2:10 The elders of the Daughter of Zion sit on the ground in silence; they have sprinkled dust on their heads and put on sackcloth. The young women of Jerusalem have bowed their heads to the ground.  11 My eyes fail from weeping, I am in torment within, my heart is poured out on the ground because my people are destroyed, because children and infants faint in the streets of the city.  12 They say to their mothers, "Where is bread and wine?" as they faint like wounded men in the streets of the city, as their lives ebb away in their mothers' arms.

We must have both:
Passion for God
Compassion for people

Jeremiah preached for 42 years with passion and compassion.  Jonah had neither - How about us?
After being with God - you see people differently

 Conclusion:
Simple way to witness:

1. Tell them what happened to you
     - Don't give them a sermon
     - Give them a personal witness of what you  personally know.

What if you have nothing to say?
Then you have more problems than a fear of witnessing

2. Invite them to church -

- Young married group great ideas

-  Oct 24th - Harvest Fest
    Great food - Bon fire -  Hay rides & games, corn hole tournament

Johnny McClain band
Talent show open mic

Punkin Chunkin
- Build your own catapult or use ours
- Three man teams Toss pumkin 200-300 feet into a  target for prizes People will come to this.

We will take a few minutes and talk about
- Celebrate recovery
- A new series called:................

Give out a CD this week…..

(What you do in an effort to reach people, expect God to anoint.

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Final Word

Jesus said:  How many people here believe Jesus,

Ac 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."