ARISE O SLEEPER:How God uses the storms of life to awake his ministers from sleep

ARISE O SLEEPER: Jonah 1: 6
( How God uses the storms of  life as a means of awakening the ministers of God from sleep-The case study of Jonah)
Introduction: Although God is sovereign and self-sufficient – needing no one to help Him, yet He has decided to do nothing among men until He has found a man that He can use. Man is God’s method. He is His partner and representative in His quest to seek and save that which was lost. But what kind of man is God looking for? How does He process them? Why did God choose to use Jonah and discard king Saul? These and other questions shall be the subject of our discussion in this meeting. Let’s consider 2Tim 2: 19 -21; and Ezek 22: 23 - 31. May it please the Lord to use this meeting to recruit for Himself, vessels that is meet for the masters’ use. May God’s age long search for the useful and re- useable vessels end with you. Let us Pray! 1.1 THE LIFE OF JONAH: Jonah, God’s choice for the salvation of the people of Nineveh. a. JONAH’S BIOGRAPHY. Jonah 1: 1 Jonah was the son of Amittai prior to his call to Nineveh, he was an ordained Prophet to the Northern Kingdom of Israel during the reign of Jeroboam II King 14: 23 – 25. In his office as a prophet he has not only popular but also well respected, by the people and the political leaders of his time. Yet when God called Jonah to go to Nineveh to cry against her for their wickedness he rose up and fled to Tarshish Jonah 1: 2 – 3 what lessons can we learn from this? b. Jonah went down. Jonah 1: 3 – 5 in the previous years of the life of obedience, Jonah went up. But as soon as he began to disobey God the bible says – “He went down” As soon as Jonah began to go down, everything about him and around him went down. Even the goods and the people travelling with the disobedient man of God went down. Jonah 1: 5. The consequence of disobedience can be much more than anyone can ever imagine. Let us learn this at least for once. If we are not fully committed to God and His will for our lives, our family and others around us will ultimately suffer as well. 2.1 Jonah and the storm sent by God… Jonah 1: 4- 15 The storms of life a normal occurrence for every child of God who has chosen to live a righteous life, bear the cross and follow Jesus. But the great storm that confronted Jonah was different. It was a storm specially arranged by God in order to persuade Jonah (the Lord’s servant) to obey his call. Jonah’s disobedience was the reason for his storm. Could this be the same for you? The problem / challenges from the powers of darkness you are experiencing now. Could it be is a result of your disobedience to certain divine instructions about your life and ministry? Know this “No matter how fast you know how to run, a thousand of the likes Jonah’s cannot outrun God” says a Yoruba adage literally translated. Among other lesson(s), one clear lesson to learn from Jonah’s experience is that God can use the storms of life to awake His ministers from sleep. In the story while the lives of the sailors and others who were sailing along with them was in great danger God’s servant (Jonah) was fast asleep. Today the situation is not any different. Many of today’s General Overseers / Bishops / Pastors / Deacons etc. are also fast asleep – totally unconcerned almost the perishing and the end – time Apostles that are ravaging the world and the church respectively. Who will wake them up! 3.1 Jonah’s repentance, restitution and restoration. Jonah chapters 2 & 3 a. Jonah and the people travelling with him … Jonah 1: 4 – 15 For Jonah’s disobedience everyone travelling with him in the ship became unfortunate. That is what happens to the people, when their leaders are disobedient. A family, a Church, a community, a nation can perish just because they are unfortunate to be led by a disobedient leader. b. Jonah’s Repentance: Jonah 2: 1- 10 inside the whale, Jonah found himself still alive and so he cried out to the Lord for forgiveness. i.e His heart –felt repentance ultimately led to his restitution and restoration. Like Jonah we must cry out to God for mercy and help as everyone of us examines his / her life and repent from every form of disobedience. Revival and Restoration only comes after a heart –felt repentance. c. Jonah’s restitution and restoration. Jonah 3: -- 10 Jonah’s repentance led to his restitution and restoration. When he repented God gave him a second chance to go and preach in Nineveh. Jonah 3: 1 -3. The result was testimonies – a whole nation repented in dust and ashes and returned to God.
Conclusion : The storm of life, no matter the source is not meant to destroy anyone. Rather they are the voice a God echoing in our minds asking us to return and turn to Him for His help. They are the quarry – site where the man God uses are made. The storm Jonah went through helped in no small measure to be obedient to the heavenly voice. Through the things Jonah suffered he not only learnt obedience, he was transformed into Christ’s likeness… he started out as disobedience servant but he ended up an obedience servant who was merciful and gracious to sinners. May we all end well. Pray now and bring out the Jonah in your life for a heart circumcision. Shall we pray!