Jonah 1:3 shows the typical reaction of people who have been called for a service to bring the good news of salvation to sinners. As it is indicated in the verse, there are two opposing responses that a typical individual will make: either he goes and obey God's call to preach His gospel for the salvation of the sinners or ran away from God's call. Jonah took the latter response by running away to the opposite direction.
Nonetheless, any person who has no committed relationship with God will always take the latter response. "Committed" means an intimate and faithful relationship with God. This can only happen however if s/he has a personal relationship with God, i.e. s/he believes in Jesus Christ, turns away from her/his sins, and accepts Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of her/his life. Jesus called this as the "born again" experience (John 3:3).
This is how it will happen. When Adam and Eve fell into sin, the consequence of it was the death of their spirit. Man's spirit is the one who communicates with the spirit of God. When man's spirit is dead, there is a gap between him and God. This is the reason why it is difficult for a person who is dead in spirit to understand the matters of God. Have you experienced reading the bible, and yet don't understand what it means? Or, you don't feel reading the bible? This is actually the reason why you feel like that.
But when a person accepts Jesus in his life, his spirit is made alive again. This is why it is known as "born again" or "born from above" because this power comes from God alone. As s/he has a living spirit, s/he now understands the things about God. S/he has a desire to meditate upon the word of God, and craves for more of God.
This is the reason why a person who truly loves God will take the former response, i.e. s/he will go and preach the gospel of salvation no matter what people may say about her/him. This is the reason why Jesus' apostles were passionately preaching the word of God regardless of the risks that awaited them. The risks included the possibility of being whipped, killed, murdered, mocked, beheaded, etc. They were truly loving God even if it took their own life.
Shocking but that is the truth. Everyone who truly loves someone will do everything for her/his loved one. But to balance this however, the apostles were able to offer their lives as living sacrifices to God because of God's grace alone. Not by their own effort because truly they were not seeking God just like any other persons (Romans 3:10-11). But because of God's grace and power through His Holy Spirit (Acts 2), they were able to stand before a throng and preach the good news that Jesus brought.
Again, as indicated in Acts 2, a person can only overcome the power of fear when s/he has the Holy Spirit. But s/he can only have the Holy Spirit when s/he has a personal relationship with God. And because of this, s/he will go and obey God's call in his/her life.
Useful Links:
Is being born again up to us?
What happens in the new birth part 1?
What happens in the new birth part 2?
Men of the Bible: The Call of Moses
Nonetheless, any person who has no committed relationship with God will always take the latter response. "Committed" means an intimate and faithful relationship with God. This can only happen however if s/he has a personal relationship with God, i.e. s/he believes in Jesus Christ, turns away from her/his sins, and accepts Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of her/his life. Jesus called this as the "born again" experience (John 3:3).
This is how it will happen. When Adam and Eve fell into sin, the consequence of it was the death of their spirit. Man's spirit is the one who communicates with the spirit of God. When man's spirit is dead, there is a gap between him and God. This is the reason why it is difficult for a person who is dead in spirit to understand the matters of God. Have you experienced reading the bible, and yet don't understand what it means? Or, you don't feel reading the bible? This is actually the reason why you feel like that.
But when a person accepts Jesus in his life, his spirit is made alive again. This is why it is known as "born again" or "born from above" because this power comes from God alone. As s/he has a living spirit, s/he now understands the things about God. S/he has a desire to meditate upon the word of God, and craves for more of God.
This is the reason why a person who truly loves God will take the former response, i.e. s/he will go and preach the gospel of salvation no matter what people may say about her/him. This is the reason why Jesus' apostles were passionately preaching the word of God regardless of the risks that awaited them. The risks included the possibility of being whipped, killed, murdered, mocked, beheaded, etc. They were truly loving God even if it took their own life.
Shocking but that is the truth. Everyone who truly loves someone will do everything for her/his loved one. But to balance this however, the apostles were able to offer their lives as living sacrifices to God because of God's grace alone. Not by their own effort because truly they were not seeking God just like any other persons (Romans 3:10-11). But because of God's grace and power through His Holy Spirit (Acts 2), they were able to stand before a throng and preach the good news that Jesus brought.
Again, as indicated in Acts 2, a person can only overcome the power of fear when s/he has the Holy Spirit. But s/he can only have the Holy Spirit when s/he has a personal relationship with God. And because of this, s/he will go and obey God's call in his/her life.
Useful Links:
Is being born again up to us?
What happens in the new birth part 1?
What happens in the new birth part 2?
Men of the Bible: The Call of Moses
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