Pastor Joseph
Jan 25, 20212 min
Leonard Ravenhill wrote, "Isn't it amazing that God gives breath to a man who is going to blaspheme Him all day!?" This is a what theologians call "common grace" and it's what Jesus was talking about in Matthew 5:43-45. What are some other examples of God's common grace that you can identify?
Jonah is meant to be a picture of God's people in the world. They are meant to be a witness of God's love and justice to a watching world, but they often reject this role because of pride. What are some of the ways the church has neglected its duty to be a witness to the world with what we say and how we live? How have you participated in that?
The pagan sailors (and even the Ninevites, as we will see) act more faithfully than Jonah at every turn. What are some of the ways that the "pagan world" has lived more in line with the love of God than has the church? (Think of historical examples as well as current examples.)
Francis Schaeffer argued that the world has a right to judge the church when we don't live up to the teachings of Jesus. What do you think he meant by that? Do you think he's right? How does the church's call to be a nation of priests play into the conversation? (Remember, a priest is a mediator between God and humanity.)
In the sermon we said that we're tempted to split the world into good guys and bad guys, and to identify ourselves with the former. But Jonathan Edwards quipped, "You contribute nothing to your salvation except the sin that made it necessary." Is what Edwards said really true? How does that change the "good guys and bad guys" view of the world?
What do you make of the pastor's challenge to go and listen to your pagan neighbor, and to ask them what they think of the church? Have you done so? What did you find?