Jonah 3:1-5, 10
Preaching can be defined as “the proclamation of God’s word to a hurting and dying world in need of conviction, salvation, and purity of heart.” Jonah heard from God that people of Nineveh needed to repent of their sins, and if they would repent he would save them from impending doom. Since the Ninevites were enemies of Jonah’s people, he decided they didn’t need to be told of God’s mercy and redemption. Jonah booked the first boat to Tarshish (in the opposite direction of Nineveh), to run away from God’s call to preach salvation to the Ninevites. God would not let Jonah get away from his call and pursued him all the way to the depths of the belly of a large fish. After being regurgitated onto dry land after three days of ignoring God, Jonah did as he was told. God spoke to Jonah a second time, and this time Jonah started off straight for Nineveh, obeying God’s orders to the letter. Jonah preached the message God gave him, and the people of Nineveh listened and trusted God and repented (Jonah 3:1-10).
Preaching is a vital part of God’s call for the world to repent.
Several years ago, according to an illustration from Illustrations for Preaching and Teaching, The British Weekly published a controversial letter:
Dear Sir:
It seems ministers feel their sermons are very important and spend a great deal of time preparing them. I have been attending church quite regularly for thirty years, and I have probably heard 3,000 of them. To my consternation, I discovered I cannot remember a single sermon. I wonder if a minister’s time might be more profitably spent on something else?
For some time afterward a flurry of guest editorials were written in the Weekly. A letter came as the final response that quelled the flurry of writings. It read:
Dear Sir:
I have been married for thirty years. During that time I have eaten 32,850 meals... mostly my wife’s cooking. Suddenly I have discovered I cannot remember the menu of a single meal. And yet... I have the distinct impression that without them. I would have starved to death long ago!
Without Jonah’s preaching, the people of Nineveh would have died. Thank God for preaching!
Derl K.
