Preaching God’s Word without Adding or Taking
Are we clear in our understanding that only Scripture is sufficient enough to change our lives, our nation, our churches, and ministries? Does it reflect in our gospel proclamation, the way we use social media, and the way we engage in socio-political issues of the nation? Do we give more weight to the Word of God or to personal beliefs and opinions?
The Story of Jonah gives us insight into Faithfulness to God’s Words. As Christians, We are called to be Faithful to the Inerrant Word of God. Don’t cherry-pick, sugar-coat it, redefine, add or subtract from it.
In the first 2 chapters of the book of Jonah, the prophet disobeyed and escaped from God but in Jonah 3:3-4, Jonah proclaimed the Unadulterated Message of God to Nineveh even if his heart and motives were not right. He just repeated what God said: “In Forty Days, you are doomed!” A simple message God commanded him to give.
The message God gave to Jonah contained His justice and righteousness. Sin will get absolute punishment, regardless of what that sin is, like the numerous sins of Nineveh. God made it clear through the message He gave Jonah that sin deserves punishment.
Despite God’s amazing wrath, His everlasting patience was evident. He can immediately pour fire and sulfur like what happened to Sodom and Gomorrah but God is patient, not wanting all to perish but that all should come to repentance (2 Pet. 3:9). That is why we are still alive and Jesus has not come back to Judge the living and the dead.
God’s mercy is also reflected on the cross. All the wrath of God that will be poured upon us was poured onto Christ! We deserved to be punished yet since we are now in Christ, we will no longer suffer the full wrath of God because he received it fully! This is our radical message that we always proclaim.
The Cross reminds us that there is a bigger problem than graft and corruption, COVID19 pandemic, and extrajudicial killings. That problem is sin and the coming judgment of God. However, the good news is found in Jesus Christ. How will others discover this solution to the problem of sin if we don’t proclaim the Gospel?
In Jonah 3:5, we see the result of a simple proclamation of God’s warning. From the King of Nineveh to its citizens, all believed in God and repented through a fast. This was not because of Jonah’s effort. This is the work of the Lord. If it happened to Nineveh, it can happen to our nation and the world.
Let us Pray for true revival in our Nation. It will happen if we are intentional in Gospel Proclamation. Our job is to proclaim the Gospel even if the results are minimal, slow, or fast. God’s power will work. God will simply pour the fire of the Holy Spirit to revive the hearts of the people who will hear the Gospel.
It doesn’t depend on our eloquence, excellent programs, gimmicks to attract people, or in modern technologies. As long as God can change the hearts of the people, we look to him. We trust him to accomplish his sovereign purposes in the preaching of his Word. Like Isaiah, the prophet declared: “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:10-11, ESV)
Let us persevere in preaching the Word and continue to trust the power and the sufficiency of the Word of God.
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