Go..., January 2024
It was the very first word that I read off of a page of a book. There was a group of us huddled around the teacher at the front of the room in our kid-sized chairs and our teacher had one of those “Dick and Jane” books for the “primary” reader. I was in 2nd grade. The first big sentence after that was “Go Spot, go!” And Spot, the dog, wasn’t the only one told to go! There have been many times you and I have been told to “go.”
Jonah was told to go to Nineveh, and, by choice, he went in a different direction other than where God wanted him to. Shem’s son, Asshur, built the city and in a southward direction, Nimrod, the “mighty hunter,” built Babel. (See Genesis, chapter 10.) That area of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers is considered one of the “cradles of civilization” by some historians.
Knowing what we know about Babylon, it became the seat of sun and idol worship. Abraham was called out of that area (Ur of the Chaldees) to go to a place he did not know, to form a new nation blessed by God.
Nineveh was no better. Jonah eventually did go to the city and preached to them and they repented. It later became the capital of the Assyrian Empire (and the military campaigns were horrific and brutal especially under the leadership of Sennacherib in 2 Kings chapter 18). The Babylonian Empire eventually conquered it.
Noah answered God’s call to build an ark. He preached to the people of his time for 120 years and entered it with his family; surviving the flood. There are many more who answered God’s call to “go.”
On page 109, from The Desire of Ages, we read of the call of Jesus to His ministry:
“Tidings of the wilderness prophet and his wonderful announcement, spread throughout Galilee. The message reached the peasants in the remotest hill towns, and the fisher folk by the sea, and in these simple, earnest hearts found its truest response. In Nazareth it was told in the carpenter shop that has been Joseph’s, and One recognized the call. His time had come. Turning from His daily toil, He bade farewell to His mother, and followed in the steps of His countrymen who were flocking to the Jordan.”
How did Jesus win souls for the kingdom?
“Christ’s method alone will give true success in reaching the people. The Saviour mingled with men as one who desired their good. He showed His sympathy for them, ministered to their needs, and won their confidence. Then He bade them, ‘Follow Me.’“ The Ministry of Healing, page 143
So how can this work in the community of Shoreline and in the places where we live and are employed? We have been giving out literature, had a health screening event in the past and done some prayer walking, but how can you and I add the personal touch that is often needed in order to reach hearts? Jesus answered His call to ministry for 3 ½ years. During that time, He travelled on foot all over Palestine, caring for and healing people, training His disciples, preaching, teaching and loving all… even those who crucified Him. Planting seeds. Seeds that would germinate by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.
The Ten Days of Prayer along with the materials written by Dr. Frank Hasel were right on target in our crazy and unpredictable world. God is in control and it is time to step off the worldly merry-go-round, spend time in the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy, pray, and heed the Lord’s calling… to do the work He has called each of us to do… to bless the world and “…go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (NLT)