Quote from Forum Archives on March 31, 2006, 12:05 pm

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E-pistle

Dr. Curt Scarborough, President
FreeWay Foundation March 31, 2006

Jonah Protests God's Call

(Jonah 1:1-17)

Dr. Curt Scarborough

I. Concentration: on the events of this chapter

1. God called Jonah to preach repentance in Nineveh, but Jonah
"protested"

that call by rebelliously boarding a ship for Tarshish, vv. 1-3.

2. The Lord sent a storm, and the sailors asked Jonah to pray for
their

deliverance, vv. 4-9.

3. Realizing that the storm had been sent because of his rebellion
against

God, Jonah told the sailors to throw him into the sea, vv. 10-16.

4. The Lord prepared a great fish who swallowed Jonah, and Jonah lived
in

the belly of the fish for three days, v. 17.

II. Meditation: on the spiritual truths revealed here

1. The Lord is a God of mercy, not willing that any should perish . .
. not even

the wicked nation of Assyria, which had taken Israel into captivity in

722 B.C.; God gave Nineveh (Assyria's capital) a chance to repent, v. 2;

II Peter 3:9.

2. The Lord is "God of heaven" . . . all creation, including heaven
and earth;

He is not limited by national boundaries; neither Jonah, nor any other

person, can flee from the presence of God, v. 9; Psalm 139:7-12.

3. In times of trouble, unbelievers often turn to the people of God,
asking

them to pray and to tell them what they can do to escape destruction,

vv. 6, 11; Acts 2:37; 16:30.

4. The Lord God "works in mysterious ways, His wonders to perform" . .
. God

did not send an available whale, He "prepared" (created) a great fish, v.
17;

this was certified by Jesus, Matthew 12:40; Luke 11:30.

III. Revelation: on the spiritual implications of these
truths

1. Since God loves everyone, so should I; God's mercy and grace should
be

proclaimed to all persons everywhere.

2. God is the Creator of the universe, yet He also literally is
present among us

. . . He is "omnipresent;" therefore, we should behave accordingly because

He sees and knows our thoughts, words, and deeds.

3. God's people should be ready always and immediately to pray for and

witness to the lost, I Peter 3:15.

4. Before we even realize that we have a need, God already has made

provision to supply that need, Philippians 4:19.

IV. Applications: as a Christian, I need to . . .

1. Be a faithful witness for Jesus Christ to the lost.

2. Live in the continuing awareness of God's spiritual presence.

3. Pray for those who are in trouble and who need the Lord.

4. Thank the Lord for His providential care for me.

"The $300 Homestead"

Dr. Curt Scarborough

When I was a first-grader, my parents bought the house at
303 McLeansboro Street

in Benton, Illinois for only $300 . . . and it came with an acre of land!
Obviously, it wasn't

a new place. In fact, the first thing we had to do was tear it down, and I
helped! We ripped

the plaster off the walls, and my wagon and I hauled the debris away and
dumped it in an

abandoned well.

The lathes made excellent swords for Sherwood Forest adventures,
but my mother

planned to use them to build a trellis. Dad confiscated the broken ones for
kindling. Mom

and Dad had a running feud about which of the lathes were for beautification
and which

were fire-starters. That winter was an especially bitter one, so Mother had
to buy new

lumber for her trellis next spring.

I once saw this announcement in a church bulletin: "The
congregation will

continue meeting in the old auditorium while the new auditorium is under
construction

using materials taken from the old auditorium." As weird as it seems,
that's what we

did that year. We lived in the house while we tore it down and built a new
one using

the same old materials.

Incidentally, my sister Marilyn, who is married to a doctor from
Illinois, recently

purchased that house at number 303. She says it's a rental property
investment, but I

suspect she's hanging on to the house just in case she or I ever become
famous. It's

a long shot, but who knows? Maybe someday our $300 childhood homestead will
become

a tourist attraction!

Solomon reflected: "There is . . . a time to break down, and a
time to build up."

(Ecclesiastes 3:3) the statement is true with regard to constructing a
church house or a

family residence. It's even more applicable to an individual's spiritual
life.

Jeremiah was commissioned to "root out, pull down, destroy, and
throw down."

Then the Lord told him to "build up and to plant." (Jeremiah 1:10) Before
attempting to

build anything lasting and worthwhile, we need to get rid of the old debris.
Jesus made

that same point in His parable about not putting new wine into old
wineskins, Matthew 9:17.

Paul wrote that Christians ought to "put off" certain things,
like false beliefs,

bad attitudes, and harmful habits. Then they should "put on" true
righteousness and

holiness. (Ephesians 4:22-24) The Apostle also advised believers to "edify
(build up)

one another." (I Thessalonians 5:11) And he reminds us all that "love
edifies."

(I Corinthians 8:1)

Prayer for the day: Lord, I recognize that now is the time to
allow

You to "break down" (and remove)
the sins in

my life, and to "build up" my
spiritual character.

Pillsbury College & Seminary

Pillsbury College & Seminary is offering full tuition scholarships to the

first 100 Bi-Vocational pastors who register in 2006.

Don't miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! Simply fill out the

Registration Form that you can find at www.pillsburycs.org
<www.pillsburycs.org/> and mail it

along with a $50 registration fee and you will receive your first textbooks,

instructions, and an examination within approximately one week. You will

also be contacted by your personal mentor . . . an ordained minister who

has been assigned by Pillsbury College & Seminary to assist you in

earning your Bachelor of Biblical Studies Degree.

If your have questions, please contact drcurt@pillsburycs.org or telephone

us at (314) 739-1121.

"Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work."

- Aristotle

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