"Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the message that I tell you." (Jonah 3:2)

The Lord instructs Jonah to do three things: (1.) arise, (2.) go and (3.) preach. That's the great commission in a nutshell. First, we must arise out of the pit. Then we must go out into the world. Finally, we are to proclaim the good news wherever it is God sends us. A good example of this would be the apostle Peter. He was still in a pit when the resurrected Christ appeared to him. After restoring old saint Pete, Jesus told him to go and feed His sheep (preach). The New Testament idea of preaching carries the idea of proclaiming good news. The word used for preach in the Old Testament offers a different meaning. It comes from the Hebrew word "qara" which means: to call out by name. Jonah's message would be anything but seeker friendly. He was sent to call the Ninevites out by name. In other words, God meant business. I'm reminded of when I would get into trouble as a child. "Terrance!" my mother would call out. She wasn't calling me to announce she had a perfect plan for my life.

Jonah wasn't wheeled to a recovery room after being barfed on the beach. He was told to arise immediately. He must have been a complete mess, too. After three full days of swimming in gastric acids, we must assume he was a hairless albino when he finally hit sand. Now, that's some scary prophet! But God didn't wait for Jonah to make his self more presentable. Nor was Jonah offered a recuperation period. The Lord didn't say, "When you look and feel better, I have a job for you." No, there was none of that. God said, "Arise!" This is because the message Jonah was given was a matter of urgency. The same is true today. Though our message is good news, it is also a matter of life and death. And no one really knows how much time we have left to spread it. We can't afford to dilly-dally. We can't afford to wait for a more convenient time so long as souls are at stake. The time to arise is now.

The Lord's instruction to Jonah was very specific. Jonah was told, "Preach the message that I tell you." That's the task God has given me. As a preacher I'm to preach His message and no other. The problem with many ministers today is they are too afraid to proclaim God's message. Admittedly, it can ruffle a lot of feathers. Therefore, some settle for motivational talks or "sermonettes for Christianettes" that don't run the risk of offending people. These soft-pedal sermons do more to pacify than edify. They fluff sheep more than feed them. They tickle ears and attract crowds but, really, whose message is it? The apostle Paul declared, "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth. (Romans 1:16a) There are many preachers today that talk from the pulpit about self esteem or positive thinking. But that is not God's message nor does it have the power to save. On the other hand, when God's Word goes out, people not only get saved, they discover their worth in Christ. Furthermore their minds are renewed as they place their faith and hope in a God that positively loves them.

There is no denying that God's message often touches on a lot of sore subjects. It addresses things like sin, death, judgment and Hell. But it is imperative that people know what exactly it is we need to be saved from. When head counts become more important than souls, preachers are likely to shy away from these sensitive issues. They run from their responsibility like Jonah did, because they fear what people might think of them. The preacher that aims to please the crowd denies the power of the gospel. He may grow popular and dodge a lot of bullets but he hinders the work of God to save the lost.

By no means am I promoting the idea that preachers must be all fire and brimstone. I am merely suggesting that the full counsel of God should be taught, even the tough stuff. Furthermore, it should be presented in a spirit of love and concern for those who may die in their sin. Those who preach an angry gospel don't help the cause of Christ anymore than those who sugarcoat it. Neither preaches to win. Neither presents the real Jesus. Both are wind bags. For a more balanced approach consider the ministry of the Apostle Paul:

"Be assured that when we speak to you we're not after crowd approval,only God approval. Since we've been put through that battery of tests, you're guaranteed that both we and the Message are free of error, mixed motives, or hidden agendas. We never used words to butter you up. No one knows that better than you. And God knows we never used words as a smoke screen to take advantage of you. Even though we had some standing as Christ's apostles, we never threw our weight around or tried to come across as important, with you or anyone else. We weren't aloof with you. We took you just as you were. We were never patronizing, never condescending, but we cared for you the way a mother cares for her children. We loved you dearly. Not content to just pass on the Message, we wanted to give you our hearts. And we did."   (1 Thessalonians 2:4-8)

That's the heart of a true preacher. But even though Paul was super lovey-dovey, he wasn't popular with all. Many were offended by the Message. Lord knows, he had the battle scars to prove it. He was beaten, whipped, stoned and ran out of almost every town he entered. Yet, in his humble mind, the cost was well worth it when he saw the multitudes of souls being saved through the preaching of God's Word. Paul could also stand with a pure and holy conscience declaring, "Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men." (Acts 20:26) I'm not sure there are many preachers today who could honestly repeat those same words. Paul could make that statement because he was faithful to preach the message God gave him, and never missed an opportunity to do so.

For a preacher to be popular and avoid persecution, all he need do is preach his own message. But one day these "Mr. Feel-goods" will have to give an account for all the souls entrusted into their care. As for he who preaches the full counsel of God, he will be pure from the blood of all men. The bottom line is - Jesus didn't shed His blood to improve people's happiness or self esteem. He shed His blood to save sinners from death and Hell. As offensive as that is to some, that is the message we are to preach. That is the good news. And believe it or not, it has the power to save.

Jonah was tasked to preach God's message and no other. It was not a message any sane preacher would ever volunteer to preach. Yet this very message possessed the power to save. Indeed it did. All of Nineveh exploded into revival. Had Jonah preached a seeker friendly message, Nineveh still would have exploded. But you wouldn't want to call it a revival of any kind.