Wrestling With God's Call

·29 min·2 clips

Why would God command Jonah, a faithful prophet, to go warn the brutal enemies who would later enslave his people?

The episode is a sermon from PORTICO Community Church, part of a new series on the book of Jonah for August. Host Rick begins by providing background on Jonah as a respected prophet in Israel under King Jeroboam, contrasting this with the common perception of him as a 'dud'. He explains Jonah's call to go to Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, which would later attack and exile Israel. The title 'Wrestling With God's Call' frames the discussion around Jonah's internal conflict with a command that seems to betray his people. Rick asks the congregation via social media about challenging instructions they've faced, ranging from diets to loving enemies. He argues that God's calls are often difficult and counterintuitive, not just noble or personally beneficial. Examples include Peter being sent to Roman centurions and Ananias to Saul, highlighting calls to serve oppressors. Rick challenges listeners to consider their five-year plans and how God might disrupt them, as Jonah experienced. He details Jonah's flight to Tarshish and the storm God sends, interpreting it as redirection rather than punishment. Personal anecdotes, like being kidnapped or standing in sewage, illustrate how God uses circumstances to clarify calling. The sailors' conversion after throwing Jonah overboard shows redemptive outcomes even in disobedience. Rick previews future weeks on Jonah's prayer in the fish and the Ninevites' response. He concludes by asking listeners to identify redemptive work in their current storms, emphasizing God's purpose in refining through struggle.

As heard by us

A blunt Jonah sermon about calling, resistance, and the plans God interrupts.

Portico's new Jonah series puts calling in a place that rarely looks noble from the inside. Rick threads Jonah and Jeroboam, then Ananias, Saul, Paul, and Agabus, to show how God's direction can run straight through the plans people have already settled on, whether that means…

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Why you'd press play

If your five-year plan feels very organized, this Jonah sermon will politely kick the table.

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