Special Note: As you prepare to teach this weeks Bible study please consider directing your group to the prayer journal from the International Mission Board. It guides you through how to choose and pray for an unreached people group. I suggest you email the link to everyone instead printing the journal to hand out. Use it as a means of introducing or following up the February 24 study. Click Here for the Link.
Don't forget to check Extra! and QuickSource for additional helps!
The Target
Focus on what adults should leave knowing, understanding, and doing.
Guide adults to specify reasons believers are to view all people with godly compassion; to identify and confess to God any unchristian attitudes they hold about other people or groups of people. Determine actions they can take to express compassion for those without Christ.
Guide adults to specify reasons believers are to view all people with godly compassion; to identify and confess to God any unchristian attitudes they hold about other people or groups of people. Determine actions they can take to express compassion for those without Christ.
Look Up
Use "Soft Methods" to draw attention to the study as adults are visiting and gathering for Bible study.
Option One: Display the following statement as adults enter: "I don't think they deserve God's salvation." Once most adults have gathered ask how many noticed the statement when they came in the room. Discuss what thoughts went through their mind when they saw the quote. When might believers think this about someone else or a group of people? What are the dangers of thinking this way? Explain that this is how Jonah felt about the people of Nineveh.
Option Two: Enlist someone who has participated in a mission trip to share about their experience. Ask them the following questions: What did you learn from the culture of the country? How did the people relate to you and others on your team? What was the most challenging part of your trip? What was the most heartbreaking? Did you ever wonder if going was worth it? Explain how, even when we face difficulties and even doubts, we must remember that God pursues others through us.
Option One: Display the following statement as adults enter: "I don't think they deserve God's salvation." Once most adults have gathered ask how many noticed the statement when they came in the room. Discuss what thoughts went through their mind when they saw the quote. When might believers think this about someone else or a group of people? What are the dangers of thinking this way? Explain that this is how Jonah felt about the people of Nineveh.
Option Two: Enlist someone who has participated in a mission trip to share about their experience. Ask them the following questions: What did you learn from the culture of the country? How did the people relate to you and others on your team? What was the most challenging part of your trip? What was the most heartbreaking? Did you ever wonder if going was worth it? Explain how, even when we face difficulties and even doubts, we must remember that God pursues others through us.
Look In
Ideas for communicating and studying the Word
ContextRemind the group how the story began last session with Jonah being commanded to go to Nineveh, his disobedience, and how God relentlessly pursued Jonah in order to align him with His will.
Describe Nineveh and how it epitomized the Assyrians' brutal and oppressive way of life.
Occupying the territory that is now Iraq, they maintained themselves as a world power through the brutal exercise of power. Jonah, like all Israelites, both despised and feared them. (ETB Adult Commentary, p131)Yet, during this period, Israel had become prosperous and victorious and Nineveh was struggling. Famine and revolts had weakened the Assyrian nation. They were at a low point while Israel was breaking free from their oppression. It was a perfect time for God to totally destroy Nineveh. After-all, they deserved every punish God could give them. Yet, it was at this point that they were also most open to responding to God.
As the narrative continues today, Jonah does respond to God with obedience but not with compassion. May believers take a passive rather than an active approach to being involved in supporting God's redemptive work in the world. We even hide behind the excuse that we believe God truly desires that some people won't or even can't be saved. This leads us to conjur up excuses as to why we don't have to go, why we don't have to share, why we don't have to care.
We will see in the study today that God does care and that he expects us to not only obey but to have compassion as we share Christ with others.
Jonah 3:1-4 (Second Chance for an Urgent Need)
Discussion Options:
- What is the difference between Jonah 1:1-3 and 3:1-4?
- Explain: God gave Jonah a second chance to do the right thing. Discuss: When has God given you a second change to do the right thing? How did you respond?
- Explain: There are several views about the three-day walk. The bottom line is, Jonah shared repeatedly throughout Nineveh for three days. What is unusual about Jonah's sermon? (no word about God or to repent)
- What does this reveal about Jonah's attitude? Why would you even go if you didn't like the people?
- What people groups or individuals do we sometimes assume would not be receptive to the message of Christ today? Why? What is our attitude toward them? (DSG, p89)
- Who are some people who were faithful to share the truth of God with you? Share how they treated you as they shared. Explain: Someone, maybe lots of someones, thought you were valuable enough to hear the truth. God felt the same way about the residents of Nineveh. They had an urgent need, and He determined to act. (DSG, p89)
- What does this second chance for Jonah say to us about how we should respond to those we know need Christ around us? Explain: Seeing the value God places on individuals should affect the way we minister to them. We express how valuable people really are to us by the way we treat and communicate with them as we share the gospel.
Discussion Options:
- Identify the responses of the people and God.
- Considering Jonah's message, what is astounding about their response?
- When have you seen God move in ways you did not expect? What did that teach you about His character? (DSG, p90)
- What did the people believe? How did they demonstrate their belief?
- What does God's response say about His mercy?
- How is the Ninevites story basically the story of every believer? (We were condemned until we repented. Then God relented and forgave.)
Jonah 4:1-4 (No Compassion Equals No Celebration!)
Discussion Options:
- Ask: What takes place when we baptize someone at Northside? (There is applause and celebration)
- Why did Jonah respond with such a lack of compassion? (If you are using the Discovery Study Guide ask the group to choose one of the possibilities found under "A Selfish Attitude" on pages 90-91.
- What disturbs you about Jonah's rationale in these verses?
- When are we sometimes tempted to not celebrate someone's salvation? (examples might include a prisoner; someone on death row; a homeless person; a relative; a terrorist; someone from another race; someone from a cult; etc.) Why is this so? How can we overcome these attitudes?
- Circle all the personal pronouns in Jonah's prayer. What does this reveal about his attitude? (He is selfish)
- Do you mention yourself or God more in your prayers?
- In verse 4, God asked Jonah, "Is it right for you to be angry?" What should our response be to this question? Why is that response so hard sometimes?
- Based on Jonah's response to Nineveh being spared, do you think he ran out of fear or prejudice? If so, what does this say about our rationale for not witnessing? Do we sometimes feel as if there is no hope or that the effort is useless? (ETB Leader Guide, p145)
Discussion Options:
- Why was Jonah finally happy? Why was his happiness short-lived?
- God went to enormous lengths to teach Jonah about mercy and compassion. Technically, Jonah had obeyed God. He had done all God had asked, but his heart was not in it. He basically went outside the city to pout.
- Why should we think twice before criticizing Jonah? In what ways might we pout?
Hitting the target and applying it to daily living.
Activity: The book of Jonah has an open-ended conclusion. If you have been Jonah, how might the story have ended? We don't know the end of Jonah's story but we can know the end of ours. We can be faithful to share and to share with compassion if we are willing.
- Remind the group of the list of lost people they have been praying for throughout this month. challenge them to continue to pray and to look for opportunities to share the gospel with them.
