AWAY II

We all have some level of familiarity with the story of Jonah. But it's not a book about a great fish! It is really a book about God, and how one man came, through a painful experience, to discover God's true character. 
While Jonah’s message and mission was unique, the ebb and flow of his wrestlings with the clearly revealed will of God is common to all of humanity. One of the striking contrasts is how Jonah responds to God’s Word, and the way that the Ninevite pagans respond; Jonah runs, but Nineveh repents.  We can all relate to that feeling when God’s Word reverberates in our souls and begins to dislodge some sin, desire, or practice.  The book of Jonah searches our hearts and consciences in a special way because it's the story of a man who was on the run from God. It traces not only the path of his journey, but unravels the inner workings of his heart—his fears, and motivations.
As we look at this fascinating, instructive, and practical book, we'll hear about God's call to mission; the struggles even we have to obey and trust God; and about God's deep concern for people of all backgrounds. If God has such concern for a pagan city like Nineveh, what does that mean for our concern for the pagan Northern Beaches?  We'll be challenged to be a people who share God's concern for those around us who don't know the Lord Jesus by proclaiming Him as Lord and Saviour