Breaking The Jonah CultureÖrnek

A Culture Of Kindness 

The people of Nineveh experienced first hand the loving kindness and compassion of God. He relented from causing their destruction when he saw their genuine repentance. 

Jonah couldn’t digest the fact that God would forgive so easily—especially a people so hardened in their sin and wickedness. He forgot that he himself was a recipient of God’s grace and restoration through the second chance he got at life and ministry. 

Isn’t that so much like us sometimes? We forget just how forgiven we are and focus instead on peoples' faults, their brokenness, their appearance and we make quick and very harsh judgements without knowing anything about them or their journey. 

Prejudice is a vicious trait that can hurt deeply and cause relationship death. May we never forget that our God is a God of second chances, forgiving without measure and loving relentlessly. We must choose kindness every single time and consciously remove judgemental thoughts and attitudes from our mind. We need discipline and a Holy Spirit driven renewal of the mind.

Jesus came to earth to reconcile us—sinful man—with a perfect God. He has now entrusted to us the ministry of reconciliation where we lead people to Him so that they may be reconciled to their Creator. When we show prejudice, people will find it near impossible to see God in us, and we inadvertently create a wall between us and the person concerned. 

The apostle, Peter, had certain reservations about meat because of the way he was brought up, but the Holy Spirit convicts and convinces him to be accepting of the things that He has made pure without any reservations. 

Little did Peter realise that this was just a preamble to the work the Holy Spirit was already doing in the hearts of the Gentiles and the way in which the gospel would truly reach the ends of the earth. Peter obeys and ministers to Cornelius and his whole household, thus catalyzing a new era for the church.

Prejudice prevents the unrestrained move of the Holy Spirit in the Church. Acceptance and love build bridges and allows the Holy Spirit free rein.