The story of Jonah is the story of God’s relentless pursuit of fugitives even when they’re mad. God keeps after Jonah and perhaps we can understand that because he was a Jew and a prophet. Yet, God also goes after Nineveh, as sinful a city as ever was. Jonah was pathetic in many ways, but Nineveh was perverse and sadistic. This story just shows us that God’s ability to clean up things is infinitely greater than our ability to mess things up. God’s grace is so relentless that it tracks down both kinds of runners from Him – rule breakers and rule keepers. He just keeps coming.Does the church proclaim this kind of relentless grace that reaches the lost prodigals of the world and exposes the rule keeping religious so that all may know how really good God is, gracious, compassionate, slow to anger and abundant in loving kindness?

One of the glaring messages from the book of Jonah is the power of repentance and the prison of refusing to do so. In chapter 2, we read Jonah’s prayer from the belly of the whale and what is missing – repentance for his rebellion. Maybe your broken, wounded, desperate, empty, guilty today. Yet, you know you’ve been avoiding Him in some way. You know you’ve been more like unrepentant Jonah than the honest Ninevites in the story. Will today be the day you just come to Him?

How do you feel when you’re at the end of your rope; when all hope is gone? Without a miracle of some kind, this is disastrous.Imagine Jonah out there on the sea facing death. He is there because of his sin and rebellion, yet all he wants is God to save him. He has no merit on which to make his claim to the work of God in his situation. He is not telling God about his past accomplishments to try and justify God’s obligation to rescue him. It is just total distress and crying out for help – in the midst of his sin.Maybe you’ve been there. Maybe you are there. Maybe you’re like Jonah and your sin has wrecked your life, your family, your finances, your future and you are in a desperate situation. You have no merit before God that in some way obligates him to answer your prayer. But just cry out to him. He loves to show mercy.

We’ve titled the series “God’s Relentless Pursuit” because God doesn’t give up on Jonah. He goes after him. Even though the word “grace” doesn’t appear in Jonah, that’s what the whole book is about. God’s relentless pursing grace. Jonah is the character in the story that represents mankind and our relentless pursuit for self-preservation, self-justification, justice and fairness – for others that is. God is playing Himself in the drama and his relentless pursuit of rebellious people.

You may be listening to this today and feel that somehow you’ve disqualified yourself from being acceptable to God. You haven’t. No one has ever met the standard for God’s approval. We’re all like Peter and Jesus is saying to you today that He still loves you, believes in you, and has a future for you. Trust Him.Peter is the one who claimed he would come through for Jesus. He was the one that could be counted on.Jesus had not given up on Peter and He has not given up on you. He is able to resurrect your life. The resurrected King is able to resurrect your JOY, your FAITH, your LIFE!

Sometimes we withdraw faith because we don’t want to be disappointed. Do we ever do that with God? Are we growing in our faith? Are there milestones of significant spiritual advancement in our lives? Where are the breakthroughs that lurch us forward in knowing Christ? How long as it been? Do you need a resurrection of faith today?Here is the good news ... He can resurrect your faith right where you are. Jesus Resurrects Faith from Doubt Jesus Resurrects Faith from NegativityJesus Resurrects Faith from Unbelief

There are times in each of our lives when something just dies. It could be a dream, a relationship, a job, or maybe peace is gone or there’s no joy. This series is to give us some real-life examples of how God takes our losses and resurrects them into the vision He has for us.Will you let God resurrect His joy in you today?

In the book of Romans, Paul has given us the greatest treatise, explanation of the gospel ever written. It has been comprehensive in not only telling us the need for the gospel, the reality of the gospel and the personal benefit of the gospel. He spends the last third of the book showing how the gospel lives in us and effects our relationships with people. Paul closes the letter by saying “To the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, be the glory forever. Amen.” When we think of the people that God has brought through our lives that have taught us, loved us, and been there for us; when we think of the people on our “I thank my God for all my remembrance of you” list, we say all glory to God through Jesus Christ. Only He has made all this possible. Life is always about the gospel of Jesus Christ

One of the words used a lot today in the church world is the word “Missional.” It means to live life in such a way that you are constantly oriented towards living out the gospel so that others will believe. You serve the needs of others so they see Christ. You understand the Christian worldview so you can engage people in meaningful and thoughtful discussion about important things. You are grieved by the lostness in the world today. Are you missional as a Christian? Are we a missional church?