I am concerned about our nation! I have been praying about the upcoming election. At times (sometimes I feel alone is this type of praying) I have wondered, “Can just one praying person change things?” The Bible has many accounts of the power of one dedicated, praying child of God which demonstrate to us the great power that is available to believers. Moses heard from God at a burning bush, went back to Egypt, and was used of God to lead His people out of bondage. Elijah was used of God to stand against 450 prophets of Baal and won the victory. Nehemiah. after he heard about the condition of Jerusalem and the walls of the city, 1) prayed, 2) moved with bold faith and asked permission of the king to leave his position in Babylon and return home, and 3) was used of God to rebuild the walls of the city. We must not resign ourselves to the idea that “I am only one person, and I cannot do much.” We must learn not to ask, “What can just one person do,” but realize that we are powerful through God. I have see revivals begin in cold, dead churches with just one person getting right with God. And it wasn’t the preacher. It is great when the preacher gets revived, but God can start a revival without that. It might be that one or two get revived, which gets the preacher revived, and his preaching gets revived, and God uses it to revive more people. By the way, I am continuing to pray for this nation and the upcoming election EVEN IF NO ONE ELSE DOES! (You may join me if you life.) Jonah chapter 3 describes a great missionary effort in winning a city to the Lord. Nineveh was a big and populous city, but it didn’t take hundreds of missionaries and millions of dollars to do a work there. Instead, all it took was one reluctant preacher (who even hated the people he preached to) who would surrender his will to God’s will and do it. When Jonah finally obeyed God, He honored His Word, the people obeyed, and the city was saved. Notice 3:1 -- "And the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the second time . . ." We read last week about what happened the first time God told Jonah to go to Nineveh? Aren’t you glad that God gives a second chance? You probably didn’t accept Christ the first time you learned of your sin and eternal separation from God if you died lost. But God gave you another chance to be saved. And if you are like most people, probably another, and then another, and another. As a child of God you may have failed at some point of your service of Him, but He has given and is giving you another chance to be faithful. The will of God is not a machine that falls apart if one part isn’t working. It is a living relationship, and God offers mercy even toward His children who are reluctant to obey. So, God was merciful and gave Jonah a second chance. Jesus has instructed us to witness of Him. We are to bring people to Christ, and if this nation is to be won to the Lord, it will be done by people who have been given second, third, fourth, etc. chances to be faithful in this matter of “soul winning.” We are to lift up Jesus - with our lives, with the preaching, in our worship, etc. - because Jesus said in John 12:32: “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.” So let’s look into these verses and see what was involved in the repentance of an entire city. (We don't see things like this today.) The first thing we see is . . .

I. A GREAT CITY.

II. A GREAT CONCERN.

III. A GREAT COMMISSION.

IV. A GREAT CHANGE.