THE INSANITY OF CHRISTIANITY

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THE INSANITY OF CHRISTIANITY

All Jonah needed to do was just to obey God! Gracious God! Slow to anger God, the good God! Jonah wanted what Jonah wanted! See, so, so, so many Christians live in a smelly place! Everything around them stinks. Why? They want what they want, not what God wants, not realizing that God is so, so, so good. His presence is peace and joy! In the Old Testament, the devil is not really referred to because he was not defeated yet! So it was faith and choices that protected God’s people. He was tormenting Jonah in HIS sin. Sin was deceiving Jonah, robbing His inheritance and God’s presence. His pride about “me, myself, and I” was HIS biggest problem. But when we become all about God and His will and others, we live in a place of peace and Glory! Not everything is the devil! But what you believe you will achieve! The fish was God’s mercy, and the storm was God’s mercy, and the gourd was God’s mercy! But none of His mercy is ever needed in obedience! Some of His Grace and mercy do not look like how False Grace portrays sin, and disobedience always will need lots of Grace and mercy. What do your Grace and mercy look like? Possibly you don’t discern rightly that God is good! When we are not, what does God’s grace really look like…Learn to stay in His presence!

The storms of rebellion:

Concerning conscience's sake, we must cast down everything that is not submitted to God (Romans 13:1-8). To obey the ordinances of God is to be submitted to His will. Many Christians don’t obey God. God tells them to do something but they don’t fully obey when we know what He told us to do. Jonah knew what to do. The Word of God tells us what to do as well but in major things like where to go or what to do, God will not let you be God. These are things God tells us that we cannot see in the pages, like who to marry who not to marry and so on.

Jonah’s rebellious attitude caused him to be tossed, to be captive, and to be lonely, but it was Jonah’s choices and rebellion that caused these storms. He did! It was rebellion creating consequences that make us repent, almost the grace that we don’t see! How many Christians are saying “help” on the boat, “help” in the fish, or complaining how stinky things are when they wonder why? God is good and faithful, then we are like, “Let’s fight the devil for this person.” Then the person tells us they are doing everything right or this and that, but it may and most likely is not the truth. God is no respecter of persons. Or we start wondering ourselves then deep down we start questioning God ourselves. Not knowing deep truth, “Is this a storm or is this a condition from not wanting to obey God?”…A storm created by God to bring repentance.

Sometimes what we do and what happens in our lives get us to do the will of God, but He wants us to be in that place that we just do what He wants. What kind of vessel are you? The one that obeys or disobeys Him? See. If we have counted the cost, whenever we need to pay the price, we are ready.

Some people say: “I am doing this, I am doing that,” but still they are in rebellion because God told them to do something different. Insanity Christianity results in the storm that we created because of rebellion. We put ourselves under witchcraft because rebelliousness is as the sin of witchcraft. We start hearing the devil more than God. We start hearing our will and not the will of God, our wants, our desires. Then we become our own God.

Read Galatians 5:19-21.

When joy, peace and righteousness start to leave, something is wrong. Rebellious brothers and sisters affect everybody. They walk in the room and the environment is affected. We are the Body connected by many members. When one member is in rebellion, the whole Body feels it. They are doing something different, walking in a different direction just like Jonah. See, in Jonah’s case, he did affect the boat. Everyone was feeling the effects of the storm. The only good thing about that storm was it made everyone seek God. Even all on the boat who were worshiping other god’s believed in the God of Jonah.

If we have to spend most of the time convincing people to obey God, cheering them up all the time, we will become like Jonah. Out of place. We must do what the Spirit tells us and not be moved by the rebellion. This is why we must realize rebellion affects everyone.

Jonah’s problem was his heart! His way, his selfishness, even the times Jonah did obey was only to change his own circumstances! You see Jonah never did it for God. He did it because he hated the stinkiness. He hated all the darkness around Him. See, the minute he disobeyed God, he left the presence of God. The minute we do this, we also lose and leave the presence of God. God is no respecter of persons. It is called grace. Let’s look at David.

Read 1 Samuel 15:22-24.

David did all for God! God never had a problem with David rebelling, even in David’s sin situations!! They came just because of the weakness of the flesh, not a rebellious heart! You see, even in sin, David had a heart after God!

Unbelief was in Jonah as well! KEEP THINKING ON THIS WORD STUBBORN!!! This was what Jonah was: a stubborn man that said God was his God but did not do what He said. He said with his lips that he feared God but with his actions, he showed he really did not. What do others think from outside when they see believers not obeying the Word of God? How will they ever fear the Lord if we don’t?

We might be disobeying God when we are not doing simple disobedient acts. Daily obeying. Stubbornness always happens when we don’t do what we already know we should be doing. God told Saul what to do and when to do it, but he did what he wanted to. Insubordination in the Kingdom of God is a sure storm starter.

We begin to say in our hearts and minds:
“This would be better.” “This time would be better.” “This way would be better.” These are all thoughts of rebellious and prideful Sauls. He became big in his own eyes. God sees the problems down the road. We must obey quickly. Follow Him.

The problem is “rejecting the word of the Lord.” Saul’s problem is our problem many times. When we know God tells us directly and we reject it that is the insanity of Christianity. The power leaves us. The anointing leaves us. His kingdom (joy, peace, and righteousness) is removed from us just like what happened to Saul. After he was disobedient to God, God took the kingdom from him. What is the kingdom now? Joy, peace, and righteousness. What is taken from us when we disobey God? All of that! The kingdom!

Unbelief was always Jonah’s problem.

Read Jonah 1.

The Word came to Jonah. The Word came to us. Jonah had an assignment. But sometimes just like him, you are in the wrong place at the wrong time holding on, but sooner or later, God will shake your boat so He can take you back to where you were supposed to be. Jonah lost the fear of the Lord. Stubbornness! Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft. That will bring darkness and storms every time.

Just like Jonah, disobedience caused evil to the people on the boat. Everybody had to face the storm because of Jonah.

“I am Christian and fear the Lord.” You are a liar! Jonah said, “I am a Hebrew and fear the Lord.” He was a liar. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Without the fear of the Lord, we are living the insanity of Christianity. If Jonah feared the Lord, why was he going in the wrong direction? If you fear the Lord, why are you doing the opposite of what He told you to? We say what a Christian is supposed to say but we are really lying.

Jonah left the presence of the Lord. Until God told him to do something, he was in His presence. The moment he was supposed to obey, he left his presence.

In the World, people are looking at us and asking: “If God is your God, why are you in this mess?” We brag about our God even in the midst of our disobedience. Even in your rebelliousness, God uses you to bring others to obey and believe Him. He did that with Jonah’s situation. God wants our hearts to obey the Lord. We sing about fearing the Lord but our actions show the opposite. People on the boat were more afraid of God than Jonah.

Why do we go on one minute without His presence? We must repent really quickly. His presence is what we as believers live for then we always want to blame someone. Do you know what that does? It makes you your God, not a protector, not good, not a righteous God in the eyes of others. He hates to be misidentified!

What should we do when one among us is rebelling against God? They threw Jonah off the boat. The men in the boat prayed to God: “God, let us not perish because of this man.” They threw him out of the boat. The storm stopped. We must fall on the rock. Don’t let the rock fall on us and crush us to pieces. God’s mercy is so longsuffering but it is not forever. The fear of the Lord will save us.

God was inside the belly of the fish with Jonah. He said if we make our bed in Hell, He is there. Three days and three nights in a dark stinky place! Because of his heart of disobedience, his choice, and his own fears.

I don’t want to be made an example of what it looks like to be a disobedience child. You see, in God’s perfect will is His presence, His peace, and His joy and righteousness! I will fight not to be made an example so that others will repent and believe.

Jonah’s disobedience made others obey! Blessed are those who are not made an example for others! See. There is such a reward in doing what you don’t want to. It is called sacrifice. It goes up so sweet to God.

Read Jonah Chapter 2.

Out of the belly of Hell, Jonah cried. But has he repented? On one side of his mouth, he says he fears the Lord, but on the other side of his mind, he disobeyed Him. Insanity!

How many go through the same? But we don’t have to go through it? Just learn to obey quickly.

Like this: “I will obey God.” You say you go, you do, but your heart is totally disobedient. You obey Him just because you hate the consequences. That is not good either. The body is obeying by going but the heart is still in disobedience.

God does not want us to have the attitude that Jonah had.

As did the prodigal son, he came to his senses!! But why if in the previous chapter does Jonah tell all that he fears the Lord out of one side of His mouth while disobeying Him! It sounds like insanity! It sounds like a trust issue!! It sounds not like the fear of the Lord but the fear of man and the world! But God wants cheerful givers, not just obeying because you are tired of everything stinking around you and you have no peace. So you do it but never clean your heart. The insanity of Christianity! The kingdom of God is at hand!

Read Chapter 3.

Wow, one man’s obedience saved a whole city! One man’s disobedience infected an entire ship of people! Expelled out of the presence of God! Sat literally living in Hell for three days and three nights! I pray God doesn’t make my life an example for others to fear you, O God! He will work all things together for His purpose and good! Let it not be me, Lord! Let it not be you!

Read Chapter 4.

Now here goes Jonah again in his insanity. Remember his cry in chapter 2? Mercy!

Jonah’s heart was all his heart. It was so, so, so selfish! God was always having mercy on Jonah! But Jonah’s heart made HIM (WAS IT FEAR OF MAN?) live in a place of torment and confusion and witchcraft! Out of the presence of the Lord! He was wanting for something more. What was it he wanted? Was it popularity? Was it just laziness stopping him from obeying? What was it? Only Jonah knew because he never said why he did not want to follow God. But we know in Saul’s case it was pride and, usually, that is the root where all falls.

People when facing His corrections say, “I just want to die.” You don’t want to die like that. In disobedience. It’s incredible that with Jonah’s attitude, the whole city repented. Focus on the heart of Jonah: he wants to get over with that assignment and be done with it. The whole city repented but not Jonah. He did what he was called to do but with a bad heart.

God is like: “I am not done with you just because you obey me.” He now was dealing with his attitude. Jonah was angry unto death. If you remember in chapter 2 of the book of Jonah, he was bragging about fearing Him in front of the others on the ship.

Remember their crying. God wants to take as many people saved and into His kingdom. If you have to do anything in your life, be involved in God’s plan. The people that don’t know Him cannot discern from the left and right.

What was stopping Jonah from obeying Him completely? The fear of family, the fear of men, the fear of failure? The fear of the Lord will compel you to obey Him all the time! The only fear that is GOOD and mandatory!

We look into our own lives now. We don’t want to obey God and we blame God or people. We can’t blame anybody anymore but ourselves. When we cause storms and witchcraft out of disobedience, it is because of our own choices – if we are blood-bought. Let our obedience be automatic. We won’t make it a hassle anymore in obeying. It is His good pleasure to give us His kingdom. Fill us with the fear of the Lord, once again. Let us walk in the garden. We don’t want to be a rebellious child who from the outside looks like we doing all but from the inside is doing nothing that you told them to do. Bring us back to sanity, Father. To live is to obey you!

Shane W Roessiger

Watch the video: https://youtu.be/kXLCG53lTpU