Week of 11.6.2022 | Weekly Focus

If you were a Jewish man in the 900 B.C., the last place on earth you wanted to visit was the city of Nineveh! Nineveh was full of Assyrians—a group of wicked and violent people who did not follow God. Going to Nineveh to tell them about God was a dangerous—and possibly a deadly mission. No wonder Jonah didn’t want to go!

The real reason Jonah didn’t want to go to Nineveh was because he felt like these wicked people didn’t deserve God’s forgiveness. They were wicked and cruel, so how could God show them mercy? What Jonah didn’t understand is that God cared for the people of Nineveh as much as He cared for the rest of the world.

God wanted to see the Ninevites turn away from sin and trust in Him. So much so, that God used a big fish to get Jonah back to Nineveh when he tried to run away. Finally, Jonah reluctantly preached the message God had given and warned the people about God’s judgment. The people repented and God spared their lives.

The Bible tells us that God shows mercy on whomever He wants to show mercy. Jonah didn’t think the Ninevites deserved God’s mercy, but the truth is that none of us deserve His mercy. But God loved the world so much that He shows us His mercy through Jesus. Unlike Jonah, Jesus was willing to accept the mission God gave Him. Jesus came to save the sinners who God cared so much about.

God called Jonah to go to his enemies and call them to turn away from their sin, but Jonah refused. Instead, he ran away. Later, God sent Jesus to His enemies to call us to repentance. Jesus willingly obeyed. Jesus died on the cross to rescue us from sin. 

-The Gospel Project for Kids

Big Picture Question

What makes people special? People are special because we are made in God’s image, as male and female, to know Him.

Key Passage

Psalm 139:13-14: “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.”

Prayer Focus

Family/Friends: Pray for the specific needs of your family and friends
Providence Church Staff: Afshin Ziafat
Local Church: Church at the Cross, Pastor JR Vassar
Local School: Reedy High School
Mission Partners: Spoken Worldwide
Global: Unreached People Group- Balija (India)