Got a Minute?
By Grant Gaines
It is one of the greatest speeches in American History. Abraham Lincoln’s 1863 Gettysburg Address will forever be taught in schools and remembered in the heart of every American patriot. The purpose of Lincoln’s speech was to dedicate the Soldiers’ National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania about four months after the Civil War ended.
You can almost imagine the pressure weighing heavily on Lincoln as he prepared for this speech—he was about to address an infant nation that was already on the brink of turmoil and self-destruction. So beginning with the words, “Four score and seven years ago,” Lincoln carried on for just about two minutes before walking off the stage. That was it. Just under 300 words and Lincoln was headed home. Talk about brevity! The speech was so brief, in fact, that the photographer who had come to take pictures of the Address did not even have enough time to snap a picture of Lincoln until he had walked off the stage.
A two minute speech given in 1863 still captivates the hearts of Americans today. It’s truly amazing to see what even the smallest act of kindness, bravery, or generosity can evolve into.
I believe this is a lesson that God would love for us to take to heart—you don’t have to do it all, but you do need to do something. You don’t have to personally share the Gospel with every person in the whole world, but you do need to do your part in evangelizing those around you. You don’t have to personally end the war on world hunger, but you do need to do your part in tithing to your local church. And you don’t even have to personally lead a Billy-Graham-type revival, you just have to say a couple of words.
That’s what Jonah did. Jonah, of course, was the prophet of God who ran from God only to realize that God is everywhere—even in the belly of a whale. After rending and realigning his heart to reflect God’s, Jonah went to the great city of Nineveh to proclaim God’s message to its people.
Jonah’s mission is an awful lot like ours. God sent Jonah to tell His story to a people who either didn’t know God or had no interest in Him. Jesus did the same with us when He commissioned us in Matthew 28:19-20 (ESV) to, “…Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you….”
Not only is Jonah’s mission a lot like ours, his story is eerily similar to ours as well. When he heard God’s calling on his life, what did he do? He ran. Not to go fulfill that mission but to flee from it. Jonah didn’t want anything to do with telling others what God had told him. We do the same, don’t we? We don’t physically run from God as Jonah did, but we do avoid His calling more often than not. We don’t have the time, the knowledge, or the personality to “win” others to Christ we will often reason.
But it’s in that lack of courage, comprehension, and charisma that God does His best work—“…For when [we are] weak, then [we are] strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10, NIV).
That’s the truth Jonah discovered as he finally decided to fulfill God’s calling for his life. He went to Nineveh with a lengthy pile of notes, the most sophisticated Bible commentaries of his time, and a stellar opening joke to “break the ice”. Wait, wait, wait. No he didn’t! Jonah went to the city of Nineveh with no notes, no knowledge, and no personality. All he had was what God told him.
“…Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown” (Jonah 3:4, NIV).
That’s it—Jonah’s message consisted of five Hebrew words. And do your remember how Nineveh responded? The entire city repented from their sins and turned to God. And Nineveh was not some small little town in the middle of nowhere, Jonah 4:11 records that Nineveh had over 120,000 children! That would be like all of New York City coming to God because of five little words.
Jonah only spoke for about four seconds but God supernaturally caused his words to echo through eternity. It just goes to show that you don’t have to be flashy, creative, or captivating with you delivery of God’s Word—though those certainly don’t hurt—God’s Word will do all of the work (Isaiah 55:11). Charles Spurgeon once said, “The Gospel is like a cage lion. It does not need to be defended, it simply needs to be let out of its cage.” What a great perspective!
Jonah did it with five words and it saved a nation (Jonah 3-4). Nehemiah did it with a prayer in between breaths and it redirected Israel’s path (Nehemiah 2:4). Peter did it with a four minute sermon in Acts 2 that resulted in 3,000 people giving their lives to Christ (Acts 2:14-29). Jesus did it with an eight word sermon to kick off His ministry—“Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near” (Matthew 4:17, NIV)—and it saved the world.
And you? How will you “unleash the lion” that is the Gospel? Can you say five words? Can you write a short, encouraging note? Can you pray with someone in between meetings? Both history and the Bible prove that even the smallest gestures can—with the help of God—radically transform an individual, a family, and even a nation.
Comments? Questions? Suggestions?
©Grant Gaines 2013
