2Co 11:3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve in his craftiness, your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity and the purity that is toward Christ. [asv]

Mat 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Ephesians 5:25-29 (nkjv)

25 . . . just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, 26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, 27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. . . . 29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. 30 For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones.

"Now the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the son of Amitai, saying, Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up be- fore me" (Jonah 1:1,2).

"And the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the second time, saying, Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee. So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord" (3:1-3).

Many years ago (1964), while conducting a Vacation Bible School, I asked the children to write songs that we might sing in the assembly. Our oldest daughter, Susan, who was about twelve at the time, wrote the following song about Jonah. (It was to be sung to the tune of "My Bonnie Lies Over The Ocean.")

This little song pretty much tells the story of Jonah's mission to the people of Nineveh. It does not tell of the personal conflict in Jonah’s soul about why he had to go, or why he refused to go at first to Nineveh, or his conflict with the Lord about the righteousness of saving Nineveh.

The word Jonah means “dove.” Jonah was the son of Amittai of Gath-hepher. He was a prophet of Israel, and exercised his ministry very early in the reign of Jeroboam II., and thus was contemporary with Hosea and Amos; or possibly he preceded them, and consequently may have been the very oldest of all the prophets whose writings we possess. His personal history is mainly to be gathered from the book which bears his name. It is chiefly interesting from the two-fold character in which he appears, 1. as a missionary to heathen Nineveh, and 2. as a type of the "Son of man."

Nineveh is first mentioned in Gen 10:11 which is rendered in the Revised Version, "He [i.e., Nimrod] went forth into Assyria and builded Nineveh." It is not again noticed till the days of Jonah, when it is described as a great and populous city (3:3; 4:11), the flourishing capital of the Assyrian empire.

Tarshish is a Sanscrit or Aryan word, meaning "the sea coast." It was founded by a Carthaginian colony, and was the farthest western harbor of Tyrian sailors. It was to this port Jonah's ship was about to sail from Joppa.

The history of Assyria suggests many valuable lessons for us today. History records the rise and fall of many nations. As the song says, "The kingdoms of men pass away, but the kingdom of Heaven remains." (Study Rev. 11:15.) Most of the nations that have arisen upon the earth were small, some extremely so. But some were large, and ruled the world. Such a one was Assyria, and Nineveh was the capital city of Assyria.

Assyria in Jonah's day had been a dominating nation, and had done Jonah's people much hurt and harm. George Adam Smith (Scottish theologian) in his commentary has stated that never was there a more worthless nation that passed through history on its way to everlasting ruin. What a commentary! Wherever they went they spilled the blood of men. Perhaps, as historians say, there was never a more bloody or fierce nation than that of the Assyrians. They were cruel, and they were vicious. Perhaps you have seen artist's drawings of the Assyrian banquets after they had come back from their conquests. There in their banquet gardens would be the tables well laden with food --and --the skulls of their enemies hung above these tables. A wicked, cruel and vicious nation -- and Nineveh was their capital city.

Now we see their doom pronounced upon them, "As you have sown, so shall ye reap." You have sown viciousness, heartache, and tears, and now unless you repent, you will be destroyed. Do you remember what Jesus told Peter when he drew his sword and cut off the ear of the servant of the high priest? "He that lives by the sword shall die by the sword," he said.

Sometimes we seem to think that God, although Israel was His special people, was not concerned with the Gentile nations during the Mosaical dispensation. This is not true. Jonah is a good example of God going to such a nation, even as Nahum was to be sent some 100 years later to the same people. It is unfortunate that while Nineveh did listen to Jonah, they did not continue in their repented state and reverted back to their wicked ways, and were destroyed.

God has attempted to reveal Himself to all men. If the thought occurs that God had not made himself and his will known to this wicked nation, this is not true. God has revealed himself to all men, even heathen nations such as Assyria. Paul writes to the saints in Rome and says:

"The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath showed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse" (Rom. 1-17-20).

"I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise and to the unwise. So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the Gospel . . ." (vs.14,15).

Nineveh, therefore, in order to have to reckon with God, to be held accountable to God, had to have an opportunity to know God. The nature and character and integrity of God demanded that he would reveal himself to Nineveh. Nineveh would not be expected to relate in a proper way to God unless she had a specific and exact knowledge of what God would be, and what God would expect of her. It is not possible for man to know of his sin, or of his salvation from sin, without a specific revelation of God. The apostle Paul said in Romans 7:7:

"I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet."

Paul in essence is telling us that he would not have known that it was a sin to covet another's property, if it had not been for the revelation of the law. and again,

"Where no law is, there is no transgression" (Rom. 4:15). "For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law" (5:13).

Now God tells Jonah that Nineveh had sinned, that they were wicked. It had to be that He had communicated to them in some satisfactory way his specific will for them. Sufficient revelation had come to them, and so they were without excuse.

Furthermore, this knowledge of God and his specific will for man was more than just a display of his creative greatness. We often go to Psalms 19:1ff., "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handiwork," to prove the existence of God. The material creation, with all its beauty, and order do indeed testify to the glory of a Supreme Being, a Creator, a Manager. How can one look into the vastness of the universe, with all of its orderliness, and not feel the greatness of God. But when it comes to knowing the specific will of God for man, man can not look into the beauty of a sunrise or sunset, or of a flower, and know God's certain and specific will for him. There has to be an exact revelation of God, and this revelation had surely been made known to Nineveh.

And so, one of the messages from Nineveh is that God had made sufficient revelation to them, and to all men, so that they are without excuse. And when he transgresses and goes astray, he will be held accountable. There is no clearer lesson taught in the Scriptures than that of sowing and reaping.

"Be not deceived; God is not mocked" said Paul, "for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting" (Gal. 6:7,8).

The same is obviously true for mankind today. We must reckon with God; we are ac- countable to Him. He has made an exact revelation to us. We can know His certain and specific will for us today. This revelation has been made known to in His Word, and only in it. In view of the fact that "the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men," and man knows what this "ungodliness and unrighteousness" is, Paul says,

"I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise and to the unwise. So, as much as in me is," -- as much as I am able, as much as I can do, the very best that I can do -- "I am ready to preach the Gospel."

"I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek."

The Gospel tells man of his sin, and the escape from the penalty of it. I must preach it to all men, for all men are held accountable for what they do.

This is the great need for preaching, and for understanding of the Scriptures. Anyone could indeed look upon the cross, and see Jesus standing there, but no one could possibly know why he bled, and why he died, and the purpose and necessity of that death, unless he had been informed. Paul said that "He died for our sins," according to the Scriptures. The revealed will of God is in, by, and from the Inspired Scriptures.

1. Germany has been a great nation for a long time. Some of the finest products in all categories have come from Germany, as well as Theological education and influence. Prior to WWII it was said that the IQ of Germans as a group was the highest in the world. Where did this get them? Nazi Germany was born in blood baths under Hitler. It thrived upon viciousness. It died an inglorious death of suffering and shame. We may never know how many millions of souls were wasted in their attempt to control the world. So much resource and so little done for Christ Jesus.

2. America as a group -- I fear -- is beginning to love violence more and more. The sports business is becoming a win at any cost, and the cost is often cruelty and cheating. This past week (7/15/07) an NFL star quarterback was indicted for maintaining a dog-fighting operation, one of the cruel enterprises ever conceived. And the people seemed to love it, and it seems the news people got some pleasure out of showing some of the sadistic scenes. In my lifetime I do not ever recall the hideous ruthlessness being done by Americans against Americans.

All of this has created a hardness in the hearts of many people, and, most regrettably, there does not seem to be very much "righteous indignation" by those who think of themselves as moral people! Do we need a Jonah to come to our area?

God told Jonah to go to Nineveh and “cry out” against that great city's wickedness. Preach a warning to them, "Repent or perish," He might have said. He told Jonah in very certain terms: "This is where you go; this is what you preach."

Now some of us are easily critical of Jonah for going away from and not to Nineveh. Perhaps this criticism is justified. Maybe not. We may lose sight of the fact that Jonah was asked to leave his people and go to this wicked, heathen nation, a people that from a human standpoint for whom he could have nothing but hatred and animosity. And Jonah knew that if he went, and if he preached what he was supposed to preach, and if they heard the warning, and repented, and were not destroyed as God warned, the day might soon come when once again they would be waging war against Jonah's people, destroying their women and children, killing their young men in battle. Jonah knew all this, and this was his problem.

Perhaps we might compare this situation with Nazi Germany of the post-war period. Germany had thrived upon viciousness. Seven to eight million Jews were eventually killed like animals. Nations all over the globe were torn asunder because of their inhumanity. Now, the war is over, and now suppose you were called of God to go to Germany. How would you feel? Would you go? If you went at all, would you go gladly?

Many, many people in our beloved United States today seem to be in the process of accepting and loving violence more and more. Many of us are shocked at a certain mentality that, all too often, when a neighbor displeases you, you just shoot him down.

In early July a friend was vacationing in East Tennessee, and began to be subjected to loud cursing by a woman. He kindly asked if she could “tone it down” because of his 12 old daughter overhearing. With warning the woman’s husband hit him, knocking him to the ground, and unconscious. He spent several days in ICU before he was able to come home. Unusual? Or typical? Even the very President of our country is no longer safe out on the streets of our country. One of our US Senators refused to attend a political rally in our area recently because on the last visit a rowdy group “roughed up” his wife.

We could list any number of violations of decency and order in our beloved America, but the point is known by all. We ask, where are the Jonahs who are shouting out God’s condemnation for such? Are the entertainment and sports heroes serving as role models for our young people? As the vulgar expression goes, “Don’t make me laugh!” Television a medium for education of our young people? Hardly! And the publisher of one newspaper had the gall to say, "To blame TV's and the movie's violence for much of the violence in America today is as foolish as blaming the super markets for all the fat people." This is silliness gone wild!

The popular entertainment shows of the week on TV are more often than not the ones that have the greatest amount of physical violence. You know this is true, and many people who should not – watch them. It should not be surprising that violent crimes are on the increase. How do you feel about going and preaching to these people who love to see blood and guts, and strife and confusion? It's easier to run away to Joppa, isn't it?

I do not lay claim to be without faults. As a matter of simple fact, I have more character flaws than any man is entitled to. For this I am ashamed, and try daily to improve. May God have mercy on me. But, when I read and hear and often see acts of dishonesty passed off routinely as if it is a privilege, a matter of doing business, with no sense of guilt, I understand why our country is, as one reporter has said, “going down the drain.”

Can our nation, or any community, survive without the objective moral principles laid out in the Scriptures? I, for one, do not think so. Who are the ones who can (and must) preach these principles? Surprisingly, by my judgment, not the professional preachers representing organized religion. It must come from the salt, and light, and leaven of the common ordinary saint, who has the knowledge and courage to speak out, and has nothing to lose by being honorable, and everything to gain for his country and for his children.

Paul Harvey is the favorite commentator for many of us. In one article he writes:

"America has been referred to for long as the land of the free. Many of us know that we are not all that free any more. I am not free to go out there and get on an airliner without submitting myself and my luggage to search. Why? Because there is some old dictator that wants to dictate? No Sir! Because we've got a handful of screwballs running around with knives and guns. That's why. Because a few sickies, that you could count on the fingers of one hand hide razorblades in apples, whole States have had to outlaw Halloween. They've taken away our Fourth of July fireworks; they've threatened to take away our guns, because some have misused theirs. Not because there is tyranny in government, but because there's anarchy in the unbuttoned brains of a handful of loony birds who don't deserve to be free. So the rest of us can't be!"

"I hear you businessmen fussing and fretting about the usurpation of your prerogatives by government, but let's ask ourselves now, if there were no food and drug administration -- starting right now -- as of today we are going to abolish the FDA. Now -- tomorrow at 10:00 A.M., -- what would be the allowable limit of roaches in your bottle of catsup? What would be the tolerable limit of bug mess in your box of oatmeal? Self government without self discipline won't work! . . . What a shame it is that the government has had to step in and make laws to make us be (morally) responsible."

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn has spoken loudly to our subject on a number of occasions. A few years back he was in Stockholm to receive his Nobel prize. Now this was the one time that he had the ears of the world, for whatever he considered of significant importance. Do you remember what he said? Listen: "For the East, and also for the West, there is no salvation except moral, religious regeneration."

Do you believe he spoke the truth? I do! I am convinced that he spoke the truth -- "No salvation except moral, religious regeneration."

On yet another occasion he spoke of what is happening in America. What did he say in his evaluation of America? Listen carefully: "A thin veil of morality." What was he talking about? Was he talking about Watergate? Was he talking about Memphis, Tennessee, in the very heart of the "Bible Belt, when during the firemen's strike of 1978 criminals took advantage of the crisis to burn down over 200 buildings? Was he talking about the time in Detroit, during the policemen's strike of 1979, when looters stole millions of dollars worth of merchandise? Was he talking about the time in New York when the lights went out for a few hours and literally thousands of stores were burglarized? Was he talking about the time in the Northeast a few years back, when, during a record snowstorm, whole business communities were sacked and plundered? Or, was he talking about the thousands of "white collar" crimes; sophisticated theft by big-business executives and politicians? Was he talking about you and me, in our petty thievery, and law-breaking? What was he referring to when he characterized America as having "a thin veil of morality."

Twice in his two successful campaigns for the presidency, Dwight D. Eisenhower quoted Alexis De Tocqueville, a great French statesman and political philosopher who came to America in 1831 and wrote a classic book on American democracy. In the chapter on "The Greatness and Genius of America," Tocqueville said:

"I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her commodious harbors and her ample rivers - and it was not there. I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her fertile fields and boundless forests -- and it was not there. I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her democratic system and Congress, and her matchless Constitution -- and it is not there. Not until I went into the churches of America, and heard from her pulpits the message of a flaming righteousness, did I understand the secret of her genius and her power. America is great because America is good -- and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great."

I wholeheartedly subscribe to this viewpoint. When America ceases to be good, America will cease to be great!

A. C. Dunkleberger, a former editor of the Nashville Banner, and a long time elder of our brethren at Madison, once responded to the De Tocqueville statement. He said:

"The message of a flaming righteousness does not generate its heat in the friction of trivia. It does not stir the enlightened conscience on evils of its day by muffling the preaching of its belief or by pursuing the line of least resistance when forces of evil are mobilizing to usurp and destroy it. It can be tolerant of weakness and ignorance, but not of compromising with depravity and moral bankruptcy. That message of a flaming righteousness etched into the heart and soul of a people are the principles that uplift and exalt. There have been defaults occasionally, and failure, but these could be almost the exceptions that prove the rule. For De Tocqueville the testimony of history was clear; and the period for which he spoke - 156 years ago - still rings out to echo Holy Writ: Blessed Is The Nation Whose God is The Lord."

Elder Dunkleberger ends his message with a resounding challenge. Listen: "The danger time for any land -- or way of life -- may not be necessarily when brutish contemporaries rattle swords." . . . (and here we might think of Iran, or North Korea). "Hastening its greatest peril may be the time when the collective pulpit modifies the message to the point the flame goes out!"

Hear this again, please: "The collective pulpit modifies the message to the point the flame goes out!" I believe this to be a great statement of truth. The conclusion by this brother in Christ must of course stand or fall on its own merit. I believe it does have merit; a lot of merit.

Many of you who read this article are well versed in the Old Testament. Can we ever forget the preaching of the prophets of God that "ripped" both Israel and foreign nations for their immorality? Some of the minor prophets seemed to dwell on the ungodly, unrighteous, sins of the nations. Is God still the God of our nation? Of all nations?

Question? Are the preachers of today -- the men and mouthpieces of God; the John Baptists, the Elijahs, the Stephens and Pauls; the preachers of moral righteousness -- are they today speaking out against the evils of the day? Think of those in our immediate fellowship -- are they a part of the solution to our moral dilemma? Are they? What about those who represent us nationally, who have the power to speak clearly and loudly to the issues we address? For the most part, it too often appears that they have become so busy interpreting and regulating intra-brotherhood institutional matters that there is no time or interest left to address the social evils of the community. I still admire the G. C. Brewer type who maintained the non-denominational, non-sectarian, Christian-only gospel of the New Testament AND found time to speak out and debate any element that advocated destructive evils of the world. Were it not for these -- and there were many -- alcohol and drug use, evolution, promiscuous sex, etc., would be much more widespread than it is, and evils such as legalized gambling would be commonplace. I'm thankful for them. All of them. Both from within our brotherhood and others who fought courageously against the advances of immoral elements.

Are we the only ones who are fighting for a moral America? Some time back I was literally thrilled when I heard Jerry Falwell, now deceased, stand on the steps of one of our State Capitals, and speak loud and clear about many of the immoral issues that should concern all righteous people -- corruption in government, legalized abortion, homosexual rights, etc. The Governor of the State was not in the audience but came on the scene somewhat later, and offered a weak and vague welcome and approval. I was chagrined and disappointed the next day to hear the sarcasm and sneers by the same Governor as he referred to the incident. The liberal newspaper did its part by representing the numbers of the crowd much below its actual size, and the report of the rally was muchly biased. The radio and TV. people likewise underplayed the event and demonstrated bias in their reporting. Of course the modernist religious leaders of the city were not there, and -- not nearly as many of the faithful as should have been.

America is a great nation. You've heard this -- as I have -- numbers of times. Perhaps you've even said this -- "America is the greatest nation on earth!" I have, and will keep on saying it. America has been a great nation because she has been good. She will continue to be a great nation as long as she continues to be good. She was begun as a nation of Christians. She grew up and prospered as a nation build upon Bible principles. The evils that now concern us were controlled for a long time, largely, not because of laws, but because of the influence of personal righteousness. And where did this spirit of personal righteousness -- this standard of personal, moral responsibility originate?

Today we have laws, an astonishing number of laws. And more are being put on the lawbooks every day. We have laws against murder -- but murders have dramatically increased in recent years. We have laws against rape -- but we have reached the point where no decent woman will walk down the street of hardly any community in America after dark today. We have had laws against theft -- but theft is virtually out of control today. In some communities the steel bars covering doors and windows make the community look almost like a jail. "We are captives in our own homes," one elderly, distressed man said recently on television. And, I ask you, why? Is it the lack of law? Is it the lack of police? Is it the lack of judges and jails to punish offenders? No, it goes much deeper than that. The answer is that our nation as a whole is becoming more and more like Nineveh. And, we need a Jonah!.

We hear preachers talk from time to time bemoaning the fact that we can not convert people like we could a generation or two ago. And, we constantly express that attendance in our assemblies is low when God’s people come together to hear God’s Word, and to commemorate the death of God’s Son, and to provoke one another to greater love and good work. Materialism, love for money and the things that money can buy, seem to mean more to many people than purity of heart and righteousness of conduct. And then we come together for an hour or two in the week to worship God, represented in a gentle, meek, and humble Lord Jesus, and teach that the poor in spirit, humble and pure in heart are blessed; that it is more blessed to give than to receive. A chance to study the meaning of the need for the Cross is no match for the Sunday afternoon battles between the Dallas Cowboys and the Washington Redskins.

And so; Jonah was not interested in saving Nineveh. From a human standpoint he simply did not want to do it.

God had a plan for converting Nineveh, and it was a simple plan. He told Jonah to go into the city and preach. Preach salvation. Tell them that they were to be destroyed if they did not repent.

Now, just for "fun," let's have a simulated business meeting of the men for an average congregation and decide whether we will sponsor such a man with such a plan.

No other disciples for a nucleus; none to lead upon for encouragement. No referred leads for studies.

How are we going to vote? Shall we support and sponsor Jonah? Well, most of the intelligent, practical, common-sense ones would vote against it. Wouldn't we? It's foolishness, isn't it? It has no chance, does it? He'll never make it, will he? Let's vote. Shall we sponsor Jonah or not?

But wait a minute! God said go! Who said to go? God did! And He promised to be withhim. Well, in that case -- in view of this -- I change my vote. I now believe he can and will get the job done. In any event, I know that Jonah will get done what God wants done if Jonah does what God says do. And this is all that matters. Jonah was told to preach, and if Jonah preaches what God told him to preach, he will get the job done that God wants done. It will be God who will give the increase.

We need to think long and hard about what Jonah did, and what we must do. God told Jonah to "cry out against Nineveh; for their wickedness is come up before me" After the experience in the fish's belly the word of God came unto Jonah the second time, saying, "Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee" (3:2). And Jonah cried out to these people and said, "Yet forty days and Nineveh shall be overthrown" (v.4).

God has also told all of us who can preach, and who have opportunlty to preach, to go to our Ninevehs. He tells us where to go; He tells us what to preach. "Go into the world. Preach the gospel to every creature." Now I know that some will say, according to the Scriptures, he said this to his apostles." And so he did. But consider this: The very nature of Christianity absolutely demands that everyone who can preach do so. There is no exception to this truth, as far as I am able to determine.

During the war between the states, a young woman learned the truth and obeyed the gospel. Her sweetheart, J. H. Halbrook, was a Confederate soldier. He was captured by the Union army and kept a prisoner in Michigan until the war was over. He was given a ticket to Nashville, and $2.50. From there he returned to Centerville, Tn., and found what was left of his home and family. He found his girlfriend and they were soon married. His wife studied the Bible with him, and he soon became a Christian. He thought the truth was so good and so simple that he began to teach and baptize many of his friends and neighbors. He began to preach, but he recognized his need for more training, so he came to the original Mars Hill Bible School, in Florence, Alabama, taught by T. B. Larimore.

Upon completing his studies there, instead of going back to Tennessee, he and his wife moved farther south, coming into Walker, Marion, Fayette, and Lamar counties in Alabama. One of his many converts was Charley Alexander Wheeler. His wife, taught him to read from the Bible. Along with his wife, C. A. Wheeler obeyed the gospel and soon began preaching to others. In time he started more than 100 congregations and baptized more than 6,000 people.

But wait. The story is not ended! One of those 6,000 was my father, the late Gus Nichols. Twelve thousand were baptized under his preaching.

Among those baptized by Gus Nichols, no one knows, nor can know, how many began to preach the “glorious gospel of Christ” (2 Cor. 4:3-4); but I personally know several. I, Flavil Nichols, am ONE whom he baptized and who he encouraged to preach the truth. And under my preaching, about three thousand have been baptized. A few among them preach the gospel, also!

Only eternity can reveal the total results of the conversion of that one girl nearly one hundred and fifty years ago. The results are not yet all in. But records indicate that probably over twenty-one thousand people have become Christians through this single thread in the fabric of her influence. (--Flavil Nichols)