The Call We’d Rather Avoid

Nov 7

We've all been there… knowing what we should do but finding creative reasons not to do it. That difficult conversation we need to have. The apology we owe someone. The phone call we keep putting off.

Today I want to talk about one of the most uncomfortable books in the Bible… Jonah. And no, this isn't just a story about a guy who gets swallowed by a fish. That famous fish only appears in three verses. This is a story about us, about our reluctance to take God's love to people we'd rather avoid.

// The Ultimate "No Thanks"

The book of Jonah opens with God giving a straightforward assignment: "Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh. Announce my judgment against it because I have seen how wicked its people are."

To understand how Jonah felt, you need to know about Nineveh. This was the capital of Assyria, Israel's worst nightmare. We're talking about a nation known for brutal military tactics, burning cities to the ground, and terrorizing entire populations. The Bible Project calls them "the most violent, oppressive superpower of the ancient Near East."

So when God tells Jonah to go preach to Nineveh, it's like being asked to share the gospel with the people you fear or despise most.

And Jonah's response? He doesn't argue. He doesn't negotiate. He just runs, literally in the opposite direction. Nineveh was 550 miles northeast. Jonah books passage to Tarshish, likely modern-day Spain, about 2,500 miles west. It's like God saying "Go to New York" and you booking a flight to Australia.

// Why We Run

Before we judge Jonah too harshly, we need to be honest about ourselves. How many of us have run from God's call in our own lives?

Maybe God's been prompting you to share your faith with a coworker, but they're difficult or antagonistic toward Christians, so you stay silent. Maybe there's a family member who doesn't know Jesus, but the relationship is complicated, so you avoid the conversation. Maybe there's a neighbor, friend, or classmate, and every time you think about saying something, you find a reason not to.

We are Jonah. We run because we're afraid of rejection, comfortable in our current lives, judgmental about who "deserves" God's grace, or just too busy.

But here's what we need to understand: when Jonah ran from God's call, he wasn't just running from Nineveh—he was running from God Himself. And when we avoid sharing our faith, we're not just avoiding uncomfortable conversations; we're avoiding the very purpose God designed for our lives.

We are all messengers, and our silence has consequences.

// The Devastating Ripple Effect

Look what happens when Jonah runs. God sends a violent storm. The pagan sailors are crying out to their gods while God's prophet sleeps below deck. Think about that irony, the people who don't know God are more spiritually aware than the guy who does.

The captain has to wake Jonah up and tell him to pray. When we refuse to fulfill our purpose, God will find another way—but we miss out on the blessing of being used by Him.

Eventually, the sailors figure out Jonah is the problem. And here's the devastating part: Jonah's disobedience puts everyone around him in danger. When we run from God's call, we don't just hurt ourselves, we hurt the people around us. Our families suffer. Our communities miss out. And the people who desperately need to hear about Jesus never do.

// A Word from an Atheist

Penn Jillette, one-half of the famous magic duo Penn and Teller, is also one of the most outspoken atheists you'll ever meet. But after one of his shows, a man gave him a Bible, and Penn's response stopped me in my tracks.

He said: "How much do you have to hate somebody to believe everlasting life is possible and not tell them that?"

Even someone who rejects the gospel understands that if we truly believe what we say we believe, our silence is actually cruel. If you saw someone walking toward a cliff in the dark, you wouldn't stay quiet because you didn't want to offend them. You'd shout. You'd run toward them. You'd do whatever it took to stop them.

That's what sharing the gospel is. It's not pushing our beliefs on people. It's not being judgmental. It's love. It's caring enough about someone to risk an awkward conversation because we believe their eternity is at stake.

// The Life God Designed

Here's the beautiful part:… when we say yes to God's call, we don't just change the lives of others, we experience the life God designed for us.

Jonah spent three days in the belly of a fish because he said no. But spoiler alert: Nineveh eventually repents. 120,000 people turn to God. Jonah could have been part of that from the start. He could have experienced the joy of seeing God move in miraculous ways.

When we say yes to evangelism, we get to be part of the greatest story ever told. We get to see lives transformed, witness the power of the gospel firsthand, and experience purpose that goes beyond ourselves.

Paul puts it this way in Romans 10… "How can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?"

Your feet can be beautiful. Your voice can bring hope. Your life can be the message someone needs to hear.

// What Now?

Three practical steps:

1. Stop running. If you've been avoiding God's call to share your faith, today is the day to stop. Confess it. Own it. Tell God you're ready to obey, even if you're scared.

2. Start praying. Ask God to give you one person this week that He wants you to share His love with. Maybe it's an invitation to church, offering to pray for someone, or just being present in someone's pain.

3. Read Jonah chapter 1. Seriously, read it. Wrestle with it. Let the Holy Spirit speak to you through it.

Jonah's story doesn't end in the belly of the fish. There's hope ahead. There's redemption. There's a second chance. But it starts with a choice, the choice to stop running and start obeying.

We are all messengers, and our silence has consequences.

God is calling you to be His messenger. Not someday. Today. The question is:… will you run, or will you go?

Keep looking up,

Pastor Alan is the lead pastor of Allegheny Center Alliance Church. To find out more about ACAC, go here.

Alan Hannah