“And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city,
wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between
their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?” – Jonah 4:11
Utilitarianism-the
ideal that if it works its good; if it is useful, then it’s right. The world is certainly enamored with this
theology, but is it right for Christians?
In the church, can we really measure ourselves by results?
God
tells Jonah to go to Nineveh and cry against it. Immediately, he turned tail and ran for the
uttermost part of the world; only to be swallowed by a great fish. It took three days but he got to the place
where he was willing to go to Nineveh; he went, preached, and his one message
saved the city. In the natural realm,
growth and progress are measured from a bottom line stand point. Your business is measured by profit,
education is measured by GPA, your health by weight, your height in feet, there
are some things that are more subjective, but give us enough time and we will
find a label for just about anything you can see, touch, or feel. By living in this world we become conditioned
to this world, and if we are not careful, it can influence us to measure
spiritual things in the same way. In the
church we can become conditioned to think that if we had 30 people in Sunday
school this Sunday and 20 people last Sunday than we grew by 10 people. We can be tempted to believe that because
only a dozen folks show up to Sunday service, or Bible study, there is
something wrong. A careful examination
of the scriptures will reveal that with God, utilitarian religion is no
religion. Noah was a preacher of
righteousness and the only man on Earth who found favor with God. He preached his whole life and saved eight
people. Jeremiah spent his whole life
preaching to stubborn Jews, and the only one who he found favor with was
God. The Son of God spent three years
doing nothing but preaching; at his death there was not one convert who stood
by him. Jonah was called by God and he
ran for the furthest corner of the Earth, repented, and then went to Nineveh to
preach one sermon that saved the whole city.
Utilitarian religion says that Jonah’s example is better than Noah’s,
better then Jeremiah’s, better than Jesus Christ. Utilitarian religion and bottom line progress
teaches us that any means is justified by the end. It is as if we say “Whatever the cost! As long as the numbers go up, where do I
sign?” Now there may be something wrong
with your Sunday service, or you morning devotion or whatever, but if you’re
looking for answers with a results mindset, you’re in the wrong mindset. The reason utilitarian religion is no religion
at all is because it is all for the benefit of the majority, and what the
majority wants may not be what God wants!
God said “and should not I spare Nineveh, that great city…?” He was trying to show Jonah that the results
are in His hands and it is not for you to labor toward that end, but rather
labor to the end that you might please God, and glorify His name.
This
is the everlasting plumb line to which we should measure everything by. It is no surprise that it is the same plumb
line that Christ measured himself by; the will of God. Jesus said “I do always those things that
please Him.” To do always the will of
God is to live with the focus to please God, to glorify God. Does your: business, personal life, church,
fellowship, etc. glorify God? Does it
please him? If it does, then it is
profitable. Your business may be
bankrupt, home foreclosed on, church weaning in numbers, and you may not had a
blessing in three years, but if your living your life to please God, then take
courage: you are in good company! You
are in the preaching of Noah, you are akin to Jeremiah, you’re living with the
same focus as your Savior. You may not
have utilitarian religion, but you have real religion; and real religion is
what the world needs.
