Jon Tyson challenges this generation with the most pivotal question in human existence, setting the course for the rest of your life: do you want God, or do you not want Him? He teaches us how to build a culture that wants God and identifies the cost and consequences of our choice to either follow or reject Him.
Key Takeaway
God comes where He is wanted; the attention of heaven is directed by the devotion of earth.
Have you ever felt rejected, unwanted, or left out? Rejection isn't just an unfortunate feeling—it has lasting effects on human beings. Science tells us that it even affects our brain chemistry. It is a terrible thing to be rejected. But have you ever considered that even when you have felt the sting of rejection, you are not alone? The truth is that as Christians, we follow a God who has a history of being unwanted. In fact, it is a definitive mark of His story.
- Satan told God he didn't want Him.
- A group of angels didn't want Him.
- Adam and Eve chose fruit from the tree over God.
- Following the flood, the people of God turned back on Him once again.
- The Israelites created idols to worship instead of God.
- The prophets wanted a human king over God.
- God is rejected by his hometown by the Pharisees.
- His own followers rejected Him.
- The crowds in front of Jesus chose Barabbas over Him.
Read Jeremiah 2:5,11-13, Isaiah 53:3 & John 1:11.
The people reject God as:
- Creator
- Lawgiver and provider
- King
- The object of true worship
- Lord, through His prophets
- Incarnate Savior in Jesus Christ
The ministry of Jesus is a ministry of being unwanted. So, let's look at two villages with totally different approaches to God.
Nazareth — where Jesus grew up and lived an ordinary life.
According to Matthew 13:54, Jesus comes home and is rejected. This is a culture of rejection.
A culture of rejection is a culture of:
- Over-familiarity.
- Being easily-offended.
- Driving the ministry of Jesus out of their midst.
- Blaming the consequences of their own sin on the very one that came to deliver them from their sin and trying to save themselves.
Jesus comes to the place of Nazareth and does not get the response He wants. They could not see who He really was. Assuming you know all there is about God is to practice over-familiarity with the Almighty.
You want God to move in a way that you’re comfortable with. The people of Nazareth tried to turn God into a commodity they could use for themselves. They liked the power but not the person. Honor gives you access to other people’s anointing. Anointing is not a force; anointing has a source, and it’s connected to a people.
Read Luke 4:28-30.
The people were driving out the only one who wanted them. This is the tragedy of rejecting God. Jesus is carrying a fresh baptism of power into Nazareth. Jesus was full of the spirit, but they wouldn't receive it.
Read Matthew 13:57-58.
Rejecting God...
- Reduces revelation.
- Restricts the miraculous.
- Robs you of your destiny.
Nazareth is known for rejecting Jesus, and the Western culture has become Nazareth—almost doing a reverse exorcism. Jesus drove out the evil spirits, yet secular culture is driving out Jesus. This is a separation of God and everything.
"We thought if we threw God out, we'd become free. It turns out we've just become cosmic orphans."
Yet, even amidst all of this rejection of God, there is Good News. God will raise a remnant of devotion in every culture of rejection.
How do you transform a culture that feels like God is gone to God is here?
Hebrides—God moved in power here. A tiny church in this area was the epicenter of revival. They had a manifest zone of God's tangible presence, where there wasn't a home within a 5-mile zone where someone was not saved in this revival. People saw angels in homes and found themselves in trances of conviction.
Why here? Why not in a major city?
He came to the Hebrides because people wanted Him there—starting with two women asking God to show up.
For I will pour water on the thirsty land,
and streams on the dry ground;
I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring,
and my blessing on your descendants.
Isaiah 44:3
Their desperation pried open a hole in heaven, and God showed up. God comes where He is wanted.
The attention of heaven is directed by the devotion of the earth.
You don't have to be important, powerful, or famous. You don't have to live in a strategic place. If you're hungry, you will have the attention of heaven.
Let's take a look at a second village in the Bible.
Bethany—where Jesus showed up.
This village teaches us what it looks like to build a culture that wants God. Bethany was a culture of wonder, celebration, desperation, and devotion.
To build a culture that welcomes God:
- Sit at His feet and learn from His Word; don't stand above His Word and judge His Word.
- Don't blame God for your brokenness; ask Him to step in and heal your brokenness.
- Cultivate gratitude and resist entitlement; create a culture of celebrating Jesus.
- Create a culture of devotion.
When everybody else said they didn't want Jesus, the aroma of Mary's perfume still reminded Jesus that He was wanted.
What happens when God is wanted?
- Category-defying discipleship.
- Resurrection from the dead.
- Jesus' direct defense.
- The ascension to heaven.
Wanting God increases the miraculous, and welcoming God reveals the secret of His ways.
The most dangerous and potent prayer you can pray in a secular culture like ours is this, "God, we want you here."
Discussion Questions
- If you're human, you've most likely been made to feel unwanted or rejected at some point in your life. What experience of feeling rejected stands out most to you?
- Jon Tyson shared the many ways that Jesus was rejected. How does knowing that the Creator of the universe was unwanted shape your understanding of Him?
- "If you're offended by what and how God does things, you won't have the God of the Bible, just a version of your preferences that you're comfortable with, that you end up worshipping." How does this statement challenge your faith and convictions?
- Jon identifies four characteristics of a culture that rejects God—overfamiliarity, being easily offended, driving the ministry of Jesus out, and blaming the consequences of your sins on God. Which characteristics do you see most in the culture you're in?
- Rejecting God reduces revelation, restricts the miraculous, and robs you of your destiny. How have you seen this truth play out in your own life or the lives of others?
- How have you settled into complacency in your faith?
- After learning of (or being reminded of) the Hebrides Revival, are you encouraged to cry out for God in your city or village? How can you actively pursue Him in the days to follow?
- Jon reminds us that we don't have to be important, powerful, or famous to gain the attention of heaven. Have you used your standing or lack thereof as a reason to not influence others for Jesus?
- What role do prayer and intentionality play in creating environments where God is welcomed?
- What are some practical ways you can implement a "we want you here" mentality in the places we need to see the Lord?
Scripture References
