Response to Faith: Nathaniel under a fig tree ( John 1:35-47)

Jesus’ first disciples were John the Baptist's previous followers. These were Andrew, Peter, Phillip, and Nathanael who was also known as Bartholomew.

In the Gospel according to John 1:47ff, Phillip brought Nathanael to Jesus Christ. In seeking Nathanael, Phillip asserted to him who the Lord was by saying, "We have found Him.., I refer to this as “a friend bringing his friend to Jesus.”

Nathanael's fruity attitude and personality are unveiled in the Gospel of John. Nathanael was later to become one of the Lord's disciples. However, prior to that, he was known for his hesitations and doubts. Originating from Cana of Galilee and with affirmed sorely evident prejudices against Nazareth, a town not far from his own, Nathanael skeptically said Phillip, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?"

To Nathanael Jesus probably would appear a man no more and no less than a son of a carpenter. If "coming out of Nazareth" formed a mental judgment on Nathaniel’s mind, most probably planted there from previous generations, "coming out of Nazareth." But his good friend Phillip's intention remained unchanged in spite of Nathaniel's skepticism.

Phillip did not preach to Nathaniel a sermon, he did not arguing, neither did he plead with him, but  just a simply versed, unadorned, ineloquent yet forceful, insisting and promising invitation to "come and see". This convinced Nathanael to seek out the Lord Jesus Christ, if not for his own sake at least for Phillip's.

You can imagine how uplifted, enriched and elevated this friendship had become through Phillip's efforts insistence on Nathanael to "come and see" Jesus Christ. Philip's care for his friend had shifted the type of their friendship from being an earthly spiritual friend willing to show him better things in this life.

Nathanael did according to Phillip's request and when the Lord Jesus Christ saw Nathanael coming towards him, Jesus could have justifiably and duly confronted Nathanael about his prejudicial, "can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Jesus simply looked beyond Nathanael's well intentioned, harmless personality traits intuitively knowing of his goodness and his pure heart. see Hebrews 12:25.

Immediately, Jesus recognized in Nathanael the admirable and desirable traits of sincerity and directness with others. "How do You know me?" was Nathanael's question to Jesus to which He replied, "I have seen you under the fig tree."

What is Nathanael doing under the fig tree to make him suddenly accept the invitation from Jesus? Was he in a spiritual struggle; was he in a prayerful contemplation asking God to show him the savior? Or was it the Lord's spiritual complexity, His heart's divinity, or simply His supernatural prior.  Was Nathanael hiding beneath the fig tree?

Reading the entire story of in this chapter, Nathanael was no stranger to the teachings of Jesus. He followed Jesus from a far and listened for hours as Jesus tough. Therefore, it was not a mental effort on the part of Nathanael but probably a heartfelt one that led him to acknowledge the Lord. Nathanael could not easily and readily believe just anyone was the Son of God. Phillip just confirmed to him what he knew.

Henceforth, Nathanael and Phillip's lives took on a new spiritual meaning and complexity and their missionary work as the first disciples of Jesus began.

Conclusion

What lesson do we learn from Nathanael's reluctance to accept Jesus as the Messiah?

We know the Lord Jesus Christ never forgot Nathanael, because in the John 21:2 we are told that Nathanael was among those whom Jesus appeared to at the Sea of Galilee after His Glorious Resurrection. Nathanael remained with the Lord Jesus Christ even to the end. AMEN

We pray that the Lord Jesus Christ may spot us even if it were under the home roofs as he did with Nathanael under a fig tree and that he will ease our life and guide us to fulfill His commandment as his followers.

Prayer

Lord, sanctify our spirits, cleanse our bodies, conduct our thoughts and purify our intentions.

Credits and Work cited

·         Commentary of the Gospel of John- Cooper Abrams

·         St. John’s Gospel - Paul S. Berge

·         Henry Matthews Commentary

·         The Bible- RSV, Kings James, and American Standard.

Strength from God during Challenging Times.Psalm 68:35: SIFA CHURCH

God wants to strengthen you. The purpose of God is to make you stronger each day you choose to walk with Him. This is a message on how you can truly live in God’s strength. God wants you to have a deep assurance that His plan is to strengthen you, no matter what the circumstances.

In these days it is a great secret to know the strength of the Lord. This strength comes to those who desire to follow after Christ. This makes it so important to walk in faith, and forsake the things that would block God's presence in your life. By confessing and turning away from any sin, the door opens for God's cleansing grace to wash through you, restoring the strength of God in your life.

Strength from the Lord. “How blessed is the man whose strength is in Thee." Psalm 84:5.

 Strength is power for living, is needed by everyone in these challenging times. And God wants to give you His strength, in an abundant supply. Please note that God's ways are higher than man's ways, and God's thoughts are higher than man's thoughts according to Isaiah 55:8&9).

This is without a doubt true, when it comes to the strength of the Lord. God's ways of strengthening you are different than man's ways. God's purpose is to make you strong. The bible says the; "He is the One who gives power and strength to his people." (Psalm 68:35). God's purpose is to strengthen you, and to give you power in His ways.

The bible has commanded us, "Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might!" (Ephesians 6:10). God wants you to be strong. Strong in Him, strong in love, strong because you are filled with the Holy Spirit. You must have an unshakable confidence, that God's purpose is to make you strong in Him. When you face situations which you don't understand, or when you encounter obstacles, difficulties, or painful situations which you were not expecting, it is easy for you to lose sight of God's purposes. God's thoughts are not like our thoughts. Our thoughts can become thoughts of fear or discouragement, anger or frustration.

Thoughts like: "I'll never be able to get through this," or, "God must be punishing me for something I've done," or, "The Lord is against me," can become a part of our thinking. But God's thought is to make you strong! His will is to make you stronger, not to tear you down. You must become strong in the ways of the Lord. "The way of the Lord is strength to the upright."Prov.10:29.

Seven pointers on receiving assurance of God’s strength.

1. WAIT ON THE LORD. Isaiah 40:31, You need to spend time waiting before the Lord, thanking Him and honoring Him, and placing your situations in His hands; you need to spend significant, quality time with Him. The Spirit will surely come like the wind, to strengthen you.

 2. CALL ON THE LORD, in earnest and believing prayer: Psalm 138:3

 3. BELIEVE that it is undoubtedly God's purpose to impart strength to you, and to make you strong, no matter what the situation may look like. God's promises are clear, that the will of the Lord is to strengthen you Psalm 105:4, Isaiah 30:15.

 4. You must TURN FROM SIN, to be strengthened by the Lord. Sin is what can make you weak. The Psalmist said, "My strength has failed because of my iniquity." Psalm 31:10 NASB. You must turn from sin, and receive cleansing and forgiveness through the blood of Christ. God will help you to make a fresh start, and to leave the past behind.

5.DRAW NEAR TO THE LORD. It is the Lord Himself who is your strength. Drawing near to Him insures that His strength will dwell in you, because His presence will be near you and in you.

6.BE OF GOOD COURAGE. The Word of God says, "Wait on the Lord. Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart." (Ps.27:14 KJV). If you have courage, God is able to strengthen you. You must have courage and faith when you draw near to God, knowing that it is His will to strengthen you, and to clear a path for you

7.The WORD OF GOD strengthens your faith, and builds you up. The Word of God can be relied upon, with confidence. "Strengthen me, according to Thy Word." Psalm 119:28. Meditate on, and rely upon, the Word of God. Saturate your mind and your spirit with the Word, and the promises of the Word, for your strengthening.

Conclusion

As you do these things, God will impart His strength on you. You will be strengthened to walk in victory, and walk in faith. God will show himself strong on your behalf.

Being strong as a follower of Christ does not mean pushing other people around, dominating other people, or being otherwise obnoxious. Strength from the Lord makes you strong enough to love people, strong enough to be gentle with difficult people, strong enough to do the right things at the right times, with the peace of God in your heart. It is awesome, to have the strength of His love! We must remember that the strength of love is the opposite of the strength of selfishness.

At times God's people can begin to drift, and begin to think along on their own strength. We can gradually begin to do things in our own strength, and not even realize that we are no longer walking in the strength of the Lord. That is why we must seek fresh strength from the Lord day by day and week by week.

We must seek fresh strength in prayer, the Word, and waiting upon the Lord. God's purpose is that we help others to find that same strength. When brothers or sisters in Christ, or others we love are passing through a difficult time, they need someone who can help them find strength from the Lord.

We are to pray for one another, and bear one another's burdens. Then God will use us as His instruments, to bring His strength to those who need it.

RefreshmentFor the Soul Gives Caregivers Some “ME...

 Refreshment For the Soul Gives Caregivers Some “ME TIME” Care givers at my work place, enjoyed a time of stillness on August 7 &amp...

Our Relationship with God- Mark 5:26ff

One of the reasons people tend to see faith as aOne of the reasons people tend to see faith as a religion about God instead of a relationship with God is the sense that they are not worthy of the attention of an Almighty God. 

A few months ago I had and encounter with a patient who pointed out that her problems (Sickness) are too small for God to care about. She was wondering why would God care about her while there are much more bigger problems in the world for God to look after.  How can one so great care for one so small.

Have you ever felt that sense of insignificance?  There have been times when I've gazed into the incredible expanse of the setting sun on the horizon, the stars in the sky, the large water masses of the seas, oceans, lakes, and rivers, and felt even so small and insignificant.  Even our planet is hardly a speck of dust in the bigger universe.

And yet, God is attentive to the heartache and suffering of all persons, no matter how insignificant they may seem to the world around them.

Religion can get in the way of a relationship with God.  Faith is not about rules, regulations and religion. It is about we human beings reaching out to a God who reaches out to us through Jesus Christ who reaches into the pain and anguish of our living. As a hospital chaplain I have seen so much pain, anguish, death and all in people who I believe if God never cared, none would make it from the hospital.

The good news for the people in our scripture lesson is that the barriers of health, pain, and death all fall away under the throne of God.

The woman with the flow of blood for 12 years mentioned in Mark 5:25ff, for Jairus and for the little girl who was restored to life as recorded in Luke 8:41-4 - the greatness of God and the good news of Jesus Christ eliminate all obstacles to health and life.

Shouldn’t we be grateful that Christ cares more about our wholeness and our living than he does about our religions, denominations and religious convention?

When we are in anguish and wish for the presence of Christ, we do not need to worry that we are sinners (Romans 3: 23) or that some folks would consider us to be unacceptable. Jesus cared for a woman who was a social reject and for a little girl that was not among the children of his followers. The woman was un-touchable and a little girl about to be forgotten.  How can one so Great Care for one so small?

Material Things Does not Buy a Ticket to Heaven

My first funeral to perform was in my early days in the ministry of a young but well to do man in the community. Because of his status and wealth, he had accumulated during the 45 years he lived it seems that everyone has something to say about his death.During the funeral service, there were many thoughtful eulogies that highlight his incredible life of success; stories that give in details how his passing was unfortunate and yet he and the living could not do anything to stop it; it was not under anyone’s control.
As interesting as many of those stories were, the real story that needed to be told at this point in time, is the story of how each one of us living will stand before God and gave a final account of our life; the story of how no amount of wealth and power could stop that inevitable journey that we will all make someday - Amen.

The deceased young man did indeed have a profound impact on his community, and many of those stories were certainly worth telling, but when someone with lots of wealth and influence passes away, may are the questions that go through our minds unanswered. Man is like a breath; his days are like a fleeting shadow. Psalm 144:4

Our lives rush by quickly, and regardless of the level of our material achievements during life on earth, death washes it all away and becomes the great equalizer.  Beyond the grave, there are no wealthy people, no celebrities, no social elite, no CEOs- God equalizes them all Matthew 5:3

In the world we live in today, we have a tendency to judge people based on their accomplishments and material success.  However, on the other hand God judges all of us equally according to his perfect standards, and we all equally fail to meet those standards.  It is only by trusting in Christ that we are made acceptable in God’s eyes Matthew 19:24

For the young man in question, with his earthly wealth and influence, he will judged in the same manner and by the same standards as the poorest of those that may have died on the same day. While I acknowledge that all of those stories about his life’s accomplishments were with good wish, let’s not forget that he had a soul, a soul whose eternal fate, good or bad, was taken away just like any other soul will, Job 1:21.

This should be a source of serious contemplation for all of us.  His death should be a sober reminder of how quickly this life goes by.  It should also remind us that we need to store up our treasures in heaven, not on earth, and that ultimately the only thing that truly matters is our relationship with God.

As the officiating pastor during this rich young man’s funeral, I did appreciate many of the incredible stories of his accomplished that were shared, but it’s all meaningless if “he gains the world, but loses his soul,” Matthew 16:26. Yet, I used the moments as a teachable moment to give many among the congregation an opportunity to search their souls and have them put there faith in Christ and not in wealth, accomplishments, firm or any material things of this world.

A New Heart, and a New Spirit- Ezekiel 36: 26, 27....

In the words of Ezekiel we find, in the one promise, this twofold blessing God bestows through His Spirit very strikingly set forth. The first is, 'I will put within you a new spirit,' that is, man's own spirit is to be renewed and quickened by the work of God's Spirit. When this has been done, then there is the second blessing, ' I will put my Spirit within you,' to dwell in that new spirit, Where God is to dwell, He must have a habitation. With Adam He had to create a body before He could breathe the spirit of life into him. In Israel the tabernacle and the temple had to be built and completed before God could come down and take possession. And just so a new heart is given, and a new spirit put within us, as the indispensable condition of God's own Spirit being given to dwell within us. 

The difference is the same we find in David's prayer. First, 'Create in me a clean heart, 0 God ! and renew a right spirit within me;' then, 'Take not Thy Holy Spirit from me.' Or what is indicated in the words, 'That which is born of the spirit is spirit :' there is the Divine Spirit begetting, and the new spirit begotten by Him. So the two are also distinguished, 'God's Spirit beareth witness with our spirits that we are the children of God! Our spirit is the renewed regenerate spirit; dwelling in this, and yet to be distinguished from it, is God's Holy Spirit, witnessing in, with, and through it.' 

The importance of recognising this distinction can easily be perceived. We shall then be able to understand the true relation between regeneration and the indwelling of the Spirit. The former is that work of the Holy Spirit, by which He convinces us of sin, leads to repentance and faith in Christ, and imparts a new nature. Through the Spirit God thus fulfils the promise, ''I will put a new spirit within you.' The believer is now a child of God, a temple ready for the Spirit to dwellin. Where faith claims it, the second half of the promise is fulfilled as surely as the first. As long now as the believer only looks at regeneration, and the renewal wrought in his spirit, he will not come to the life of joy and strength which is meant for him. But when he accepts God's promise that there is something better than even the new nature, than the inner temple, that there is the Spirit of the Father and the Son to dwell within him, there opens up a wonderful prospect of holiness and blessedness. It becomes his one great desire to know this Holy Spirit aright, how He works and what He asks, to know how he may to the full experience His indwelling, and that revelation of the Son of God within us which it is His work to bestow. 

The question will be asked, How these two parts of the Divine promise are fulfilled ? simultaneously or successively ? The answer is very simple: From God's side the twofold gift is simultaneous. The Spirit is not divided: in giving the Spirit, God gives Himself and all He is. So it was on the day of Pentecost. The three thousand received the new spirit, with repentance and faith, and then, when they had been baptized, the Indwelling Spirit, as God's seal to their faith, on one day. Through the word of disciples, the Spirit, which had come upon them, wrought mightily on the multitude, changing disposition and heart and spirit. 

When, in the power of this new spirit working in them, they had believed and confessed, they received the baptism of Holy Spirit to abide in them. And so still in times when the Spirit of God moves mightily, and the Church is living in the power of the Spirit, the children which are begotten of her receive from the first beginnings of their Christian life the distinct conscious sealing and indwelling of the Spirit. And yet we have indications in Scripture that there may be circumstances, dependent either on the enduement of the preacher or the faith of the bears in which the two halves of the promise are not so closely linked. So it was with the believers in Samaria converted under Philip's preaching; and so too with the converts Paul met at Ephesus. In their case was repeated the experience of the apostles themselves.

We regard them as regenerate men before our Lord's death ; it was only at Pentecost that the promise was fulfilled, 'He shall be in you!' What was seen in them, just as in the Old and New Testaments,-the grace of the Spirit divided into two separate manifestations,-may still take place in our day. When, the standard of spiritual life in a Church is sickly and low, when neither in the preaching of the word nor in the testimony of believers, the glorious truth of an Indwelling Spirit is distinctly proclaimed, we must not wonder if, even where God gives His Spirit, He be known and experienced only as the Spirit of regeneration. 

His Indwelling Presence will remain a mystery. In the gift of God, the Spirit of Christ in all His fulness is bestowed once for all as an Indwelling Spirit; but He is received and possessed only as far as the faith of the believer reaches. 

Blessing of the Hands to Mark Nurses Week

Hospitals depend on medicine to heal, but patients, families and staff rely on spiritual help as well. This week OakBend Medical Center celebrated Hospital/Nurse’s week by blessing of the hands to affirm the sacred dimension of healthcare.

The reliance on spiritual help and the recognition that hospital staff needs to be encouraged to be instruments of compassion as they fulfill their daily tasks, “A Blessing of the Hands” service offered in recognition of this important role provided by health care providers was conducted by Chaplain Kei at the Hospital’s Chapel.

The chaplaincy Services at OakBend Medical Center embraces the spiritual dimension of life and is committed to providing spiritual care to patients, families, caregivers and community. For this purpose, the chaplaincy program exists to minister to the entire (Body, Mind, and Soul) patient, as well as hospital staff who face difficult situations on a daily basis.

The Blessing of the Hands at OakBend Medical Center is a very important service considering the demanding careers of health care professionals.  As much as the blessing of the hands serves as a time of reflection on the healthcare vocation, it is also time to reach out and minister to the employees of the hospital and let them know that God cares and that they are appreciated by the hospital for the work they do.

The blessing of hands honors the health care providers by reaching deep into their spiritual beings. It verbalizes a pastoral understanding of the work they perform. It acknowledges sensitivity to the energy and emotion they give to those they serve. It conveys confidence in them and empowers them to continue on with a renewed compassion for others. Their jobs are full of challenges and questions, but to hear something positive and to let them know that they are appreciated for their work really impacts them as they perform their daily tasks.

Though the blessing itself was brief, the message was clearly understood by the spiritual core of the staff. A few of the participants were overheard saying,” It feels good,” Yet another said, this is what I needed,” Later during the day a nurse said to chaplain, “That was great, I wish we could do it more,”

The blessing of the hands rivets the participant’s mind to remember why they choose the careers of healthcare, namely to offer compassion and healing to those in need. It was important to remind the hospital staff that what they do matters and is a service to the Lord. It was the best way to celebrate Nurse’s week.

During  the 20 minutes session  a reading from third chapter of Colossians  verse seventeen, “And whatsoever you  do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him ... And whatsoever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord you shall receive the reward of inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.”

Individually, staffers stepped forward and extended their hands over a hot towel

And the chaplain said these words as he blessed the hands of each participant, “May the God, who created you, bless the care that you give others. May your hands bring healing to all who you touch. May you be blessed and appreciated for all you do in this hospital.”

This event was a reminder that all of the stories about Jesus’ healing ministry were found in larger narratives about our common humanity, compassion, human dignity, shared responsibility, and God’s intention for our health and wholeness.

Conclusion prayers were said for all healthcare workers, for God to strengthen them to use their hearts, hands, and voices to raise their vision for a health care future that includes everyone and works well for all… Amen