15.1 Wala ka sa Lolo ko. He will never die.

27 October 2020

Updating blog dated 7 September 2020.

Raising Lazarus, Oil on Copper Plate, 1875, Carl Heinrich Bloch (Hope Gallery, Salt Lake City)

Carl Bloch • Public domain

From Wikipedia, on Jesus' raising of Lazarus from the dead.

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7 September 2020

There is Agent 007 James Bond Movie, Live And Let Live.

“The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die.” John 11:25-26

Jesus Raises Lazarus From the Dead

John 11

23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”

24 Martha answered, “ know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”

25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 

26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

27 “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”

43 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 

44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.

Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”

People would often ask, if there is somebody who has come back from the dead, just for him to share about the experience. Unfortunately, Lazarus is not around anymore.

I would like to dwell on Martha, who was emphatic that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. (John 11:27)

Let me share a reflection I had back in December 2018, on part of the Lord's prayer:

“Hallowed be Your name.”

Portion of said reflection:

John 11

25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; 

26 and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe?”

• Let us revere God by believing Jesus is Christ, the Son of God.

• Martha was emphatic that Jesus is the Son of God, the same Martha whom Jesus rebuked for being worried and upset about many things (Luke 10:41).

• The last verse above; do we really believe this? This is the most important question we will answer. Do we believe that when we died with Christ in baptism through faith, that we died the most significant death and that our physical death will not separate us from Jesus? All of life, even all of eternity, for us hangs on this one question.

• Let us also pray for our loved ones who have not yet put their trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.

End of reflection.

Martha had been most often relegated behind Mary who listened at the feet of the Lord Jesus while leaving all the hospitality chores to her sister.

I now think of people that may not seem attentive say during Sunday message or Midweek prayer meeting, just like Martha. I must think that after all, Martha must have been listening to the words of the Lord Jesus, it was multi-tasking in today's jargon. What mattered must have been that afterwards, Martha in solitude recalled and reflected on the words of the Lord Jesus. Martha has the honor having testified that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.

Solitude. People must have thought that the conversion of Apostle Paul was instant.

Galatians 1

¹⁷ I did not go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went into Arabia. Later I returned to Damascus.

¹⁸ Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Cephas and stayed with him fifteen days.

Galatians 2

Paul Accepted by the Apostles

1 Then after fourteen years, I went up again to Jerusalem, this time with Barnabas.

Solitude, it must be that the depth of the revelation to Apostle Paul, having written much of the New Testament, could be attributed to it. God is not in the business of fast track projects.

Then, what is the connection with, never say die, as is the chant of Barangay Ginebra PBA fans.

Eternal life and death are a depth revelation that plain human mind will not be able to decipher.

Philippians 1

21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; 

24 but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.

Question could be, where is Apostle now. He desired to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far.

I have had serious near death experiences. After all what I have been through, skirmishes with death, I desire for that "which is better by far."

Some day, my children's children will say, wala ka sa Lolo ko, he will never die.

Apostle Paul is alive and well, his words continue to ring in the minds and hearts of people. His words are God-breathed.

2 Timothy 3

16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 

17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Paul’s Vision and His Thorn

2 Corinthians 12

2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows.

3 And I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows— 

4 was caught up to paradise and heard inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell.

Besides two life-threatening affliction, full blown depression around 2004, and Steven's Johnson Syndrome in 2008, as in above related blog, there was a particularly complicated situation in 2004.

Suffering depression at that time, I embarked on a visit visa to Abu Dhabi around July 2004, through the help of a South African friend I got to know in Qatar later part of 2003.

In Abu Dhabi, my health deteriorated, aggravated by the hot humid weather around that time of the year, I really begged with my sponsor to allow me to go home, mindful that I could be hospitalized there yet alone on visit visa. My wife would recall, when she fetched me at NAIA, I hugged her so tight. I escaped death, literally.

In our lingo, ang masamang damo ay matagal mamatay.

Ate Becks Perez would say, may ipagawa pa sayo ang Panginoon. My privilege for that, in gratitude for the Lord's surpassing compassion.

Solitude. My skirmishes with death has become precious moments of solitude for my soul.

1 Corinthians 15

The Resurrection Body

54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”

55 “Where, O death, is your victory?

    Where, O death, is your sting?”

56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 

57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Back about more than 16 years ago, I thought I would not see my eldest daughter graduate college. The Lord has been so gracious for me to see my children's children.

I will surely experience death, but my life will live on. This blog, my children will pass on to their children, their children to their children. What a privilege in Christ. Amen.

May you be blessed.

Maraming salamat.