Bapa's Notes

NATIVITY: THE GENTILES’ GREAT BLESSING

The birth of Jesus has brought TREMENDOUS hope not just to the people of Israel but also for us Gentile sinners. Remember that it was because of the refusal of the Israelites to believe in Jesus Christ that such great salvation has been extended to us Gentiles. When the Canaanite woman came to Jesus and asked for the healing of her daughter, Jesus told her: “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.” (Matt.15:24). After seeing the woman’s persistence, our Lord Jesus again told her: “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs.”(Matt.15:26). But that Gentile Canaanite woman persisted all the more and even impressed our Lord Jesus with her FAITH by answering: “but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”

If you analyze those words, it looks like that we Gentiles were at the waiting end for the crumbs, the leftover of the children of Israel. Apostle Paul mentioned this, referring to the Israelites:

“Theirs is the adoption as sons, theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen.” (Romans 9:4-5)

And rightly so Apostle Paul told the Gentile Ephesian believers, saying:

“Therefore remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision (that done in the body by the hands of men) – remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.”(Ephesians 2:11-13)

The birth of Jesus takes a new meaning as we remember that this great salvation which was originally intended for the people of Israel is now given, extended to us Gentile sinners. And with such revelation, we can truly sing the angel's song.

 

PROPHET ISAIAH'S CALL (Isaiah 6:1-13)

THE CALLING CONFIRMED

 

What happened to Prophet Isaiah after he saw the glorious splendor of the Lord?

 

After he witnessed God’s glory, there followed a God-ordained realization of his own sinfulness, his unworthiness before an Awesome Holy God of which Isaiah cried: “Woe to me! I am ruined! I am a man of unclean lips and I live among people with unclean lips.”

 

Standing before the presence of a holy God and seeing His awesome splendor, Prophet Isaiah was overwhelmed by the consuming fire of God. Even these days, this fire of God continues to purify anyone who experienced seeing His glorious splendor.

 

Anyone who will experience seeing God’s Presence and is immersed with His glory; such person will never be the same again. Such God-ordained conviction will cause all men to humble down and have a hunger- that righteous hunger that only God Himself and His presence can satisfy.

After having clothed by such God-ordained conviction, the Lord will start inviting man to work with Him.

“Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?”

God is all knowing but why did the Lord ask the Prophet Isaiah such question?

 

Then the transformed soul, after being bathed with the consuming fire of God and purified by the same, with confidence and zealousness, Prophet Isaiah readily answered the invitation of the King of Glory, saying:

“Here I am, send me!”

 

The sequence of events can be summarized, as the following:

 

• God allowed the Prophet Isaiah to see His glory;
• After seeing God’s splendor, Prophet Isaiah experienced that God -ordained conviction of his own sinfulness and unworthiness, exclaiming: “Woe to me! I am ruined! I am a man of unclean lips.”
• Then God provided the coal carried by an angel to touch the Prophet’s lips, assuring him of God’s cleansing and forgiveness;
• God confirmed His calling of Isaiah by asking: “Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?”
• A transformed soul, having enveloped by the glory of God, the Prophet answered, saying: “Here I am, send me!”

HIS AUTHORITY REVEALED

In the life of Apostle Paul, we will take a look on how he responded to the authority that God provided on him to work in the ministry - preaching the gospel to the Gentiles.

Apostle Paul knew who gave him the authority; he acknowledged that it was the Lord that gave him such authority. (2 Corinthians 10:8)

With such self knowledge, it was also reinforced by the testimonies of those touched by God through the ministry entrusted to Apostle Paul.(Galatians 2:7)

The authority given by God to Apostle Paul was accompanied by the display of God’s power.( Ephesians 3:7)

 

GOD’S POWER DISPLAYED

When the Lord touches lives, and intends for the birth of a new ministry, the display of His power always precede.

When Moses was called by God to lead the people of Israel, He displayed His power before Moses through the burning bush.(see Exodus 3:2-3)

 

Then as Moses obeyed the Lord God Almighty, Moses appeared before the elders of the people of Israel and the display of God’s power was also witnessed by them.(Exodus 4:29-31)

 

Whenever God is calling men to start a new ministry, a new work of service for His church, He always starts it with the display of His transforming power. God’s power will bring a jolt on the souls of men who are living within the conventional setting. The souls that are touched by God’s power will never be the same again. Moses was never the same again after his experience with the LORD God Almighty at the sight of the burning bush. The Prophet Isaiah too was never the same again after seeing God’s glory with His robe flowing over the temple. Lastly, the murderous Saul was never the same again after seeing God’s glory and hearing God’s voice on the road to Damascus, the sinner Saul became the great Apostle Paul of the Gentile churches.

 

Seek Him, and you will surely never be the same again.

 

Here's how Apostle Peter experienced all these:

Peter's song

 

Minak of Mahayag

    Farmers from places of Callawa and Gatungan of Davao City, others from Katualan, Kiotoy and Polipog, all of Panabo, they were familiar with the diminutive lady they called Minak during those days. Minak’s store became the meeting place of those farmers coming from the northern parts of Davao City. They have their usual stop- over back then at Minak’s store for a bottle of soft drinks which they mispronounced as "Koks".

     They all started their trek from Katualan of Panabo at 1:00 o’clock midnight, and had burned some crisp-dried coconut leaves which they used as torches to light them along the way. They all moved downhill in groups, accosted by their sledge-pulling local bred buffaloes, and they brought down their farm products to be sold at the busy coastal marketplace in Panacan. From Katualan, down to Callawa and by 7:00 o’clock in the morning they reached and pulled over at Minak’s store in Lower Mahayag.

     They were in high spirit as they pulled out their baons, which consisted of cooked and milled corn grains, fried dried fish and boiled sweet potatoes. They poured them over sanitized banana leaves which they placed in the middle of the ground; it was geared for that familiar camaraderie ceremony of military men’s boodle fight.

     They all squatted under the shades of an old Mango tree just beside Minak’s store and enjoyed their sumptuous breakfast. After their rest and washing of their mud-covered sledges, they moved again in groups together with their sledge- pulling animals.

     From Minak’s store of Lower Mahayag, they moved fast towards Sitio Liloan of Tibungco, then moved downward through Buhisan, part of Tibungco, Davao City and their plodding finally rested at the Philippine-Japan Friendship highway, later renamed by then President McCoy as the Maharlika Highway. Maximina Sevilla Masillones was fondly called by many of those farmers in the late 50’s until the early 60’s as Minak of Lower Mahayag, Davao City.