Do we still need signs and wonders to have faith? The encounter between Jesus and the desperate nobleman as recorded in the book of John, aptly typifies today’s Christian. However, what can we learn from this nobleman? Apostle Benjamin Ohene-Saffo explained and shared some key thoughts with the Madina congregation on Wednesday 23rd October 2019.

The divine service was conducted on the text word John 4:47, “When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.”

Desperation draws us closer to God. From the text word, the desperation of the nobleman seeking healing for his dying son, drew him closer to the Lord Jesus Christ. “We live in the same desperation, a world where desperation is all over. But as to whether we are drawing close to where we are supposed to get to (God), is the question we need to ask ourselves” he said.

Firstly, believe. The nobleman believed in Jesus because of His signs and wonders at Cana. “The nobleman had belief, but he didn’t have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Two different things we must understand; belief and faith.” He continued: “To be able to believe is based on 2 things; by what you hear, and what you see. In the case of this man, it is what he had seen. That brought him closer to the Lord Jesus.”

Our belief births our faith. “When the nobleman came to Jesus, he understood that it was not just the belief in what he had seen and heard, but he needed to have faith” explained the Apostle. “The man believed in the words spoken by Jesus, and went his way. By faith he moved. When he got to his house, his son was alive.”

Our present faith in Jesus. The Apostle further explained our current state of faith as Christians. “It is not about seeing to believe any longer. It is about the faith we have by hearing. We all have not seen the Lord Jesus, nor the miracles he performed. But we have faith because we have heard the word, and we believe.” The Apostle continued, “Yes we believe He came into this world, sent by the Father. We believe He died and resurrected, sent the Apostles to give us the word, and we believe what the Apostles tell us. But do we have faith in these?

Where is your faith? The Apostle further explained the essence of our faith: “Do we still wait for the Lord Jesus’ return? The moment we deviate from this belief, our faith is compromised. We always have to look to the return of Jesus Christ. It is not just about believing; out of our desperation, we need to have faith in the words we receive from our Apostles.” He concluded: “We shall continue to speak about Christ, about His death and resurrection, and speak about the first resurrection. May the Lord increase and strengthen us in everything, so we can achieve the desired faith.”

The service was assisted by Bishop Asare, District Elder Arhin and Community Evangelist Agbozo. There were also 2 visiting Apostles from Benin and Guinea as well as a District Evangelist and sister from South Germany.