The online KPPI (Praise and Divine Healing Service) took place again on Monday, October 26, 2020, through the Live Streaming program on Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram. The Word of God was delivered by Rev. Jacob B. Sumbayak, taken from John 21: 1-14 about Jesus showed Himself to His disciples at the shore of Lake Tiberias.

Jesus Showed Himself At the Shores of Lake Tiberias

Jesus appeared to His disciples many times after He was resurrected and this was the third, especially to the eleven main disciples. Why did Jesus show Himself over and over again? Because He really loves His disciples.

At first, the disciples did not recognize the person who was asking them. It was the same as the female disciple, Mary Magdalene, who was in Jesus’ empty tomb, didn’t recognize that it was Jesus.

But when Jesus told them to cast their nets on the right side and they got a lot of fish, they began to realize who was telling them to do that. This was a miracle, only 200 cubits or about 90 meters from the land but got 153 large fish and the net was not torn. One more time the Lord Jesus performed miracles when He showed Himself to His disciples.

Then they knew it must be God, their teacher. The disciple who first realized this was John, and he told Peter that it was God. So Peter immediately jumped into the water to meet Jesus.

Why did Jesus appear repeatedly to His disciples? Because Jesus really loves them. God wants to tell His disciples that He really loves them all. Our God is a very active God who always wants to meet us and appear to us.

It could be that the disciples were sad, remembering the last days before Jesus was crucified, they all fled from the garden of Gethsemane. Peter might feel unworthy because Peter denied Jesus three times. So the disciples at that time felt unworthy, failed, moreover, when Jesus died they did not remember that Jesus would rise. Even though Lord Jesus had already told them three times that He would be ridiculed, insulted, spat on, tortured, scourged, and killed. Still, Jesus said that on the third day He would rise. But no one remembered it.

But Jesus repeatedly came to them to tell them that Jesus still loved them. His disciples did not lose their faith in Jesus, did not become negative when Jesus died, they loved Jesus so much, they were not disappointed why Jesus died even though Jesus could do miracles. But they felt sad deep down that someone they loved and someone who loved them had died. They forgot that Jesus would rise.

In these conditions, Jesus repeatedly appeared to strengthen His disciples that He loved them. The disciples may have failed but Jesus came to them many times.

Our God Deeply Knows and Loves Us

Our God is not a mute God, like a mute sculpture. Our God is not like a sculpture, silent, and then worshiped by his people. Our God is not like a mountain and a sun that is silent. Our God is also not a God who only lives in heaven. He didn’t create us and then forgets us, and doesn’t care about our life.

But our God is active to love us, willing to appear to us so that we know Him. Because if it is not God who introduces Himself, not even a single human being could know who God is.

Habakkuk 2:18 “What profit is the image, that its maker should carve it, The molded image, a teacher of lies, That the maker of its mold should trust in it, To make mute idols?”

Our God is not an idol, a silent mountain, or a God who only lives in heaven and forgets to have created us. Our God is a very active God who wants to reveal Himself to us. He knows us and even knows our names. Even the Word of God in Matthew 10:30 says the hairs on our heads are all numbered.

Therefore, it is not surprising that when Jesus rose, and when His disciples were down, feeling unworthy, feeling guilty in such a way, Jesus came to them many times. He stood at the shore and saw the disciples fishing. They got nothing, where were they going to run? Finally, they were helped by Jesus.

When Peter knew it was God and he felt Jesus loved him very much, always remembering him even though he had repeatedly denied Jesus. So when John said, “It’s God”, Peter didn’t think further, he immediately put on his shirt and jumped into the water. He hastened to meet Jesus whom he loved and who loved him, even though the boat was only 200 cubits or 90 meters from the shore of the lake.

Jesus, the Word Who Became Man and Dwelt Among Us

Our Lord loves us very much, is very active to meet us, and that’s what He came for. The Word finally came, became a Man, his name is Jesus. God is extraordinarily active in introducing Himself and sacrificing Himself so that we may receive salvation.

John 1:14  And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

The Word came and He was called the Son of God and was given the name Jesus. Jesus is the image of God’s love which is not just empty words, but God loves men very much. God the Father sent His only begotten Son so that those who believe in Him will not perish but may have eternal life. That is what Jesus did to His disciples, He came to show love to His disciples.

On this very day, Jesus comes to us, showing His love for us. We cannot seek God unless God Himself comes to us. Now God comes to us through Jesus Christ. He came, died on the cross, was buried, and on the third day He rose so that those who believe in Him will not perish but have eternal life. If we believe in Jesus, He has risen from the dead, so He has become an example for us. If we believe in Jesus and one day we die, then believe that in the end time Jesus will resurrect us.

Will you believe in Jesus today? If you believe Him, you will receive salvation, the guarantee of eternal life, the assurance that our sins are forgiven by the Lord Jesus. He died on the cross to pay our debt of sin.

By His Stripes, We Are Healed

Isaiah 53: 5, But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.

All the torments and tortures came upon Him so that we can be saved. That’s what Jesus did. God loves us, God wants to come down to earth because He didn’t forget His creation, He didn’t forget to put us on this earth, He didn’t forget our names, He even knew the number of hairs on our heads. Birds in the air alone cannot fall unless God’s permission, we are more than that, we are remembered by God. Lord Jesus loves us. Brothers and sisters, Jesus did not only take our sins away but when He was scourged many times so that He had His stripes, then by His stripes we are healed. Just believe, Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today, and forever. Whatever sickness you have, believe that Lord Jesus can heal you. [RS/EM]