“Pakatandaan ninyo: hangga’t hindi nahuhulog sa lupa ang butil ng trigo at mamatay, mananatili itong nag-iisa. Ngunit kung ito’y mamatay, mamumunga ito nang sagana.”

Juan 12:24

Bumuhos ang pakikiramay kina Bishop Dan Balais at Sister Tanette sa pagkamatay ni Lemuel, ang kanilang 41-year-old son, dahil sa COVID. During the memorial service, Bishop Dan shared that this was their second “Gethsemane” experience when they had to surrender their children to God. The first one happened 20 years ago when their eight-year-old daughter Deborah Joy succumbed to a rare kind of cancer. Masakit dahil dalawa lang ang anak nila but they believe that their children were “seeds” to the ministry that God has entrusted to them. After Deborah died, Intercessors for the Philippines, a national prayer movement, was birthed. Its mission is to equip the body of Christ to be the holy bride in this end time season and to mobilize them to pray for national revival and transformation. Bishop Dan also believes that Lemuel is the seed for the breakthrough and the coming revival in the nation. Their sacrifices as a family and their strength to carry on with God’s mission for the nation serve as an inspiration. Many church members, especially the youth, were stirred up to be more serious in their faith and to live out the purpose of God in their lives.

In planting, the seed buried in the soil seems to “die.” It sacrifices everything and is lost, but this leads to the growth of the plant. In the same way, “becoming a seed and dying” doesn’t always mean physical death or martyrdom but rather the willingness to sacrifice everything to follow Christ (Mark 8:35–36). Jesus, the promised “Seed” (Genesis 3:15), laid down His life for us on the Cross, so we may be saved and bear much fruit. 

If we examine our lives, how much of what we are doing today is aligned to fulfilling God’s purpose for us? Are we willing to die to ourselves so we may bear much fruit?