Lessons from Dr. Kent Brantley’s Battle against the Ebola Virus.
INTRODUCTION:
- The Awareness to the Ebola Virus.
A) The Ebola virus was discovered in 1976. It kills 90 percent of its victims, who suffer from internal and external bleeding and organ failure. It is spread through infected bodily fluids such as saliva, vomit and blood.
- Dr. Kent Brantley’s Background:
A) Kent Brantly, the youngest of six siblings, grew up in the pews of the Southeastern Church of Christ in Indianapolis, where his sister attends and his father and two uncles have served as elders. Dr. Brantly is a graduate of Abilene Christian University in Texas, majoring in Bible. He and his family were members of the Southside Church of Christ in Fort Worth, Texas. His uncles and aunts served as missionaries in Africa. During his years at ACU, he participated in medical missions to Tanzania and Central America. He met his wife, Amber, during a mission trip to Honduras.
The couple and their two children moved to the West African nation of Liberia, where Kent Brantly was serving in a two-year, post-residency program sponsored by Samaritan’s Purse, an international Christian relief organization, as medical director for the Ebola Care Center. Two months after the family arrived, the Ebola outbreak began in neighbouring Guinea.
"Everyone here who has been connected with Kent knows him to be someone who is very compassionate, considerate and always upbeat in all he does — the kind of guy who always has a smile on his face," said Gary Green, director of WorldWide Witness. "Kent and his wife, Amber, are both very capable, intelligent people who are able to handle cross-cultural stresses in amazing ways.
"Kent’s the kind of guy who would weigh benefits versus risk, then try to take himself out of the equation so that he would be thinking, 'What do I bring to the table? Is the risk worth taking because I can benefit so many people?' That’s just the way he is and the kind of person he is in his heart."
BODY:
- We see in his life the manifestation of the spirit of Abraham (Acts 7:2-4; Gen. 12).
A) He is called “the friend of God” (James 2:23), “faithful Abraham” (Gal. 3:9), “the father of us all” (Rom. 4:16).
B) “It was during a team devotional time during the end of the summer when a visiting Bible teacher taught a lesson about our position as slaves to Christ. It was through that lesson and the experiences of that summer that I began to recognize that, because of my commitment to Christ, I was his slave. And that meant that, wherever he wanted to send me, wherever he called me, I would go. I had already made the decision to follow him, so as long as I continued in that decision, the choice was already made. I would follow.”
C) "Sometimes when you follow God’s lead you find yourself going into places that are not safe," Flanders said. "We never seek to put people in situations of danger, but sometimes the commitments people have lead them inevitably to a place that is potentially dangerous.
The path to Liberia "was the path that love compelled him to take," Flanders said. He asked Christians around the globe to pray for the physician's health and the wellbeing of his family in Texas.
"But also pray that this opportunity will result in people being alerted to the fact that there are those who put their lives on the line to help others," he added. "That’s a noble calling and we need more people like that.
"Maybe his situation can serve to illuminate opportunities that exist all around us — to step out of our comfort zones and into situations of great danger in order to bless others. That’s what Kent’s example seems to me to be teaching all of us."
D) Chris Kirby, the Southeastern church’s youth minister, said that the ordeal “has brought a level of awareness to our church that may have been lacking. It seems that we have a fresh interest in what it means to truly commit to faith.”
E) When I started feeling ill on that Wednesday morning, I immediately isolated myself until the test confirmed my diagnosis three days later. When the result was positive, I remember a deep sense of peace that was beyond all understanding. God was reminding me of what He had taught me years ago, that He will give me everything I need to be faithful to Him. Now it is two weeks later, and I am in a totally different setting. My focus, however, remains the same—to follow God.
- We see in his life that our jobs can also be a ministry in serving the Lord.
A) “I can sincerely say that Kent is not only a well-trained, excellent doctor,” his uncle said, “but he combines his Christianity with his medicine in a more effective manner than any doctor I’ve worked with. He’s an example to all us healthcare workers.”
B) Our jobs can be a blessing or curse depending on how we use it for the glory of God.
- Demetrius was a silversmith who made heathen gods, and it led him to fight the truth which would destroy his business (Acts 19:23-25).
- Paul’s job, tent making, was used in the glory of God as seen in the conversion of Aquila and Priscilla.
a) Through our jobs, we can help the weak (Acts 20:34-35).
b) Through our jobs, we can bring others to Christ (Acts 18:1-3).
c) Through our jobs, we can bring glory to God.
C) Witnessing the faith of Kent Brantly … as he battles Ebola “has touched so many people and strengthened their prayer lives,” Krista Brantly said. It also has “prompted them to acts of service, opened the door to so many conversations about the Gospel and faith in God,” she said.
- We see in his Life the Attitude of Gratefulness to God in Every Situation we are into and using this situation to give glory to God.
A) August 08, 2014: “I am writing this update from my isolation room at Emory University Hospital, where the doctors and nurses are providing the very best care possible. I am growing stronger every day, and I thank God for His mercy as I have wrestled with this terrible disease.”
B) August 15, 2014: “I thank God for the healthcare team here who is giving me compassionate, world-class care. I am more grateful every day to the Lord for sparing my life and continuing to heal my body… Thank you for your prayers for Nancy (Writebol) and me. Please continue to pray for and bring attention to those suffering in the ongoing Ebola crisis in West Africa.”
C) The rarity of gratitude was addressed by Jesus Christ in Luke 17:11-19.
- Out of ten, only one returned to thank Jesus, that is, 10 percent.
a) Nowadays, is it a fact that only 10 percent are thankful? CLUE: We know that there are far more thankless than thankful.
b) Where are the people who’ve been blessed by God on Sunday morning? Are they in the house of worship?
c) Where are the nine when the contribution plates are passed?
- LESSON: sometimes, we’re like the nine lepers – we’re ready to ask and beg for help from God. We’re ready to complain and murmur, but when we get what we want, we are slow to thank and praise God.
D) 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18: “Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
E) “Before the diagnosis, he told us that he wanted God to be glorified — whether he lived or died,” she said. “That’s what he was praying, fervently.” His father, Jim Brantly, told the Chronicle that he and his wife, Jan, “are praying daily that God will continue to use this difficult situation to his glory and for his purposes.”
CONCLUSION:
Whatever situation you are into, especially when you are in a bad situation, do not lose hope and do not make it a hindrance to your faithful service to Christ, but be thankful, and always seek to bring glory to Christ.
