From Skepticism To Martyrdom

When Philip told his friend Nathaniel (AKA Bartholomew) that he had found the Messiah, Nathaniel was doubtful when he heard he was from Nazareth:  "Can anything good come from Nazareth?"  (Jn 1:45). Besides giving us an idea of the poor reputation of Nazareth, his remark reveals his skepticism. However, when Jesus tells him that he is a "true child of Israel in whom there is no duplicity" and that he saw him under a fig tree, his skepticism turns into a confession of faith:  "Rabbi,, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel." ( Jn 1: 49). What a change!  And such faith took him, as tradition has it, to India where he sowed the seeds of faith in the Goa Region of India, where Christians there attribute their faith to his preaching and eventual martyrdom.
Can we confess such a deep faith, especially these days when evils in the form the Isis, the increasing violence and shootings in our own country, and to some, the "imploding of the church itself"?  We might ask "Can any good come of out this mess?"  There can be if we deep down, as did Nathaniel, believe that Jesus is our Deliverer.
Bro. Rene