The Centurion

Holy Spirit’s article

I rolled back and forth on my bed. I wanted to scream, but I didn’t. It was yet to dawn. Plus I was not the only one in the room — others were still sleeping.

“I need to read this again." I thought.

Then I did. But this time, it was all shivers and goosebumps, with a gentle smile.

That was my experience the first time I read the story of the centurion in the book of Matthew.

I didn’t realize what had happened to me until years later when I mentioned it to one of my mentors. He said I had an encounter with the Word.

Years have passed, yet the story of the centurion still stands out to me by jove. Especially the part Jesus turned to his followers to express his astonishment after the centurion had exemplified what could be the greatest act of faith in time.

This portion of scripture has been a well for me — one I draw faith from when I get backed into a corner. And I hope it has as much impact on you.

Matthew 8vs5-13: “Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, saying, ‘Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.’
And Jesus said to him, ‘I will come and heal him.’"

"The centurion answered and said, ‘Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go,' and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,' and he does it.’"

"When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel! And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’”

Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.” And his servant was healed that same hour.”

There is a lot to be gleaned from this story, I will stick to three nonetheless:

Take A Step Of Faith:

This is another way of saying leave your comfort zone.

The centurion left his comfort zone to look for Jesus.

“Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him.”

If you are a believer, you already have Jesus in you. You don’t have to go look for Him. You are one with Him. "He that is joined to the Lord is One Spirit with Him."
You just need to be aware of Him through fellowship with The Holy Spirit, because He is the One who reveals Jesus to you, who makes Jesus real to you.

However, if you aren’t yet a believer, you still have to accept Jesus into your life. Otherwise, you can’t partake of the unsearchable riches in Christ Jesus. He can’t do in your life what He did to the Centurion.

Worship:

True worship comes from revelation. The centurion had a deep revelation of Jesus Christ.

The centurion recognized the supremacy of Jesus. He realized Jesus’ authority over any circumstances including that of his servant.

“Lord, I am not worth that You should come under my roof…” then he continued, “for I am also a man under authority…”

God delights in our worship. Not in sacrifice of bulls and grains but in sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving.

We were created for worship. But you can’t worship the one you know not, whose revelation you have not. The first step is to know Jesus.

To effectively worship God, there’s need to know him. You know him through his word and fellowship with the Holy Spirit.

Believe:

Every move of God is a response to faith.
Faith is the belief that you have what you hope for regardless of evidence.

The centurion demonstrated his faith: “But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.”

Then in marvel, Jesus said, “ Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.”

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. He came through for the centurion. He can come through for you too. But the centurion had faith, not just in his head, what some would call mental faith, but he exemplified it by his actions.

Let’s take our cues from the story of the centurion and watch Jesus come through for us. Because that’s why the story made the scriptures.

Thanks and God bless.