Boat or Centurion Faith?

For the past couple of weeks, I've prayed on and mulled over a message we received at Church by Dustin Pearce.When my mind wanders, it goes back to that one sermon. Matthew 8:5-13 and 23-27. I reread my notes and pray, I reread my notes and jump back into the boat. I've been thinking ALOT about boat faith and Centurion faith as they are revealed to us in Matthew.

Let's recap the Centurion's faith:

5 When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. ⁶"Lord," he said, "my servant lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering." ⁷Jesus said to him, "I will go and heal him." ⁸The centurion replied, "Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. ⁹For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it." ¹⁰When Jesus heard this, He was astonished and said to those following Him, "I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. ¹¹I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. ¹²But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." ¹³Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go! It will be done just as you believed it would." And His servant was healed at that very hour.

 

* In the first three verses, we learn that Centurion was a man who led armies, had servants, was powerful, yet he humbled himself to go to Jesus and ask him to heal one of his servants. Look at that, HE ACTED in LOVE and HUMILITY and took it upon himself to seek healing for his servant.  He then did not ask Jesus into his home, he had FAITH in the authority of Jesus's words. I love to read that Jesus was "astonished", that gives me Jesus bumps, here is a Roman military leader, not a Jew... and bringing before the Lord, nothing but pure faith.Then Jesus tells of the dire consequences in v. 10-13.

 

Let's recap the "boat" faith: 

23 Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. 24 Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. 25 The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” 26 He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.

 27 The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”

 

* Here we see a whole different picture.  We see the faith of Jesus' followers, they said yes to following Jesus and get in the boat. As the storm knocked and rocked the boat, Jesus slept. I tell my family I am a likeness to Jesus in my sleeping, I have slept through an earthquake. What happens next, I think fits most of us though. His disciples woke him, afraid, begging for Him to save them. THEY ACTED in FEAR and DOUBT.  Jesus walks in humility and love and without rebuking them, he questions their LACK OF FAITH, then he calmed the sea and showed them what it was they needed to restore that faith.

 

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So, what is faith?

The dictionary states it's a noun, meaning: complete trust or confidence in someone or something. However, I look at faith also as a verb, an action word, telling us that it's more then just a thought or belief, it's something that requires movement. It requires us to live out something, It requires us ACTIVELY ENGAGED in something.

 

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What is the point?

When God calls, how I answer shows what defines me. It shows what it is that I hold my faith in. It shows my character and what I hold stock in. It shows the value and worth I hold true to my heart.

Am I living in boat faith? am i responding out of fear, disbelief, anxiety, excuses or over thinking things? Do I simply jump into the icy waters and say yes Lord, use me until it gets scary, costs to much, makes me uncomfortable, looks different from others, or takes too much of my time. I've been guilty of boat faith, we all have. We need to know all the details. We make plans, lists, describe all the pros and cons, over analyze that what ifs? We question and doubt and we always find something that holds us back, we look for that one reason or excuse to say, not me, that's good for someone else.  How many times have we said or heard someone say, "I'll pray on it?" knowing full well, that the answer will not change? Oh how that phrase has become nails on a chalk board for me. But that is a post for another day. Being a "yes" person to God sounds great as long as we get to control how it's done, when it's done, and we get to orchestrate the outcome. But Jesus warns us about having a lacking faith (V. 10-13).

 

Centurion faith though, that's were the action comes in. There is more to saying "yes" to God and following through. The disciples did that when they got on the boat... Centurion faith, this is where we are actively engaged in living out a life of LOVE, HUMILITY, FAITH.

 

Centurion faith requires us to examine our hearts.

• Am I actively pursuing a relationship with Jesus?
• Am I actively loving other people?
• Am I actively showing humility?
• Am I actively exalting others and thinking of myself less?
• Am I actively submitting to Jesus's authority?
• Am I actively taking risks that make HIM greater and me less?

 

Only by answering these questions, can we really gage our Centurion faith.

 

What are you am I willing to do to live a life of Centurion faith?

 

Love Boldly!