The Centurions Faith

The Centurion’s Faith
“When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help.  
“Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering.” 
Jesus said to him, “I will go and heal him.” 
The 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.  
For 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.” 
When 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.  
I 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.  
But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 
Then 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.” Matthew 8:5-13.
Let me make things clear here Jesus was a Jew. The Church and its split from Judaism was in the future. All believers at this time were Jews.
In the centurion however we have a gentile, a none Jew who believed Jesus at the very least could heal people. A centurion who cared about his servant. Who was humble enough to say to Jesus “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof...” 
A man who had the faith to say “...But just say the word, and my servant will be healed.” To which Jesus said,
 “I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.”
Within the church today we have many people who believe in God. Who believe Jesus is all he claims to be but lack the faith of this centurion.
That lack of faith many times prevents things from happening.
The writer of Hebrews states,

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for 

and certain of what we do not see.”  

Hebrews 11:1.

Faith is the key to a Christian life. The apostle Paul states,

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—

and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—  

not by works, so that no one can boast.” 

Ephesians 2:8,9.

It is by faith and the grace of God we get into heaven. Our faith however can result in much more when done in conjunction with God’s will.
Earlier in Matthew eight we heard of the man with Leprosy being healed. The man at that time saying “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” Matthew 8:2.
Jesus was willing and the man was healed. His faith in conjunction with the will of God healed him.
There are many who ask why does not God heal people today. The answer is He does. Perhaps not as many as some faith healers and evangelist in the media would have us believe. But God does heal.
I know for certain my former pastor was healed of inoperable colon cancer the doctors confirmed this.
There are also well documented cases of people being miraculously healed by God. After all God is the same yesterday, today and forever. We have testimony that God healed people in the Old Testament as well as in the New Testament. Likewise he is doing it today.
Sadly there are a lot of fakes out there. Men and women who claim God uses them to heal people but do not. People that brings dishonour to God.
That being said, faith is the key to a Christian life. Whether one is healed or not is ultimately up to the will of God.
God knows what is best for the individual and his will should always prevail.
Please think about it.