PRACTICAL FAITH

Luke 7:9

When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to the crowd that was following him, he said, “I tell you, I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel!”

Jesus finished some powerful teachings and came to Capernaum:

Luke 7:2-5

At that time the highly valued slave of a Roman officer was sick and near death.

When the officer heard about Jesus, he sent some respected Jewish elders to ask him to come and heal his slave.

So they earnestly begged Jesus to help the man. “If anyone deserves your help, he does,” they said,

“for he loves the Jewish people and even built a synagogue for us.”

So the man was religious he was a friend of the Jews, if it was at the present time we can say he was a friend of christians and had built a church.

He might have become a proselyte, scripture didn't record that, because today that man would have been ministered to that he might be saved, just like Cornelius got the opportunity.

However, we are looking at something significant about him:

He was humble, he saw himself as a sinner and unworthy to approach Christ so he sent respected Jews to plead his case. 

He was a man of wisdom and of course a man of faith, for as he kept reflecting he felt he was yet unworthy for this "great prophet" (as they thought he was) to come to his house, so he sent some of his friends:

Luke 7:6-7b

So Jesus went with them. But just before they arrived at the house, the officer sent some friends to say, “Lord, don’t trouble yourself by coming to my home, for I am not worthy of such an honor.

I am not even worthy to come and meet you. 

Wow such humility

Now for the hat trick:

Luke 7:7-8

I am not even worthy to come and meet you. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed.

I know this because I am under the authority of my superior officers, and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say, ‘Go,’ and they go, or ‘Come,’ and they come. And if I say to my slaves, ‘Do this,’ they do it.”

Wisdom converted to faith, he heard, he meditated and then applied it. He understood the authority of Christ, he knew hierarchy.

Romans 10:17

So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.

We hear so much everyday, we have teachers here and there, we are loyal to this or that minister, why is our faith still shaken?

We do not meditate!

We keep hearing but we do not apply wisdom, we do not let it sink in before we rush off to the next service, programme or whatever we name the activity.

Ecclesiastes 10:10-13

Using a dull ax requires great strength, so sharpen the blade. 

That’s the value of wisdom; it helps you succeed.

If a snake bites before you charm it, what’s the use of being a snake charmer?

Wise words bring approval, but fools are destroyed by their own words.

Fools base their thoughts on foolish assumptions, so their conclusions will be wicked madness; 

This is why we see so many who claim to be ministers teaching nonsense, yes nonsense. I have seen a lot and it annoys my spirit.

They can't sit down to study, meditate, pray and mediate again. Some feel because someone laid hands on them they received the word. Common, what!

See Christ was anointed yet he studied the word, same with, Joseph, David and Daniel, listen to Daniel:

Daniel 9:2

During the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, learned from reading the word of the Lord, as revealed to Jeremiah the prophet, that Jerusalem must lie desolate for seventy years.

See if you don't spend time to study the word you cannot teach it, neither can you apply wise faith.

Enough of all these madness we see everywhere in the name of being "man of God" or "woman of God", some of these people are just psychologically imbalanced, but since it has to do with the spirit, the gullible fall for it.

So I always say - KNOW GOD YOURSELF.

Listen, your salvation is personal, on that day no man, be they pope, archbishop, general overseer, bishop, pastor, prophet, pastor, or whatever you call them, will stand on your behalf:

2 Corinthians 5:10

For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body.

Paul quoted that scripture, listen, he said "ALL", that is including him. Selah

So when that person you worship or reverence has not finished with his or her own accounting, you think they will have time to account for you? Think believer, wake up from your dillussions!

So what was Christ's reaction?

Luke 7:9

When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to the crowd that was following him, he said, “I tell you, I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel!”

See, it was like, forget all this my Jewish connections, forget all these my high status, faith is needed here, practical faith. The bible records that Christ was amazed, this doesn't happen often, remember He knew what was in man.

Did his servant get healed? Of course, yes:

Luke 7:10

And when the officer’s friends returned to his house, they found the slave completely healed.

Glory to God and a lot of lessons for us.

Do you have faith? Do you have wisdom? Then you must be good at meditating on the word. Selah

Help us Good Lord.

He calls us blessed.

Love

@the watcher