Faith will take you from a follower to a believer in Jesus

FRIDAY, MAR. 30: As long as you live, you can learn, because learning moves you from one place of knowledge to another. In other words, life becomes an echo of moving from primary to middle school to secondary school and hopefully beyond that.

As you look at the text found in Matthew 8, you see a picture of progression, on a faith level, with three groups of people.

That’s right, there are different levels of faith; for everyone is given a measure of faith, but the challenge is what you do with your measure.

The three types of people in the text are:

• Followers
• Worshippers
• Believers

Who is a follower of Jesus Christ?

Matthew 8:1
When he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him.

A follower of Jesus is one who does not believe in and worship Jesus.

He has seen what Jesus can do and desires that Jesus ‘do it again’.

The follower is following Jesus to see what he can get from Him. He saw it with his own eyes. He saw Jesus feed the 5,000. He was probably among the 5,000-plus who ate the fish sandwich.

It does not take faith to see something happen with your own eyes.

Faith is believing to see what cannot be seen right now. Faith is trusting in the dark moments of your life what God has shown you in the light moments of your life.

Faith is what you put into practice when you cannot see something.

Those followers were not committed to Jesus. They were committed to the ‘action’. They liked what Jesus was doing and wanted to see Him do it again.

To the followers, Jesus was no more than the latest televangelist who was going up healing and doing miracles. They needed no faith to watch it happen.

Who is a worshipper of Jesus Christ?

2  And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.

The worshipper of Jesus had a faith upgrade when compared to the follower.

Belief

The worshipper honoured that Jesus had the power to do things that no ordinary man could do. The worshipper recognized Jesus as a teacher who could do great works.

However, here is where the worshipper showed that he too did not walk in the full measure of faith that was possible.

The worshipper still doubted that Jesus would do what He had been doing all of that time. For the worshipper said, “If”.

The moment you place an ‘if’ in your request, you leave room for doubt, which shows that you are not operating in the full measure of faith. That small word, ‘if’ opens up a canyon-wide gap that will allow doubt to creep in and have its way.

Who Is The Believer?

8  The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.

The centurion demonstrated unlimited and unusual faith. He went from following to worshipping to believing.

The centurion, though not of the household of Israel, showed that he truly understood and accepted Jesus as the Son of God.

He knew that Jesus could do anything and did not have to be in his home to heal his servant.

There was no option as to whether Jesus would do the wonderful work of healing.

The centurion was bold and believed that all Jesus had to do was say it and it would be done; he knew the power of the word of Jesus; he understood that Jesus had all authority and that what Jesus spoke was already done.

It is only as you live an upgraded life of faith that you will walk in the true authority of the word and power of Jesus.

You cannot wait and watch to see if it will happen. No, you must believe that it shall be so.

That is when Jesus will say of you what He said concerning this Gentile:

10  When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.

Be a believer today!

Dr Maria A Seaman is the pastor of Shekinah Worship Centre, North Shore, Hamilton Parish.