We continue our paragraph topic: (The centurion's faith) Part 3.
The centurion now speaks to Christ telling him of his beliefs. He tells Christ, "I too am a man subject to authority" The centurion is indicating his beliefs in authority. He is telling Christ he recognizes that Christ is an authority figure and he believes that when Christ speaks by his authority it will be done.
The centurion knows about authority. He knows that when a person with authority speaks that one can believe that action will take place. He knows this because he is a man of authority. As a man of authority he gives orders and they are carried out. As a man of authority he carries that power upon himself. He tells a soldier to go and he goes. He tells a soldier to come and he comes. He tells his servant to do this and it gets done. So as a man of authority he knows that Christ has the power to get things done. As a man of authority he knows that if Christ says that it will be done then it will happen.
It is amazing to read this paragraph today that happened over two thousand years ago. A man of great influence acknowledges the authority of Christ over his life. How times have changed today. The presence of Christ has little to no influence in the world today. The authority of Christ is mocked, denied, expressed as unreal, claimed as irrational, trampled upon, rejected and abused in every way imagined. People in the world today live as though there is no God. People work and play, laugh and cry, live and die, without seeking to know the true authority of God. His words are discarded as something that has no value, to be thrown in the trash. The world has created its own authority.
People today live by the world's authority. They live by what is seen on the television. They live by what is read in the newspaper. They live by what they read in social media. They live by what is published by the media as being the authority on life principles, whether it is Doctor Spock, Doctor Joyce Brothers, Desperate Housewives, Hellcats, or Oprah Winfrey. The world has defined today how we should live, how we should work, how we should play, how we should think, how we should be in our hearts. The authority of Christ lives in the churches but in many instances it stays in the church and is not taken out into the world and practiced.
We go to church at our designated times and perform our religious duties and return to our life in the world. We wear our church clothing in the church and take them off when we leave the church. We wear our church masks in church and put on our world masks outside in the world. The authority of Christ has no impact on our lives and our hearts. It is a duty that we perform just as eating and sleeping. We have no concept of what it means to take Christ with us everywhere we go. We have no belief in the authority of God to live with us daily. We miss the concept of being aliens in this world and living for Christ.
When Christ is in us, we are not in the world. When Christ is in us, we are in the kingdom of heaven. When Christ is in us we operate on his authority and his power. When Christ is in us, we are in him and he is in the Father. When Christ is in us the Holy Spirit is in us and no demonic stronghold can prevail against us. When Christ is in us his protection is all around us and he provides for us. Who's authority do you operate under? Is it the world's authority or is it the authority of Christ?
The centurion now speaks to Christ telling him of his beliefs. He tells Christ, "I too am a man subject to authority" The centurion is indicating his beliefs in authority. He is telling Christ he recognizes that Christ is an authority figure and he believes that when Christ speaks by his authority it will be done.
The centurion knows about authority. He knows that when a person with authority speaks that one can believe that action will take place. He knows this because he is a man of authority. As a man of authority he gives orders and they are carried out. As a man of authority he carries that power upon himself. He tells a soldier to go and he goes. He tells a soldier to come and he comes. He tells his servant to do this and it gets done. So as a man of authority he knows that Christ has the power to get things done. As a man of authority he knows that if Christ says that it will be done then it will happen.
It is amazing to read this paragraph today that happened over two thousand years ago. A man of great influence acknowledges the authority of Christ over his life. How times have changed today. The presence of Christ has little to no influence in the world today. The authority of Christ is mocked, denied, expressed as unreal, claimed as irrational, trampled upon, rejected and abused in every way imagined. People in the world today live as though there is no God. People work and play, laugh and cry, live and die, without seeking to know the true authority of God. His words are discarded as something that has no value, to be thrown in the trash. The world has created its own authority.
People today live by the world's authority. They live by what is seen on the television. They live by what is read in the newspaper. They live by what they read in social media. They live by what is published by the media as being the authority on life principles, whether it is Doctor Spock, Doctor Joyce Brothers, Desperate Housewives, Hellcats, or Oprah Winfrey. The world has defined today how we should live, how we should work, how we should play, how we should think, how we should be in our hearts. The authority of Christ lives in the churches but in many instances it stays in the church and is not taken out into the world and practiced.
We go to church at our designated times and perform our religious duties and return to our life in the world. We wear our church clothing in the church and take them off when we leave the church. We wear our church masks in church and put on our world masks outside in the world. The authority of Christ has no impact on our lives and our hearts. It is a duty that we perform just as eating and sleeping. We have no concept of what it means to take Christ with us everywhere we go. We have no belief in the authority of God to live with us daily. We miss the concept of being aliens in this world and living for Christ.
When Christ is in us, we are not in the world. When Christ is in us, we are in the kingdom of heaven. When Christ is in us we operate on his authority and his power. When Christ is in us, we are in him and he is in the Father. When Christ is in us the Holy Spirit is in us and no demonic stronghold can prevail against us. When Christ is in us his protection is all around us and he provides for us. Who's authority do you operate under? Is it the world's authority or is it the authority of Christ?
