When Jesus was here on earth, He traveled around from village to village teaching about the kingdom of God. The Bible says that every village He entered He taught the Word and He healed the sick.
In fact, Matthew 9:35 says, “And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.”
Once, when Jesus went into the city of Capernaum, a Roman centurion came to Him, asking Jesus to heal his servant. Now the unique thing about this situation was that the servant of the centurion wasn’t there. The servant was at home paralyzed.
When Jesus heard the plea, he immediately told the Roman soldier, that he would go to the servant’s home and heal the servant. Actually, when you think about it, Jesus made a great commitment. He wasn’t able to get into his Chevrolet and drive out to the country; 2,000 years ago, travel was slow and difficult.
But the centurion answered Jesus a little differently than you might think. Listen to what he said. In verse 9, the centurion said, “Lord, I am not worthy that you should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘go’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
Now, when Jesus heard what the soldier had said to Him, the Bible says that Jesus was astonished. Then Jesus turned to the Jews who were following him and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel.”
That must have been a shocker to those following Jesus. After all, the centurion was a Gentile. He was not a descendant of Abraham, the Father of Faith, and Jesus had proclaimed in front of everyone, that this Roman soldier had great faith.
Then Jesus turned back to the centurion and said, “Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.” And within the hour his servant was healed.
A short time later, Jesus was in a boat with his disciples and a great storm came up and it covered the boat with waves. His disciples began to cry out in fear saying, “‘Lord, save us. We are perishing.’ But Jesus said to them, ‘Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?'”
Now, let me ask you this. Why did Jesus say the Roman centurion had great faith and the disciples had little faith? After all, the disciples had followed Jesus and heard his teachings. They had seen the great miracles. Why did Jesus consider their faith small or undeveloped?
Well, here’s the answer. The centurion understood authority and how to implement it. He knew that one who has authority has only to speak the command and it will be carried out. He didn’t just believe that Jesus could heal some people. He believed that if Jesus would give the healing command that his very own servant would be healed.
How do we know that? Well it’s quite simple. Jesus told him that what he believed would happen is exactly what would happen. And what happened is this. His servant was healed that very hour.
As Christians, we need to be like the centurion. We must believe that the words of Jesus are true. Then when be believe what He has spoken, without fear, it will come to pass. That’s great faith.
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Dr. Larry Ollison is founder and Senior Pastor of Walk on the Water Faith Church and founder of Larry Ollison Ministries. With over forty years in the ministry, he is a very popular speaker nationally and internationally and ministers the Word of Faith through radio, television, Internet, and daily e-mail devotionals. As the author of twelve books (including The Power of Grace, The Practical Handbook for Christian Living, Breaking the Cycle of Offense, Life is in the Blood, and recently released The Paradise of God), he is in frequent demand for radio/TV interviews, book signings, and magazine publications.
Dr. Ollison was raised a Southern Baptist. While majoring in theology at Southwest Baptist University, he received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. For many years he traveled extensively speaking at Full Gospel Business Men's meetings and conventions. He later earned an M.A. in Theology and a Ph.D. and Th.D. from Life Christian University.
Currently President of International Convention of Faith Ministries (ICFM), Dr. Ollison is also Vice-President of Spirit FM Christian Radio Network, Missouri State Director of Christians United for Israel (CUFI), and a Trustee on the boards of several international ministries. He is also the host of The Cutting Edge Radio Broadcast and authors The Cutting Edge Daily Devotional.
As the owner of a marine dealership, his extensive business background brings a unique flavor to his teaching. He founded and served as chairman of the Missouri State Marine Board, President of the Marine Dealers’ Association, Vice-President of a bank holding company, along with holding several directorships in various corporations.
Dr. Ollison's strongest areas of teaching are the blood of Jesus, faith, relationships, the Hebrew language, the Holy Spirit, the end times, and heaven. During ministry, he operates freely in the gifts of the Holy Spirit. His use of humor and his ability to make a theological concept simple makes it enjoyable and easy for everyone to understand. Countless testimonies have been received from people who say their lives have been changed after experiencing Dr. Ollison's unique ministry.
Dr. Ollison is a pastor, pilot, teacher, and author. His number one goal is to meet the needs of the people through the teaching of faith in God's Word. He and his wife, Loretta, have two children and six grandchildren.