"And Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him." ~ Matthew 8:7   REFERENCE: Matthew 8:5-13   As we conclude 'The Sufferer, the Suppliant, and the Savior,' the episode's hero captures our attention—Jesus, the Savior with a kind heart. Imagine a situation where there is suffering and supplications but no Savior; imagine having an illness and the financial means to secure healing, but there is no doctor or known cure for the infirmity. Thank God for our Savior. Who is this Jewish carpenter that a Roman centurion will become a humble supplicant before Him? Who is this Savior that was...

“And a certain centurion’s servant, who was dear to him, was sick and ready to die. So, when he heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to Him, pleading with Him to come and heal His servant.” ¬ Luke 7:2-3 REFERENCE: Luke 7:1-10 Yesterday, we looked at the sufferer, the centurion’s servant. Today, we will consider the centurion himself – the supplicant who urgently appealed to Jesus to come and heal a slave that he regarded as dear to him. It was a strange gesture in a culture where enslaved people were no better than property, but this...

“And a certain centurion’s servant, who was dear to him, was sick and ready to die. So when he heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to Him…” ~ Luke 7:2-3   REFERENCE: Luke 7:1-10   Here is a famous text that paints the beautiful story of faith found in a gentile man, like a rose flower in a thornbush. Three main characters arrest our attention in the story: the sufferer (the centurion’s servant), the supplicant (the centurion who prayed to Jesus), and the Savior (Jesus Christ). The text speaks of the power of service, loyalty, loving intercession, and...

“And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.” ~ Matthew 24:12   REFERENCE: Matthew 24:9-12   Today, Christianity is on trial like it has never been in its history. The Christian faith is regularly bashed on social media to the point where many Christians are ashamed to identify with Jesus. Gospel ministers are under attack, the miraculous is mocked, and those who speak up for the faith are branded as overzealous ‘holier-than-thou’ hypocrites. Hence, their love has gone cold. Church attendance is declining globally; the younger generation does not seem to find the relevance of the church...

“By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised.” – Hebrews 11:11   REFERENCE: Hebrews 11:11   The ‘Work in progress’ sign is often seen on construction sites. It assures one that an uncompleted, not-so-desirable-looking building is not yet at its best; it shall see better days. You may sometimes feel like that uncompleted building – all concrete, but no paint, openings, doors, trusses but no roof, bathrooms with no bathtubs, etc.; you look and wish things were better than they...