Nigeria Baptist Convention Sunday School Outline For April 14, 2024 : Topic – Faith Of A Centurion
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SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON FOR YOUR PREPARATION
NBC SUNDAY SCHOOL OUTLINE
Theme for the Month: “THE MEASURE OF FAITH.”
DATE: SUNDAY, 14TH APRIL, 2024.
TOPIC: FAITH OF A CENTURION.
Devotional Reading: Zechariah 8:18-23.
Background Scripture: Luke 7:1-10.
Lesson Scripture: Luke 7:1-10.
GOLDEN TEXT “That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed.” Luke 7:7
OBJECTIVES:
By the end of the lesson, class members should be able to:
● Define faith and its importance in healing;
● Share the benefits of persistence, displayed by the elders in line with Jesus’ teaching in Luke 18:1ff;
● Write their determination to approach God in prayer with confidence in His power.
INTRODUCTION:
Engr Thomas Asabor and his family members are devoted Christians. Thomas is spiritually mature and genuinely committed to the cause of Christ. He is an intercessor, as he fondly prays and asks Jesus to heal the sick, and deliver the demon possessed among his friends and church members. One day, one of his children asked him, after their morning devotion, if Jesus was actually a doctor and if yes, “In which university did He train and in which hospital does He work?” Thomas patiently explained to his children that Jesus is God and He is much more qualified than any medical doctor in the world. Therefore, He has power over sicknesses and diseases; when we pray to Him with faith, such sick persons will receive physical and spiritual healing, like the centurion who demonstrated strong faith in today’s text.
Jesus was involved in a threefold ministry during His earthly ministry: preaching, teaching and healing. Before the coming of Jesus Christ, people had been falling sick with all kinds of diseases, irrespective of their age, sex, position, race or tribe. Then, they sought healing through different means, which were spiritual, traditional or medical, depending on their beliefs. The focal point of today’s lesson is the centurion who demonstrated faith in Christ and sought His help to heal his beloved servant. Though a centurion, Jesus commended his faith and the servant became whole.
THE LESSON EXPLAINED…
A. THE CENTURION’S REQUEST
[Luke 7:1-5]
Jesus taught many lessons about the kingdom of God in chapter 6 of the gospel of Luke. He ended it with the importance of complete obedience to His teachings, using the parable of two builders before He proceeded to Capernaum. According to verse 2, a Roman officer (a centurion in charge of about one hundred Roman troops) had a sick servant who was dear to him. It is possible that the centurion had heard about Jesus and His power to heal the sick, thus he invited him. Indeed, it was a display of his concern for his servant to get healed (v. 3). Interestingly, the centurion was not the only one who desired to get his servant healed. According to the passage, the elders he sent to call Jesus were also desirous of his healing, as they begged Jesus earnestly. They demonstrated commitment to the assignment and pleaded with Jesus saying, “This man deserves to have you do this….” (v. 4) They gave reasons why Jesus should honour the invitation: The centurion loved their nation and had built their synagogue in Capernaum-the same synagogue where Jesus had often taught and healed the sick (Mark 1:21-27).
There is no doubt that the faith and plea of these elders show the efficacy of persistence in the place of prayer. It also portrays the benefit of collective willingness, faith, and belief in the power of Jesus to heal the sick and deliver the demon possessed. This stresses the need for unity among believers to pray and intercede on behalf of others. The centurion’s sense of value and desire for his servant to recover from ill-health is also noteworthy. This must have been because of the usefulness of the servant and his faithfulness to his master.
DISCUSSION TIME:
1. Why are some leaders non-challant about the well-being of their followers, unlike the centurion?
2. Discuss reasons why believers should have good working relationship either with their masters/mistresses or their subjects.
B. THE CENTURION’S FAITH AMAZES JESUS:
[Luke 7:6-10]
The Jewish elders successfully convinced Jesus of the personality and generosity of the centurion and how much respect he has for the Jewish faith. Thereafter, Jesus went with them to his home. Having seen Jesus afar off, the centurion realised his unworthiness and felt unqualified to receive Jesus into his home. He simply sent a message to Him saying, “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof” (v. 6b); hence I did not bother to come to you personally. He demonstrated faith and said to Jesus, “But say the word, and my servant will be healed.” After all, the centurion was a man of authority who had soldiers serving under him, in complete obedience to his instructions, without ever questioning his orders. When Jesus heard this, He was amazed at him, and turned to the crowd that followed him, saying, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.” The climax of the lesson is that the men who were sent to Jesus returned and met the servant whole (v. 10).
It was very uncommon for a Roman officer to feel undeserving of a Jewish rabbi, this way. Contrary to the norm, the centurion displayed a remarkable faith by seeing a parallel in the way he commanded his soldiers and the word of Jesus. So, even though he had requested that Jesus should come, he believed in the power of Jesus’ word that eventually made his servant whole (vv. 3, 7) because of his faith. While the Jewish elders said the centurion was worthy of Jesus’ help (v. 4), he claimed he was unworthy to have Him come under his roof (v. 6). This was an expression of faith and submission to the sovereignty of Christ as the Healer and Deliverer. This shows that faith, intercession and persistence are important factors for receiving miracles.
DISCUSSION TIME:
1. Discuss practical lessons we can learn from the centurion.
2. What should be believers’ attitude to God’s Word today?
Fellowship and Ministry Building Activity:
● Each class member should write down their determination to approach God in prayer with faith, and receive answers.
Take Home: Write down three lessons you are taking home from today’s lesson?
● __________
● __________
● __________
Commitment:
● Based on today’s lesson, make a commitment to approach God whenever necessary.
Happy Sunday in Advance.
Remain Inspired & Be Lifted!