Foundations for the Bride: Faith and Authority

And when Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, imploring Him, and saying, “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, fearfully tormented.” Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.” But the centurion said, “Lord, I am not worthy for You to come under my roof, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.” Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled and said to those who were following, “Truly I say to you, I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel. I say to you that many will come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven; but the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” And Jesus said to the centurion, “Go; it shall be done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was healed that very moment.

(Matthew 8:5-13)

The centurion understood being in authority and under authority, but Jesus said he had great faith. His servant was healed “as he believed”. If we don’t understand authority, we cannot fully walk in faith and submit to the lordship of Jesus. The centurion knew Jesus was Lord and stepped out boldly in that.

These Friday night meetings have come from the lordship of Jesus and being submitted to His body, the church. In 2025, Frank and I started the monthly meetings out of a conviction from the Lord to press in more with the people I was walking with here. I submitted that to my elders for counsel and had their blessing. Slowly, through the year, we saw God really start to open hearts to His word. As I was praying about how or if we should continue in 2026, in November and December, God brought me things from various places that confirmed what we should do. Primarily, God spoke to my heart the simple instruction to meet every week, and not in my home. I’ve submitted that for counsel to the elders I walk with at my church here in Conway and in Houston. Again, with their blessing and in obedience, we started meeting every week on January 2. Lord willing, we’ll have a location soon that’s not in my home.

To walk in obedience, we must surrender to the lordship of Jesus and the authority God has established in the body of Christ, His church. To walk in faith, we must recognize the authority we’ve been given so we can function in the body. Because of that, I can honestly say that I have no agenda with these meetings. I’m not trying to start anything. I thank God that I just need to do what I’m told.

In a culture with much Christianity, there is a great temptation to participate in a lot of Christian activities without being submitted to any authority in the body of Christ. One could attend various events, churches and meetings (just like this one) and not understand the faith of the centurion, which was greater than what was found in all of Israel. You could attend church and not know or be submitted to its leaders.

Be planted in the local church body. Whatever church God has called you to, be there and be submitted to its leadership. Be planted and committed. And you can still come here on Fridays if you’re truly submitted to those men. If you have no local church body to submit yourself to, then you’re welcome to be here with us and see what God does. But above all, know what God wants and be where God has called you to be. Are you submitted to authority, or are you trying to serve God with your own agenda?

For 12 years, from high school through college and to the end of my time serving in Honduras, I can see now that my foundational desire was to have a ministry of my own and to be noticed by men (see Matthew 6:1). God took a lot of time (another 12 years after coming back from Honduras) to break me of that. But thankfully, He did. That is the only reason I can do what I’m doing now, and honestly say, this is not my ministry. I am not trying to build anything. God can build it up or tear it down, because all I want to do is be obedient to what He’s asked me to do. I must not run ahead of what God wants, and I dare not lag behind, but I must be in Christ.

In high school and college, I had no career plans; I only wanted to be in ministry and serve God. That zeal was good, but I was not very disciplined. As I went on in zeal, but at multiple turning points in my life, I did not give God the maturity and obedience he desired in my faith, and I turned in my heart to the desire for ministry instead of a desire for Jesus. For just Him. I had a foundational desire in my heart that was something other than Christ.

Desiring only Jesus means submitting to His lordship and to His body, the church. That means you do what He says, and you will live! That means you die, and He lives in you. Matthew 16:25 “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” But in the flesh-we don’t like to die! And we especially don’t like authority. Submission to authority requires too much. It’s like dying. Jesus died and rose again in resurrection life so that we could do the same. I have no ministry other than what God has told me to do. I know nothing but Christ, and Him crucified (I Corinthians 2).

For more about authority in the body of Christ, see Romans 12, 1 Timothy, and Titus.