We live in a culture that always wants bigger and better: bigger meals, bigger homes, bigger screens, newer cars and phones. But do we want a bigger faith?  Jesus marveled at “great faith” only twice, and each time it came from an outsider. His own disciples were left asking, “Lord, increase our faith. Pastor Steve Schobert calls us to take an honest look at the size of our own faith, and he offers two important ways to measure it.

How to Grow a Faith That Moves Beyond Yourself

We live in a world obsessed with bigger and better. Bigger houses, bigger screens, bigger vehicles, and bigger portions. Every time something new is introduced, it seems like there’s already a larger, faster, or more powerful version on the way.

We’ve become so accustomed to upgrading everything around us that we rarely stop to consider whether the most important things in our lives are actually growing.

What about our faith?

If faith came in sizes, what size would yours be? Would it be small, medium, large, or something extraordinary? And perhaps more importantly, how would you even measure it?

In his message, Super-Size Faith, Pastor Steve Schobert challenges us to reconsider what great faith really looks like. Drawing from two remarkable encounters with Jesus in Luke 7 and Matthew 15, he reveals that the kind of faith Jesus commended wasn’t necessarily the loudest, most visible, or most impressive by human standards.

Instead, it was faith rooted in a clear understanding of who Jesus is, genuine humility, and a willingness to believe God on behalf of someone else.

At North Cities, we believe spiritual growth should transform more than what we know about God. It should change how we see ourselves, how we treat others, and how we respond to His calling.

And sometimes, the greatest evidence of growing faith isn’t that we’re asking God for more. It’s that we’re becoming less focused on ourselves.

What Does Great Faith Actually Look Like?

Throughout the Gospels, Jesus repeatedly addressed the subject of faith. He challenged His disciples when their faith was small, taught about faith the size of a mustard seed, and encouraged people who approached Him believing He could meet their needs.

But Pastor Steve highlighted something particularly interesting about the ministry of Jesus.

In the Gospel accounts, there are two specific occasions when Jesus described someone’s faith as great. One involved a Roman centurion in Capernaum, and the other involved a Canaanite woman in the region of Tyre and Sidon.

These individuals came from different backgrounds and occupied very different positions in society. One was a powerful military officer with significant authority and influence. The other was a woman desperately seeking help for her suffering daughter.

Yet both received an extraordinary commendation from Jesus.

What did they have in common?

Pastor Steve identified two essential ingredients that made their faith remarkable: they knew who Jesus was, and they knew who they were in relationship to Him.

Those two realities shaped everything about the way they approached Jesus.

1. Great Faith Begins With Knowing Who Jesus Is

In Luke 7:1–10, we encounter a Roman centurion whose servant was seriously ill and near death.

When the officer learned that Jesus was in Capernaum, he sent respected Jewish elders to ask Jesus to come and heal his servant.

The elders approached Jesus with a compelling argument. They explained that the centurion loved their nation and had even financed the construction of their synagogue. In their eyes, he was a good man who deserved Jesus’ attention.

Jesus agreed to go with them.

But before He reached the centurion’s home, another group arrived with an unexpected message.

The officer explained that he didn’t consider himself worthy for Jesus to enter his house. In fact, he didn’t even believe he was worthy to approach Jesus personally.

Instead, he made a remarkable request: Jesus only needed to speak the word, and his servant would be healed.

The Centurion Recognized the Authority of Jesus

As a military officer, the centurion understood how authority worked. He was accustomed to receiving commands from those above him and giving commands to those under his leadership.

When he issued an order, he expected it to be carried out.

But when he looked at Jesus, he recognized an authority far greater than anything he possessed.

He understood that Jesus didn’t need to be physically present in the room to bring healing. He didn’t need to perform an elaborate ceremony or follow a particular process.

He simply needed to speak.

The centurion recognized that sickness itself was subject to the authority of Jesus Christ.

When Jesus heard this, He marveled and declared that He had not found such great faith, even in Israel.

That statement is significant because the centurion was a Gentile living under the Roman Empire. He was not part of the religious community that had spent generations anticipating the Messiah.

Yet he recognized something about Jesus that many others had failed to understand.

He saw beyond the appearance of an ordinary man and recognized divine authority.

For us today, the lesson is just as important. Great faith begins when we stop measuring God’s ability by the limitations of our circumstances and begin recognizing who Jesus truly is.

As an Apostolic Pentecostal church, we believe Jesus Christ is God manifested in the flesh. He is not merely a teacher, prophet, or historical religious figure. He is the Almighty God who has revealed Himself to us and made salvation possible through His death, burial, and resurrection.

When we understand His identity, our perspective on what is possible begins to change.

2. Great Faith Trusts Jesus Even When the Answer Isn’t Immediate

The second example of extraordinary faith is found in Matthew 15:21–28.

Jesus had traveled into the region of Tyre and Sidon when a Canaanite woman approached Him with an urgent request.

Her daughter was suffering terribly, and she believed Jesus had the power to deliver her.

She cried out to Him, addressing Him as Lord and Son of David.

These weren’t casual titles.

As Pastor Steve explained, this Gentile woman recognized Jesus as Israel’s promised Messiah. She understood that the One standing before her possessed an authority unlike anyone else.

But her encounter with Jesus didn’t unfold the way she might have expected.

Initially, Jesus did not answer her. His disciples became uncomfortable with her continued pleading and urged Him to send her away.

Jesus then explained that His earthly mission was directed toward the lost sheep of Israel.

Still, the woman refused to walk away.

She came before Him, worshiped Him, and continued asking for help.

Faith That Refuses to Lose Sight of Jesus

When Jesus used an illustration about the children’s bread and the little dogs, the woman responded with remarkable humility and persistence.

She acknowledged His statement while expressing her confidence that even the smallest portion of His provision would be sufficient.

She didn’t attempt to establish her worthiness. She didn’t argue that Jesus owed her anything.

She simply continued believing that He had the power to help her daughter.

Jesus responded by declaring that her faith was great, and her daughter was healed.

Her experience challenges an assumption many of us make about faith.

We sometimes think great faith means receiving an immediate answer, encountering no obstacles, or never experiencing uncertainty.

But this woman demonstrated great faith through persistence, worship, and humility, even when the answer did not come immediately.

She recognized who Jesus was and refused to allow the difficulty of the moment to change her understanding of His authority.

Her confidence wasn’t based on how favorable the circumstances appeared.

It was based on the One to whom she was bringing her request.

3. Great Faith Requires Genuine Humility

The centurion and the Canaanite woman had something else in common that Pastor Steve emphasized throughout his message.

Both approached Jesus with humility.

Consider the centurion’s position. He was a Roman military officer with authority over soldiers and significant influence in Capernaum. He had resources, social standing, and the respect of the local Jewish elders.

The people around him believed he deserved special consideration.

But the centurion didn’t see himself that way.

Despite his position, he recognized that his authority was insignificant compared to the authority of Jesus.

The Canaanite woman demonstrated a similar humility. Even when the conversation became uncomfortable, she continued worshiping and trusting Jesus.

Neither person approached Him with a sense of entitlement.

They understood that their hope rested in His power and mercy rather than their personal qualifications.

Humility Isn’t Thinking You’re Worthless

Biblical humility is often misunderstood.

Some people assume being humble means constantly criticizing themselves, minimizing their abilities, or believing they have no value.

But that isn’t the picture Pastor Steve presented.

True humility isn’t pretending we’re worthless. It’s recognizing who we are in relationship to the greatness of God.

The centurion wasn’t denying that he held authority. He simply understood that his authority was nothing compared to the authority of Jesus.

The Canaanite woman wasn’t abandoning her responsibility as a mother. She was recognizing that Jesus possessed the power her daughter desperately needed.

Humility places God at the center of our perspective.

It allows us to see our strengths, limitations, responsibilities, and opportunities in the proper context.

And when we truly recognize the greatness of Jesus, we become less consumed with proving our own importance.

4. A Fresh Vision of God Changes How We See Ourselves

To illustrate the relationship between seeing God clearly and developing humility, Pastor Steve turned to the prophet Isaiah.

In Isaiah 6, the prophet describes an extraordinary vision of the Lord seated upon a throne, high and lifted up, with His glory filling the temple.

The seraphim proclaimed the holiness of God, and the temple shook in response to His majesty.

Isaiah’s immediate reaction was not to celebrate his own spiritual accomplishments.

He became deeply aware of his own inadequacy.

Standing in the presence of God’s holiness changed the way he understood himself.

When Jesus Becomes the Center, Everything Else Finds Its Place

Pastor Steve described this experience as a kind of decentering.

Most of us naturally move through life with ourselves at the center of our perspective.

We evaluate situations according to how they affect us. We measure opportunities by what they might provide for us. We become frustrated when circumstances interfere with our preferences or plans.

And without realizing it, we can begin approaching our relationship with God the same way.

Our prayers become focused almost entirely on what we need. Our worship becomes dependent on how we feel. Our involvement in church becomes measured by how well our personal expectations are being met.

But when we encounter a fresh revelation of who Jesus is, our perspective begins to shift.

We realize that God is not simply one part of our lives that exists to support everything else we’re trying to accomplish.

He is the center.

His Kingdom, His purpose, His glory, and His mission are greater than our individual plans.

And the more clearly we see Him, the more accurately we begin to see ourselves.

This doesn’t diminish our value. It gives our lives the proper direction.

Instead of asking God to fit into the world we’ve constructed around ourselves, we begin asking how our lives can participate in what He is already doing.

That’s where genuine spiritual maturity begins.

5. Great Faith Looks Beyond Personal Needs

One of the most compelling observations in Pastor Steve’s message was that neither of these individuals approached Jesus primarily for personal benefit.

The centurion came on behalf of his servant.

The Canaanite woman came on behalf of her daughter.

Both were motivated by love and concern for someone else.

This is an important characteristic of the kind of faith Jesus commended.

Their understanding of His greatness didn’t simply inspire them to ask for more blessings for themselves. It moved them to believe that His power could make a difference in the life of someone they loved.

Faith Becomes Greater When Our Focus Moves Toward Others

There’s nothing wrong with bringing our personal needs before God. Scripture encourages us to pray about the challenges, burdens, and decisions we face.

But if our relationship with God never moves beyond our own circumstances, we’re missing something essential about His Kingdom.

Growing faith expands our concern for others.

We begin praying for the family member who is struggling spiritually, the friend who needs healing, the neighbor facing hardship, or the coworker who doesn’t know Jesus.

We become more attentive to the needs of the people around us.

And rather than simply noticing their difficulties, we begin asking how God might use us to bring encouragement, compassion, truth, and hope into their lives.

The centurion and the Canaanite woman recognized that the power of Jesus could change someone else’s situation.

They allowed their faith to become an expression of love.

That’s a powerful picture of Christian maturity.

Great faith isn’t simply about what we believe God can do for us. It’s about what we believe God can do through us and for others.

6. Sometimes Growing Faith Means Learning to Forgive

Pastor Steve then directed attention to an unexpected conversation between Jesus and His disciples in Luke 17:3–5.

Jesus instructed His followers to forgive a brother who sinned against them and repented, even if that person offended them repeatedly throughout the same day.

The disciples’ response was immediate.

They asked Jesus to increase their faith.

That’s an interesting request because we often associate greater faith with dramatic miracles, extraordinary spiritual experiences, or impossible circumstances.

But the disciples recognized that obeying Jesus’ command to forgive would require more faith than they currently possessed.

Self-Interest Can Keep Our Faith Small

Forgiveness is difficult because it challenges our sense of personal justice.

When someone hurts us, we naturally want our pain to be acknowledged. We want accountability, and sometimes we want the other person to experience the consequences of what they’ve done.

Scripture doesn’t require us to pretend that wrongdoing is acceptable or that trust must be restored without wisdom and accountability.

But Jesus does call us to reject bitterness and extend forgiveness.

That requires humility.

Pastor Steve pointed out that the disciples had spent considerable time debating their own importance. They argued about who was greatest and who would receive the most honored positions in the Kingdom.

When we’re consumed with our own status, preferences, and recognition, it becomes difficult to extend grace to others.

But when we see Jesus clearly, our priorities begin to change.

We become more concerned with reflecting His character than defending our personal importance.

We become more willing to forgive because we recognize how much mercy we’ve received.

And we discover that growing faith isn’t always measured by extraordinary public moments.

Sometimes it’s demonstrated through a quiet decision to release an offense and respond with Christlike love.

7. Great Faith Moves Us From Worship to Mission

The story of Isaiah doesn’t end with his recognition of God’s holiness and his own inadequacy.

After his encounter with the Lord, Isaiah heard a question from heaven.

Who would go? Who could be sent?

Isaiah responded with a willingness to serve.

His vision of God’s greatness had prepared him for a mission.

Pastor Steve emphasized that the same pattern should be evident in our lives.

When we see Jesus clearly, we begin understanding ourselves more accurately. And when our perspective is properly aligned, we become more willing to respond to His calling.

A Bigger Vision of Jesus Produces a Bigger Heart for People

God doesn’t reveal Himself to us merely so we can enjoy meaningful spiritual experiences.

He calls us into a relationship that transforms our priorities and sends us into the world with His love and truth.

We encounter Him in worship, but we also encounter Him through prayer, Scripture, and daily obedience.

As we spend time in His presence, we begin recognizing opportunities to serve that we might previously have overlooked.

We become more sensitive to the people around us.

We develop a greater willingness to sacrifice our preferences for the good of others.

And we begin understanding that our lives are part of something much greater than our personal ambitions.

At North Cities, this is the kind of faith we want to cultivate.

We want to be a church where people know who Jesus is, experience His presence, and respond to His calling with humility and obedience.

We believe God has called us to make disciples, share the Gospel, serve our community, and demonstrate His love in practical ways.

But fulfilling that mission requires more than strong programs or busy schedules.

It requires people whose vision of Jesus is greater than their focus on themselves.

How Do You Measure the Size of Your Faith?

Near the conclusion of his message, Pastor Steve returned to the question he had asked at the beginning.

If faith came in sizes, how would we measure ours?

His answer was both simple and challenging.

Perhaps one of the clearest indicators of the size of our faith is how much self-interest dominates our perspective.

When everything revolves around our preferences, recognition, comfort, and personal plans, there’s often very little room left for the needs of others or the purposes of God.

But when our vision of Jesus grows, our sense of personal importance begins to shrink into its proper place.

We become less concerned with making everything about ourselves and more concerned with participating in what God is doing.

Three Questions Worth Asking

As we consider the condition of our faith, Pastor Steve’s message invites us to examine three important areas of our spiritual lives.

First, how clearly do I see Jesus? Is my understanding of Him shaped by Scripture and a genuine relationship with Him, or have I reduced Him to someone I turn to only when I need help?

Second, how accurately do I see myself? Am I approaching God with genuine humility, recognizing that everything I have and everything I am depends upon His grace?

Third, how much room is there in my life for others? Is my faith producing greater compassion, forgiveness, generosity, and willingness to serve?

These questions aren’t intended to produce guilt or spiritual insecurity.

They’re an invitation to grow.

Because the goal of the Christian life isn’t simply to develop a greater amount of religious confidence.

It’s to become more like Jesus.

And as we become more like Him, our faith naturally becomes less self-centered and more focused on His Kingdom.

Growing in Faith at North Cities in Garland, Texas

At North Cities, we believe every person has the opportunity to grow in a meaningful relationship with Jesus Christ.

Whether you’ve been following Him for decades or you’re just beginning to explore faith, there’s always more to discover about His character, His Word, and His purpose for your life.

We are an Apostolic Pentecostal church in Garland, Texas, committed to biblical teaching, Spirit-filled worship, prayer, discipleship, and helping people experience the life-changing power of Jesus Christ.

Our desire is to see individuals and families develop a faith that extends beyond Sunday worship services and influences how they live throughout the week.

That means growing in our understanding of Scripture, deepening our commitment to prayer, learning to forgive, serving those around us, and responding to God’s calling with humility.

We welcome individuals and families from Garland, Murphy, Plano, Richardson, Rowlett, Wylie, and surrounding communities throughout Dallas County, Collin County, and Rockwall County.

If you’re looking for a church in Garland, an Apostolic Pentecostal church near Plano, or a Spirit-filled church near Murphy, Rowlett, or Wylie, we’d love to welcome you to North Cities.

Visit northcities.org to learn more about our worship services, ministries, and opportunities to connect.

It’s Time to Super-Size Your Faith

The Roman centurion and the Canaanite woman remind us that extraordinary faith isn’t reserved for people with impressive credentials, religious status, or years of experience.

Both recognized the authority of Jesus Christ.

Both approached Him with genuine humility.

And both believed that His power could make a difference for someone they loved.

Their examples challenge us to reconsider what growing faith should look like in our own lives.

Maybe the next step in your spiritual growth isn’t simply praying for something bigger.

Maybe it’s getting a clearer picture of Jesus.

Maybe it’s releasing the need to make everything about yourself.

Maybe it’s forgiving someone who has hurt you, praying for someone who is struggling, or becoming more willing to serve wherever God calls you.

The more clearly we see Jesus, the more accurately we see ourselves. And the more accurately we see ourselves, the more room we make for others.

Great faith has a bigger vision of Jesus, a humbler view of self, and a greater heart for people.

So here’s the question worth carrying into your week:

If faith came in sizes, what size would yours be?

And what might happen if you allowed Jesus to become the center of everything?