Jesus Christ Is The Same Yesterday, Today, And Forever

JESUS CHRIST IS THE SAME YESTERDAY, TODAY, AND FOREVER

By Rodney W. Francis

I have been challenged afresh by this verse of Scripture found in Hebrews 13:8. The Jesus we read about in the Bible is the same Alive Jesus today and He is always the same; He changes not (Malachi 3:6). Therefore we need to seriously consider what is preventing Him Who now lives inside of us, from being Who He really is. The miracles He did in the Bible He still does today ~ if He can find someone willing enough to allow Him to work through us. It is now “Christ in you/me the hope of Glory” (Colossians 1:26-27). We Christians are the temple of God where God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit now dwell: “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16); “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify (“to recognize, honour, praise” – Bullinger’s) God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

That means that wherever we go, Jesus goes with us, and anything is possible if we are available to do what He asks of us.

He is at work within us, changing us, transforming us to make us more like Jesus: “Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed (“to change one’s form, be transfigured”) into the same image (“the pattern, the original which sets forth that likeness or resemblance which is meant to be found in the image” – Bullinger’s) from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Corinthians 3:17-18). Wow! Take time to consider what is being said here. The “Christ in us, the hope of glory” is actively transforming us to being like Jesus Himself. The more He can transform us the more He can show Himself “The same yesterday, today, and forever”! In and through us!

This generation of Christians (and non-believers too) needs to see greater demonstrations of Jesus alive from the dead, being the same Jesus as He has always been. He has chosen to work through ordinary people like you and me. We may have all the Christian titles to our names, but how much is Jesus shining through in His mighty miraculous manner, showing all that He is able to do anything and everything? The Apostle Paul declared: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). He knew that the Jesus Christ Who is the same yesterday, today, and forever was living inside of Him. He knew the truth of this Scripture: “But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you” (Romans 8:11).

The more yielded we are to Jesus, the more Jesus can show Himself strong in and through us.

SUCH AS I HAVE, I GIVE YOU

The Early Church disciples, after they were filled with the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4) knew they had received a power (Acts 1:8 - “dunamis” – power capable of anything) into their lives that they had never fully experienced before. When Peter and John were on their way to a prayer meeting (Acts 3), they encountered a crippled man who had never walked (he was over 40 years old – Acts 4:22). Their response to his asking for money was this: ”Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk”.

The result was a miracle took place and that crippled man got much more than what he was anticipating.
His problem was solved by the power of Jesus Christ ~ the Jesus Christ Who is the same yesterday, today, and forever ~ flowing out of Peter’s life to give the miracle and answer to what he (the lame man) really needed.
The result of that releasing of Jesus out of himself (Peter) brought not only a miracle of healing to a crippled man but brought about the salvation of approximately five thousand people (Acts 4:4)!
Miracles, healings and salvations take place when Jesus is allowed to be Jesus in and through us. Hallelujah!
Does not this generation need to see an example of Jesus Christ alive in and through us today?

Surely there is a greater need for us Christians to be releasing the “Christ in us, the hope of glory” to a world that desperately needs to know His Truth, Power, Love, Forgiveness, Deliverance, etc. We need to know we are serving the same Jesus Who changes not, and is very much alive today ~ in us! He is not a Historical Jesus who once walked the earth, but is not here with us today. He is!

THE GREAT COMMISSION OF JESUS

In Mark 16:15-20 we read of Jesus’ Commission to His disciples: “And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs shall follow those who believe (“be persuaded, to rely upon, to trust”): In My Name they will cast out demons: they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents, and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick and they will recover.’ So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming (“make good”) the word through the accompanying signs (“a sign by which anything is designated, distinguished, or known; hence, used of the miracles of Christ as being the signs by which He might be known as the Christ of God: a sign authenticating His mission; a sign with references to what it demonstrates” – Bullinger’s). Amen.’”

Notice here that this Commission is not only just for those who are Theologically trained or ordained ministers, but for believers.

That means you and me if we truly believe in what Jesus says.

It is evident that Jesus chose His disciples and commissioned them so that He could continue to do His mighty works and miracles through them. When we obey His commission to us then He will work with us, confirming the word we speak with signs, wonders and miracles; thus demonstrating to an unbelieving world that He is indeed alive today and is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Hallelujah! Bible Christianity is indeed very different to what is mostly being presented as Christianity in today’s church gatherings.

There needs to be a very big change so that we align ourselves with what Jesus teaches, and believe Him enough to act upon His word.
That way we will see more and more supernatural acts of God taking place through our lives and ministries.

My experience in serving Jesus has been that I have had the privilege of seeing many miracles of healings, deliverances, signs, wonders, etc. as I have stepped out in faith in what He has asked of me to do. It is always amazing to see how people are impacted and then respond to Jesus when they are on the receiving end of a miracle of God. And they open up doors of opportunity for further ministry and wonderful happenings of Jesus in and through our lives.

We need more than talk to convince people that Jesus is alive today and can do what He has always done. We need to see and demonstrate the supernatural aspect of God to others, as that way we are ministering in a very different realm than merely talking about Him.

Here is another challenging Scripture given to us by Jesus: “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes” (Mark 9:23).

It is all a matter of who and what we believe!
Do we believe Jesus more than what we think, or what others tell us?
It is time that we proved that the word of Jesus is true and that it works when we positively believe and act upon what He says. Hallelujah!

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