Jesus, Right Here, Right Now.

When George Fox traveled the UK back in the 17^th century, he preached, declared, made known, a Jesus who was immediately available, accessible and effective.

This is what got him into trouble.

The religion of the day was happy with a Jesus in heaven, a Jesus ‘someday’, ‘somewhere’ else. Happy with a kingdom of heaven likewise, ‘someday’, somewhere’ else.

Happy with a salvation yet to be revealed but not with a salvation now.

Now of course, there is a Jesus who we will know as we ourselves are known, in the near future. And likewise the kingdom of heaven and the fullness of our salvation is to be revealed in greater fullness in that Day.

But we are here, now, and Jesus is come that we might have eternal life in Him, here, now.

Thanks be to God that the Christ, Jesus, has come to save sinners. Here, now.

The immediacy is well demonstrated in Peter’s declaration on the day of Pentecost. ‘Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.

When Jesus asked blind Bartimaeus what he would have him do for him;

Mar 10:51 And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? The blind man said unto him, Lord, that I might receive my sight.

Mar 10:52 And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way.

The way to know Jesus, now, is to leave all else, now, and follow Him, now.

Jesus himself, described himself as the bread that is come down from heaven, that if we eat of him we would have eternal life in us. Bread has to be eaten daily.

‘Give us this day our daily bread’. Paul uses the analogy of getting dressed, daily, when he writes of putting on (being clothed with) the Christ.

Jesus is not a talisman, for us to focus on as if far away and be prayed to, as if far away. He is here. Indeed He has come to live, make his habitation, within us.

When two or three are gathered together in the name of Jesus, Jesus is in the midst of them. At that moment.

As Jesus is the One anointed with power and authority to save (the Christ), all things are possible to those who believe this about Him. Here, now.

In George Fox’s day signs and wonders were done by the Jesus of there and then.

Menservants and maidservants prophesied. People were healed. Filled with Holy Spirit. Made able to withstand terrible persecution even to death. Made righteous in fact, not just in theory.

Jesus, the Christ, yesterday and today, this one (Him), on into the coming age. (literal Greek)

Or as in King James version;

Heb 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever

Because he doesn’t change, what losers we are if we turn from Him, to the things of this present age.

Why try to be what we cannot be except through the abiding Christ?

I know if I go through the day without putting on Jesus, without eating Jesus, without asking Him to give me of the Holy Spirit to drink, then I fall back onto just being my old self. Perhaps civilized, educated, conditioned to moderation, but underneath the same worldly sinner I ever was, and will be.

2Pe 2:20 For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.

2Pe 2:21 For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.

2Pe 2:22 But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.

The answer, of course, is Jesus. To focus on Him, to ask Him, to depend on Him to give us His own Life, His own thoughts, His own power, all that is in Him, who is all we need. He who has the power, authority and dominion. He who is the one who forgives sins, covers sin, redeems from the power of sin, empowers unto actual righteousness.

What Joy He is. What Peace.

I’m so glad Jesus is available now.

Colin Thompson. Gateshead. England. (Nobody important.)

Comments welcome by email to colin@followingjesuschrist.co.uk

Other material on site at http://www.followingjesuschrist.co.uk/