The same yesterday, today, and forever?

Is Jesus Christ really the same yesterday, today and forever? The writer of Hebrews definitely thought so. But the question is, "Do we in this day and age believe this statement is true?" The more I think about it, the more it seems this phrase has gone from being a pithy statement of belief to nothing more than perfunctory palaver for many who come from both Pentecostal and Charismatic traditions.

When I look at the history of the modern Pentecostal movement in the United States, which led into the Charismatic movement, I see heritage full of writings concerning healings, miracles, salvations, and being baptized in the Holy Spirit. When I look at what was and I look at what there is now, I see a stark difference. What has happened to the Pentecostal movement in America? Has it become a revivalist movement that has done nothing more than burned into the embers of denominational orthodoxy?

In some churches there is prayer for the sick, but I wonder sometimes if it is done out of tradition or if people truly believe God heals today. Why is it that we hear so much less about healings and miracles today than were discussed in the past? Why do we less about people being baptized in the Holy Spirit (in the classical Pentecostal sense) than in the past?

Has God changed? I DON'T THINK SO!!! I think people have changed? What happened to the radical faith found in people like Smith Wigglesworth or John G. Lake (neither of whom was perfect)? We can read about people being raised from the dead and say we believe God still does that kind of stuff today, but would we truly be willing to pray for something like that to happen? Do we believe that God can still cause the lame to walk? That he can unstop deaf ears? That he can open blind eyes? He can, but many times we wonder if He is willing.

Today, we look too much at the probabilities of the miraculous and the likelihood of the supernatural and I don't think we can apply natural principles to supernatural dealings. Let's get back to what we used to have as Christians. I'm not talking about Pentecostal tradition. I'm talking about biblical Christianity.