The Risen Lord · By Rev. Dr. Naeem Nasir, Founding President, Good Samaritan Ministries · October 2026
People often ask me, “Why do you believe in miracles?” It is a fair question. We live in a world of science and technology, of facts and figures, and many people think miracles belong to old stories and not to real life. My answer is always the same. I believe in miracles because I believe in the greatest miracle of all: JESUS Christ rose from the dead.
The greatest miracle of all
The Bible is full of miracles. The sea opened before Moses. Fire fell from heaven at the prayer of Elijah. JESUS turned water into wine, opened the eyes of the blind, made the lame walk, fed thousands with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish, and calmed the storm with a word.
But one miracle stands above them all. Three days after He was crucified, buried and sealed in a tomb, JESUS rose from the dead. Not as a spirit. Not as a memory. Not as an idea that lived on in the hearts of His followers. He rose bodily, walked, talked and ate with His disciples, and showed them the wounds in His hands and side.
If that one miracle is true, then nothing else in the Bible is too hard for God. And if that one miracle is true, it changes everything.
Was, were… but JESUS is
Think about the way we speak about the great men and women of history.
Abraham was the father of faith. Moses was the great leader who brought Israel out of Egypt. David was the shepherd boy who became king. Solomon was the wisest man who ever lived. Elijah and Isaiah and Jeremiah were mighty prophets of God.
The same is true of every great king, every great teacher and every great leader the world has ever known. They were born, they lived, they spoke, they died, and they were buried. We honour them, we learn from them, but we always speak of them in the past tense. They were.
There is only one Person in all of history of whom we must say is.
JESUS is alive. JESUS is Lord. JESUS is the Son of God. JESUS is coming again.
The tombs of the great leaders of history still hold their bodies. The tomb of JESUS is empty. He said it Himself: “I am the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades” (Revelation 1:18).
The resurrection proves everything JESUS said
Anyone can make great claims. Anyone can say, “I am from God” or “I have the truth.” The question is: how do we know whether a claim is true?
JESUS made claims that no ordinary man could ever make. He said:
- “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).
- “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live” (John 11:25).
- “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30).
- “The Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” (Mark 2:10).
And then He said something that would prove all the rest. He told His disciples again and again that He would be killed and that on the third day He would rise (Matthew 16:21). He staked everything on that promise.
If JESUS had stayed in the grave, every one of His words would have been empty. But He rose, exactly as He said. The resurrection is God’s signature on every word JESUS ever spoke. The Bible says He was “declared to be the Son of God in power… by his resurrection from the dead” (Romans 1:4). God Himself has given “assurance to all by raising him from the dead” (Acts 17:31).
The resurrection of JESUS authenticates everything that He said.
The resurrection proves everything JESUS did
It also authenticates everything that He did.
His miracles were not tricks or magic. They were signs that the kingdom of God had come. When JESUS healed the sick and raised the dead, He was showing the world who He was.
Most of all, the resurrection proves what He did on the cross. When JESUS died, He carried the sins of the whole world. He cried out, “It is finished” (John 19:30). But how do we know His sacrifice was accepted? How do we know the debt was truly paid? Because on the third day God raised Him up. JESUS “was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification” (Romans 4:25). The empty tomb is the receipt that says: paid in full.
The Apostle Paul understood this clearly: “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins” (1 Corinthians 15:17). Everything rests on the resurrection. And the resurrection stands.
Can we trust that JESUS rose from the dead?
Christianity does not ask for blind faith. The resurrection of JESUS happened in history, in a real city, in front of real people.
- The tomb was empty. Those who opposed JESUS only had to produce His body to end the Christian message forever. They never could.
- He was seen by many. The risen JESUS appeared to Mary Magdalene, to Peter, to the twelve, and at one time to more than five hundred people, most of whom were still alive when Paul wrote about it (1 Corinthians 15:3-8).
- His disciples were transformed. On the night of His arrest they ran away in fear. Weeks later they were preaching boldly in the same city, and most of them gave their lives rather than deny what they had seen. People may die for something they believe is true, but no one dies for something they know is a lie.
- His enemies became His followers. Saul of Tarsus hated the Church and hunted Christians, until he met the risen JESUS. He became the Apostle Paul and carried the Gospel across the world.
- The Church was born. A small group of frightened followers became a movement that has reached every nation on earth. Two thousand years later, millions in every language still say: He is alive.
Why everyone must follow JESUS
Yes, there are many religions in the world. There have been many great teachers, wise men and leaders. Many of them taught good things, and many people sincerely follow them.
But here is the difference. Every other leader points to a way. JESUS said, “I am the way.” Every other leader died and stayed dead. JESUS died and rose again. Every other leader was. JESUS is.
That is why everyone must follow JESUS. Not because He belongs to one nation or one culture, but because He is the only One who has conquered death. Death is the one enemy every human being must face: rich or poor, king or servant, educated or uneducated. Only JESUS has walked through death and come out the other side. Only He can lead us through it too.
He does not call us to follow Him out of fear. He calls us out of love. “Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). He knows your name, your past, your pain and your questions. He died for you, and He lives for you.
How can you follow JESUS today?
Following JESUS begins with a simple step of faith. The Bible says: “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9).
You can pray to Him today, wherever you are:
Lord JESUS, I believe that You died on the cross for my sins and that God raised You from the dead. I turn away from my sins and I put my trust in You. Forgive me, make me new, and be my Lord and Saviour. Help me to follow You every day of my life. Amen.
If you prayed that prayer, find a Bible-believing church, begin reading the Gospel of John, and talk to God every day. You are not following a dead hero. You are following a living Saviour.
He is alive
Two thousand years ago, on the first Easter morning, the angel said to the women at the tomb: “He is not here, for he has risen, as he said” (Matthew 28:6).
Those words are still true today. Abraham was. Moses was. David was. But JESUS is.
He is alive. He is Lord. And He is calling you to follow Him.
In CHRIST’s love,
Rev. Dr. Naeem Nasir
Founding President,
Good Samaritan Ministries
https://www.gsministries.org
Help every family hear the Good News
Pray with us and help place the Word of God in the hands of families across Pakistan, so that many may come to know the risen Lord JESUS.
