UPCI tracts- Apostolic.net
Grace + 0 = Salvation?
APOSTOLIC MINISTRIES.net
Oneness
GLORIOUSCHURCH.com- David Huston's excellent site
The Apostolic Free Library
APOSTOLIC MINISTRIES.net
Oneness
GLORIOUSCHURCH.com- David Huston's excellent site
The Apostolic Free Library
Born Again…
The Whole Package.
Ye must be born again…
John 3:
1. There was a man of the Pharisees, named
Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:
2. The
same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a
teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except
God be with him.
3.
Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee,
Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
4.
Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he
enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?
5.
Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of
water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
6. That
which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is
spirit.
7.
Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
The popular plan of salvation, commonly
called “the Roman Road
to Salvation,” all from the book of Romans, is as follows…
3: 23. For all have sinned, and come short of the
glory of God;
5: 8. But God commendeth his love toward us, in
that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
6: 23. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift
of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
10: 9. That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the
Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the
dead, thou shalt be saved.
10. For
with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession
is made unto salvation.
13. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the
Lord shall be saved.
But is that
the teaching the original church followed as the New Testament plan of
salvation?
Colossians 2:
8. Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy
and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world,
and not after Christ.
9. For
in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
The book of Romans was penned about 60 A.D.
according to many authorities. That’s
almost 30 years after the Day of Pentecost.
Does the Bible give us the doctrine used to establish new church
communities before 60 A.D.?
Unequivocally, yes!
The Gospel
1 Corinthians 15:1-4- defines what it is…
1. Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the
gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye
stand;
2. By
which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless
ye have believed in vain.
3. For
I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ
died for our sins according to the scriptures;
4. And that
he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the
scriptures:
2 Thessalonians 1:7-10 warn against not obeying…
7. And to you who are troubled rest with us,
when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,
8. In
flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the
gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:
9. Who
shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord,
and from the glory of his power;
10.
When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in
all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that
day.
What message did the apostles preach to
establish the new church?
On the Day
of Pentecost, Peter preached two messages, first the gospel of the death,
burial and resurrection…
Acts
2: 22. Ye men of Israel, hear
these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and
wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves
also know:
23.
Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of
God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:
24.
Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it
was not possible that he should be holden of it.
25. For
David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he
is on my right hand, that I should not be moved:
26.
Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my
flesh shall rest in hope:
27.
Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer
thine Holy One to see corruption.
28.
Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of
joy with thy countenance.
29. Men
and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is
both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day.
30.
Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath
to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise
up Christ to sit on his throne;
31. He
seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not
left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.
32.
This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.
33.
Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of
the Father the Promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now
see and hear.
Secondly
Peter preached the obedience to the gospel when asked how the hearers should
respond to the message…
37. Now when they heard this, they were pricked
in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and
brethren, what shall we do?
38.
Then Peter said unto them, 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.
39. 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.
40. And with many other words did he testify and
exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.
41.
Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day
there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
42. And
they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in
breaking of bread, and in prayers.
Was that
just for the Day of Pentecost, or is that same message repeated in the
establishment of other churches?
Acts 8:
12. But when they believed Philip preaching the
things concerning the kingdom
of God, and the name of
Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.
13.
Then Simon himself believed also: and when he was baptized, he continued
with Philip, and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done.
14. Now
when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard
that Samaria
had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John:
15.
Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive
the Holy Ghost:
16.
(For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in
the name of the Lord Jesus.)
17.
Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.
Acts10:
37. That word, I say, ye know, which was published throughout all Judaea, and began from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached;38. How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.
39. And we are witnesses of all things which he did both in the land of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom they slew and hanged on a tree:
40. Him God raised up the third day, and shewed him openly;
41. Not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before of God, even to us, who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead.
42. And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead.
43. To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.
44. While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word.
45. And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost.
46. For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter,
47. Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?
48. And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days.
Acts 19:
1. And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was
at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper
coasts came to Ephesus:
and finding certain disciples,
2. He
said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they
said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.
3. And
he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John's
baptism.
4. Then
said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the
people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is,
on Christ Jesus.
5. When
they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
6. And
when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they
spake with tongues, and prophesied.
Have You Been Born Again according to the
scriptural example?
Baptism?
How important is it
really?
Maybe more than you think!
Jesus said…
And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power
is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them
in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Matt.28:18-19
He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but
he that believeth not shall be damned
Mark 16:16
Peter said…
…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. Acts 2:38
The like figure whereunto baptism doth also now save us, (not the putting away
of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward
God,) by the resurrection of Jesus
Christ.
1 Peter 3:21
Paul said…
Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen
with him through the faith of the operation of God, who raised him form the
dead.
Col.2:12
How did the church respond?
Then they that gladly received his word were
baptized: and the same day there were added about unto them
about three thousand souls.
Acts 2:41
But when thy believed Philip preaching concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they
were baptized both men and women.
Acts 8:12
And he commanded them to be baptized in
the name of the Lord.
Acts 10:48
Then said Paul,, John verily baptized with the baptism
of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which
would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.
When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of
the Lord Jesus.
Acts 19 4-5
But aren’t we saved by grace, and not by works?
Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but
according to his mercy he saved us, by the *washing of regeneration, and
the renewing of the holy ghost.
Titus 3:5 *
washing of regeneration is baptism
So, what exactly is the gospel?
Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel
which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand,
By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you,
unless ye have believed in vain, For I delivered unto you first of all that
which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins, according to
the scriptures, And that he was buried, and that he rose the
third day, according to the scriptures.
1 Cor. 15:1-4
Death, Burial &
Resurrection
is the Gospel
And to you who are troubled, rest with us, when the
Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming
fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel
of our Lord Jesus Christ:
2 Thess. 1:7-8
So, what is the obedience to the Gospel?
On the birthday of the New Testament Church, the Day of
Pentecost, in Acts 2, then again in Acts 8, 10, and 19 we see that in each case
the church repented, was baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus, and received
the baptism of the Holy Ghost, as was evidenced by speaking in tongues and
magnifying God.
The order of these three steps varied on occasion, but
all three elements were present in each case.
Repentance is our death to self will; the acceptance of the Lordship of
Jesus in our lives. We are buried with
Christ in baptism. Our power to walk in
the newness of a resurrected life is
found in the baptism of the Holy Ghost.
Our obedience to the gospel is Acts 2:38- repentance, baptism in Jesus
name, and the infilling of the Holy Ghost.
So now what?
OK! We know the government of the USA is being subverted before our
eyes. We know the schools are subverted, teaching the world
planners/servers interests, and not national sovereignty
interests. We have been informed that the Roman Catholic church is
behind MUCH of the darkness and is often the "man behind the curtain".
Most main line media is controlled by the Council on Foreign Relations, our nation sovereignty
is a joke, our constitution has been shredded, and is in fact in danger
of being scrapped for a "more up to date version" in reflecting more
current social drift. !?!?
Is any of this surprising to you? Is anything actually coming to pass that we weren't looking for to come to pass? We are frustrated that it's happening now, to us, and not some future generation. But here we are. So now what? So now we keep on believing that all things work together for the good to those that love Jesus.
Now many advocate joining groups of militia-minded "patriots" willing to kill US citizens who would infringe upon their "rights" as US citizens and Christian believers...but true Christianity rebukes militia-mindedness! Jesus said "if my kingdom were of this age, then my people would fight" indicating we are NOT to physically destroy the wicked. (I guess those ascribing to the preterist philosophy may feel OK with physical violence against non-believers who accost Christians...I will be told soon their position.) You'll get that from the New World Servers Christian sheepfold soon enough. Those that think they serve "Christ" by killing bible believers unwilling to compromise for P.E.A.C.E.
John the baptist (baptizer, not a member of the protestant denomination) told the Roman soldier when asked what he was supposed to do...being a Roman soldier...do violence to no man!
The weapons of our warfare are not carnal (physical), but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds, bringing every thought into captivity unto the obedience of Christ. On our knees we are taller than trees!
We war NOT against flesh and blood, but against powers, and principalities, spiritual wickedness in high places! If we were to physically attack those who plan our demise, then I would advocate bombing the next Bilderberger meeting, but that would be devilishly wrong. God used war in the Old Testament as a physical means of expressing spiritual realities, but teaches us in the New Testament that all of the Old Testament was given to lead us to Christ! Now we have the examples of both walking in righteousness, and unrighteousness with the rewards of each!
Submission to the will of God (Jesus) will bring us personal peace even in the midst of tribulation until the Kingdom of God is physically set up on Earth. The Kingdom of God currently is a Spiritual Kingdom we abide in, and are ambassadors of. After Jesus returns, the physical Kingdom will be established, and Jesus will rule the nations with a rod of iron.
Don't forget who you really serve, and his power to save, protect, or resurrect. You may be required to surrender you life before Jesus returns. Here is a question I pose often at church: when Stephen was martyred, was he overcome by the world, or did he overcome evil with good? Stephen was the first martyr of the church and gloriously overcame the world! He only died in the flesh but will resurrect in incomprehensible victory!
We win! As long as you stay true to Jesus, and his word, you can't lose! You may endure hardship; you may endure suffering. You may not! You probably will. Settle it in your heart before faced with it. All the apostles were martyred except John, and they attempted to kill him too. Do you think you are above the apostles? Are you above Jesus. Remember he said if they hated him they will hate us too. Paul wrote ...that I might know him in the power of the resurrection and in the fellowship of his suffering. Read about the persecuted church in China, and Muslim countries. Pastors of house churches are having their tongues cut out, and are being nailed to the walls of the homes they meet in while the church watches. Do you believe they will lose their reward? I don't. Just because it isn't happening here yet doesn't mean that it isn't slated for us. We still win!
God Bless, and don't worry, turn all your fears over to him. He'll never let you down. You may not understand why all that transpires, comes to you...but remember Job. Nothing the devil did to Job happened without being screened first by God. And God knew ultimately that Job would end up doubly blessed for all of it. God double bless.
Is any of this surprising to you? Is anything actually coming to pass that we weren't looking for to come to pass? We are frustrated that it's happening now, to us, and not some future generation. But here we are. So now what? So now we keep on believing that all things work together for the good to those that love Jesus.
Now many advocate joining groups of militia-minded "patriots" willing to kill US citizens who would infringe upon their "rights" as US citizens and Christian believers...but true Christianity rebukes militia-mindedness! Jesus said "if my kingdom were of this age, then my people would fight" indicating we are NOT to physically destroy the wicked. (I guess those ascribing to the preterist philosophy may feel OK with physical violence against non-believers who accost Christians...I will be told soon their position.) You'll get that from the New World Servers Christian sheepfold soon enough. Those that think they serve "Christ" by killing bible believers unwilling to compromise for P.E.A.C.E.
John the baptist (baptizer, not a member of the protestant denomination) told the Roman soldier when asked what he was supposed to do...being a Roman soldier...do violence to no man!
The weapons of our warfare are not carnal (physical), but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds, bringing every thought into captivity unto the obedience of Christ. On our knees we are taller than trees!
We war NOT against flesh and blood, but against powers, and principalities, spiritual wickedness in high places! If we were to physically attack those who plan our demise, then I would advocate bombing the next Bilderberger meeting, but that would be devilishly wrong. God used war in the Old Testament as a physical means of expressing spiritual realities, but teaches us in the New Testament that all of the Old Testament was given to lead us to Christ! Now we have the examples of both walking in righteousness, and unrighteousness with the rewards of each!
Submission to the will of God (Jesus) will bring us personal peace even in the midst of tribulation until the Kingdom of God is physically set up on Earth. The Kingdom of God currently is a Spiritual Kingdom we abide in, and are ambassadors of. After Jesus returns, the physical Kingdom will be established, and Jesus will rule the nations with a rod of iron.
Don't forget who you really serve, and his power to save, protect, or resurrect. You may be required to surrender you life before Jesus returns. Here is a question I pose often at church: when Stephen was martyred, was he overcome by the world, or did he overcome evil with good? Stephen was the first martyr of the church and gloriously overcame the world! He only died in the flesh but will resurrect in incomprehensible victory!
We win! As long as you stay true to Jesus, and his word, you can't lose! You may endure hardship; you may endure suffering. You may not! You probably will. Settle it in your heart before faced with it. All the apostles were martyred except John, and they attempted to kill him too. Do you think you are above the apostles? Are you above Jesus. Remember he said if they hated him they will hate us too. Paul wrote ...that I might know him in the power of the resurrection and in the fellowship of his suffering. Read about the persecuted church in China, and Muslim countries. Pastors of house churches are having their tongues cut out, and are being nailed to the walls of the homes they meet in while the church watches. Do you believe they will lose their reward? I don't. Just because it isn't happening here yet doesn't mean that it isn't slated for us. We still win!
God Bless, and don't worry, turn all your fears over to him. He'll never let you down. You may not understand why all that transpires, comes to you...but remember Job. Nothing the devil did to Job happened without being screened first by God. And God knew ultimately that Job would end up doubly blessed for all of it. God double bless.
Really...no comments?
ReplyDeleteI pray this helps someone's resolve to not lose faith! Cowboy up Christian!