THE BEGINNING OF THE NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH Exactly 10 days after Jesus had ascended back to Heaven, the New Testament Church officially began on the feast of Pentecost. The 120 people, including the Apostles, were waiting in Jerusalem to be empowered from on high. (See Luke 24: 49) The Holy Spirit of God descended from Heaven with a sound of a rushing wind, and each person in the room was baptized with the Holy Spirit, and began speaking with other tongues (languages), and they were speaking the wonderful works of God. (Acts 2: 11) Remember, Jesus likened the birth of the Spirit to a wind blowing - You cannot see it, but you can feel it, and you can hear “the sound of it”. It is not a coincidence that the evidence of the baptism of the Holy Ghost was the sound coming from their mouth. Let’s read about it: Acts 2: 1 – 4 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. The Plan of Salvation is revealed. Peter became the first preacher of the very first church sermon. Again, is this any coincidence? Remember, Jesus had told Peter that he would be given the keys to the Kingdom. (Matthew 16:19) Peter preached Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior. Remember, the first step of Salvation is to believe on Jesus. Those who believed the message, and that Jesus was indeed the Christ, cried out for help. What preceded was the powerful plan of Salvation: Acts 2: 36 – 40 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made the same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. 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. Who stepped up to the plate? – The man with the keys! What did Peter urge the crowd to do? 1 BELIEVE in Jesus as both Lord and Christ (see Acts 2: 14 – 36) 2 REPENT of their sins. 3 BE BAPTIZED in Jesus’ name and receive the Holy Spirit. (Born of water of the Spirit) 4. SEPARATE. (Save themselves from a perverse generation.) Acts 2: 41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. All that can be asked of you is that you would receive the Word, digest it, and then obey it. About 3000 souls this day went against the “norm”, forsook family tradition, and accepted that Jesus was indeed Lord and Christ. They demonstrated their belief by being baptized in the life-changing name of Jesus Christ. Acts 2: 42 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. The key to being saved is not just starting the race, but finishing the course. Stay connected to the church in fellowship, Bible Studies and prayer. (See Matthew 24: 12, 13) Why do we emphasize the Apostles’ doctrine? Because Jesus opened their understanding and placed His authority behind it. Acts 2: 47 Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. Otherwise “good” people went from a state of being lost to a state of being saved when they obeyed Acts 2: 38. If Jesus did not approve of the Acts 2: 38 message, He would not have saved souls and added to the church that day. This message has His approval! Recap: Once again, just to be clear, let’s review the path that Jesus laid out in order to make sure we will have eternal life. Not coincidently, it’s the same message the Apostles preached: 1. BELIEVE in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. (John 3: 16; John 8: 24) 2. REPENT and turn to God. (Luke 13: 3; Mark 1: 15) 3. Be BORN AGAIN of water and the Spirit. (John 3: 5) (Fulfilled in Acts 2:38) 4. SEPARATE yourself and be unashamed to be called His own. (Mark 8: 34 – 38) You have just been presented with the saving gospel of Jesus Christ. You have been led to the gates of Heaven, but you will have to decide whether you want to go in, and how badly you want it. When we are saved according to Acts 2: 38, we are in fact participating in His death, burial, and resurrection. Figuratively speaking, we die to our old life in Repentance, we are buried with him in baptism, and we arise to walk in newness of life through the infilling of His Spirit. (See Galatians 2: 20; Romans 6: 1 - 6) We kept the Bible Study simple: We went in chronological order, starting with the teachings of Jesus Christ regarding Salvation. These were found in the first four books of the New Testament, known as The Gospels. Next, we discovered the preaching of the Apostles in the New Testament Church. This was found in the book of Acts. We discovered the initial outpouring of God’s Holy Spirit, the birth of the church, the first sermon, and the first and only Salvation plan given to mankind. There are not any new or alternative plans of Salvation given. As stated in this Bible Study, the foundational doctrine of Believing, Repentance, New Birth, and Separation from the world cannot be nullified by any single scripture, nor the philosophy of man. If there are any scriptures that seem to confuse or contradict, they can be readily explained when taken in proper context. As mentioned earlier, this does not have to be a “multi - step program that has to occur over a period of time. The minute you step up to the waters of baptism, you are publically confessing your belief in the gospel, willingly turning your life over to God, and unashamedly declaring that Jesus is Lord. May the Lord God bless you in your quest for truth! I understand that you may still have some questions – that is perfectly normal. I have prepared a series of studies and information that are available to you. https://facebook/notes/rick-flores/apostolic-bible-studies-available-from-rick-flores/243963445616256
Posted on: Sun, 31 Aug 2014 09:17:51 +0000
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