Results 1 - 10 of 10
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Author: GStrecker Ordered by Date |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | Who may receive the baptism of the H.S.? | Acts 2:38 | GStrecker | 7102 | ||
No, God is still pouring out His Spirit today. Acts 2:38-39 says "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." In this statement, Peter made the gift of the Holy Ghost available to all that are called of the Lord to be Christians. He told those listening to him that day that the gift was for them, and their children (those who came after them) all that are afar off (speaking of other future generations beyond their immediate children) and even as many as the Lord would call (that means throughout history). In John Chapter 3 Jesus said man had to be born of the water and the Spirit in order to enter the kingdom of God. The Apostles carried the concept forth as baptism in water and the receiving of the gift of the Holy Ghost that in their day and today also comes with an outward physical manifestation, the initial sign of speaking in other tongues as the Spirit give the utterance. This experience is available to every believer. The Bible teaches that God may fill a believer either before or after water baptism is administered. We believe baptism at some point is a necessity, however, because Jesus said in Mark 16:16 "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned." Water baptism is a faith issue. Just as God told Noah that He was sending a flood and told Noah to build a boat, He tells believers today that they are under condemnation until they wash away their sins calling on the name of the Lord. Just imagine what would have happened to Noah and his family if he had not built the boat! To receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, you do not have to beg God for it. First, take a moment to confess and repent of any sin in your life. If you have not yet asked Jesus to be your Lord and Saviour, then the sinners prayer would be appropriate. Then thank God for His forgiveness. Next tell God that you wish to receive the gift of His Spirit and begin to praise Him and thank Him for working in your life. Praise Him out loud. The Lord loves to hear the fruit of our lips in praise to Him. Keep on praising and pushing through until you feel His presence and watch what happens next! You may feel an intense tingling sensation all over your body. Tears of joy may flow from your eyes, and your lips and tongue may begin to shake and stammer. At this point you may spontaneously begin speaking in another language or feel the urge to say words that you don't understand. Try to say them until a clear language is being spoken. Remember it is still you who form and speak the words "as the Spirit gives the utterance." God does not force himself on people and will not take you over or "possess" you. You will understand what Isaiah meant when he said: Isa 28:11 For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people. Isa 28:12 To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear. May God bless you and fill you with His Holy Spirit! |
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2 | where does he ask that,baptized or not | Acts 2:38 | GStrecker | 7099 | ||
Dear Charis, Oneness Pentecostals have often been accused of being adherants of the "heresy of Modalism" and also attacked because they believe that baptism should be administered in the name of Jesus Christ. This mode of baptism is biblically and historically accurate. You have to really twist the scriptures hard and be into a lot of total denial to say that baptisms being described in the Bible that give any indication of the method does not include the saving name of Jesus Christ instead of the titles mode of in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. One of you in the forum tried to make out that he did not understand which Jesus I was talking about because I did not put the word "Christ" behind it in one place in one message. Please!! Do you think I am arguing a case for some Mexican dude when I speak of Jesus in a Christian forum? Two members of my local church have done a great deal of research on the historical development of the Trinitarian mode of baptism. Much of their research came from reference materials located in the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. They give some of the sources in their articles. They are too long to post here, but I invite you to visit these two links and download the articles so you can read it for yourself. They are located at: http://www.pentecostalsonline.org/one.html and http://www.pentecostalsonline.org/baptism2.html You will see after reading these articles that the modes of baptism over the centuries went from "in the name of Jesus Christ" to several variants of trinitarian baptism. It went from one full immersion in water to two dunks, to three dunks, to sprinkling, to baptizing babies, to being baptized in proxy for people who had already died, etc. In other words, after the saving name of Jesus CHRIST was removed from the baptismal formula, it has been manipulated by men into new traditions of their own invention. Today, many groups point to their "traditions of men" as being more important to follow than the codified scriptures that they confess as being the Word of God. The Catholic church has historically been very bad in this regard and resorted to persecuting those who chose to cling to the truth of the scriptures. We find this a particularly telling flaw in their thinking, because our Lord never used force at all in trying to bring man to salvation in Himself. He rebuked His disciples on more than one occasion for wanting to use force against people. He made Peter put away his sword and rebuked two others for wanting to call down fire from heaven on a village. Jesus reaches out to man in love and tells us that we will be recognized as His by our love for one another. Paganistic religions on the other hand, use violence to enforce their beliefs and will on others. As examples look at the Muslims, the Hindus, the early Catholic church with their Inquisition, the Romans, the Egyptians with their forms of emperor worship, etc. You should also know that two of the "early Apostolic Fathers" who condemned the heresy of Monarchial Modalism, Justin Maryter and Oriegen, had all of the writings they objected to burned so it is very hard today to understand exactly what that modalism really was. Several years later, both of these theologans were themselves declared heretics. I declare to you that the baptism of the Holy Ghost with the recipients speaking in tongues, and all the other Spiritual Gifts described by Paul in his epistles are being manifested in the Oneness Pentecostal Churches. Instead of sitting down with us and talking to us to find out what we really believe and teach, many who are already into their own religious denomination just want to stand back and call names. They forget .the Bible teaches that it is Jesus Christ Himself who baptizes in the Holy Ghost. Before the Holy Ghost was given to the first Gentiles, God warned Peter: Acts 10:15 "And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common." |
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3 | where does he ask that,baptized or not | Acts 2:38 | GStrecker | 7032 | ||
Dear Ray, Pentecostals do believe the Holy Spirit is a Person, just not a third person. God is a Spirit, and God is Holy. God's name is Jesus. The bible teaches that the Holy Spirit IS the Spirit of Christ. 1 Pet 1:10 Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: 1 Pet 1:11 Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. 1 Pet 1:12 Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into. Rom 8:9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. Rom 8:10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. Rom 8:11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. If you note, Peter and Paul use the terms "Holy Ghost", Spirit of Christ, Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead, etc. interchangibly. If you receive the infilling of the Holy Ghost, God has turned your body into His temple and God dwells in you, the Spirit of Christ Jesus. We chose to concentrate on and understand that we are speaking about One Supreme Being who has manifested Himself to mankind in several different ways, but was always the same God. The terms Father and Son are merely titles used to describe relationship. To my daughters, I am Father, but to my Mom and Dad, I was son. To my siblings, I am brother. How many persons am I? Just one! My name is Glen. The one you refer to as Father, Son and Holy Ghost is just One too, and His name is Jesus! |
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4 | where does he ask that,baptized or not | Acts 2:38 | GStrecker | 6716 | ||
Yes, it is true that one must recognize Jesus, accept His sacrifice and repent. This is the heart issue, otherwise baptism is nothing more than taking a bath. However we are also dealing with a faith issue here. It is easy for people to go around saying "Yes, I believe," but it is another thing entirely to put that belief into action. Someone can give me a check and I can believe that I have been given some money, but unless I deposit or cash the check it does me no good. God is asking believers to give Him more than mere lip service. He is asking for us to show Him that we love Him by obeying His command to baptize and to be baptized. It is an act of commitment and when we are baptized we let the world and the devil see by our actions that we have chosen to be publicly identified with the death, burial, and resurection of Jesus Christ. As I said in a previous message, there are most certainly exceptions to the rule and Jesus is merciful, but that doesn't mean we should throw out the rule and live by the exceptions. That crosses the line into disobedience and rebellion. God instituted the sacrament, Jesus commanded it in His own words. Should mere man thumb his nose at almighty God, Who holds our salvation in His hand, by telling Him that we don't accept His way of doing things and He will have to accept us on our terms? God will be the judge in the end. |
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5 | Baptism, Trinity, and Teachers? | Acts 2:38 | GStrecker | 6713 | ||
Dear Ray, Thanks for the welcome. The Bible never discussed infant baptism. It did stress dedication of infants to the Lord. The problem with infant baptism is one of the understanding and commitment of the person being baptized. While the Bible describes all as having a sin nature, because of Adam's fall, an infant has no personal sin yet. More importantly though is that the child is unable to make a conscious decision to repent and turn his life over to Christ. This is the major flaw with infant baptism. Paul told the Greeks of Athens, I believe that while God once winked at man's ignorance, that He now called upon all to repent. The Catholics added a second step or sacrament called Confirmation during which the child, now grown beyond the age of reason, is asked to decide for himself to follow Christ. During this ceremony, the local bishop would anoint the child's head with oil and lay hands on the child so as to "impart the Holy Spirit" to him. I was Catholic for 38 years, been there, done that, but never felt or experienced anything during that ceremony like I did upon receiving the baptism of the Holy Ghost after joining a Pentecostal Church. Since making that move, I have seen God's signs and wonders, I have witnessed spiritual gifts in operation including the Word of Knowledge, the Word of Wisdom, Discerning of Spirits, Miracles of Healing, the Gift of Tongues and Interpretation of Tongues and people moving in the Gift of Prophesy. (And, yes the prophesies came true.) The Apostle Paul related his experience after being confronted by Jesus on the road to Damascus. He testified in Acts 22 what Annanias told him: Acts 22:12 And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good report of all the Jews which dwelt there, Acts 22:13 Came unto me, and stood, and said unto me, Brother Saul, receive thy sight. And the same hour I looked up upon him. Acts 22:14 And he said, The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will, and see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth. Acts 22:15 For thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard. Acts 22:16 And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord. Cordially, Bro. Glen |
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6 | Matt 28:19 Words of Christ or not | Acts 2:38 | GStrecker | 6681 | ||
An answer I saw on this subject came from a Q and A post on the 700 Club's web site. The question was, "Is baptism in Jesus name valid?" Their minister answered, "Yes, because Paul states that in Jesus dwells the fullness of the Godhead bodily. (Col 2:9)" The argument comes down to the age old question of who exactly is Jesus Christ. Jesus declared that He was the Great I AM when He told the Pharasees "Before Abraham was, I am." My answer is that Jesus Christ is YHWH aka Yahweh or Jehovah God of the Old Testament manifested in human flesh. The name Jesus is Yehoshua in Hebrew, shortened to Y'shua by the Jews in order to avoid misuse of the divine name of God represented in the first sylible of His name. It is literally one of the many compound "Names of God" found in the Scripture such as Jehovah Girah (The Lord that Provides) or Jehovah Nissi (The Lord our banner). Translated it means "Jehovah has become our salvation" or "Jehovah the Saviour". Jesus literally came in His Father's name. In Isaiah God said through the prophet, "Isa 43:11 I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour. Isa 43:12 I have declared, and have saved, and I have showed, when there was no strange god among you: therefore ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, that I am God." When Isaiah prophesied the birth of Jesus, he identified who the son really would be. In one scripture he stated that his name would be called Emmanuel, translated God with us. In another verse he went further: Isa 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Can you see that Isaiah is saying that Jesus IS the mighty God and the Everlasting FATHER? Remember there is only one God. Jesus is not a separate God but an intergral part of the whole. In Matthew 28:19 we have 3 prepositional phrases modifying the singular noun "name". The command says to baptize in the NAME (a singular name)of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. The Father's name is not "Father", and we know that the Son's name is Jesus. God is a Spirit that is Holy, hense Holy Spirit, not a separate entity or person. The Hebrew name Yehoshua incorporates the name Yahweh and is literally one of the compound names of God given in scripture. This is why the NAME Jesus qualifies as the singular name to be used in baptism. This is why the Apostles used only the saving name of Jesus when they baptized. They were not being a bunch of rebellious fishermen who were ignoring Jesus the moment He returned to heaven. Jesus spent 40 days with them after His resurection expanding their understanding of scripture. They knew and understood without a doubt who Jesus is. Thomas called Him, "My Lord and my God." They declared that Jesus is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Lord (Adoni) was a substitute word used by the Jews whenever they read the YHWH tetramagration that represented the personal name of God. Jesus is the name above every other name and at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is LORD. As to the thief on the cross, Jesus said that while he was on the earth He had the power to forgive sins. The thief on the cross confessed and repented and went directly to Jesus and called upon Him for forgiveness. Jesus granted it. The New Testament was not yet given because Jesus had not yet died. There were many Old Testament saints who died before God sent John the Baptist and they were certainly not all lost. Did you know that the Jews practiced a form of ritual baptism in their temple worship? Since the thief on the cross was a Jew, he must have at some point in his life participated in the Jewish ceremonial bath of cleansing. It could also be argued that the thief is an exception to the rule allowed by Jesus in His mercy. As with most exception to rules, they are allowed only in extreme circumstances, but under normal circumstances you should not make the exception the rule. Here is an extreme example. I used to be a firefighter. If I was responding to a fire alarm I was allowed to break certain traffic laws. I could exceed the normal speed limits under certain circumstances, I could drive on the wrong side of the road or down the middle of the road to bypass other traffic, I could even drive the wrong way up a one way street in order to position my fire engine to fight the fire. Under normal circumstances if I tried to do any of those things without my big red truck, with lights and sirens going, the cops would take me to jail. A refusal to obey God when you have been given chance after chance to believe and obey is going to be taken into account when He asks why someone did not get baptized. |
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7 | Baptism, Trinity, and Teachers? | Acts 2:38 | GStrecker | 6672 | ||
If you believe the Word and Jesus' teachings on the subject, baptism is not optional. It is a command to be obeyed and an act of faith to prove that you truly believe. Consider the following from Paul to the Thessilonians 2 Th 1:6 Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you; 2 Th 1:7 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, 2 Th 1:8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: 2 Th 1:9 Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; Peter talked about it too: 1 Pet 4:17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? In short, Jesus made a way but to get there we must obey and do it God's way. Remember Prov 16:25 There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. I have grown to understand that in order to see the whole thought or doctrine of God on a topic one must study that thought throughout the pages of Scripture. Once you find everything on the topic and correct your thoughts to remove what you may think are contradictions, you will arrive at the truth. Consider this: Isa 28:10 For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little: Isa 28:11 For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people. Isa 28:12 To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear. Isa 28:13 But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken. |
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8 | Pre-Forum thinking? | Acts 2:38 | GStrecker | 6668 | ||
Dear Charis, Baptism, the passing through the waters, is a very strongly emphasized doctrine in the scriptures and is ordained of God. Note the following: 1. God condemned the world through the use of a flood, saving only Noah and his family through the water. 2. God brought the children of Israel through the waters of the Red Sea and then condemned and drowned the following Egyptians (symbolic of the world order). 3. God brought the Israelites who had not disobeyed Him in the wilderness through the waters of the Jordan River into the promised land. 4. God sent John the Baptist to preach repentance and baptism for the remission of sins. 5. Jesus declared to Nicodemus that you must be born of the water (baptism) and the Spirit (infilling of the Holy Spirit) in order to see the kingdom of God. 6. Jesus and His disciples practiced baptism of converts before His death. 7. Jesus stated in Mark 16:15-16 "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, but he that believeth not shall be damned." 8. After being filled with the Holy Ghost at Pentecost, Peter restates Jesus' doctrine outlined to Nicodemus by telling the Jews who asked, "What must we do," to "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." Do you see a pattern beginning to form??? Read the book of Acts and see the Apostles baptizing everywhere they went in Jesus name and laying hands on people for them to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. |
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9 | Baptism, Trinity, and Teachers? | Acts 2:38 | GStrecker | 6666 | ||
Jesus said in Mark 16: 15-16, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, but he that believeth not shall be damned." This is strong language from the Lord Himself. Why did he say this? In Chapter 3 of John's Gospel Jesus tells Nicodemus that in order to see the kingdom of God, one must be born again. Jesus gives further details, "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." (John 3:5) After concluding the discussion and to further clarify His position Jesus and His disciples begin to baptize people, "John 3:22 After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judaea; and there he tarried with them, and baptized. John 3:23 And John also was baptizing in Aenon near to Salim, because there was much water there: and they came, and were baptized. John 3:24 For John was not yet cast into prison. John 3:25 Then there arose a question between some of John's disciples and the Jews about purifying. John 3:26 And they came unto John, and said unto him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him." Much confusion comes when people do not rightly divide the words of scripture. Many people teach that Paul did not teach on baptism and that baptism is no longer necessary. They point to Paul's Epistles as proof, but forget that Paul was writing to churches of saints that he established by baptizing the initial members throughout the book of Acts. Paul does not emphasize baptism so much because he has already demonstrated the need to be baptized to them. The reason baptism administered in Jesus name makes infinite sence when we listen to Peter's explaination, "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." (Acts 4:12) |
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10 | Jesus' name baptism? | Acts 2:38 | GStrecker | 6663 | ||
Matthew 28:19 stands alone in scripture in its language. In all other places in scripture where it describes the carrying out of Jesus' command, we see it administer "in the name of Jesus Christ" or some variation, but always with the saving name of Jesus being mentioned. Moreover, the historical administration of baptism "in Jesus name" is well documented outside of the Bible in early church documents. Several Catholic popes are even documented as accepting baptism administered in the name of Jesus only to be a valid baptism. The formula was not officially changed until the Council of Nicea sometime around 325 A.D. If you would like to see more information on this subject, I invite you to visit our website at: http://www.pentecostalsonline.org and take a look at some of our articles and Bible Studies on the Articles page. |
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