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NASB | Acts 2:38 Peter said to them, "Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Acts 2:38 And Peter said to them, "Repent [change your old way of thinking, turn from your sinful ways, accept and follow Jesus as the Messiah] and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ because of the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. |
Subject: Which church to get baptized in? |
Bible Note: The more we read His Word the better our relationship becomes. A note on Acts 2:38 - Peter is answering the question of what the people should do Now that they Believe. Read the verses that lead up to it and it isn't so misleading. It is definitely true that Jesus is our only way to salvation, but we are also instructed to be baptized. We Believe, then we Repent of our sins, Confess Jesus is the Christ, and get Baptised. When we go down into the water we are dying to our old self (our old life of sin) and come up again as Jesus did when he rose from the dead. So we start a new life In Christ. And that is just the beginning! We continue to repent of sins the rest of our lives, but thats ok as long as we are truly repentant. As for the baptism: Not all churches can do an immersion baptism, and I actually don't know of any Methodist around me that do. So if that ends up being what you believe in you may need to go somewhere else to get baptized. I did. And with my Methodist Pastor's blessing too. He didn't mind at all that I would go somewhere else to be baptized and then return to attend at his church. Convictions are very personal things and we are to follow the Holy Spirit and do what we believe he is asking us to do. Do check Scripture, He will never ask us to do anything that is against God. Only Satan will try to deceive us that way. Just be careful, when I was researching it for myself there were some churches that if they baptized you, they automatically made you a member and that may not be for you if you intend to continue going to the same church you are now. But there are churches that believe that baptism is between you and God and that denominational membership is separate, I found one and was baptized in a lake and it was a wonderful experience that I'll never forget. By the way check out Psalm 119 it's long but beautiful. And remember, you don't have to read the whole Bible in order like a novel although you may want to at some point. But the first time through I'd recommend reading through the NT to get a better understanding of Jesus and the example He has left for us to follow. PS: I attended a United Methodist Church in the US for years and the only members who voted were the church council members. So don't worry about the voting just concentrate on your new relationship with God. If you decide to become a member and join the council later Great. Sorry for being so long winded! God Bless |