Indgredients for a New Testament Church (Showing your Faith)

Ingredients for a New Testament Church (Showing your Faith) (Acts 2:41)

Matthew 5:13-16 “Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

When we get saved, it is our duty to work and serve the Lord.

- Faith without works is dead.

- Ephesians 2:10 “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

- The first commandment that every born-again believer should follow after being saved is to be baptized.

Matthew 28:18-19 “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” “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:”

(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.” )

- After believing what Peter had to say, (born again) they were immediately baptized.

The Misconception about Baptism (Acts 2:38)

Some of our church friends claim that water baptism is a necessity for salvation.

One verse that those would use to support baptismal regeneration is Mark 16:16 “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.”

We see two statements inside of this verse.

Those that are believed and baptized are saved.

Those that don’t believe will be damned.

Consider this example: "He that believeth and lives in Tennessee shall be saved, but he that believeth not shall be damned." This statement is strictly true; Tennesseans who believe in Jesus will be saved. However, to say that only those believers who live in Tennessee are saved is an illogical and false assumption. The statement does not say a believer must live in Tennessee in order to go to heaven. Similarly, Mark 16:16 does not say a believer must be baptized. The verse states a fact about baptized believers (they will be saved), but it says exactly nothing about believers who have not been baptized. There may be believers who do not dwell in Tennessee, yet they are still saved; and there may be believers who have not been baptized, yet they, too, are still saved. This verse clearly establishes that belief is required for salvation, but it does not prove or disprove the idea of baptism being a full requirement.

Water Baptism is a Work

Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

Titus 3:5 “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;”

Baptism includes you, another, and God. That’s two too many people. Salvation is an act of God, and him only!

Water Baptism is not for the Wicked

If baptism saved, all those before John the Baptist would be lost, because baptism started with John the Baptist.

If baptism saved, Jesus shouldn’t have been baptized.

If baptism saved, John the Baptist would’ve said “behold the water which take the away the sin of the world!”

John 1:28-34 “These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing. The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”

Acts 19:1-6 “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, 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. And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John’s baptism. 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. When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.”

They just got baptized in general. Not in any name, and not knowing of Christ. They knew of John’s baptism, but they didn’t know about the coming Messiah that would baptize with the Holy Ghost.

They believed in something, but not in Christ at the moment of John’s baptism, thus they were baptized after they believed that Christ had come.

Just because you repent doesn’t mean you believe. (quit cussing, drinking, fornicating, etc) But if you believe, you will repent.

Water Baptism is not for the Washing of Sins

John 4:1-2 “When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John, (Though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples,)”

1 Corinthians 1:14-17 “I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius; Lest any should say that I had baptized in mine own name. And I baptized also the household of Stephanas: besides, I know not whether I baptized any other. For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.”

Obviously baptism and the gospel are two totally different things.

Without the shedding of blood there is no remission. Water is not blood.

The Meaning of Baptism

To Show our Redeemer

John 1:25-27 “And they asked him, and said unto him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet? John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not; He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to unloose.”

John 1:29-34 “The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me. And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water. And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God.”

When Christ was baptized, He revealed Himself to Israel that He was the Son of God.

To Show Redemption

Acts 2:38 Tells us that baptism is for the remission of sins.

“For” is a reference to something that already happened.

The word “for” has many different uses in the English language.

In order to be.

because of.

with regard to.

(Example) Take two aspirin for your headache.

You do not take two aspirin in order to get your headache. You take two aspirin because you already have a headache.

If your sins have been remitted, be baptized!

Since you are saved and had your sins remitted, then you need to be baptized! You are showing to the world that you believe Jesus Christ has paid the penalty for your sins!

Philip told the Ethiopian Eunich that he wasn’t going to baptize him unless he believed on Jesus Christ.

Cornelius was first saved, received the Holy Ghost, and then was baptized.

An infant should not be baptized because it has no intellectual ability to believe the Gospel.

Matthew 3:11 “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:”

“unto” means “for”

Because you repented, John can Baptize you.

John was telling of the coming church, though he didn’t know it.

John 5:21-23 “For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will. For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.”

Christ has the power to save, but because He is holy and just, He has the power to send those that are unholy and lost to hell. (If you want to be saved, go to Christ. If you want to go to hell, reject Christ.) Baptism of the Holy Ghost/Baptism into hell. (Immersion)

To Show Righteousness

Matthew 3:13-17 “Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him. And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

If baptism saves, Jesus was a sinner and needed to be saved. Since Jesus came to fulfill all righteousness, it was just another commandment given to please His Father!

The Method for Beaming (Showing Light)

You Need a Source

Philippians 2:12-13 “Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.”

When you get saved, God indwells you and wants to work in you.

God works in you to get glory for Himself.

You Need to Surrender

Romans 12:1 “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”

A light is at the disposal of whoever is controlling it. If you decided not to work, you won’t shine. But if you let whoever is controlling you work in you, you’ll be able to shine.

You Need to Separate

Genesis 1:4 “And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.”

Romans 1:1 “Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,”

1 Peter 2:9 “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:”

Light and darkness cannot interact together. Darkness is the absence of light.

Plenty of Christians are trying not doing sinful things, but they are not trying to do righteous things.

There is a difference in being separated from and being separated unto!

Separation from is being isolated, separation unto is being in action!

Jesus was isolated from sin within Himself, but He was in action with sinners!

If you want to show your faith, let God take full control of you, in whatever way He wants to, and shine as bright as you can!