If you make one Christian a year, then the church will double in size each year!
Listen to how John the baptist drew a crowd it or could have caused church growth: let us analyze and discuss...
Like John the Baptist we prepare the way for the Lord to rule the hearts and minds of men...
Ever realize he had no microphone, preached in middle of no where and people were like I got to go see where this word is coming from? Scripture said he preached in the wilderness and all men came to him...he was not advertising he was warning, correcting, and instruction people in the way of the Lord...his message turn the hearts of the fathers back to God and the fathers hearts back to their children thus leading to Jesus to reconcile them...
The Apostles just preached Jesus like John did in the end of his day...they did not solve all their problems just the biggest one do you know my Jesus?
Two of their messages recorded resulted in 3000 and 5000 being converted, Acts 2 and Acts 3...both included God confirming their words with Holy Miracles...
Mark 16...
John 6:28-29 Interesting study on confirming...
Examples of God's word being rebelled against...
One of Paul's greatest sermon on Mars hill, resulted in none...
Jesus did not convert Judas?
who knows the heart but God?
We just live it, preach it and God is the sum...
An old study...
Nothing ruins the truth like stretching it.
Obedience to the commandments of God:
Luke 7:28, Jesus said, “for I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet that John the Baptist, but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he”
John the Baptist was a Jewish prophet sent to prepare the way of the Lord. How did he prepare the way of the Lord? His message that prepared the way of the Lord is told to us here in Mark 1:4, “John did baptize in the wilderness and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins”. John gave a new command to the Jews or Israel, which commanded all of Israel to repent and be baptized for the remission of sins. Jesus was a Jew and had to obey all the commands of God and would have sinned if He did not obey the command of God.
Why did Jesus get baptized even though He had never committed a sin?
Matt 3:13-17, “then comes Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him, but John forbade Him, saying, I have need to be baptized of you and yet you come to me? And Jesus answering said unto him, suffer it to be so now, for thus it becomes us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered Him, and Jesus when he was baptized went 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 a voice from Heaven saying, This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.”
So we see that Jesus was baptized for the remission of sins even though He had not sinned, not because He needed forgiveness, but because He had to obey the command of God in order not to sin. John knew He was sinless and did not want to baptize Him. But Jesus said they had to fulfil all righteousness. Meaning Jesus had to obey the command or else be considered a sinner. It is the obedience to the commands of God that saves and prevents sin.
There is another example of people obeying the commandment of baptism for the remission of sins, even though they had been cleansed to fulfill all righteousness.
In the record of Holy writ found in Acts 10, Peter was given a vision from God. It was a vision of all unclean animals, and was told in the vision to “Rise, Peter kill and eat, but Peter said, Not so Lord for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean. And the voice spoke unto him again the second time, What God has cleansed that call not you common”; Acts 10:13-15. Soon after Peter goes to Cornelius dwelling, and Peter refusing to be worshipped, began to teach the truth of Christ, perceiving “that God is not a respecter of persons but in every nation he that fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him” Acts 10:34-35. As Peter was giving the message of salvation, the Holy Spirit fell on Cornelius and those there and they began to speak in tongues the wonderful things of God. Then Peter who alone was told by Jesus, “blessed are you Simon son of Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed it unto you but my Father in Heaven and I say unto You that you are Peter and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it and I will give unto you(Peter) the keys to the kingdom of Heaven and whatsoever you bind on earth will be bound in Heaven and whatsoever you loose on earth will be loosed in Heaven.” Matt 16:17-19. I want you to see that before Peter told Cornelius anything else, that he had the power to loose any commands of God and the power to bind any commands of God. Peter though did not change the message of salvation given to the Jews first, for the Gentiles, which was “repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is unto you and to your children and to ALL that are a far off even as many as the Lord our God shall call” Acts 2:38-39. So Peter seeing that God had cleansed that which he thought was common, He spoke unto all those in Cornelius house, “can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Spirit as well as we? And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord…” Acts 10:47-48.
So I want you to see that obedience to the commands of God produce salvation. Jesus was baptized because He had did not want to sin by not obeying the commandment of God given through John the Baptist. I want you to see that even though God performed a miracle on Cornelius and his household, they too had to obey the same command of Peter to be baptized for the remission of sins. Peter did not loose the command of being baptized but commanded them the same as the Jews, Peter kept the same message of salvation the same for even as many as our Lord God shall call.
So for all of those that think we can be saved through a sinners prayer, “now we know that God does not hear sinners, but if any man be a worshiper of God and DOES his will him will He hear”; Notice you have to DO God’s will to be accepted by Him and not offer lip service through a prayer. Those that think God has two messages of salvation are nothing more than deceived, for it is written: “for God is not the Author of confusion, but of peace as in all the churches of the saints”. Peter had the Authority to change any commands from God but keep the original message of Salvation given to Jews first, the same as for the Gentiles.
Father help us and meet our souls’ deepest needs, in Jesus of Nazareth name may it be so.
As always ask Jesus of Nazareth to confirm this truth to you...
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