October 22, 2025 • 27 mins
Ever feel like modern Christianity is a buffet—plenty of options, little clarity on what truly matters? We step back from the noise and follow a trail the apostles left in plain sight, moving from belief to obedience with the Book of Acts as our map. Instead of debating labels and church traditions, we ask what Peter and Paul actually expected when they warned about not obeying the gospel, and we test our assumptions against the first-century church.
We begin with a clear definition of the gospel and a harder question: what does obeying that gospel look like? From Jerusalem to Samaria to the uttermost parts of the world, four scenes show a single, consistent response: repentance, water baptism in the name of Jesus Christ, and receiving the Holy Spirit. In Acts 2, Peter’s answer to “What shall we do?” is direct and practical. In Acts 8, Samaritans believe, are baptized, and receive the Spirit through the apostles’ hands. In Acts 10, the Spirit falls on Cornelius’ household before baptism, proving God welcomes the Gentiles—and Peter immediately commands water baptism. In Acts 19, Paul meets sincere "apparent" disciples, re-baptizes them in Jesus’ name, and lays his hands on them to receive the Spirit. Different places, cultures, and sequences—but one common obedience to the gospel of the kingdom.
Along the way, we confront how well-meant advice and inherited customs can drift from Scripture. We offer simple questions that cut through confusion: Did you receive the Holy Spirit? Into what were you baptized? The goal is not to win an argument; it is to recover unity around the doctrine of the apostles and invite honest, Scripture-first obedience.
If you’ve questioned why there are over 45,000 denominations, hopefully this podcast will simplify why it is so and why it was not meant to be.
"Message Our Father's Heart a Question or Response"
Thank you so much for listening and sharing with others!
We would very much appreciate you continuing to FOLLOW, SUBSCRIBE, and LIKE us through any of the following platforms:
Substack: https://ourfathersheart.substack.com/
Website: ourfathersheart.org
Podcast: https://ourfathersheart.buzzsprout.com/share
Twitter: https://twitter.com/@ofathersheart
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ofathersheart
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ourfathersheart
May God bless you and make you prosperous in Him as you listen and obey His voice!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
j - Jesus M. Ruiz (00:03):
The vision received was that of blood cells
traveling throughout the body,supplying the much-needed oxygen
and other nutrients to thediffering members of the body to
fulfill their purpose.
Once the blood cells are spent,they must return back to the
heart to be refilled beforebeing sent out again and fulfill
their purpose.
Hello everyone.
(00:28):
I wanted to take a moment toshare some thoughts that have
been developing in my mind sinceprobably the year 2010.
And over time I've kind ofupdated the thoughts of as
things have changed, but I justfelt like I wanted to put this
(00:51):
in this platform and send it outand see what the Lord would do
with it.
So it's concerning what I'vetermed the buffet of
Christianity.
When I look upon the religiousworld of Christianity today, I
(01:14):
can't help but be reminded of abuffet.
If you've ever eaten in abuffet, there's a smorgasborg of
choices for your meal.
In Christianity today, thereare your Methodists and your
Lutherans and your Baptist andyour Seven-day Adventists and
your Presbyterians.
And then over there you haveyour Catholics and your
(01:37):
Anglicans and your Orthodox, andon the other side over there,
you have your charismatics andyour Pentecostals, and over
yonder you have your Mormons andyour Jehovah's Witness.
And there's so many choices.
And actually, and as I said, asit developed over time, um,
(01:58):
according to research, in about2010, in the in the mid-2000s,
there was, according toresearch, 35,000 different
Christian denominations.
Today, according to research,there are 45,000 different
Christian denominations in theworld today.
(02:21):
And I sit back, as I did backthen, and I still do it now, and
I think, how did it come tothis?
I mean, I know the answer.
I I asked it many years ago,and I started understanding it
over, I'd say, the last 15years.
You know, but it it's it came,the answer came as I study the
(02:46):
word.
I looked into the history ofcivilizations, and it's it's
become quite apparent to me thatin the beginning it was not so.
In the beginning there was onlyone faith, one baptism, one
spirit, one Lord, one God, andFather of all creation.
(03:07):
That's straight from Ephesianschapter 4, verses 4 through 6.
There's also only one gospel.
In the beginning, there wasonly one gospel of the kingdom.
We can read that in Matthewchapter 4, 23, chapter 9, 35,
(03:28):
24, 14.
You can go into another gospelof Mark, see that in chapter 1,
verses 14 and 15.
That gospel was first preachedby a Jewish man named John the
Baptist, as he prepared the wayfor the Lord.
When he was put into prison,the man Jesus Christ, his
(03:52):
cousin, continued to preach thegospel of the kingdom and
fulfill it.
Is that Paul and Peter, inseparate letters, spoke of this
gospel of the kingdom, and theydescribed it as having some
(04:15):
severe consequences orramifications.
So let me share with you whatPeter said.
He said in 1 Peter chapter 4,verse 17, for the time has come
that judgment must begin at thehouse of God.
And if it first begin at us,what shall the end be of them
(04:37):
that obey not the gospel of God?
Peter said that judgment willbegin in the house of God.
And if God will be that severewith his own people, what will
the end be for those who do notobey the gospel of God?
Now I'm going to go over toPaul's account, and you can see
(05:01):
it's the same principle, it'sthe same sentiments, and he
writes to the Thessalonians in 2Thessalonians chapter 1, verse
8, in flaming fire, takingvengeance on them that know not
God, and that obey not thegospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
(05:22):
The messages of both apostlesare virtually the same.
They both agree that there arevery dire ramifications awaiting
those who do not obey thegospel of God.
Now, virtually, most all ofChristianity believes the
gospel.
But we need to define thegospel.
(05:43):
And Paul states what the gospelis simply in 1 Corinthians 15,
verses 3 and 4.
He says, How that Christ diedfor our sins according to the
scriptures, and that he wasburied, and that he rose again
the third day, according to thescriptures.
Well, if virtually allChristianity believes that
(06:06):
gospel, then what's the problem?
Some of you might ask.
Well, think of the question: how does this explain all of the (06:09):
undefined
various sects and denominationsthat make up Christianity
today?
If all the all of Christianitybelieves that gospel, the
(06:30):
problem and the root of all ofthis division is the differences
in how one obeys the gospel.
Some obey the gospel accordingto their own individual beliefs
and opinions.
Some obey according to theirdenominational affiliations.
(06:51):
But there are very few thatobey and believe on him as the
scripture has said.
And that's quoted from Johnchapter 7, verse 38.
Now, for me, after reading whatPeter and Paul wrote in the
scriptures about not obeying thegospel, I came to realize two
(07:15):
things.
Or I came to be confronted orchallenged with two things.
Number one, I need to know whatthat gospel is.
And number two, I need tofigure out how to obey it.
Finding out the gospel was theeasy part.
But because of 2,000 years ofheretical teachings and the
(07:39):
development of different populardenominations, finding out how
to obey was much more difficult.
And when I think about it, if Iwould have just kept my nose in
the word, I would have foundthe answer much more quickly.
So let's consider Matthewchapter 7, verses 7 through 8.
(08:00):
Ask and it will be given toyou.
Seek and you will find.
Knock, and it will be opened toyou.
For everyone who asks receives,and he who seeks finds, and to
him who knocks, it will beopened.
Sometimes the problem for us isthat it's easier to listen to
(08:26):
well-meaning andwell-intentioned individuals,
rather than study for oneself tofind out the truth.
The problem is well-meaning andwell-intentioned individuals,
though extremely sincere intheir message, can be sincerely
wrong.
And listening to sincerelywrong individuals is not going
(08:51):
to be an excuse on the day ofjudgment for not obeying the
gospel.
Now, over the last decade ormore, I figured if I'm willing
to spend all these years ofeducation in grade school, high
school, college, andpostgraduate school to earn my
(09:14):
diplomas, I really have noexcuse why I can't search for
the truth myself in thescriptures.
Looking outside the truth forthe truth is inexcusable.
Now, having shared all this,I've come to realize that the
most neglected book in theBible, at least as far as my
(09:34):
experience is concerned,actually had the answer of how
does one obey the gospel?
That book is the book of Acts.
In Acts, there are explicit andunambiguous examples of how the
first century church, the earlychurch, obeyed the gospel.
And now, after all of theseyears and having searched
(09:57):
thoroughly, I've come to findout that the book of Acts is the
only book in the Bible that hasthe examples of the obedience
needed toward the gospel forsalvation.
I could share a lot throughActs.
I've taught on a walkthroughActs before, but this is an
(10:18):
abbreviated version.
So I'm only going to share fourexamples.
I call them witnesses.
In the book of Acts, showinghow the early church, disciples,
Christians, believers in thefirst century, how they obeyed
the gospel of the kingdom.
Starting in Acts chapter 2, the120 had received the promise of
(10:41):
the Father, the blessing ofAbraham, the gift of God, the
Holy Ghost.
They began to speak in tonguesas the Holy Ghost gave
utterance.
And many of the traveling Jewscoming from abroad who lived in
other areas and regionssurrounding Israel.
They didn't live in Israel,they lived in, you know, in
(11:03):
Ephesus and Corinth and all ofthese other places around the
known world at the time.
They came to Jerusalem tocelebrate Pentecost.
And they were astonishedbecause they heard them speak in
their own language from wherethey came from abroad.
And that that that totallybewildered them.
(11:24):
They were befuddled.
They just said, like, how isthat happening?
Who were these?
They didn't understand howlocal Jews in Jerusalem knew
their own language.
And then at some point, they'vebeen, they, they, they were
even accused of being drunk.
And this is when Peter, full ofthe Holy Spirit, spoke up and
(11:44):
he declared the gospel of thekingdom under the banner of the
new covenant.
And in a nutshell, you can readthis all in Acts chapter 2.
He preached that Jesus Christwas the Messiah, he was the
Christ, he was crucified fortheir sins, and yet he rose
again on the third day.
And he has been made both Lordand Christ.
And if you look at all thethings that Peter said, it's
(12:07):
it's virtually a little bit moreelaborate record of what Paul
spoke of in 1 Corinthians 15, 3and 4, which was very tight,
concise, in a nutshell.
The gospel that Jesus Christdied for your sins and he was
buried and he rose again on thethird day.
So when the listeners thatheard Peter's words heard what
(12:30):
he said, knowing that these arethe same Jews that came to
celebrate the feast, and thesewere the same Jews that 50 days
earlier came for the feast ofPassover and unleavened bread,
where when Jesus was uhcrucified, and they were more
than likely the same people thatwere that were crying out to
(12:51):
him, crucify him as thePharisees were egging them on.
When they heard Peter's words,they were convicted and they
were pierced in their heartbecause they realized that they
themselves crucified the Lord ofglory.
This is the person that theywere expecting, they were
waiting for him.
(13:12):
And this was the gospel of thekingdom to the Jews.
So there's probably not a moreimportant question in all of the
Bible than when the Jews askedPeter and the apostles, Men and
brethren, what shall we do?
This was what they responded toPeter with.
(13:36):
Men and brethren, fellow Jewsspeaking to Peter and the rest
of the apostles and the rest ofthe disciples that were there,
what do we do?
So 2,000 years ago, this iswhat Peter answered.
He answered this question, hewas very unambiguous, he just
(13:57):
simply plainly declared to themthat they needed to respond to
this gospel, this message thatthey just heard, by repenting,
being baptized in the name ofJesus for the forgiveness of
their sins, and receive the giftof the Holy Ghost.
That's Acts chapter 2 (14:14):
38.
It's very simple, it's a veryclear commandment that was
given.
Why can we not make that samestatement to others today?
Why don't we hear all of thesediffering denominations and
(14:39):
organizations simply repeat whatPeter said?
Why is there so much divisionin Christianity?
Because they all tell theirlisteners, their congregants, to
obey the gospel differentlyfrom one another.
More importantly, differentlyfrom what the apostles of Jesus
(15:05):
Christ commanded and expected inthe first century.
The next witness I want tobring before you can be found in
Acts chapter 8.
If you remember, Philip theEvangelist went to minister the
gospel of the kingdom to thehalf Jews, the Samaritans, and
(15:26):
then the Samaritans believed thegospel that he preached to
them.
The same gospel Peter declaredon the day of Pentecost, and
they repented, and they werebaptized in the name of Jesus
Christ.
And when the apostles inJerusalem heard what was
transpiring in Samaria, theysent Peter and John because they
had yet to receive the HolyGhost.
(15:49):
That's specifically what isrecorded as the reason why they
went to the Samaritans.
And when they arrived there,they prayed, they laid hands on
them, and they received the HolyGhost, just as 3,000, about
3,000 others did on the day ofPentecost.
(16:12):
The same gospel of the kingdomresulted in the same response of
obedience to the gospel.
My third witness is from Actschapter 10.
Peter is sent to the house of aGentile, a Roman centurion
named Cornelius, and Peterbegins to declare the gospel of
(16:35):
the kingdom to his house.
And before Peter can evenfinish just talking about Jesus,
Jesus displays his stamp ofapproval on Cornelius and his
household, the Gentilehousehold, by baptizing them in
the Holy Ghost while Peter'sspeaking.
(16:56):
And there were some Jews thattraveled with Peter to
Cornelius' house, and they weretaken aback by this.
They were befuddled at this.
They were astounded becausethey realized that these quote
(17:17):
unclean, quote, Gentiles hadbeen granted repentance unto
life.
How did they know this?
Because they witnessed theGentiles, the unclean, received
the gift of the Holy Spirit.
How did they know this?
(17:38):
Because it says the Gentilesspoke in tongues, just as the
apostles, just as the Jews didon the day of Pentecost,
approximately 10 years earlier.
I'm paraphrasing.
You could read this yourself inActs chapter 10.
It ends right around the versesof 40, something, something in
(18:00):
the 40 range, and that's whatyou see.
How did they know that theyreceived the gift of the
Holy Spirit?
Because they spoke in tonguesjust as well as we did.
I mean, Peter was evensurprised at this whole turn of
events.
And he he doesn't dare toquibble with the Lord Jesus over
(18:22):
what he so adamantly expressedby baptizing them in the Holy
Spirit while Peter was speaking.
He just interrupted Peter andsaid, Okay, I'm gonna, I'm I'm
gonna I'm gonna make sure thatthere's no question that I have
officially accepted the Gentilesinto this covenant that I
(18:42):
establish with your fathers.
So Peter, understanding allthis in the moment, says, Well,
who are we?
That we should forbid them tobe baptized in water.
And straightway, immediately,he baptized Cornelius and his
household in the name of theLord Jesus.
(19:04):
The same gospel of the kingdomresults in the same response of
obedience to the gospel.
The last witness I want toshare with you was from Acts
chapter 19.
And there are many people thatare in quote-unquote
Christianity today that believethat since their parents or
(19:26):
their grandparents or theirclose family relatives or
Christians, they just kind ofget this false sense of security
that they're surrounded by somany Christians, and they try to
walk, you know, whatever it isthat they're talking and
walking, and they themselvesmust be all right too.
(19:47):
And they lay their foundationon and they put their trust on
things that are outside theword.
Yet for those who believe thatthere is no need to ever be
re-baptized, you know, if theywere baptized previously as an
infant, or maybe they weresprinkled upon, or maybe they
were baptized in another nameother than the name of Jesus,
(20:09):
which is only the only way thedisciples, the apostles of the
first century ever baptized orwere baptized into, it was
always in the name of Jesus.
You may want to consider thisparticular account in Acts
chapter 19.
So Paul is walking around thecountryside and he meets some
(20:30):
what I what I term some apparentdisciples.
And Paul's treatment of theseapparent disciples may shed some
light on their present stateand situation and maybe your
present state and situation.
So he's talking with them for alittle bit.
(20:52):
It doesn't, you know, give youa blow-by-bow uh conversation uh
of what took place, butsomehow, all of a sudden, Paul
just stops and says, Wait, didyou receive the Holy Spirit when
you believed?
(21:12):
That was his question to them.
This is in the first, I'd say,four to six verses of Acts
chapter 19.
And and the apparent disciplesresponded, they didn't know what
he was talking about.
Hmm.
So Paul then says, Well, okay,he he asked them another
(21:34):
question.
And these two questions are socritical, so important for you
to note, because if we allrevere Paul the Apostle, having
written two-thirds of the NewTestament, and we esteem him so
highly as a faithful uh ministerof the Lord Jesus, bondservant
(21:58):
of the Lord, apostle to theGentiles, we should take note of
these two questions.
He first asked, Did you receivethe Holy Spirit when you
believed?
They didn't have any idea whathe was talking about.
And so he responds and he hefollows up with this question.
He says, Well, wait a second.
Well, what were you baptizedinto?
Because for Paul and Paul'smind, and if you're disciples of
(22:20):
Jesus Christ, you know thesethings, you know the answers to
these questions.
So it befuddled them that theydidn't know and understand what
the Holy Spirit was.
So then he asked them somethingeven more basic.
So then what were you baptizedinto?
And they said, they responded,Well, we're baptized into John's
baptism.
And right there, Paul, in hismind, it clicked.
(22:43):
Uh, he realizes these wereconverts of John the Baptist.
John the Baptist had his ownfollowers, and they followed
him, and they may have missedhis important message about he
who comes after me is mightierthan I, whose shoes and I am not
worthy to loose and tie.
He's gonna baptize with theHoly Ghost and fire.
(23:04):
But these disciples must havemissed that because they didn't
understand anything about theHoly Spirit, and they definitely
weren't disciples of JesusChrist.
So for Paul, we see it was notonly important, but it was also
very necessary to be baptized inthe Holy Spirit and to be
baptized in the water in thename of Jesus Christ.
(23:27):
So Paul then declares to themthat indeed John the Baptist did
have a baptism of repentance.
He didn't correct it, hedidn't, you know, say that there
was something wrong with that,he just continued that because
we know that Jesus continued theministry of John the Baptist.
But he says, Paul says, even hespoke of one that would come
(23:49):
after him, that they shouldbelieve on Christ Jesus.
So Paul then takes them intothe water, he baptizes them in
the name of the Lord Jesus, helays his hands on them, and they
receive the gift of the HolySpirit.
How, how, how did they know?
(24:10):
Oh, it was evidenced by themspeaking in tongues.
Once again, the same gospel ofthe kingdom is given to all,
regardless of culture,regardless of ethnicity,
regardless of color, the sameresponse of obedience was
necessary from all people in theknown world at that time.
(24:34):
And for in in their uh in theirday, it was Jews, it was the
half Jews, and then everyoneelse.
And that word was Gentiles.
But it also applied, if youthink about it, to these
apparent disciples, and theseapparent disciples represent
(24:58):
those walking in the ignoranceof their own beliefs.
And some of us fall into thatcategory.
We're walking in the ignoranceof our own beliefs, even though
we believe I'm already in, I'malready okay.
But it wasn't for theseapparent disciples, and
(25:19):
something needed to be done, andPaul did it.
Somewhere we all fall intothese categories.
We're a Jew, half Jew, full-onGentile, or any one of these
three, and still walking in theignorance of our own beliefs.
This one gospel of the kingdomhas opened up the doors of
(25:43):
heaven to all people who willbelieve on him as the scriptures
says.
Again, John 7 38.
He who believes on me as thescriptures have said to those
who obey the gospel.
(26:03):
So the question now is have youobeyed the gospel as the
scriptures have said?
Don't let another moment go bywithout addressing this.
Because today is the day ofsalvation.
(26:24):
If you were blessed andappreciate listening to this
podcast and you would like tosupport us in our efforts,
consider lifting us up in prayerfirst.
Then remember these four socialmedia buzzwords.
Share, like, subscribe, orfollow.
Share this podcast link withsomeone else by text, email, or
word of mouth in the hopes thatthey might be uplifted as you
(26:46):
were.
Like by leaving a positiverating or review with whomever
you listen to our podcast with.
Subscribe to support the showmonetarily with the link in our
podcast description.
Follow us on all our socialmedia platforms.
May God bless you and make youprosperous as you listen and
obey his voice.
The vision received was that of blood cells
traveling throughout the body,supplying the much-needed oxygen
and other nutrients to thediffering members of the body to
fulfill their purpose.
Once the blood cells are spent,they must return back to the
heart to be refilled beforebeing sent out again and fulfill
their purpose.
Hello everyone.
(00:28):
I wanted to take a moment toshare some thoughts that have
been developing in my mind sinceprobably the year 2010.
And over time I've kind ofupdated the thoughts of as
things have changed, but I justfelt like I wanted to put this
(00:51):
in this platform and send it outand see what the Lord would do
with it.
So it's concerning what I'vetermed the buffet of
Christianity.
When I look upon the religiousworld of Christianity today, I
(01:14):
can't help but be reminded of abuffet.
If you've ever eaten in abuffet, there's a smorgasborg of
choices for your meal.
In Christianity today, thereare your Methodists and your
Lutherans and your Baptist andyour Seven-day Adventists and
your Presbyterians.
And then over there you haveyour Catholics and your
(01:37):
Anglicans and your Orthodox, andon the other side over there,
you have your charismatics andyour Pentecostals, and over
yonder you have your Mormons andyour Jehovah's Witness.
And there's so many choices.
And actually, and as I said, asit developed over time, um,
(01:58):
according to research, in about2010, in the in the mid-2000s,
there was, according toresearch, 35,000 different
Christian denominations.
Today, according to research,there are 45,000 different
Christian denominations in theworld today.
(02:21):
And I sit back, as I did backthen, and I still do it now, and
I think, how did it come tothis?
I mean, I know the answer.
I I asked it many years ago,and I started understanding it
over, I'd say, the last 15years.
You know, but it it's it came,the answer came as I study the
(02:46):
word.
I looked into the history ofcivilizations, and it's it's
become quite apparent to me thatin the beginning it was not so.
In the beginning there was onlyone faith, one baptism, one
spirit, one Lord, one God, andFather of all creation.
(03:07):
That's straight from Ephesianschapter 4, verses 4 through 6.
There's also only one gospel.
In the beginning, there wasonly one gospel of the kingdom.
We can read that in Matthewchapter 4, 23, chapter 9, 35,
(03:28):
24, 14.
You can go into another gospelof Mark, see that in chapter 1,
verses 14 and 15.
That gospel was first preachedby a Jewish man named John the
Baptist, as he prepared the wayfor the Lord.
When he was put into prison,the man Jesus Christ, his
(03:52):
cousin, continued to preach thegospel of the kingdom and
fulfill it.
Is that Paul and Peter, inseparate letters, spoke of this
gospel of the kingdom, and theydescribed it as having some
(04:15):
severe consequences orramifications.
So let me share with you whatPeter said.
He said in 1 Peter chapter 4,verse 17, for the time has come
that judgment must begin at thehouse of God.
And if it first begin at us,what shall the end be of them
(04:37):
that obey not the gospel of God?
Peter said that judgment willbegin in the house of God.
And if God will be that severewith his own people, what will
the end be for those who do notobey the gospel of God?
Now I'm going to go over toPaul's account, and you can see
(05:01):
it's the same principle, it'sthe same sentiments, and he
writes to the Thessalonians in 2Thessalonians chapter 1, verse
8, in flaming fire, takingvengeance on them that know not
God, and that obey not thegospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
(05:22):
The messages of both apostlesare virtually the same.
They both agree that there arevery dire ramifications awaiting
those who do not obey thegospel of God.
Now, virtually, most all ofChristianity believes the
gospel.
But we need to define thegospel.
(05:43):
And Paul states what the gospelis simply in 1 Corinthians 15,
verses 3 and 4.
He says, How that Christ diedfor our sins according to the
scriptures, and that he wasburied, and that he rose again
the third day, according to thescriptures.
Well, if virtually allChristianity believes that
(06:06):
gospel, then what's the problem?
Some of you might ask.
Well, think of the question: how does this explain all of the (06:09):
undefined
various sects and denominationsthat make up Christianity
today?
If all the all of Christianitybelieves that gospel, the
(06:30):
problem and the root of all ofthis division is the differences
in how one obeys the gospel.
Some obey the gospel accordingto their own individual beliefs
and opinions.
Some obey according to theirdenominational affiliations.
(06:51):
But there are very few thatobey and believe on him as the
scripture has said.
And that's quoted from Johnchapter 7, verse 38.
Now, for me, after reading whatPeter and Paul wrote in the
scriptures about not obeying thegospel, I came to realize two
(07:15):
things.
Or I came to be confronted orchallenged with two things.
Number one, I need to know whatthat gospel is.
And number two, I need tofigure out how to obey it.
Finding out the gospel was theeasy part.
But because of 2,000 years ofheretical teachings and the
(07:39):
development of different populardenominations, finding out how
to obey was much more difficult.
And when I think about it, if Iwould have just kept my nose in
the word, I would have foundthe answer much more quickly.
So let's consider Matthewchapter 7, verses 7 through 8.
(08:00):
Ask and it will be given toyou.
Seek and you will find.
Knock, and it will be opened toyou.
For everyone who asks receives,and he who seeks finds, and to
him who knocks, it will beopened.
Sometimes the problem for us isthat it's easier to listen to
(08:26):
well-meaning andwell-intentioned individuals,
rather than study for oneself tofind out the truth.
The problem is well-meaning andwell-intentioned individuals,
though extremely sincere intheir message, can be sincerely
wrong.
And listening to sincerelywrong individuals is not going
(08:51):
to be an excuse on the day ofjudgment for not obeying the
gospel.
Now, over the last decade ormore, I figured if I'm willing
to spend all these years ofeducation in grade school, high
school, college, andpostgraduate school to earn my
(09:14):
diplomas, I really have noexcuse why I can't search for
the truth myself in thescriptures.
Looking outside the truth forthe truth is inexcusable.
Now, having shared all this,I've come to realize that the
most neglected book in theBible, at least as far as my
(09:34):
experience is concerned,actually had the answer of how
does one obey the gospel?
That book is the book of Acts.
In Acts, there are explicit andunambiguous examples of how the
first century church, the earlychurch, obeyed the gospel.
And now, after all of theseyears and having searched
(09:57):
thoroughly, I've come to findout that the book of Acts is the
only book in the Bible that hasthe examples of the obedience
needed toward the gospel forsalvation.
I could share a lot throughActs.
I've taught on a walkthroughActs before, but this is an
(10:18):
abbreviated version.
So I'm only going to share fourexamples.
I call them witnesses.
In the book of Acts, showinghow the early church, disciples,
Christians, believers in thefirst century, how they obeyed
the gospel of the kingdom.
Starting in Acts chapter 2, the120 had received the promise of
(10:41):
the Father, the blessing ofAbraham, the gift of God, the
Holy Ghost.
They began to speak in tonguesas the Holy Ghost gave
utterance.
And many of the traveling Jewscoming from abroad who lived in
other areas and regionssurrounding Israel.
They didn't live in Israel,they lived in, you know, in
(11:03):
Ephesus and Corinth and all ofthese other places around the
known world at the time.
They came to Jerusalem tocelebrate Pentecost.
And they were astonishedbecause they heard them speak in
their own language from wherethey came from abroad.
And that that that totallybewildered them.
(11:24):
They were befuddled.
They just said, like, how isthat happening?
Who were these?
They didn't understand howlocal Jews in Jerusalem knew
their own language.
And then at some point, they'vebeen, they, they, they were
even accused of being drunk.
And this is when Peter, full ofthe Holy Spirit, spoke up and
(11:44):
he declared the gospel of thekingdom under the banner of the
new covenant.
And in a nutshell, you can readthis all in Acts chapter 2.
He preached that Jesus Christwas the Messiah, he was the
Christ, he was crucified fortheir sins, and yet he rose
again on the third day.
And he has been made both Lordand Christ.
And if you look at all thethings that Peter said, it's
(12:07):
it's virtually a little bit moreelaborate record of what Paul
spoke of in 1 Corinthians 15, 3and 4, which was very tight,
concise, in a nutshell.
The gospel that Jesus Christdied for your sins and he was
buried and he rose again on thethird day.
So when the listeners thatheard Peter's words heard what
(12:30):
he said, knowing that these arethe same Jews that came to
celebrate the feast, and thesewere the same Jews that 50 days
earlier came for the feast ofPassover and unleavened bread,
where when Jesus was uhcrucified, and they were more
than likely the same people thatwere that were crying out to
(12:51):
him, crucify him as thePharisees were egging them on.
When they heard Peter's words,they were convicted and they
were pierced in their heartbecause they realized that they
themselves crucified the Lord ofglory.
This is the person that theywere expecting, they were
waiting for him.
(13:12):
And this was the gospel of thekingdom to the Jews.
So there's probably not a moreimportant question in all of the
Bible than when the Jews askedPeter and the apostles, Men and
brethren, what shall we do?
This was what they responded toPeter with.
(13:36):
Men and brethren, fellow Jewsspeaking to Peter and the rest
of the apostles and the rest ofthe disciples that were there,
what do we do?
So 2,000 years ago, this iswhat Peter answered.
He answered this question, hewas very unambiguous, he just
(13:57):
simply plainly declared to themthat they needed to respond to
this gospel, this message thatthey just heard, by repenting,
being baptized in the name ofJesus for the forgiveness of
their sins, and receive the giftof the Holy Ghost.
That's Acts chapter 2 (14:14):
38.
It's very simple, it's a veryclear commandment that was
given.
Why can we not make that samestatement to others today?
Why don't we hear all of thesediffering denominations and
(14:39):
organizations simply repeat whatPeter said?
Why is there so much divisionin Christianity?
Because they all tell theirlisteners, their congregants, to
obey the gospel differentlyfrom one another.
More importantly, differentlyfrom what the apostles of Jesus
(15:05):
Christ commanded and expected inthe first century.
The next witness I want tobring before you can be found in
Acts chapter 8.
If you remember, Philip theEvangelist went to minister the
gospel of the kingdom to thehalf Jews, the Samaritans, and
(15:26):
then the Samaritans believed thegospel that he preached to
them.
The same gospel Peter declaredon the day of Pentecost, and
they repented, and they werebaptized in the name of Jesus
Christ.
And when the apostles inJerusalem heard what was
transpiring in Samaria, theysent Peter and John because they
had yet to receive the HolyGhost.
(15:49):
That's specifically what isrecorded as the reason why they
went to the Samaritans.
And when they arrived there,they prayed, they laid hands on
them, and they received the HolyGhost, just as 3,000, about
3,000 others did on the day ofPentecost.
(16:12):
The same gospel of the kingdomresulted in the same response of
obedience to the gospel.
My third witness is from Actschapter 10.
Peter is sent to the house of aGentile, a Roman centurion
named Cornelius, and Peterbegins to declare the gospel of
(16:35):
the kingdom to his house.
And before Peter can evenfinish just talking about Jesus,
Jesus displays his stamp ofapproval on Cornelius and his
household, the Gentilehousehold, by baptizing them in
the Holy Ghost while Peter'sspeaking.
(16:56):
And there were some Jews thattraveled with Peter to
Cornelius' house, and they weretaken aback by this.
They were befuddled at this.
They were astounded becausethey realized that these quote
(17:17):
unclean, quote, Gentiles hadbeen granted repentance unto
life.
How did they know this?
Because they witnessed theGentiles, the unclean, received
the gift of the Holy Spirit.
How did they know this?
(17:38):
Because it says the Gentilesspoke in tongues, just as the
apostles, just as the Jews didon the day of Pentecost,
approximately 10 years earlier.
I'm paraphrasing.
You could read this yourself inActs chapter 10.
It ends right around the versesof 40, something, something in
(18:00):
the 40 range, and that's whatyou see.
How did they know that theyreceived the gift of the
Holy Spirit?
Because they spoke in tonguesjust as well as we did.
I mean, Peter was evensurprised at this whole turn of
events.
And he he doesn't dare toquibble with the Lord Jesus over
(18:22):
what he so adamantly expressedby baptizing them in the Holy
Spirit while Peter was speaking.
He just interrupted Peter andsaid, Okay, I'm gonna, I'm I'm
gonna I'm gonna make sure thatthere's no question that I have
officially accepted the Gentilesinto this covenant that I
(18:42):
establish with your fathers.
So Peter, understanding allthis in the moment, says, Well,
who are we?
That we should forbid them tobe baptized in water.
And straightway, immediately,he baptized Cornelius and his
household in the name of theLord Jesus.
(19:04):
The same gospel of the kingdomresults in the same response of
obedience to the gospel.
The last witness I want toshare with you was from Acts
chapter 19.
And there are many people thatare in quote-unquote
Christianity today that believethat since their parents or
(19:26):
their grandparents or theirclose family relatives or
Christians, they just kind ofget this false sense of security
that they're surrounded by somany Christians, and they try to
walk, you know, whatever it isthat they're talking and
walking, and they themselvesmust be all right too.
(19:47):
And they lay their foundationon and they put their trust on
things that are outside theword.
Yet for those who believe thatthere is no need to ever be
re-baptized, you know, if theywere baptized previously as an
infant, or maybe they weresprinkled upon, or maybe they
were baptized in another nameother than the name of Jesus,
(20:09):
which is only the only way thedisciples, the apostles of the
first century ever baptized orwere baptized into, it was
always in the name of Jesus.
You may want to consider thisparticular account in Acts
chapter 19.
So Paul is walking around thecountryside and he meets some
(20:30):
what I what I term some apparentdisciples.
And Paul's treatment of theseapparent disciples may shed some
light on their present stateand situation and maybe your
present state and situation.
So he's talking with them for alittle bit.
(20:52):
It doesn't, you know, give youa blow-by-bow uh conversation uh
of what took place, butsomehow, all of a sudden, Paul
just stops and says, Wait, didyou receive the Holy Spirit when
you believed?
(21:12):
That was his question to them.
This is in the first, I'd say,four to six verses of Acts
chapter 19.
And and the apparent disciplesresponded, they didn't know what
he was talking about.
Hmm.
So Paul then says, Well, okay,he he asked them another
(21:34):
question.
And these two questions are socritical, so important for you
to note, because if we allrevere Paul the Apostle, having
written two-thirds of the NewTestament, and we esteem him so
highly as a faithful uh ministerof the Lord Jesus, bondservant
(21:58):
of the Lord, apostle to theGentiles, we should take note of
these two questions.
He first asked, Did you receivethe Holy Spirit when you
believed?
They didn't have any idea whathe was talking about.
And so he responds and he hefollows up with this question.
He says, Well, wait a second.
Well, what were you baptizedinto?
Because for Paul and Paul'smind, and if you're disciples of
(22:20):
Jesus Christ, you know thesethings, you know the answers to
these questions.
So it befuddled them that theydidn't know and understand what
the Holy Spirit was.
So then he asked them somethingeven more basic.
So then what were you baptizedinto?
And they said, they responded,Well, we're baptized into John's
baptism.
And right there, Paul, in hismind, it clicked.
(22:43):
Uh, he realizes these wereconverts of John the Baptist.
John the Baptist had his ownfollowers, and they followed
him, and they may have missedhis important message about he
who comes after me is mightierthan I, whose shoes and I am not
worthy to loose and tie.
He's gonna baptize with theHoly Ghost and fire.
(23:04):
But these disciples must havemissed that because they didn't
understand anything about theHoly Spirit, and they definitely
weren't disciples of JesusChrist.
So for Paul, we see it was notonly important, but it was also
very necessary to be baptized inthe Holy Spirit and to be
baptized in the water in thename of Jesus Christ.
(23:27):
So Paul then declares to themthat indeed John the Baptist did
have a baptism of repentance.
He didn't correct it, hedidn't, you know, say that there
was something wrong with that,he just continued that because
we know that Jesus continued theministry of John the Baptist.
But he says, Paul says, even hespoke of one that would come
(23:49):
after him, that they shouldbelieve on Christ Jesus.
So Paul then takes them intothe water, he baptizes them in
the name of the Lord Jesus, helays his hands on them, and they
receive the gift of the HolySpirit.
How, how, how did they know?
(24:10):
Oh, it was evidenced by themspeaking in tongues.
Once again, the same gospel ofthe kingdom is given to all,
regardless of culture,regardless of ethnicity,
regardless of color, the sameresponse of obedience was
necessary from all people in theknown world at that time.
(24:34):
And for in in their uh in theirday, it was Jews, it was the
half Jews, and then everyoneelse.
And that word was Gentiles.
But it also applied, if youthink about it, to these
apparent disciples, and theseapparent disciples represent
(24:58):
those walking in the ignoranceof their own beliefs.
And some of us fall into thatcategory.
We're walking in the ignoranceof our own beliefs, even though
we believe I'm already in, I'malready okay.
But it wasn't for theseapparent disciples, and
(25:19):
something needed to be done, andPaul did it.
Somewhere we all fall intothese categories.
We're a Jew, half Jew, full-onGentile, or any one of these
three, and still walking in theignorance of our own beliefs.
This one gospel of the kingdomhas opened up the doors of
(25:43):
heaven to all people who willbelieve on him as the scriptures
says.
Again, John 7 38.
He who believes on me as thescriptures have said to those
who obey the gospel.
(26:03):
So the question now is have youobeyed the gospel as the
scriptures have said?
Don't let another moment go bywithout addressing this.
Because today is the day ofsalvation.
(26:24):
If you were blessed andappreciate listening to this
podcast and you would like tosupport us in our efforts,
consider lifting us up in prayerfirst.
Then remember these four socialmedia buzzwords.
Share, like, subscribe, orfollow.
Share this podcast link withsomeone else by text, email, or
word of mouth in the hopes thatthey might be uplifted as you
(26:46):
were.
Like by leaving a positiverating or review with whomever
you listen to our podcast with.
Subscribe to support the showmonetarily with the link in our
podcast description.
Follow us on all our socialmedia platforms.
May God bless you and make youprosperous as you listen and
obey his voice.
Popular Podcasts
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.