Acts 2:38

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On Wed, 27 May 1998 11:54:00 +0000 gdrost@mailserv.nbnet.nb.ca writes:


>I write:
>The only problem with this statement is that it doesn't always work 
>that way and in that order, God fills people with the Holy Ghost 
>before they are baptized, as He did to the Cornelius crowd.  So 
>baptism in Jesus Name is not a prerequisite to the gift of the Holy 
>Ghost as you state and as you say Acts 2:38 says.   God has no 
>particular order to do this.  Please explain to me how this can be?

Okay, brother, I'll explain it.  Lord help me because I'm trying to get
ready for vacation and I'm a little tired. ( We have a lap-top if the
shop gets it fixed in time.)

Acts:2:38 says if you repent and are baptized in Jesus' name ye SHALL
recieve the Holy Ghost.  In other words, it is a promise that God WILL
give if someone fills the prerequisite requirements.  It is not promised
if someone just repents but it can be given nonetheless.

All this talk of putting God in a box is nonsense. ( Please excuse my
bluntness.)

Let me tell you about myself.  I was raised Catholic.  At 15, I accepted
the Lord as my personal savior ( Aka, I repented.) because I wanted to
commit suicide and read that the Lord would help me.  I did all this from
a book.  I wanted to find another church but my mother would not let me. 
I backslid from my initial experience and partied for a year and 8
months.  I repented again in a lady's house and got baptized in the
titles in a charismatic church.  I recieved the real bonafide Holy Ghost
in her house.  I was convicted of things pertaining to holiness and my
husband and I took off to where we are now ( In the vivcinity anyways.). 
We started attending an apostolic church and were baptized in Jesus name.

I said all that to say this.  We cannot judge those who are without as to
where they are in their walk with God. ( Which many Apostolics are
plainly guilty of.)  But when it comes to whether they are saved or not I
feel strongly that it is scripturally plain.

It has been my experience that many (not all) people who have been raised
in the church look at the exclusiveness and hautiness of many and say "
I'm not going to be like that!" and start looking for answers.  This is
commendable. 

Really, I think putting God in a box comes in when we say he is not
capable of leading people to himself.  Where is faith?

We must give a certain sound or those without will not know what is
piped. (I Cor. 14:7)

God is also capable of leading people to the truth even if people are
judgemental and rude.  

It is my personal opinion ( maybe I'm wrong) that this issue is more over
judgementalism and meanness than the message. But I am concerned that
some would compromise the message in order to try to solve the problem. 
It is my stand that Acts 2:38 is the salvation message and there is none
else.

Those who are in charismatic churches, catholic, methodist and whatever
can be led to the truth if they are hungry.  Because they are charismatic
etc.does that mean they never had an experience? No.  Are they saved? By
what I can see in the scripture, no.
Are we infallible? No.  But to take what is obvious (at least to me) and
discard it is none other than ecumenism.  Some precious saints of God who
are very sincere may not come to the conclusions I do because of varied
reasons.  

In Jesus' name,

Sis. Yohnk
 


>gdrost@nbnet.nb.ca
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