Christ's plan of Salvation

In today's society, we like convience. Fast food, credit cards, automatic, etc. But one place we can not afford to add water, stir, and bake is with our faith. The churches of this day and age make Christianity convenient for us. Their motto is found in John 3:16, "Whoever soever believes in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life." Now this is true. In order to having everlasting life, you must FIRST believe in Jesus Christ. However, salvation does not end there. That is where the Christian ideology of today takes a dangerous turn. "Blab it and grab it", is the new idea of Salvation. It is believed that by simply confessing your sins to the Lord, that you are saved. But this is not what the Bible tells us. Re-track up to John 3:5. Jesus says, "Verily Verily (in Greek, this translates to, "truthfully, truthfully") I say unto you, unless a man be born of water and spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of Heaven." This leaves no room for doubt. The Lord was not saying that this was a step we could do for extra credit. This is a commandment! He finishes with, "You should not be surprised at my saying you MUST be born again."

If Jesus said, "You must", then this is not just an option

When Jesus’s disciples confessed that they believed he was the Lord, they were not yet saved! They had simply made the confession that they knew who he was. According to today’s new and improved, "faith", even the devil himself can be saved. "Whoever believes in the Lord with all his heart shall be saved." Satan himself believes that the Christ is the Lord, (he believes even more then we do because he was an angel and he knows God’s power) and he trembles! Yet he still believes.

"What shall we do?" (Acts 2:37)

This is the plan of Salvation according to the word of God

Born again: Repentance, Baptism in water, Baptism in the Holy Ghost

Let's break down Acts 2:4 ....

• "Repent

• " - this is the prayer where you ask forgiveness for your sin
• "Be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ" - this for the remission of sins (the water part of John 3:5)
  [*]"And you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" - The spirit of the Lord that lives inside his followers (the spirit part of John 3:5)

Baptism

Praying for the Lord to come into your heart is just the first step. This is called repentance. The second step is baptism.

Mark 16:16, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved." (notice the, "shall be", meaning there is more)

Baptism is the physical act of washing your sins away.

Colossians 2:11 says, "Having been buried with him in baptism"

Baptism is the intial act of death. Just as Christ died on the cross, when are baptized, we are claiming death to our old nature.

How shall we be baptized?

In the name of Jesus: Many faiths baptize by titles..."The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost".... Yet, if you read the word of God, everyone in the Bible was baptized in the name of Jesus. Why? Because HE is our salvation. HE came to save the world of sin.

• "Repent and be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ." (for the forgiveness of your sins) (Acts 2:38)
• "And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ." (Acts 10:48)
  [*]"On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus." (Acts 19:5)

The Lord has three forms - God (the Father) Jesus (the son....flesh form) The Holy Spirit (the spirit of the Lord) but notice these are only titles. When you are talking to someone you don't address them as, "Father of so and so", or, "Son of so and so", you address them by their name. The same with Jesus.... Who was born? Jesus, Who died on a cross? Jesus, Who's blood was is that cleanses us and saves us? JESUS......

• "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under Heaven given to men by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12) And what is the name? That's right, Jesus!
• "Or do you know that all of those who were baptized into Jesus Christ, were baptized into his death" (Acts 6:3)

After we have completed step two, what shall we do?

"And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38)

Baptism of the Holy Spirit

The second part of being born again is the baptism of the Holy Spirt. What is the Holy Spirt? It's not the third person of the trinity, but it is the Spirt of God. Many people believe that the initial act of the Lord dying on the cross automatically gives us as believers, the Holy Spirit. However, this is not what scripture says.

Jesus told his disciples in Acts 1:4, "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days, you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."

The Holy Spirit is part of the new covenant. After the Lord came down to earth (as Jesus Christ) and died in flesh form, he gave us the promise of his Spirit to dwell inside of us.

• Jesus said, "I will ask the Father and he will give you a new counselor to be with you forever. The Spirit of Truth. The world cannot accept him because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you." (John 14:16)
  [*]"But the counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in MY NAME, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you." (John 14:25)
• "When the counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me and you also must testify for you have been with me from the beginning." (John 15:26)
• "Unless I go away the Counselor will not come to you, but if I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt." (John 16:7)
  [*]"But when he, the Spirit of Truth comes, he will guide you in all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said that Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you." (John 16:13)

Examples of the power of the Holy Spirit: Mary conceived Christ in the flesh through the Holy Spirit, Elizabeth, in her old age, conceived John the Baptist through the Holy Spirit. Daniel prophecized through the Holy Spirit. The Apostles were led to preach the gospel through the Holy Spirit. The Bible was written by man through the Holy Spirit. And so on and so forth.

Why is the Holy Spirit so important?

Because it is the Spirit of God inside us that makes us new.

Baptism is for the washing of sins, but what is the Spirit for?
"The Spirit gives life. The flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit, and they are life. Yet there are some of you who do not believe." (John 6:63)

Baptism is what makes us clean, but the Spirit is what gives us new life.

What is the sound?
Being filled with the spirit of Christ is not purely defined by some euphoric feeling. The Bible gives very clear examples in demonstration:

• "Very well then, with foreign lips and strange tongues, God will speak to his people." (Isaiah 28:11)
• While speaking of the holy spirit in John 3:6, Jesus said, "The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear it's sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit." (The sound is tongues.
• "And began to speak with other tongues as the holy spirit enabled them". (Acts 2:4)
• "For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God." (Acts 10:46).
  [*]"And these signs shall follow those that believe, they will speak with new tongues (Mark 16:17)You hear the other language, but you do not know where it is coming from. Throughout the new testament, everyone who was filled with the holy spirit began to speak in other tongues, as the spirit gave them utterance.

Just as Satan has a mark (mark of the beast) so does the Lord:

"Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy
Spirit." (Ephesians 1:13)

If you belong to the Lord, then you must have his Spirit

"If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to the Christ." (Romans 8:9)

Eternal life only comes through the Holy Spirit!!!!

• "And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus Christ from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you." (Romans 8:11)
  [*]"As the body without the Spirit is dead" (James 2:26)
• "And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives inside you." (Romans 8:11)
  [*]"Because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God." (Romans 8:14)
• "For through him we have access to the Father by one Spirit." (Ephesians 2:18)
• "And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit." (Ephesians 2:22)

If The Lord's spirit does not live inside of you, then how can he be your Lord?

"No one can say, Jesus is Lord, except by the Holy Spirit." (1 Corinthians 12:3)

Jesus said: "Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and in Truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is Spirit and his worshipers must worship in Spirit and in Truth. (John 4:3)

When you pray in the spirit (praying in tongues as the spirit enables you), you are praying to God. "For anyone who speaks in a tongue, does not speak to men, but to God" (1 Corinthians 14:2)

Speaking in tongues isn't meant to be done to show off, or to look spiritual. When you are praying in the Spirit, you are speaking to God, not man.

People seem to fear speaking in tongues because they assume it's devilish. That is why you need the power of the Holy Ghost!!!! to discern between what is true and what is false. Paul says at the end of 1 Corinthians chapter 14, "Do not forbid speaking in tongues."

God himself spoke of the spirit in the Old Testament, He spoke it again (in the flesh as Jesus Christ), his apostles/disciples preached the spirit. It's written in the very word of God, yet still, a religious leader will tell you something different. "A time is coming when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, they will gather around them a number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth, and turn aside to myths." ( 2 Timothy 2:3) (That is not only talking about the end times, but also talking about those who break free from the original teaching of Christ with their own interpretations). "In the last times, there will be scoffers, who will follow their own ungodly desires. These are the men who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit." (Jude 1:18&19)

The Bible was NOT meant to be interpreted. God's message must come through his Spirit. The Bible itself was not written by man alone.

• "For prophecy never had it's origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried by the Holy Spirit."(2 Peter 1:21)
  
  [*]"When they spoke of the things which have now been told to you by the Holy Spirit, sent from Heaven" (1 Peter 1:12)
• "Because our Gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction." (1Thessalonians 1:5)

"He saved us by the washing of rebirth (baptism) and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior." (Titus 2:5&6)

"For we are witnesses of those things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him." (Acts 5:32)


How do you get the Holy Spirit?

God pours out his Spirit on those whom seek it.

Praying, fasting, speaking to God. When God feels you are ready, he will pour out his Spirit. "The dates and times are not known." (Acts 1:7), but it is a promise to those who seek him. Pray deeply, pray out loud, with your mouth, speak whole-heartedly to the Lord. More often, someone who is already filled with the Holy Spirit will prayer over with you with their hands. For example.... When Peter and John were in Samaria, "They place their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit." (Acts 8:17) When the Lord is ready, he will turn the words that come out of your mouth into his words.

But remember.... just as with everything else, God does things on HIS time, not ours. It may take days, weeks, or even months. You may be deeply in prayer at the altar and receive it before baptism. However, it is a PROMISE.

How will you know when you are filled?


When you are vocally praising God, you will lose control. The words that flow from your mouth will not sound how you intended them to sound. This is speaking in tongues. The language of God that cannot be learned.

I am not giving this message to argue the details of religious factions. I give you this message, under the influence of the Holy Spirit because there is a false sense of salvation being spread around today. I am not saying that everyone lacks sincerity in their walk with Christ. However, there are many false prophets that have went out and spread a message that does not coincide with the word of the God. I reiterate John 3:5. This is not simply an idea thought of by a pastor, a priest, a preacher, a teacher, an evangelist, a missionary, a nun, a prophet, or anyone else, but JESUS, the Lord himself said this is what we must do.

 

in your first paragraph what do you mean by "the kingdom of heaven"?

 

the eternal kingdom!

heaven is a place that is ruled by a king-GOD
every kingdom has its king

 

Epiphany, you are crazy.

 

i think the word WISE was wot u are lookin for!

 

Epiphany, I admire you for posting this in the Christianity forum. I have to say I wouldn't have bothered, knowing it would only get mostly crap in here LOL But good for you for going to the trouble to do that anyway!

 

i admire your persistance!
keep on speakin the truth,and stand strong,keep livin as a beautiful example!
;-P

 

Thank you both Arlia and Bree . I just felt the Holy Ghost moving on me to spread the message. It's definitely not an easy issue to bring up, but eh, I have Jesus guiding me! It just needed to be said, ya know?

 

you're a christian?
*sigh*

 

erm....she makes perfect sense to me

 

yeah i get that aswell!
it takes guts n courage,god is risin up christinas with both those qualities,im sure u are one of them!keep the holy spirit as ure guide>

 

Some people just aren't right in the head.

 

Thank you sweetie pie

 

I wasn't speaking of conformance...

 

I can't either....I can't feel your legs either.

 

Back to the original message..

 

I would say that the plan is a collaboration and should be called Jesus and Paul's plan of salvation.

 

There is no god so.. whats the point?

 

I agree, for you there is no God.
For Epiphany, there is.
Me, dunno yet.

 

No no no no, there is no god, at all.