Birth of the Church

 

We Must be Born to Give Birth

Jesus said we must believe the gospel and be baptized to be saved.

"And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved... " - Mark 16:15-16 @

He said we must be born of water and of the Spirit.

"Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." - John 3:5 

With a birth, there is a mother and father. With our spiritual birth, there is a mother and father.

"One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all." - Ephesians 4:6 

God as our Father is responsible for our being born of the Spirit - He fills us with His Spirit.

"And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren!" - Matthew 12:49 

As our spiritual mother, believers are responsible for our being born of water - baptizing us in the name of Jesus.

"I beseech thee for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my bonds:" - Philemon 1:10 

Of course, in the physical, before we can give birth, we must first be born.

So too with the spiritual: Before baptizing others in the name of Jesus, we must first be baptized in the name of Jesus ourselves. 

"Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." - Acts 2:38

"For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call." - Acts 2:39 

"And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation." - Acts 2:40 

"Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls." - Acts 2:41 

"And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers." - Acts 2:42 

Forgiveness

We know that without holiness no man shall see the Lord. What about follow peace with all men?

"Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:" - Hebrews 12:14

God made peace with us. 

"And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven." - Colossians 1:20

"To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation." - 2 Corinthians 5:19 

God forgave us. Now it is our turn to have peace with others and forgive. (Follow peace: “to seek after eagerly, earnestly endeavour to acquire” - Thayer’s)

What if we do not follow peace with all men?

A servant owed the king ten thousand talents, but was unable to pay the debt. The king commanded that his family and possessions be sold to pay the debt. The servant begged for mercy.

"Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. 

“But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest." - Matthew 18:27-28 

The fellowservant begged for patience, promising he would pay. Yet the servant had no mercy, casting him into prison.

"Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. 

[Note: Because the servant was not merciful, the debt that he had been forgiven of was put back on him.]

“So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses." - Matthew 18:33-35

We are the servant that had a debt we could not pay. Our Lord and King Jesus forgave us of our debt of sin. It is now our turn to be merciful and forgiving, and to make peace with all.  

In the World but not of the World

We are in this sinful world, but we are not of this world. We have obeyed the gospel. We are servants of our Lord and Saviour Jesus. 

How did we obey the gospel?

"Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." - Acts 2:38 

"But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life." - Romans 6:22

Jesus said,

"They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world." - John 17:16 

"For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." - 1 Corinthians 6:20

"And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 

“Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." - 2 Corinthians 6:16-18 

"Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world." - 1 John 4:4 

"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." - James 4:7 

"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." - Philippians 4:13

Daniel was a servant of the Lord.  He was of those taken captive to the foreign kingdom of Babylon and made a servant of a heathen king that did not serve the Lord.  Daniel was determined to live for God no matter where he was nor what his situation.

"But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank..." - Daniel 1:8

In the midst of Babylon, Daniel was faithful to God, and God blessed him greatly.

Church!

Church!

Because of the mercy of Jesus, we may have all our sins forgiven and washed away so we can start our life out fresh with a clean slate.

How can we do that?

By turning our heart to Jesus, and getting baptised by immersion in the name of Jesus.

To give us the strength we need to overcome sin, Jesus promises to give us His gift of the Holy Ghost. 

The Holy Ghost is His Spirit which we can receive by opening our heart and lifting our voice in praise and love for the One who loves us so much that He suffered and died for our sins.  When we fully give ourselves to Him and trust Him with our heart, our life, and our soul, He can fill us with His Spirit. He changes our words into sounds and words that we don't recognize, showing that we have allowed Him to fill us completely.

By water baptism in the name of Jesus and Spirit baptism, we are born again with a brand new life in Jesus. The old life of sin and its sorrow is passed away, and all things become new.

Go to church. Hear the Word of God. Give your heart and life to Jesus. Be baptized in the name of Jesus for the remission of sins. Be filled with his Spirit,  the Holy Ghost. Begin your new life in Jesus. He loves you!

Act 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Acts 2:39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

To Follow Jesus

To follow Jesus…

"Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." - Matthew 16:24 

How do we follow Jesus?

Jesus denied Himself. 

"Saying…not my will, but thine, be done." - Luke 22:42 

Jesus took up His cross and was crucified.

"And he bearing his cross went forth into a place…where they crucified him..." - John 19:17-18 

Jesus was buried.

"And laid it [His body] in a sepulchre that was hewn in stone..." - Luke 23:53 

Jesus was resurrected.

"He is not here, but is risen…" - Luke 24:6 

Then what?

Jesus was a witness.

"To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:" - Acts 1:3 

Then,

"He was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight." - Acts 1:9 

How do we follow Jesus?

We deny ourselves.

"Denying ungodliness and worldly lusts [sinful pleasures]..." - Titus 2:12 

We crucify our sinful nature by repentance.

"Knowing this, that our old man [old sinful self] is crucified with him..." - Romans 6:6 (Also: Galatians 5:24, 6:14.)

We are buried by baptism in the name of Jesus.

"We are buried with him by baptism..." - Romans 6:4 (Also: Colossians 2:12).

We are resurrected by the Holy Ghost. (The glory of the Father).

"That like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life." - Romans 6:4 

Summary so far:

"Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." - Acts 2:38 

Then what?

We are witnesses.

"But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me..." - Acts 1:8 (Also: 2 Corinthians 5:19-20)

"This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh." - Galatians 5:16 

Then,

"Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord." - 1 Thessalonians 4:17

The Universal Sign of Receiving the Holy Ghost

The Universal Sign of Receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost is Speaking in other Tongues

"And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." - Acts 2:4 

Because there were religious Jews from all over the world in Jerusalem for the Day of Pentecost when the Holy Ghost was first poured out, they were witnesses to the fact that God had miraculously fulfilled His promise, Joel 2:28 "...I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh..." For they heard their own languages being spoken by Galilaeans that had just been filled with the Holy Ghost.

From this point forward to today, tongues - as the Spirit gives the utterance - is the one universal sign that a person has been filled with God’s Spirit. 

(NOT to be confused with “SPIRITUAL GIFTS” which includes “divers kinds of tongues” as one of nine “spiritual gifts” used in MINISTERING to the CHURCH BODY - 1 Corinthians 12:7).

It is by the sign of speaking in tongues that Peter recognized that God had accepted the Gentiles, filling them with His Spirit. 

"While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. And they of the circumcision [the Jews] which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter, Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we? And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord..." - Acts 10:44-48 

It was the sign of speaking in tongues that made it clear to the Jewish believers in Jerusalem that God had also filled the Gentiles with the Holy Ghost. 

Peter told them,

"And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning. ... Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as he did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ; what was I, that I could withstand God? When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life." - Acts 11:15, 17-18