Bible Plan Of Salvation: What Pentecost Was–And Is!
Many people have heard and read about Pentecost in the bible. There are very few who have ever seen or considered the relationship of Pentecost in the Bible as an EXPERIENCE associated with salvation.
Pentecost (Greek word meaning 50th) or Feast of Weeks; it may be regarded as a supplement to the Passover. This was a feast day and the people were exhorted to rejoice before Jehovah with their families, the fatherless and the widows in a place chosen by God for His name. On this 50th day after the first day of the Passover, they brought a freewill offering of their hand to Jehovah their God. It was a day the Jews celebrated their deliverance from slavery and bondage to Egypt. (Ex. 23:16; 34:22; Lev. 23:15-22; Num. 28)
God chose the day of Pentecost to give deliverance from slavery of sin and bondage to Satan, and to give the EXPERIENCE OF NEW TESTAMENT SALVATION. It was the “birthday of the Church.” The whole 2nd Chapter of Acts tells how the church is born.
This is known as the PENTECOSTAL EXPERIENCE. Scripture lets us know that God gives His Eternal Life (the gift of the Holy Ghost) by this experience that was first given on the Day of Pentecost (after Jesus’ resurrection from the dead).
In the book of Acts (15:7-9), the Jews were arguing over what was required of the Gentiles to receive salvation. Verse 7 “And when there had been much disputing, Peter rose up and said unto them, men, and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe.” Verse 8 “And God which knoweth the hearts, beareth witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as He did unto us.” Verse 9 “And put no difference between us and them.”
To receive the Holy Ghost, “the same as they,” the Gentiles must speak with tongues (Acts 2:4) as the spirit of God gives the utterance. This bears witness of His Spirit coming in, because “God hath put no difference between us and them.” This was how the gift of Eternal Life (the Holy Ghost) was given to them on the Day of Pentecost! This is how the household of Cornelius (who were Gentiles) also received the gift of Eternal Life.
The following scriptures are prophesy concerning the gift of the Holy Ghost and how it would come:
Isa. 28:11-12
Joel 2:28
Matt. 3:11
Mark 1: 7-8
Luke 3:16
John 1:15-23
John 7:37-39
John 14 and 15
John 11:25
John 16:7-14
What the Scriptures Tell us Concerning the NAME of JESUS
When the word Lord is spelled with a capital letter in the Bible it always refers to Jehovah God. The following scriptures show us the NAME of the Lord (Jehovah God) is JESUS:
“Jesus Christ is Lord of all” (Acts 10:36)
. the Lord, even Jesus” (Acts 9:1 7)
“and the Lord said, I am Jesus . . .” (Acts 9:5)
“And Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus receive my spirit” (Acts 7:59)
A name which is above every name” “And that every tongue should confess Jesus Christ is Lord (Phil. 2:9-11)
“And I answered, who art thou, Lord, and He said unto me, I am Jesus…” (Acts 22:8)
“Christ came, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.” (Rom. 9:5)
. . . one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things and we by Him …” “Howbeit there is not in every man this knowledge (I Cor. 8:6-7)
“God who created all things by Jesus Christ; (Eph. 3:9)
“God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour” (Titus 1:4)
. . . the Great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.” (Titus 2:13)
“God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Phil. 1:3)
God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.” (II Peter 1:1)
“Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” (II Peter 1:11)
“Jesus Christ, this Is the true God and eternal Life.” (I John 5:20)
the only Lord God, and our Saviour Jesus Christ.” (Jude 4)
Now you may say, if the word Lord capitalized always refers to Jehovah, why is it also capitalized when referring to the Son? The answer is because the Son is the personal body of God, or, the flesh (humanity) of God. GO”) IS THE SPIRIT, the SON IS THE FLESH. Since it is His person, naturally it (flesh) bears His name. The Son, (the flesh of God) tells us His name was that of the Father in the following verses: “. . . I have manifested thy name unto men which thou gavest me.” (John 17:6)
“And I have declared thy name . . ” (John 17:26)
“I am come in my Father’s name” (John 5:43)
Jesus Christ was humanity and Divinity ‘fused’ together. At times God (the Spirit) spoke through His flesh, (the Son) such as: “Ye call me master and Lord: and ye do well for so I am.(John 13:13)
The Apostle Peter summed it up this way: God hath made this same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.” (Acts 2:36) Other times Jesus spoke strictly as humanity, such as: “But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.” (Mark 13:32)
Jesus was unique, supernatural, He had a human nature and a Divine nature. As human, He did not know all things, but as Divinity, He indeed knew all things.
SPEAKING OF THE SON
. . . He hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name . . ” (Heb. 1:4) He inherited His name from the Father. JESUS IS THE ONLY SAVING NAME. “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) Jesus: (Latin-Iseus, Greek-lesous, Hebrew-Yeshua). His name is the Greek form of the Hebrew Jehoshea, and means Jehovah the Saviour.
WATER BAPTISM
In Matt. 28:19 Jesus was giving the “great commission” to the apostles: “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost,” Notice, He specified a singular name (not names). Father is a title, Son is a title, and Holy Ghost is a title. Not names! If Father, Son and Holy Ghost were names which we were to be baptized in, the scripture would have to read, baptize in these (plural) names.
Many have been taught that baptism in water is not essential to, or a part of salvation. But the apostle said: (I Peter 3:20-21) “. . . when once ,the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was preparing, where in few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now saves us. . . ”
Peter was not saying that baptism was all there was to salvation but he DEFINITELY has shown it to be essential! “And I will give unto thee (Peter) the keys to the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt loose in earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Matt. 16:19) “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)
“Buried with Him in baptism” (Christ) (Col. 2:12)
“For as many as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Gal. 3:27)
Jesus himself told the Apostle Paul “it shall be told thee what thou must do” (Acts 9:6)
Ananias told Paul: “And now why tarriest thou? Arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.” (Acts 22:16)
When the apostles fulfilled the great commission, (Matt. 28:19) you will find as long as they were alive there was no other form or mode other than the Name of Jesus Christ ever being used in baptism (by the apostles or anyone else).
It is the Bible way, to be born again of water as well as the Spirit to enter into the kingdom of God. (John 3:3-8) The complete 6th chapter of Romans informs us we are to be planted together in the likeness of his death, burial and resurrection. (Christ)
There are those who say that speaking in tongues as the Spirit of God gives utterance is no longer for the Church today, and that it is no longer a witness or sign that the Holy Ghost has come in. But this experience is what the Jews were asking about in Acts 2:37 when Peter told them in verse 39 it was: “to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.” The word “shall” is future tense. “And these signs shall follow them that believe . . . they shall speak with new tongues . . .” (Mark 16:17)
WHAT WE MUST DO TO BE SAVED:
Acts 2.37-47
Acts 9:4-6
Acts 9:1 7-18
Acts 10
Acts 15:7-9
Acts 19: 10-6
Acts 22:6-16
I Peter 3:20-21
I John 5:6
You owe it to your soul to read and obey these scriptures!
Eph. 4:4-5 “There is one body and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism.”
The above article was published anonymously
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