The transition from Judaism to Christianity, emphasizing the role of communication and the body of Christ as presented in Acts. It highlights the distinct ways God dealt with Jews, Samaritans, and Gentiles, contrasting the initial Pentecostal experience with later events involving Cornelius and the Ethiopian eunuch. The core lesson is that salvation and inclusion in Christ's body are achieved through belief in the gospel, with baptism serving as a public identification with Christ, rather than a prerequisite for salvation. The message concludes by urging listeners to accept the simple gospel of God's grace and identify with Christ through baptism.
Restored with Diffio
Audio restored with Diffio. Diffio processed the original archive recording to reduce noise and produce a cleaner listening version; the original stays available.
Speech quality score (model-estimated, SCOREQ): before 2.16 → restored 4.16
I'm going to speak on the gift in the verse was in first. Corinthians twelve, eight, four to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom to another the word of knowledge by the same set. That's the first two. Wisdom and knowledge of the twenty-some special gifts. I've been pondering something the last two or three days. We were speaking recently on Pentecost. and the body of Christ, what a one thing the body of Christ is. And I wonder whether many Christians understand the transition from Judaism into Christianity, which is Christ, his mystical body, as it is presented in the Acts.
Now we're going through a transition period now from Republicans or Democrats to the Democrats. A lot of work is involved, and a lot of time, as one gives way to the other. A lot of things are not clear, at least are not in my mind. But I hope someday there will be things clear. Mr. Carter's policy, clear, and clear. When you study the Book of Acts, there's a transition period there from Judaism over to Christianity, clear and crystal. A lot of things are puzzling there. You read about tongues, a laying of hands, and all this kind of thing. And it seems that one contradicts another.
How are you going to straighten them out? Well, I'm going to need some of this wisdom and knowledge. You've been reading it. I'll need it tonight to try and get across to you. And that word, word of wisdom, word of knowledge, means to communicate the ability to communicate wisdom and knowledge so people are edified. Back when you come to Chapter Fourteen, where you have the gift of tongues and law, said about the abuse of them, the whole thing boils down to this. If a man has the ability to communicate what he knows, so others are edified and distinctly says, let him be silent.
A man gets up and he starts rattling off tongues, and he doesn't know himself what he's saying, and neither does anybody else. And he's told to keep silent. If there's not anyone there who can understand language and explain it, interpret it, know it's going to be anything. And the whole subject about this gift of tongue is the ability for a man or someone beside him to communicate the message. In other words, you haven't gained a thing. A lot depends on the ability to communicate. The word of communication. A word is something that's used to communicate. In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God, but that word was made less and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory.
God is communicating his wisdom to man through a person, for Christ is the wisdom of God. Christ is the power of God. And so through word, black print on white page, words that we understand in our language, God is communicating to us through his son. The Lord Jesus was the word. God told his wisdom. How do we know it was in the mind of God? What the knowledge of God was. If it were not communicated to us in language, he understood. You can't grasp God. But God came down and took upon himself a human body.
And in that body, God has revealed him. And the Lord Jesus used language to speak. He doesn't stand there and let people look at him and watch him perform miracles. No, he spoke words. He spoke words of wisdom and knowledge. Could he put it any more simple? For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. The word of wisdom, the word of knowledge, the word there is a significant thing. The ability to communicate. I hope I can communicate to you what I've got on my mind tonight because for many years I wrestled over these things in the early chapters of the Acts.
So the afternoon I'll list our books. And I just took this New Testament and pondered all these verses. And I arranged them in a way I hope you'll understand them. You have Judaism. Then you have the Samaritans. Then you have the Gentiles. Special experiences. Paul was the apostle to the Gentiles. Peter was the apostle to the Jews. And the Lord gave the keys to Peter. And the keys were what? To open the door of the gospel to the Jews. They did that. And time and time again you read about the Jews first.
and then to the Gentiles, unto the Jews first, and then to the Gentiles. Peter not only opened a door of faith to the Jews, but also opened the door of faith to the Gentiles in chapter ten. Then Peter seems to fade out a picture, and the Apostle Paul comes into prominence in the latter part of the Acts. But these chapters in Acts are very interesting. And you see how Peter, he opened the door of faith not only to the Jews and the Gentiles, but in between the Samaritans. The Samaritans were half-Jews and half Gentiles.
So here you find them splitting the thing right in the middle. And then part in chapter eight also, you see an Ethiopian eunuch. One was neither a Jew nor was he a Samaritan. He was way off. and he's brought in, and you see the clarity of God's dealing for us in this day in connection with that unit. The gospel was to do what? The Lord Jesus said, Beginner Jerusalem. Then Judea. Then Samaria. Then the uttermost parts of the world. And you had Jerusalem and Judea connected with the Jews. Then Samaria. And then the uttermost parts of the earth, the eunuch.
that came for way over in Ethiopia. And this is how the gospel went up. Now I'm going to ask you, and you may have to use pencil and paper, we'll have about twenty-five verses. If you jot them all down, take them home, and ponder them. Let us turn to, first of all, Acts chapter two. See if we can help you in some of these matters. I can get up to you and There were a lot of things that the people are doing. They're wicked lies. They're ungodly places. Then tell a joke here and there. Pack a joke. See, everybody after you go home, you won't know a thing. I want you to put something down and take it home in your mind.
It'll be some concrete for your feet to stand on. Over in Acts two and verse one. I want you to notice, and in the upper room there are about a hundred and twenty souls to get there in the fifty verse of the first chapter. And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, it had to come fifty days right after the resurrection of Christ, and the fifty is in, not the forty-ninth, not the fifty-first, God never is before his time and never is behind, when it was fully come, what happened? They were all with one accord.
That's a lovely word. That brings out the body five times in the first five chapters of Acts, you have one accord, one accord. One accord. There's the symmetry and the harmony of the body of Christ working. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven out of a mighty rushing wind, rushing mighty wind. And it filled all the house where they were sitting. and there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as a fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Let us turn over to a few verses over. Verse twenty-two. Ye men of Israel. Look at that. He's speaking to Israelites. Ye men of Israel. Verse thirty-six, therefore let all the house of Israel know, assuredly. Verse thirty-eight, and this is what I want you to get. Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sin, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Now, in connection with the Jews, I noticed these things, and I just gotten them down, back those legs, getting them in, just kind of line them up.
In connection with the Jews, you'll notice this. They were all Jews that were present at the day of Pentecost. All Jews. You don't have any indication there were any Gentiles. All Jews, that's the first thing. And you'll notice there was no believing. In those verses we read, you don't read the word belief. in connection with the day of Pentecost. There they were, sitting a hundred and twenty people in the upper room. No one was preaching. They were just sitting in a dozen, say, they knew something. Evidently they had, or they wouldn't have been up there. They were up there possibly having a prayer meeting, waiting, for the Lord told them to tarry, unto the spirit was to come.
But there's nothing mentioned there about them believing an old was preaching. But suddenly, all of a sudden the sight was broken, and a mighty rushing wind and the certain of God baptized those people. In other words, there were a hundred and twenty people, they became one in the body of Christ. From this where the church was born, the infant church. They all saw the same thing. They all agreed. They were all of one mind. They were all of a court, one of a court. No flicks, no harms, no disharmony. They were one. just like one body, and Christ was it. Another thing I noticed here, there was no fire.
Cloven tongue light as a fire. One real fire. Light as a fire. No fire that brings up something. That's another thing I noticed. Another thing. You'll notice the fourth, first of all, they were all Jews. Second, no mention of believing. Third, no mention of fire. The fourth thing, he says, repent. Now, that was the message of John the Baptist to the Jewish nation. Repent. Repent for the kingdom of heaven, if it has. And the next thing, be baptized for what? The remission of sins. Be baptized for the remission of sins.
I want you to get that. We'll refer to that later. And then the gift of the Holy Ghost, that's the scripture. And the seventh, there's no laying on of hands in connection with the Jews on the day of Pentecost. Now there are seven things that I noticed, just reading my Bible. And if you notice those seven things and keep it locked up with God, he is with the Jews, then you'll see how God moved away from that and changes dealings with the Samaritan that you'll see in chapter eight of Acts. And we'll turn and read that in chapter eight of Acts.
Acts chapter eight. You'll notice verse five of Acts chapter eight. Then Pilate went down to the city of Samaria. and preach Christ unto them by that simple language. It's not something that was brought up here a couple of weeks ago. I think it was Father Bobby Marshall's book on the fourth of John. And that woman was a woman from Zanaria. And here's a remarkable thing she said. She said to Christ, how was it that thou beest to Jews? speaketh to me who am a woman of Samaria, for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.
There was a great gulf between the Jews, pure-blood Jews, and these half-breed Samaritans. They didn't get along together. Nevertheless, the Lord Jesus won that woman himself, and she went back to her place, Samaria. And could that be the reason for this mighty revival breaking out in Samaria? like he sold the seed. Notice what it says then, Leper. Then Peter, Philip, went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ unto them. Notice verse twelve. But when they believed, you see, the word believed is here. But when they believed, Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, in the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.
Then Simon himself believed also, and when he was baptized, he continued, with Philip, and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done. Now when the apostles, which were at Jerusalem, heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John. In other words, this puzzled these Jews. Why salvation is of the Jews? This blessing shouldn't be going over to the Samaritans these half-reeds. And they were so perplexed about what they'd heard, about what was going on in Samaria, dispatch Peter and the other apostles to go and find out what this was all about.
And they came in verse, Peter and John came down, verse fifty, who when they were come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Ghost. That's strange. Here they believed. They've been baptized, but they didn't have the Holy Spirit yet. Who, when they came, were come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Ghost. For as yet, he was fallen upon none of them. Only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then laid day their hand on them, and they received the Holy Ghost. Now do you compare that with what we've been talking about to do?
You'll find these things. They believed. It tells you that in verse hell. They believed. And they were baptized. They were baptized. That's very clear. They received the Spirit when. Eight days later. How do you know? The news had to get up to it. I tried to figure this out this afternoon. I went to my map of Jerusalem on the wall. It's thirty-two miles from Jerusalem to Samaria. Around ten... sixty four miles eight eight sixty four eight eight days journey one day journey with eight days a day journey so it took four days going up and four days coming back because in those days they didn't have telephones their way of sending message was on foot most of the time and so at least eight days And when Peter and John came back after this news, seeping up to Jerusalem, they asked about these people.
They looked at them and they saw that they were believers. But they hadn't been baptized with the Holy Spirit. Eight days after they had believed. Isn't that remarkable? And some put so much confidence in baptism. They say baptism saves you. Baptism does not save you. These people were saved eight days before they were baptized by the Holy Spirit. So they received the Spirit eight days later. And also, you notice, by the laying on of hands.
Now, that wasn't mentioned in connection with the Jews. Not in Jerusalem. No mention of the remission of sins here, as it was in Jerusalem. Dealing with the Jews, they were baptized for the remission of sins. The mission of sins is not at all associated with these miracles. And again, no mention of tongues, no mention of tongues, a calling connection with these Samaritans. These things, if you just jot them down and compare them, you'll see a diversity between God's dealings with the Jews and his dealings with the half-breeds, the Samaritans. You have an illustration in this same chapter of something just as simple that a child can take it in.
Here comes a man, he was a eunuch of great authority, you have in verse twenty-seven, a eunuch of great authority on the campaign, the queen of the Ethiopians who had the charge of all her treasure and had come to Jerusalem for the worship. Here he was, a man's way off Ethiopia. He only was concerned about the living God. And he thought, well, I'm going to Jerusalem. That seems to be the hub of the center of religion. And he did. How could he worship if he didn't know the God? How could he worship if he didn't know what sacrifice meant and the shedding of blood for the putting away of sin?
But he went. I don't know how much he learned while he was there, but he picked up something that was wonderful. He got a portion of Old Testament Scripture. He got the book of Isaiah. And that was a thing. And now he starts back home. He's going across his desert. And he's beginning to read. And he gets into Isaiah till he gets to chapter fifty-three. Why, this is getting interesting. Here he is, this intelligent man of great authority. having in his possession under his control, all the wealth of that keeping green tendency.
But he's so engrossed in what he's reading. And right at that moment, God said, Philip, you go, never mind all this big revival going on here in Samaria, a big harbour, you slip out there into the desert, and I got a soul out there. just like the woman met Christ in Samaria and John Paul. Philip, you go on out there, and out goes Philip to see this chariot roaming across the river. And he draws near, and he listens. And by this time, he got those verses. He was wounded for our transgressions.
He was wounded for our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his succour he is. All we like sheep and gone astray. That must have been thrilling. Wouldn't you like to drop in on a Christian or even a stranger, or mean drop in on somebody who's not a Christian, and find them reading the Word of God, reading it out loud, for he must have been reading a lot. Philip Vernon. He said, do you understand what you're reading? My, what a surprise this man must have had. He looked up and here, stand this night. He didn't have none of your business. Don't you know who I am? I'm a man of great authority. I represent the Queen.
No, in a humble way. He says, how can I understand what I am reading except some man should show me? There's a soul ready for the gospel. No argument, no pretense, no pomp, even put on a show and let this stranger know who he was and where he is. Here's a hungry heart. He says, how am I to know? what these verses mean. And let someone tell them. And Peter and Philip got up immediately into the area and sat down beside that man and began at the same scripture and preached unto him Jesus. It's going to show you Isaiah fifty three five belongs to the Lord Jesus Christ.
And you can see that man's apostle as Philip explained to him the gospel. And you'll notice what happens down in, and we'll read this, twenty-nine. Then the Spirit said unto him, Go near and join thyself to this child, and Philip ran to him, and heard him read the prophet Isaiah, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? Then he said, How can I, some man, should guide me? And desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him. The place of the Scripture which he read was this. He was led as a sheep to the slaughter, and the like a lamb, dumb before his shears, so openly not his mouth. In his humiliation, his judgment was taken away, and who shall bear his generation after his life is taken from the earth?
And he hadn't in time to go on any longer. And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee. Listen to that. I pray of whom speakest the prophet this, of himself, or some other man? Oh, yes, some other man. Then Philip opened his mouth and began the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus. And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water. And the eunuch said, Here, see, here is water. What did unto me to be baptized? How did he know about baptism? I don't find it in Isaiah. How quick he learned. Here is water.
What doth hinder me to be baptized? What doth hinder you from being baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou inest. And he answered, I believe that Jesus Christ the Son of God. And he commanded, here he's giving his order. He commanded the chariot to stand still, and they went down both into the water, They didn't stand on the bank, get a little water sprinkled on his head. They went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. And when they were come up, out of the water, the spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, and the eunuch saw no more, and he went on his way with God.
He didn't get his eyes, keep his eyes on Philip. Philip was gone. He appeared and disappeared. He went on his way rejoicing about something that lasted. He had the law. They'll find anything more simple. Nothing here about tongues. Nothing here about laying on of hands. Here's a man. He's here in the gospel. He believes it. He gets saved. He gets baptized. But on his way rejoiced. There's nothing confused about that. Here you have Judea, Jerusalem. Judah, Judea, Samaria, the outermost parts of the earth, is a man coming, the most parts of the earth, and he gets saved.
He's not cluttered up with a lot of these things about tongues and baptism for the mission of sins and so on. He got saved, and then he went to obey the law. Now you'll get in chapter ten. You'll find something else. Here you come to the Gentiles. We've been talking about one, but here's another situation. He was all alone. Now here's a group in this man, Cornelius' house. You'll find in chapter ten, there was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius a centurion. He was a Roman charge of a hundred soldiers.
All the men called the Italian man, a devout man. one that feared God with all his house, which gave ground to the people, and prayed to God always. Peter wasn't ready yet to go to this man. Peter was still a biased Jew. God says, Peter, I want to teach you a lesson. I want you to take the gospel to Agenta. Me? No, I wouldn't go to Agenta. I'm not taking any unclean of the Why, these Gentiles, they're God. He was a biased Jew. That can't be lost, that this gospel belongs to the Jews.
That's what those Gentiles are. Lord says, you go to such a house, and you did. You went to Job. He went up and he fell asleep. While he was up there having the sleep, the Lord spoke to him. You can read that if you want to. Notice verse twenty-six. Peter took him up, saying, Stand up by myself also, a little further down. And he said unto them, You know how that it is unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company or come in unto one another nation. But God has showed me that I should not call any man calm and unclean.
Therefore came I unto you again, saying, As soon as I was sent for, I asked therefore for what intent he has sent for me. Cranelius said, Four days ago I was fasting until this hour, and at the night thou art I pray in my house. Behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing, and said, Cornelius, thy prayer is heard, and thy alms are had in remembrance in the sight of God. Send, therefore, to Joppa, and call hither Simon, whose surname is Peter. He is Lord in the house of one Simon a tanner by the seaside, who when he cometh shall speak unto thee. Immediately therefore I said to thee, Thou hast well done, that thou art come.
Not, therefore, are we all here present before God, to hear all things that are commanded thee of God." That's a wonderful congregation, isn't it? We'd like to get a car like that in your house just eager to hear the word of God. Then Peter explained, Then Peter opened his mouth and said, "'O, but I perceive that God is no respect for a person. But every nation he that fearedeth God and worketh righteousness is accepted with him. Now Peter are getting away from one nation, aren't you? The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ, Lord of all, not just the Jews. That word I say no, which was published throughout all Judea, beginning, began from Galilee after the baptism with John, preached, how God unto Jesus of Nazareth, with the Holy Ghost, and with power.
who went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed to the devil for God was with him. And we are witnesses of all things, which he did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem, who they slew and hanged on a tree. Him God raised up the third day and showed them only, not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before God, even to us, who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead. and he commanded us to preach unto the people and to testify that it is he which was ordained God to be the judge of quick and dead. To him give all the prophets witness that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive the remission of sin.
The remissions of sin he is through receiving Christ, not baptism. While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on them which heard the word. Peter was preaching. No laying on of hands yet. While Peter was preaching, these people got saved. The Spirit of God quickened. The Spirit of God came in, and it meant right that very minute they became members of the body of Christ. No man can have the Spirit of God and not be a member of the body of Christ. At that very moment they were sealed until the day of redemption, and they had it in that time.
They just simply believed it. In my life, I don't want to exaggerate, but I'll guarantee hundreds of people that come up to me after a message and say, I got saved tonight. When did you get saved? Well, when you said so and so, Many have gotten saved in their home, some at work. They got saved. How did they get saved? The Spirit of God convicted. And when they come to them themselves, that's when they got saved. I remember one lady I may have mentioned at one time, she came to meetings we had out from life, and she was under deep condition. I went by the fear one day. She said, I'm so glad you've come.
She said, every night it gets worse. I just can't take it anymore. I'm so lost. I know I'm going to hell. What am I going to do? I gave her the gospel, had prayer left. That meeting, and I was in a big schoolhouse. She came up. She was just beaming. Well, she got saved. I said, when did you get saved? She went out and milked on the couch. Why, sure, the Spirit of God, did he save that man out of the desert? Didn't he save the jailer at midnight in jail? The Spirit will save whenever a soul is ripe and ready, and opens his or her heart to Christ. Now you'll notice here what is verse forty-four.
While Peter yet spake these words, O the power of those words, the Holy Ghost found all them which heard the word. And they of the circumcision, now the Jews here. They of the circumcision which believe were astonished as many as came Peter, that is from Jerusalem. because and on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Spirit. No fire here. They couldn't understand it. For they heard them speak with tongues. Now here they have tongues. And magnified God. Then answered them. See, they were already saved. And that the Spirit of God was in. Can any man forbid water that these would not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?
Now, if you study this portion, you'll notice these things. In Caesarea, you have know that Peter was preaching, and they became a member of the body of Christ, a moment the Spirit of God entered them when they believed the gospel that Peter preached. There and then they got saved. They were baptized later, after they had received Spirit. Remission of sins when they believed. When they believed, they got the mission of sins. When they believed, they were baptized or the Spirit of God ended them. Whereas in over-in Jerusalem, the mission of sins was associated with water baptism.
But he was dealing with the Jews then. Here he's dealing with the Gentiles. The mission of sins and becoming a member of the body of Christ is dependent on believing Christ accepting Christ only. That's how fear is. You notice something else. religion of things when they believe they spoke in tongues here but there's no fire no laying on of hands here there's a little semblance resemblance between here and Pentecost but there are no two Pentecost and how wise God is he doesn't want the Jews to go away and say well we've got a Hebrew church or Jewish church unless something happened that Pentecost, you can't be in this church.
God says, listen, I'm going to duplicate what happened in Pentecost, in Caesarea. So you Gentiles will know that you're in the same body that began at Pentecost. And you Jews will realize that the Gentiles are the same plane and the same body, the same organism as you are. Thus, breaking down the middle wall of petition between two and Gentile, to make in himself a one man, making of a one-woman duck, making two. You take these three instances, and the verse that we've given, and I think they'll help you to understand these remarkable things that we've seen in this chapter.
And I want you to look over in the eleventh chapter of Acts, just the chapter following where we read, and notice this. Verse sixteen, Then remembered I the word of the Lord how that he said, John indeed baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost. For as much then as God gave them, that is the Gentiles, a light gift that he gave unto us the Jews, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, what was I that I should withstand God? when they heard these things, they held their peace and glorified God's sake, then have God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.
Here you have Jews, Samaritans, Gentiles, lot together, a little variation in the dealings with each one. Yet they end up, and if you want what I think I see, the pattern what God wants us to follow is up. In the second chapter of Acts, he dealt there with Jews. Not what you have in Samaria, but what you have in the tent of Acts. There's where the Gentiles were brought in. Featured was given the keys to unlock the door. To the Jews, he did that at Pentecost.
To the Gentiles, he did that at Cizzeroth. Peter used your keys, your authority. That's it. And Peter fades out. In comes the apostle to the Gentiles. The gospel did go to the Jews first. And they rejected it in many cases. Then it flew out to the Gentiles. It flew out to the Gentiles. And God is visiting the Gentiles now. Not the Jews exclusively. God is visiting the Gentile nations now to take out of them the people for His name. And what's the way we present the gospel? Preach the gospel in the power of the Spirit so people will accept Christ to be saved.
And the moment they're saved, they're sealed by the Holy Spirit of God. They're also included in the body of Christ. They have eternal life. They'll never perish. Now He says, I leave two ordinances with you. Get baptized. Christ on the cross identified himself with you. Now you show that you identify yourself with Christ by going in the waters of baptism. Do that. And remember me on the first day of the week. That is the commission from the tenth chapter of Acts on, the mission, missions today. Simply, notice in all these cases, they get baptized.
some before they got the spirit, some after. But God got baptized. And God was withdrawing graciously from the Jews. It was a hard thing for those Jews to give up all their traditions, to give up Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, all those things. That was an awful hard thing for the Jews to do. But when they did, and you'll notice this, if you have any dealings with Jews or with history, A Jew may tell all his friends, I accept the Messiah. I accept the Messiah as my Messiah. I accept Jesus Christ as my Savior. Then listen to him.
Maybe there's a little quote. Let him get baptized and they'll cut him off. Baptism is the sign I'm real. I've accepted Christ. I'm through Judaism. I belong to Christ. I'm in the body. Daptism is the test. Same thing is on the mission field. Missionaries come back saying, see some of these heathens. Go around, tell their folks, I accept the white man's God. I'm going to break all my iron and pull out. Well, they listen to me. They don't believe me. He came back in. Let that heathen that Jesus Christ and go down to the river.
I get baptized. and show by that act he's identifying himself with Jesus Christ who was baptized in death and blood from on the cross they'll throw him up baptism is the test of the other that was true of the Jews that was why the word of God was much emphasis on baptism relative to the Jews it came before not after this is the way God deals with the different characters that we have in the Acts. So I trust is plain to you. Don't worry about the Jews. All the Samaditans, although they're lovely cases.
Your responsibility is to listen to the simple gospel of the grace of God, how the Lord Jesus died on the cross and shed his blood to put all his sins away. You accept it by simple faith, like a unit did. God will save you that very minute. He'll give you the Holy Spirit in your heart, that peace and joy. You'll have everlasting life and never perish, and go on your rejoicing, giving joy to his heart and your own by being baptized and remembering him at the Lord's table on Sunday morning. Shall we pray? Our Father in heaven, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, who can enter thy presence, we ask thy blessing on thy word, how much thou hast done for us, to what pain all has gone to try and show us poor sinners, poor ignorant men and women, what the counsel of God are, and what thy dealings are for different nationalities, different people in different places, as we see in the Acts.
But we thank thee, Father, the air has been cleared. Today is crystal clear. The Corinthians, hearing, believed, or baptized, They were saved, ready for glory. This is the message today. Help some to take it in. If there are any here tonight or not, Christians, may they become a Christian and become one right now. We ask that they are saved, isn't it? Amen. Shall we sing four hundred and eleven? Four hundred and eleven. Once far from God and dead in sin, No light my heart could see, but in God's word the light I found.
Now Christ lived within me. As rays of light from yonder sun, the cloud of earth set free. So life and light and light came forth for Christ living in me. If you're a Christian or not a Christian, come up and accept that you become a Christian. If you've just gotten saved, you haven't publicly confessed it. a good time to come and tell us. We'll be standing at four hundred and eleven. Oh, I'm far from God and David's name. The light my heart could sing.
But in God's word, the light I found. Now Christ lives in me. Christ lives in me. Christ lives in me. Oh, what a salvation this that Christ liveth in me. Verse four. For it's longing all my heart is filled, And I give I make thee, And rock the wondrous soul I dwell, As Christ lives in me.
I sliveth in me, I sliveth in me. Oh, what thou way shall this, that I sliveth in me?