The "ABCs" of Salvation

In the Bible, the Lord Jesus Christ and His Apostles gave us simple steps to salvation, which prepares us to be a Christian and be ready for Heaven.  Seeing He is the world's only LIVING Savior, we pay attention to His Word, the Holy Bible, which means, "Basic Instruction Before Leaving Earth".

A) Jesus said that we should "repent and believe the gospel";
 We ALL have faith in something:  You had faith that you would reach our website.  Use that simple faith to believe that when you "click on God" in prayer, He will listen and answer.  Repentance means to be so sorry for the sin you have committed that you tell God you won't do it again, knowing you need His help to overcome sin.  It also means, to "turn into your right mind" and as a command in marching years ago, to turn 180 degrees and go the other way.
 
B) Jesus said, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved" (Mark 16:16);
 It is during water baptism by immersion in Jesus' Name that one's sins are washed away by the blood of Christ (Acts 2:38, 22:16).  Like in Acts 19, we rebaptize people who had the words, "In the Name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost" (just titles) pronounced over them. These titles are not the Name and were never used in the Bible in a baptismal service.  We follow the example in the Bible - Jesus' Name.  Water baptism by itself saves one no more than we can be saved without it.  It is necessary as well as thrilling to know one's sins are GONE!

C) Jesus said, "You must be born again of the water and the Spirit" to enter the Kingdom of God.      Water is step B and Spirit is C.  Jesus said, "I am with you but shall be IN you". Jesus is WITH 1,000s of God-fearing people who have not actually allowed His Spirit to come IN them!  On the Day of Pentecost people first were baptized or FILLED with the Holy Ghost and spoke with tongues or (unknown to them) languages as proof they were filled.  When a baby is born what is the first thing that it does?  Cry?  No, that is the second.  The first is breath.  The cry or tongues is the proof the "baby" has breathed.  "Pneuma" is a Greek word (Strong's #4154) meaning wind, breath and God's Spirit.  Jesus BREATHED on them and said, "Receive ye the Holy Ghost", thus showing them how they would receive the Spirit later.  On Pentecost there was a mighty rushing WIND as promised in John 3:8 and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost or SPIRIT as promised in John 7:37-39.  They cried out in tongues or languages they didn't know to show they were born of the Spirit as promised in Isaiah 28:11 and Mark 16:17.

We encourage you not only to read and enjoy, but also to obey the Bible. We hope this
study has been a blessing to you, and we look forward to seeing you at church.

Bible Study:
http://www.stpaulapostolic.com/Acts2BibleStudy.ppt