Discuss Acts 2 Page 9

Hello

part 3

These verses in Ephesians stressed the unity of God and the body of Christ. A very great privilege we receive by God's gracious mercy and eternal pleasure. It speaks to the various things we share in common as believers:

unity (vs. 3)

peace (vs. 3)

one body (vs. 4) we are a communion of saints

one Spirit (vs. 4) we all have the Holy Spirit living within use due to His regenerative work and indwelling

one hope (vs. 4) we all have the hope of the resurrection of our bodies and the total redemption of our being at the second coming of Jesus

one Lord (vs. 5) our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (eternal God and perfect Man in one Person by the Incarnation)

one faith (vs.5) we profess that Jesus is the Lord as described above and that He is the promised Savior and Messiah who lived a perfect life, died a sacrificial death of crucifixion, was buried, and arose from the dead after three days, and ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father in heaven as our Priest and King.

one baptism (vs. 5) that we all have repented and been baptized in water and the Spirit in the name of the Father, in the name of the Son, and in the name of the Holy Spirit as Jesus directed in Mtt. 28:18-19 for the forgiveness of sins ( Acts 2:38)

one God (vs. 6) we confess that there is only one God in all creation-a Godhead that is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit ( Rom. 1:29; Col. 2:9)

So to answer your questions as to whether I think I will continue as I am in this earthly way or that I will bear the image of the heavenly.

I believe believers will be conformed to the image of the perfect humanity of Jesus, both spiritually and bodily in the resurrection. Just as Jesus rose from the dead in the same perfect human body as He died in and that the Father glorified His human body after His Ascencion, so will our earthly bodies be raised and be perfected and glorified like Jesus' heavenly human body, but not His divinity. We will never be divine

To Ronnette, money isn't the root of all evil, the love of money is. We have to have it to live, pay bills, eat,etc. But we're not to love it( worship it). We worship GOD and he supplies our every need and that sometimes include money.

Deborah led Israel as a judge

Ruth preached before the town council

Hebrews 11:31, book of heroes

By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace [hid them]

Esther saved all the Jews 8:18

Lois and Eunice. 2 Timothy 3:14-15

Acts 18:26 - And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly.

Acts 2:17-18 - And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your DAUGHTERS shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: (Read More...)

Galatians 3:28 - There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

Judges 4:4-5 - And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at that time. (Read More...)

Romans 16:1-2 - I commend unto you Phebe our sister, which is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea: (Read More...)

Philippians 4:3 - And I intreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellow laborers, whose names are in the book of life.

2 Corinthians 6:3-5

Of course they were. Is there anything that suggests they weren't.

Yes. I think Mary Magdalene, Jesus's mother, Mary and Martha maybe.

There's a new movie out now on the End Times. It's one hour, goes real fast from Genesis to the Millennium. On YouTube, search BLESSON END OF DAYS.

It shows everyone in the Upper Room on The First Pentecost. There are women in the scene.

Also, the Bible says the people in the Upper Room spilled out in the street.

I am curious, did the ladies in the room get filled with the Holy Spirit?

Just as I said, you are ignorant of the Gospel in the King James Bible that is: "Christ Jesus took our place in hell." He said he would be in the heart of the earth ( Matt. 12:40) and greatly feared going there, praying in agony, and sweating blood, not to go there ( Luke 22:42-44). The wicked dead are only in hell. "He made his grave with the wicked" Isaiah 53:9-10 where "his SOUL was made an offering for sin" and Jesus would "be the FIRST that should rise from the DEAD" as Acts 26:23 tells you and "His soul was not left in hell." Acts 2:31 clearly tells you. Jesus did what no man can do; anyone can die on a cross, and anyone can go into hell, but only Jesus came out of hell after 36 hours which no other soul has done. God raise Jesus from the DEAD and unless you believe THAT you cannot be saved. Without someone taking your place in hell you will go there. This is Christianity 101; Why do you not know this? You believe the strong delusional lie that denies that Jesus suffered in hell which saves no one! God made the Gospel so simple; just know that "Christ Jesus took your place in hell" and you HAVE Eternal Life! Where is your brain?

Hey Jay,

The word creed comes from the Latin credo, "I believe." a set of beliefs of Christianity, and without believing these creeds salvation cannot be obtained. I have been told this in different denominations of churches I have gone to. "You cannot be a Christian unless you believe these creeds". Many Christian bible discussion web sites will not let you on unless you profess these creeds.

My understanding of scripture.

You must believe that God exists. Hebrews 11:6

You must believe Jesus is the only begotten Son of God.,18 6:40; 1 John 4:14-15, 5:5, 5:10

You must believe God gave His only Son for us to have eternal life John 3:16

You must believe Jesus came in the flesh 1 John 4:3 2 John 1:7

You must believe that Jesus is the Christ 1 John 2:22

You must believe Jesus died for Your sins. 1 Corinthians 15:2-3

You must believe God raised Jesus from the dead. Romans 10:9

You must believe we are saved by Jesus' life Romans 5:10

Being baptized in the name of Jesus. Acts 2:38 Acts 8:16

You must believe we are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus 1 Corinthians 6:11

You must believe we obtain salvation only in Christ Jesus. John 14:6 2 Acts 4:12 Timothy 2:10

Are there any scriptures saying you must believe in these creeds for salvation?

Are these creeds similar to what the sect of Pharisees tried to do in Acts 15? What did Peter say? Acts 15:7-11

God is not the author of confusion. 1 Corinthians 14:33

God bless,

RLW

thank you Giannis, you referred to acts 2:16 Jesus had come and gone by then please give me some bible verse on when the last days began..

Hi Giannis. I don't agree with that statement. What I read in the NT, is that the believers broke bread together whenever they came together - at least that is the sense I get from Acts 2:42-47. It seems that whenever they came together for fellowship, whether on the Lord's Day or any other day, then during their meal they set a time aside to remember the Lord's Death (even as the Lord did when He first instituted it in Luke 22:1-20). And of course, that meal of bread & drink were representative of His broken Body & shed Blood & did not mystically reconstitute itself into those human substances.

The Church today does not function exactly as the early Church did; if we were to in this regard of the Lord's Table, then when believers meet together anywhere for a fellowship meal, it would be good to set a time aside to remember the Lord, both in discussion, prayer & breaking of bread in memory of the Lord Jesus. If the Church no longer recognizes the Lord's Supper, then they should probably remove water baptism as well, as both these were ordinances laid out by the Lord & given to the Church.

Dear Atjustice

The Last days began when Jesus came to earth and go all the way until the end. That means that they are a period of time, not just days.

Please read what apostle Peter said to the people gathered at the day of the Pentecost. ( Acts 2:16-21). He refers to a prophesy said by prophet Joel. Peter calls his days as last days (see verse 17) during which God has poured His Spirit to people but he goes on until the end (verse 20) "The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come" still refering to these days as last days. But this will happen at the end when God woll destroy this earth and will make a new earth.

Now if you mean that we are very close to the end of this world, well my opinion is yes we are.

GBU

I see that you have referenced me Alex, to which I will return some responses, after quoting you.

"Thus ALL men will be born again of his spirit..I will pour out my Spirit on ALL FLESH...Joel..." Joel 2:28 (cf Acts 2:17). Not all men will be born again as you believe - the Spirit will be given only to those who repent & turn to the Lord. An evidence of this first outpouring was at Pentecost, to which Peter references Joel's prophecy. ALL FLESH represents not All Men, but people of ALL Nations who respond to the Lord.

"there is only 1 thing that initiates Salvation which is the New Birth...Faith can only come by 1 thing hearing his word...And Faith is the evidence of a Birth of Christ in us." Alex, you've got this all mixed up. Faith is NOT the evidence of a Birth of Christ - Faith is a gift of God ( Ephesians 2:8,9) & with God's Grace, brings salvation, hence a new birth. The New Birth doesn't initiate salvation - the New Birth is a product of salvation. ( Romans 10:9,10; 2 Corinthians 5:17).

"It wd make God a hypocrite if he applied the curse of that 1st Adam to all men no exceptions mind you...But Not apply the blood of that 2nd ADAM Christ Jesus the lamb of God to ALL MEN NO EXCEPTIONS." If that were true Alex, there really would be no need to preach the Gospel, as according to you, God is bound to forgive all mankind regardless of their sinful state & hatred of Him. I ask again Alex, as I did many months ago & getting no answer, would you share the Gospel with someone who asks you for the way of salvation? If so, why? And what would be the message?

Lastly, "God is not a torment to them in Christ Jesus but only to the DEVILS AND HIS ANGELS." Please read Revelation 20:10-15. This Lake of Fire is not for purifying nor temporary, it's for everlasting torment for both Satan & his henchmen & those not written in the Book of Life. "Behold now is the day of salvation" - no other opportunity for anyone, hence the Gospel's urgency.

Dear "Marke" when you say it like that. I think you said this really unwise. One thing is for sure all these leaders have been appointed not by themselves. But from God, as kings and queens. They are doing something that they are forced to do, they have a purpose. Like Judas. So you also really need to land on earth again and think about: What does God want with your life? I think about it daily, what would Jesus have done. I can see Him coming walking toward all the unsaved, making contact and talking about the kingdom of Heaven. :)

We must pray for our leaders every day, that's right. We should pray overhead every day, that's right. 1 Timothy 2:1-4 As my friend, everything becomes as God WANTS. THAT IS THE MAIN THING. Remember we are like ants, they have nothing they should have said in this context! Sand grains! Are you with me? Acts 2:32-39

Have you tried and asked the Holy Spirit why it is being fought again in Europe? In while we watch the war. If we forget other things, look at China now Shanghai! The city is locked 25 million ppl! All democratic sanctions imposed on Russia strike back at Russia and end it, take their friends also! Sick people are not treated, covid, tells them? Now people are sitting in their houses starving.

Now all countries in the world must begin to think that we are exposed and that with the danger of food shortages!

Please, join us so we dive into the scriptures instead of hang out some ppl.

Always be happy After all, i have not yet lived with the danger of my live. Everything has a connection, so it is our job to find out what: Read Luke 11 and 12 chapters. Stay Blessed Jesus Loves u and want u to come to the truth, i love u in Christ.

When my son was present, I am Father. When my father was present, I am son. This makes those terms, (Father-Son) titles. Not my name but the title I carry depending on the situation.

The Bible says that Mary, the mother of Jesus was overshadowed by the Holy Ghost. It would be correct to say that The Holy Spirit of God fathered the child Jesus. The first commandment Moses delivered reveals that it is paramount we know that our God is ONE. The OT says quoting THE ALMIGHTY. "I AM THE LORD, BESIDE ME, THEIR IS NO SAVIOUR" Yet the book of John says, In the begining was the Word. And the Word was made flesh. It goes on to say He created the worlds. In Paul's letters to various churches, he writes, speaking of Jesus. "For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily" Colossians 2:9

When we baptize in the name of Jesus as instructed in Acts 2:38, we indeed are using the name of The Father, The Son, The Spirit as commanded by Jesus in Mathew 28:19. Multiple countless Bible entries clearly show the Oneness nature of our Jealous God who refuses to share His Glory. Make sure to follow up with the promise in the book of Acts chapter 2 and receive the PROFOUND baptism by fire. It is essential for everyone who seeks the power to know God on a very personal level.

Dear "Ronnette Radican", It's really true, we can not / do not have to force ourselves on people. With neither one nor the other.

If they obey the Lord, they will hear His voice. And best of all, we all have our way with God. Thank you for your testimony. Continue on the path He has called you to, be blessed in Jesus, i love you in Christ.

John 8:31-32

All we know Larry, is that the believers were in Jerusalem (as commanded by the Lord: Acts 1:4). Some have suggested that they gathered in the upper room, as they did earlier ( Acts 1:13), but with such a large number (120), it seems more reasonable that they were in another location, possibly in connection with a synagogue or the temple, or even a large courtyard of someone's property.

The disciples knew that the Promise of the Father was to come upon them, and they would be baptized in the Holy Spirit, but one could well imagine the tension & anticipation of that day, yea, of that very moment - maybe talking amongst themselves, 'will it happen this morning or maybe this evening?' But when they were endued with Power from on High, it must have been such a mighty experience that lasted for a long time (several days or more), as others from afar heard about it & made the journey to witness this phenomenon of people speaking fluently in foreign languages unlearned. And how did some respond? As even today, when people see the works of Christ in people's lives, they disparage that witness & voice their own carnal reasoning, as did those at that time ( Acts 2:13).

The scripture tells you: Luke 3:1-22, note Luke 3:16, Matthew 3:1-17, note Matthew 3:11-17, John 3:27-36,

Romans 6:3, Mark 10:38,

Acts 8:12-17, Acts 11:16, Acts 19:1-5, Acts 2:38,

Hey Raymond,

We see this in Matthew 17:1-9 Mark 9:2-10 and Luke 9:28-36, some may believe Moses and Elijah were in heaven and came and appeared, Jesus took Peter, James, and John up to the mountain, He was transfigured before them and Moses and Elijah appeared talking to Jesus.

If we take note of what Matthew writes, "And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid. 8 And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only. 9And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead"

It was a vision and a confirmation from God to these three that Jesus is the Son of God and the Law and Prophets will be fulfilled with the death and resurrection of Jesus. Mark 9:10 another place that shows things were hidden from the apostles until the Holy Spirit brought remembrance to them of what things Jesus had told them, John 14:26.

One other thing, Jesus is the Firstfruits of them that slept, 1 Corinthians 15:20. Jesus was the first to be raised from death Acts 2:24. No one has ascended to heaven, John 3:13 and no one will overcome death until Jesus returns on the day of redemption, Ephesians 4:30.

In my understanding of scripture to us today, Moses and Elijah are awaiting the resurrection, with no knowledge or time in death, to them, it has already come.

God bless,

RLW

Thank you Richard for your further comments. As you have given Acts 2:37,38 & Acts 8:36,37 in support of 'regenerational baptism', one could also share Acts 3:19, 1 Corinthians 1:17, and Acts 10:44-48, in support of a non-regenerational baptism. The act of water baptism for believers in the Scriptures is never trivialized, but to make it a requirement for salvation, serious questions & arguments can be raised. If Peter could say that repentance & baptism was necessary for salvation, then he ought to have said so again in Acts 3:19, as what he said there ("Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out"), would be false, for water baptism must be mentioned as an 'essential' for the blotting out of sins.

As well, we could think of the many each day that might be turning to Christ, whether in prison, in hospital, in calamities of wars & earthquakes, even on their death bed, with no opportunity to have someone baptize them. What happens here? Have they responded to the Spirit in error & failed of God's Grace by not being baptized & maybe soon to face eternity? And we certainly can't make exceptions to such folk, since 'no baptism = no salvation'.

Water baptism, I understand from reading the Scriptures, was an event that took place very soon after a soul acknowledged his sin & turned to Jesus; in other words, repentance & baptism were almost a single event - if you turned to Christ you immediately were baptized by the preacher/witnessor; the convert expected to be 'dunked' as a witness of his new life. Unfortunately, that baptismal prototype has since deteriorated over the ages, some even using sprinkling & infant baptism as valid forms of it. Much more could be written on this subject, but will leave it for now since our approaches to it & understanding of the Scriptures are seriously divergent.

This I give for you to think upon, If what you believe is correct, Then we have to believe that Acts 2:38 Should be removed from the Bible, and discount the answer that Peter gave to the question in Acts 2:37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? I concur that you must believe with all of your heart Just as we see That God sent Philip in acts 8:29 Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot. this is Gods Answer to eunuch, And again I give you scripture, Not my opinion Acts 2:34 Thru 38

34 And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man?

35Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.

36And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?

37And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.

38And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him. So, If what you say is true we must discount this also. Gods Word is true and we must believe the whole word, If we start picking apart Gods word to fit our own Idea then we have made Gods word of no affect and a lie.

Remember that peter had the keys Acts 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. I'll be praying for you, you seem to be sincere and I pray God shines his light in your heart . please rememder I do not give my own opinion, Just Gods word

After being saved and believing in what Jesus did on the cross, understanding the blood shed by Jesus Christ, I re-read again the Bible with some miraculous clear messages. I am sure that I knew I was deceived since young about religion. Now I will not be toss to and fro to listen to these liars.

I knew in some bizarre way, people is not telling the truth at such a young age. I just cannot explained. Then I made God my best friend since because my Mama told me there is God who will not lie.

It amazes me why nobody tells these Leaders in All deceiver churches to stop their lying to people.

Do they not know the punishment of Eternal damnation as a learned leaders of the church (i.e. Believers of the blood of Jesus Christ)?

I know money is the root of all evil and power blinded many.

I do believe we are given a grace period, which is to me the most loving and generous thing God could ever give to each one of us sinners who really do not deserve forgiveness.

We have many examples in the Bible to learn the power of the Holy Spirit given to us after Jesus died on the cross. We Gentiles needed to read Paul's Gospel and epistles and the Book of Acts. And the entire Bible when you received the Holy Spirit.

I was baptized by water 3X (Catholic, Mormon, Seven Day Adventist) because of ignorance and young mind. But I never received the Holy Spirit in any of those water baptisms the way I did when I understood the blood shed by Jesus Christ.

You have to know that this world is too evil. You can tell and see it with your own eyes.

I tried to share my conviction that there is one God, one King and there is heaven and hell after being close to death 2X.

Now I understood, you cannot make people think the way you do when you know the True God and understand the Kingdom of God and the Holy Spirit in you.

As God knows His people, the true believer knows the saints living here on earth.

Hebrews 8:11 reminded us again to know the Lord.

Jesus loves y'all! THANK you for your commitment in sharing the Gospel! Acts 2:38

Landon

What it means to be in Christ Jesus is to be baptized in the (name) of Jesus, this how we take part in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. after that we receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. this is the beginning of the true church as written in the book of Acts 2:38. there is no other way to be in Christ Jesus. you can't get there any other way. You can't say a sinners prayer, or accept Jesus into your heart, or just confess his name, There is NO Scripture for that anywhere in the Bible. John 10:1Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. Jesus said in John 10:9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. Jesus gave Peter the (key) to the door, in Acts 2:38. IT Is the Only way. and to this I say, 2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Page 3.

If the Spirit speaks to one to keep Sabbath as a rest day, then to that person they should abide - but to another, the Sabbath was not given to Gentiles & any day can be for rest & also for worship ( Romans 14:5,6 & the whole chapter).

Gentile? If you have no Jewish heritage, then you fall under the Gentile category. If the Gentile has not received the Law, he is a law unto himself ( Romans 2:14,15). Of course, all peoples are under governmental law, unless they're hidden away from society. But for both the Jewish Christian & Gentile Christian, the old Law has no more application or binding, for we are now subject to the Law of the Spirit. I don't believe that anyone with the Holy Spirit within them would ever be led to murder, commit fornication, & other sins. If a believer does sin, then he's going against the Spirit's ministry & appealing to his flesh (& this is why Paul spoke of crucifying the flesh ( Galatians 5:24,25)).

Jew? When I wrote, 'Jewish convert', I meant that such a person still retains his Jewish heritage/bloodline, but has relinquished all that kept him bound to his faith (Judaism), finding forgiveness of sins, new life & liberty through the promised Messiah, Jesus Christ. The Jews today still await the Messiah, but Jesus came, but they refused Him & crucified Him ( John 1:10-14). But the day will come when they will acknowledge Jesus ( Zechariah 12:10,11; Revelation 1:7,8). People have in the past become Jewish proselytes, embracing Judaism, its Laws & Practises ( Exodus 12:48,49; Acts 2:10; Acts 6:5; Acts 13:43). I hope that I've covered all your questions; if you have other questions feel free to start a new thread. Blessings.

Hi Paul. 'Repent' in the Bible is from the Greek word, Metanoeo, which essentially means, 'changing one's mind or direction'. So when someone repents of having offended a person by word or deed, it means that he is sorry for his actions & determines in his mind to no longer offend in that way; he wants to take on a new path, not only towards that person but also towards not committing that offence again.

When we see it in the biblical view, repentance towards God can be one of two types: a simple sorrow (or, even a show of sorrow) for committing a sin yet without any desire to deal with that sin; and secondly, a deep sorrow, brought about by the Holy Spirit's conviction upon that person. In Matthew 3:7-10, we read of some religious leaders coming to John the Baptist to be baptized. They might have come because of the hype of the moment or even a sense of adding to their attempt to please God. But John questioned their motives, saying that their hearts weren't right & their coming was hypocritical & not to demonstrate repentance.

Whereas the repentance that Jesus & the apostles spoke of is the true understanding of repentance: of a change of heart & mind towards sin, turning away from it & turning to God. Only after Jesus' Death & Resurrection & the coming of the Holy Spirit to indwell men, did men pre & post-Cross, receive a conviction of their sin & urging to turn away from anything that brought eternal damnation. Luke 13:1-5; John 16:7-11; Acts 2:36-39; Acts 3:19. So today, when one truly repents, he acknowledges that he is a sinner, having offended God by his carnal lifestyle & rejection of God; then under the moving of the Holy Spirit, he can do nothing but fall at the Cross of Christ in sorrow & seek forgiveness only through Jesus' Sacrifice. When that heart has truly turned away from the 'old' & now cleaving unto the Lord, God forgives - forgiving completely - sending His Holy Spirit to indwell him & give him new life, a new joy & a new hope.

JESUS said that we must not work for money and wealth and that God would provide our needs Matthew 6:19-33 and john 6:27

He told us to sell all

Luke 11:41 to the pharisees

Luke 12:33 to the disciples

Luke 14:33 to the multitudes

Luke 18:22, Matthew 19:16-30 to the rich guy

And his disciples approve

Acts 2:44-45

Acts 4:33-34

Luke 18:28-30

Matthew 4:18-24

But who will go to heaven

Jesus and Jacob give us a hint

Luke 18:24-25

Mark 10:17-31

Matthew 5:3

Luke 6:20

James 2:5

But where does that put the rich?

Luke 6:24-25

James 5:1-3

What is the root of all evil?

1 timothy 6:10

Genesis 3

Are we to live under the curse or are we set free by God through Jesus? Because he broke every curse including this one:

Genesis 3:17-19

Should we end in the midst of the Sodomites?

Ezekiel 16:49-50

Luke 17:28

But there are days ahead that we would need to learn to trust in Yahweh for Manna his heavenly bread because the mark of the beast is the last form of money as a chip

Revelation 13

But if we learn to do these things that Jesus taught we might survive and prevail.

I came out of a religious system that had many traditions and actions we had to do in order to be saved. Jesus wonderfully saved me almost 40 years ago, ELB. As I read Ephesians 2:8 I was given the understanding by God's grace that ONLY by grace and the merits of Christ can I be saved.

However, it is through the Word, and the faith given by hearing it, helped me to put my hand of faith on Christ's head - the Lamb of God Who took my sin, laid it on himself, and paid the horrid debt I owed.

The Word will explain itself:

Acts 16:31

And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

Acts 2:

37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?

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.

So - were the apostles promoting works??? THEY to whom the gospel was given to preach command 'repentance' and 'believing'...So...what's going on here? :)

It seems there is confusion between the 'root' and the 'fruit', as James adequately describes. Faith without works is dead faith. We are not saved by works AT ALL but by the FINISHED work of CHRIST; however, real,true, Holy Spirit-birthed, saving faith inwardly will produce the outward act of repentance and belief. The inner divine work is the root; the fruit is the outward change seen in the life of one truly born again.

Grace and blessing!

Christians must forsake all wealth( Luke 14:33 Jesus says forsake it all)

Christians cannot work for money( Matthew 6:24)

Christians do Not pay taxes (Render to Caesar what is his and to God what belongs to Him, what belongs to God?)

Christians travel and trust in God for daily food(Mathew 6:20-33) that's what makes them different from all the world.

Christians live together 24/7 ( Acts 4:34-35) sharing everything in common( Acts 2:44-45).

Christians give to the needy in secret(Matthw 6)

Women can be leaders in the church but it is beter that all be as brothers and sisters.

If you are a Christian you own nothing in this world, as Paul says, and you are homeless as he says also, and you are the rags of this world, as Paul says. Choose Poverty not Wealth! Make Peace not War!

Christians are nonviolent ( Matthew 5:44-45).

Christians forgive as much as they can.

Hi dear "MoniqueJ", first of all: All the gifts of God are good. In Forgiveness, in the Lord's prayer, for example, we ask and leave our debtors. It is healing. And in the Light that has cast out all darkness, there is healing in it. Jesus Is the Light of the World. Imagine when the Apostles received the Holy Spirit on Pentecost: Acts 2:4, Ephesians 3:14-21 Then they all got a huge extra power. They all understood that. Jesus had said to them: Luke 9:1 Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases. It is not so of the human heart, but of the Holy Spirit who moved in by faith in Jesus.

Believe for your own sake, John 14:11 Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake.

12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.

Imagine the grace we have experienced and begin to know the Lord here on Earth! It constantly overwhelms me

Hebrews 9:27-28, Acts 2:22-35, Proverbs 15:11, 2Peter 2:4-8, Revelation 1:18, Revelation 20,

Matthew 27:50-54, Luke 16,

James 1:5,

Hopefully these are helpful in your searching for wisdom on this matter.