Those Who Have The Same Faith as That of The Disciples of Jesus (Acts 3:19)
(Acts 3:19)
“Repent
therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that
times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.”
What kind of faith did the apostles have?
They believed in both the baptism of Jesus and His blood on the Cross.
They believed in both the baptism of Jesus and His blood on the Cross.
Looking
at the disciples of Jesus Christ, the extent of their faith when they
had the indwelling of the Holy Spirit was clearly different from their
faith when they did not. Their flesh did not look any different, but
after receiving the Holy Spirit, their lives were totally changed by the
light of Jesus Christ.
The
town where I live has beautiful mountains and lakes. Looking at such
lovely scenery, I become filled with satisfaction and wonder that I
cannot but thank the Lord for such creations. The brilliance of the
crystal-clear water glistening in the sun makes my heart full and the
world around me seem like gold.
But
there are places where such scenic beauty does not manifest itself.
There are places where the sky is crystal clear, but the water under the
sunlight looks more like a swamp. There is no brilliance in such a
sight. Looking at a lake like this, I thank the Lord for His beautiful
gospel that cleansed my sins and obtained for me the indwelling of the
Holy Spirit.
As
the surface of the swampy lake is not able to reflect light, so we may
also be remote from the light of God and be unwittingly headed towards
an unknown destiny owing to our sinful nature. But if the Holy Spirit
dwells in our hearts, we will be revealed as children of God and be led
to teach the gospel to other people. Because we accepted His light, we
will come to shine as lights.
Likewise,
after Jesus’ resurrection, His disciples received the Holy Spirit and
became children and apostles of the light. The light of the Holy Spirit
is a great blessing to all and therefore most people wish to receive the
Holy Spirit.
The Faith of the apostle Paul
What
kind of faith did Paul have? Paul, in his confession of faith, said
that he was educated and thoroughly trained under Gamaliel, one of the
greatest teachers of the law at that time, strictly according to the law
of his fathers. But he confessed that even with the law, he could not
be saved from his sins and that he was, in fact, a persecutor of Jesus,
our Savior. One day he met Jesus on the way to Damascus and became an
evangelist of His gospel. He had faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of
God, who came into this world, was baptized by John to cleanse all the
sins of the world, and bled on the Cross in order to take with Him all
the judgments on those sins. In other words, Paul had in his heart faith
in the forgiveness of sin.
Jesus’
disciples believed that Jesus’ baptism by John and His blood on the
Cross was to forgive them for all their sins. Paul shared the same faith
with the disciples and therefore was saved from all his sins.
Paul
said in Galatians 3:27, “For as many of you as were baptized into
Christ have put on Christ,” and confessed his faith in Jesus’ baptism as
his salvation. Also, Peter said in 1 Peter 3:21, “There is also an
antitype which now saves us ─ baptism (not the removal of the filth of
the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the
resurrection of Jesus Christ,” and he demonstrated the beautiful gospel
of Jesus’ baptism through this verse. Jesus’ disciples believed that His
baptism by John cleansed all the sins of the world. They were forgiven
for their sins, and were thus no longer under the curse of the law by
believing in this truth.
They
believed in both the baptism of Jesus and His blood on the Cross. It is
evident that this belief was necessary to the successful qualification
of the disciples. In Acts 1:21-22, it says, “Therefore, of these men who
have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out
among us, beginning from the baptism of John to that day when He was
taken up from us, one of these must become a witness with us of His
resurrection.” Becoming a disciple of Jesus began with the belief in
Jesus’ baptism by John.
The
truth we need in order to be forgiven for our sins is faith in the
baptism of Jesus and His blood on the Cross. “For as many of you as were
baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Galatians 3:27). Thus, Paul
also believed in Jesus’ baptism by John and His blood on the Cross.
Let’s
look at Titus 3:5. “Not by works of righteousness which we have done,
but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of
regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit.” Here the phrase, “the
washing of regeneration” means that all the sins of the world were
cleansed when John baptized Jesus. Likewise, if you want to be forgiven
for your sins, then you need to believe in the beautiful gospel, which
says that your sins were passed to Jesus through His baptism by John.
The reason Jesus was crucified and bled to death is that He had taken
away all our sins through the baptism He received from John. Believing
in this fact is enough to obtain the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Paul
confessed that he also believed in Jesus’ baptism by John and His blood
on the Cross.
Let
us look at Hebrews 10:21-22, it says, “Having a High Priest over the
house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of
faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our
bodies washed with pure water.” Here, “washed with pure water” refers to
the baptism of Jesus by John, which cleansed all the sins of mankind.
Therefore,
in both the Old and New Testaments, we can find that the core
components of the beautiful gospel are His baptism and His death on the
Cross. You too, must share the same faith as Paul.
Today,
most Christians believe in Him in vain without knowing that when John
baptized Jesus, all the sins of the world were cleansed. Some
theologians argue that people themselves must be baptized in water in
order to be forgiven for their sins. This assertion is probably made
without knowing the true and beautiful gospel of the water and the
Spirit, as it is written in the Bible. Our sins cannot be forgiven in
mere ceremony when we are baptized in water. The faith in Jesus’ baptism
and His blood cleanse us of all our sins. Only those who believe in the
beautiful gospel are forgiven for their sins. And by believing in His
blood, they have paid off all their judgment. Only those who have this
faith can receive the Holy Spirit.
“Let
us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our
hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure
water” (Hebrews 10:22). The writer of Hebrews tells us to draw near God
with a true heart in full assurance of faith. You also should draw near
Him with a true heart in full assurance of faith in the beautiful
gospel.
Today,
Christians sincerely hope to obtain the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
But the Holy Spirit dwells only in those whose sins have been forgiven.
Many do not know this and therefore wish to receive the Holy Spirit
without believing in the beautiful gospel of Jesus’ baptism and His
blood. Those who believe in Jesus yet do not believe in His baptism and
His blood on the Cross cannot receive the Holy Spirit. The reason is
that they do not have pure hearts.
Paul
believed in Jesus’ baptism and His blood on the Cross and therefore
received the Holy Spirit. Moreover, he spread this belief and was
persecuted for being a heretic. But because the Holy Spirit dwelled in
his heart, he could spread the gospel of the water and the Spirit until
his end. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”
(Philippians 4:13). Thanks to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, he
served God and lived under the protection of the Holy Spirit until he
went up to God. Only those who have the same faith as Paul’s can receive
the Holy Spirit.
Let
us look at Paul’s faith. In Colossians 2:12, it says, “buried with Him
in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the
working of God, who raised Him from the dead.” He was forgiven for all
his sins by believing in Jesus, who was baptized by John.
How has Christianity changed since ancient times?
Now, let’s look at the confession of a sister who became a disciple after receiving the Holy Spirit in Jesus Christ.
“I
was getting old but I could not bear a child, so in order to receive
His blessing through prayer I went from one church to another. Even when
I was alone at home, I prayed for a child at least for one or two hours
and this religious pattern became a part of my daily life.
While
leading this kind of religious life on my own, I met an elderly woman.
She told me that if I wanted to ask God for a child, I should try to
receive the prayer of the laying on of hands from her. I heard somewhere
that this woman was a messenger of God and so I allowed her to lay her
hands on my head. At that moment, I had an experience that I had never
felt before. My tongue started to roll, and I was speaking in a
different language and I felt some strange and hot energy pulling me up.
I
took this experience to mean that I had received the Holy Spirit and it
was His answer to my prayers. The woman who had laid her hands on my
head seemed to have a gift from the Holy Spirit and could prophesy and
heal. She had never received an education in God’s words, but using the
power of the Holy Spirit, she had helped a lot of pastors and the
educated receive the Holy Spirit through the laying on of hands.
From then on, I started to attend such meetings, one of which was so called “[3]Renewal/Revival Movement.”
During one of my prayers at this meeting, I felt a shiver throughout my
body and my heart burned with love for God and my neighbors. This same
thing happened to others and people were fainting and speaking in
tongues. There were people possessed of demons there, and the leader of
this meeting cast out the demons. The purpose of this Renewal/Revival
Movement was to help people experience the Holy Spirit through things
such as shivering, prophesying, casting out demons, and speaking in
tongues. But in spite of all these experiences, I still had sin, and the
sins in my heart made me feel fear and shame.
3True
renewal is a natural and necessary part of the Christian life, and it
brings about spiritual maturity, evidenced by the fruit of the Spirit.
But in recent years, some movements have redefined the term “renewal” in
such a way that it bears no resemblance to the spiritual maturity
process described in the Scriptures. Their “renewal” that produces
uncontrolled emotions, is marked by all manner of suspect
manifestations, and is accompanied by extra-biblical or un-biblical
teachings and practices.
These
are some of the problematic teachings and practices promoted within the
controversial renewal and revival movements: excessive emphasis on
charismatic experiences over Scripture, false manifestations, false
teachings, false prophecy, false signs and wonders, etc. However, the
most dangerous aspect of these movements is that they have caused many
people to misunderstand the truth about receiving the Holy Spirit and
put aside the beautiful gospel.
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Therefore,
whenever I prayed, I prayed earnestly that I would be able to resolve
the problem of sin. I confessed that I had sinned, but people still
regarded me as an angel. I thought I had good faith, but I was wrong. If
I hadn’t recognized my error, I might not have had the chance to
receive the Holy Spirit.
After
that, I met those who spread the gospel of the water and the Spirit and
received forgiveness for all my sins by believing in God’s words. Now I
am truly happy. I believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit and
have received the Holy Spirit. I thank God. I wish all Christians
around the world would believe in the beautiful gospel and receive the
indwelling of the Holy Spirit. I thank our Lord.”
Here
we learned that in order to receive the Holy Spirit, we need the gospel
of the water and the Spirit. If you want to be forgiven for all your
sins, you must have faith in the baptism of Jesus by John. Let us look
at Ephesians 4:5. “One Lord, one faith, one baptism.” Here it says that
there is only one Lord and one baptism, which we believe. We must all
believe in Jesus’ baptism by John and His blood on the Cross in order to
receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. If we do not, then the Holy
Spirit will never dwell in us.
Once
there were some people who taught and believed that the Sanctity and
Purity Movement would help them receive the Holy Spirit. However, do you
think the Holy Spirit dwells in us if we join such movements? Have you
received the Holy Spirit because of the Sanctity and Purity Movement? If
it were possible, then you would be wise to keep the faith. But if the
Holy Spirit came on you for this reason, then Jesus would not have had
to come down and save us from our sins and would not have needed to be
baptized by John nor be crucified on the Cross.
The
receiving of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is a gift from the faith
in the gospel of Jesus’ baptism and His blood, which brought you
forgiveness for your sins. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit is a gift
granted to those whose sins have been cleansed and forgiven by the true
gospel.
These
days, among those who indulge in Renewal/Revival Movement, there are
some who believe that exhaustive prayers of repentance can help them
receive the Holy Spirit. They say that even though a person has sin in
his heart, if he prays for repentance, then he will receive the Holy
Spirit.
The
Pentecostal-Charismatic Movement, which has spread all over the world,
started in the United States in the 1800s. This movement came about
after the Industrial Revolution, when people’s ethics and morals had
collapsed. The movement reached its heyday when many people’s hearts
were desolated due to the Great Depression. From that time, the faith
based on God’s words declined and a new religious movement started to
rise. It was the Pentecostal-Charismatic Movement which was aimed at
physically experiencing the Holy Spirit (God) – seeing the works of God
with the eyes and experiencing the power of God’s words with the body
and mind.
But
a fatal flaw in this movement is that it moves believers further away
from the words of God and exists as a religion that strives for bodily
blessings. As a consequence, followers of this new movement became
advocates of shamanism. Even today, those who indulge themselves in the
Pentecostal- Charismatic Movement believe that if one has faith in Jesus
he will be rich, his illnesses will be cured, he will be prosperous in
everything, he will receive the Holy Spirit and speak in tongues and
have the power to heal others. The Pentecostal-Charismatic Movement has
spread all around the world. This movement has become a barrier to
people’s faith in the beautiful gospel and their ability to obtain the
indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
Modern
Christianity originated in the beliefs of Luther and Calvin about 500
years ago. But within the boundaries of Christianity, the biblical study
of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is not firmly established. The
problem is that from the beginning of modern Christianity, most
Christians have believed in Jesus without recognizing the significance
of His baptism and death on the Cross. To make matters worse, people
started to stress mistaken doctrines of Christianity and emphasize
bodily experiences alone. All Christians must believe the beautiful
gospel that says Jesus was baptized by John to take away all the sins of
the world and that He was crucified in order to be judged for those
sins. This belief will cause you to receive the Holy Spirit.
Today,
the reason that Christianity has become so desolate is that people tend
to ignore the truth of the baptism Jesus received from John and of His
blood on the Cross. Jesus tells us to know the truth. Believing in the
baptism of Jesus by John and His blood on the Cross means believing in
the gospel of the water and the Spirit. If you want to receive the Holy
Spirit, then believe that when John baptized Jesus, your sins were
passed on to Him and that His blood was the judgment and forgiveness for
all your sins. Then you will receive the Holy Spirit.
Many
Christians believe only in Jesus’ blood as the gospel of redemption.
But can those of you who believe only in His blood be freed from sin?
Can you? If you think this can be so, perhaps you only have a vague
knowledge of the true meaning of Jesus’ baptism. In that case there is
still sin in your heart. Only when you connect Jesus’ baptism and blood
together as one faith can you be saved from your sins and receive the
Holy Spirit. The Bible says this is the only true gospel that helps us
to overcome the world. “And there are three that bear witness on earth:
the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one” (1
John 5:8). Therefore, we must know that it, in His desire to save us
from our sins, God had John baptize Jesus and then had Him crucified.
The
reason why most Christians don’t have forgiveness of sins in spite of
their believing in Jesus is that they don’t believe in the beautiful
gospel that was accomplished with Jesus’ baptism by John and His blood
on the Cross. Those who believe in these two things will be forgiven for
their sins and the Holy Spirit will dwell in their hearts.
When
people realize that their sins have been cleansed, their hearts become
peaceful and bountiful like still water. The moment the Holy Spirit
dwells in someone’s heart, peace like a river flows into and out of his
heart. We meet our Lord by believing in this truth and walking with the
Spirit as we spread the gospel of receiving the Holy Spirit. Our hearts
have never had this kind of peace before. From the time we start
believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, our lives become
serene and our hearts become perfectly joyous. We cannot turn away from
this beautiful gospel. The Holy Spirit is always in our hearts,
prompting us to spread His word and allowing people who believe in it to
receive the Holy Spirit.
Because
we believed in the beautiful gospel of Jesus’ baptism and His blood on
the Cross, we were blessed with the Holy Spirit. Now you must have faith
in the baptism of Jesus and His blood on the Cross in order to receive
the Holy Spirit. It is important that people around the world start the
process of believing in the word of God that Jesus was baptized by John
to take away all the sins of the world and that He died on the Cross to
be judged for their sins. When they do so, they will finally receive the
Holy Spirit.
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