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Don't blame God for your ancestor's decision to bring sin into a perfect world and mess stuff up.
Romans 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned
Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? 2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: 3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. 4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. 6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. 7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
Bro. Winter
Answered prayer is not “proof” we are saved. God answers prayers of unsaved people all the time. That is how loving, caring, all-powerful, all-knowing, merciful, and perfect God is.
“He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” –Matthew 5:45
When God answers our prayers even before we are saved, He is drawing us to Him. When we reach out for God, He does not push us away. He answers so we will know He is there. He answers so we will know he is real. He answers so we will believe He exists. God answers so we will continue to seek after Him.
It is not unusual for God to hear the prayers of people that are seeking Him, even before they are saved. See Cornelius in Acts chapter 10:
Verses 30-33 says
Cornelius answered: "Four days ago I was in my house praying at this hour, at
three in the afternoon. Suddenly a man in shining clothes stood before me and said, 'Cornelius, God has heard your prayer and remembered your gifts to the poor. Send to
Joppa for Simon who is called Peter. He is a guest in the home of Simon the tanner,
who lives by the sea.' So I sent for you immediately, and it was good of you to come.
Now we are all here in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has
commanded you to tell us."
God not only heard Cornelius’ prayer before he was saved, He sent an angel in response to provide him with more information through Peter! Peter later told Cornelius the rest of the message so that he could be saved ( Read Acts 10:43-48).
Jesus warned us that even miracles performed in His name does not mean we are saved:
Matthew 7:21-23
"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!' ( Jesus said, " I Never Knew you" He didn't say " We Never knew you"- This proof that Jesus is the One true God, beside Him there is no other God- Isaiah 44:6- Rev 1:8; Col 2:9-10).
In the above verse, how could these people cast out demons unless they pray? How could they perform any of these works without prayer? Notice Jesus does not deny they did these things. But Jesus tells them to depart because they did not do His will. How do we know what God’s will is? By reading the Scriptures (Bible- II Tim 3:16-17) and doing what they say.
Think about this: If God did not answer our prayers at all before we were saved, how would we ever find Him?
Imagine a parent that looses their child in a store. Does the parent not cry out and call to that lost child? And when the child hears his mother or father, does he not run in the direction of that voice?
That is what God does with us!
And, in God’s eyes, we are not considered found until we are in Christ:
• Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? –Romans 6:3
• For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for as many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. -- Galatians 3:26-27.
Some still protest the need for baptism in Jesus name, and they often quoted John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life?"
John 3:16
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.
This is perhaps the most often quoted verse in the New Testament. It is often isolated and set apart from the rest of the dialogue in which it took place. Remember! To “believe in Jesus” means to believe the gospel message, and baptism is a part of that gospel message. It must also be remembered this verse is only one small part of a much larger conversation that Jesus had with Nicodemus. Verse 16 (of chapter 3) deals with faith JESUS. Repentance is talked about in regards to the snake that was lifted up and then again in verses 19-21.
Verses 3 and 5 also deal with baptism in Jesus name. This shows the importance of looking at the overall picture and not focusing in on any single verse or passage.
Furthermore, the NIV is the only translation that uses the word “shall” in John 3:16. All other translations render this verse, “…whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” The NIV erroneously takes a “maybe” and turns it into a “will be”.
According to James, faith alone, by itself, will not save us:
James 2:19-20
You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that--and shudder. You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Remember this, faith must have actions to back it up with!! ( Acts 2:37-41; 19:5;16:30-33; Mark 16:16).
Some still protest the need for baptism in Jesus name, and they often quoted the bible verse from Acts 16:30-31He then brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved--you and your household."
This verse is often quoted but then the questioner stops short right in the middle of the story. People like to quote verses 30 and 31 but they don’t quote verses 32 and 33. Those very next two verses state that the Word of the Lord was preached to them and then they were immediately baptized. We know Apostle Paul and the early church always baptized people in the name of Jesus Christ ( Acts 19:2-5; 22:16; 10:48; Col 3:17; Eph 4:5). We also know from James 2:19-20 that the jailer did not stop once he had a belief in Jesus. Indeed, there was more as verses 32-33 illustrate so clearly. See
Acts 16:16-33 for more detail:-
Acts 16:30-33
Verse 30 And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
Verse 31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
Verse 32 And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.
Verse 33 -And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.
It does no good to tell someone about baptism unless they are first told the message of Jesus Christ. The first step is to believe, then baptism will be effectual ( Mark 16:16 says " He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned"). Faith in Christ is what gives baptism in Jesus name- its significance. Obviously, it does no good to tell someone to get baptized unless they have first heard the message of the calvary and the story of Jesus.
Today we are commanded to obey the gospel of Christ and continue in the apostles doctrine ( Acts 2:38-47; John 3:5;. Rom 10:10; Rev 2:10; Acts 2:42; 2 Jn 9). Do this and live forever.
LIVE FOREVER-obey ACTS 2:38!
Indeed, we are saved by grace. But just what is ‘grace’? The Oxford American Dictionary defines grace as: God’s loving mercy toward mankind. Other words that may be found in a thesaurus as synonyms for “grace” include: mercy, favor, kindness, blessing, and compassion.
And it is because of God’s mercy, His favor, His kindness, His blessing and His compassion that He has provided mankind with a salvation plan! We are saved by God’s mercy. We do not deserve the blessings God has given us.
Ephesians 2:4-9---But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- not by works, so that no one can boast.
Baptism in no way minimizes or nullifies God’s grace as some critics argue that baptism does. They make this argument because they do not understand the role baptism plays in God’s salvation plan. Baptism in Jesus name-confirms and verifies God’s grace to us! God’s grace is manifested in baptism- READ MK 16:16; I Peter 3:20-21! after we are baptized in Jesus name and received the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38), His grace continues to cover us.
Notice this passage says:
God made us alive in Christ when we were dead—and this is God’s grace.
God raised us up with Christ
God expresses His grace to mankind by giving us Christ Jesus
God’s grace is through faith.
When did God make us alive when we were dead, and raise us up with Christ? What is Paul talking about?
Romans 6:3-5 describes just such a scenario-- when we were dead in sin and God raised us up with Christ:
“Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his”.
An Analogy of Grace and Faith :
Here is an analogy that may help to put what we have learned into perspective. Suppose Smith tells Jack "Meet me at the bank tomorrow morning at 11:00 A.M. and I will give you $2,000." (This is a condition for receiving the gift.) If Jack really believes Smith, he will appear at the appointed place and time. (Faith necessarily produces trust, response, and reliance) If Jack shows up, has he thereby earned the money? Of course not, because the money is a free gift. Yet his appearance is a necessary condition that must be met in order to receive the gift. (Grace on Smith's part, faith on Jack’s part.) If Jack fails to show up, he will not receive the gift and the responsibility for the failure will fall totally upon him. (Lack of faith in the promise.)
Similarly, we must respond to God in faith by seeking repentance, remission of sins at water baptism according to Acts 2:38-41; Acts 10:44-48, Therefore Jesus said, “He that believeth and baptized shall be saved” (Mk 16:16) also read I Peter 3:20-21. If we do, God will graciously grant our petition, and we will receive salvation totally as a free gift and not as an earned right. If we do not respond in obedience to God's Word, we will not receive salvation, and the blame will rest totally upon us ( Read Mark 16:16; Gal 1:8-9; Acts 2:37-41; Acts 19:1-7).
The Bible says that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). And when we had sinned and were dead, and had received only what we deserved, God in His mercy and grace provided a way for us to be saved—He robed Himself in flesh and gave of Himself as the Son of God to reconcile the world to Himself (II Corinthians 5:19). The one True God of the Old Testament, the great Creator of the universe, humbled Himself in the form of man so that man could see Him, understand Him, and communicate with Him. He made a body for Himself, called the Son of God ( I Tim 3:16;I Isaiah 44:6).Hence, without Jesus, baptism is meaningless- Therefore, we must be baptized in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ! Jesus name baptism is necessary. We know that Jesus name is the only saving name given in the New Testament ( Acts 4:12). Baptism in Jesus name, coupled with faith, is the means by which we become unified with Christ. Baptism is how we are “put into” Christ( Gal 3:27).
We should be grateful and thankful beyond measure that God has provided a salvation plan for us who deserve nothing but death.
Remember! To “believe in Jesus” means to believe the gospel message, and baptism is a part of that gospel message- Mark 16:16; John 3:5; Acts 2:38-41!
If we say we are not saved by baptism in Jesus name, we are saying we are not saved by God’s salvation plan ( Read Luke 24:47; Mk 16:16; Acts 22:38; 2:38-39).
God wants everyone to be saved and to know the truth. It is by God’s abundant mercy and grace that he provides us with a way out of the darkness. His salvation plan is available to every human being! His invitation is extended to everybody and it is by His grace that anyone gets an invitation at all. Yet even though His salvation is open to all, we must each, individually, respond to this invitation, to His grace, and to His call. We do this by believing, by repenting, by confessing our faith in Christ and by being baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, receiving gift of the Holy Spirit- Acts 2:38; John 3:5! Then in Christ you can live forever.
The word of God is not a dead letter. It is “living and powerful” (Hebrews 4:12). Although our flesh is like grass that withers away, through the “living and powerful” word of God we can live forever. Let us hold fast the “word of life” (Philippians 2:16).
“Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). Jesus said: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away” (Matthew 24:35). “The word of our God stands forever” (Isaiah 40:8). Today we are commanded to obey the gospel of Christ and continue in the apostles doctrine ( Acts 2:38-47; John 3:5;. Rom 10:10; Rev 2:10; Acts 2:42; 2 Jn 9). Do this and live forever.
LIVE FOREVER-obey ACTS 2:38!
Bro Paogin Mangte
President/Founder
Apostolic Theological Seminary New Delhi,India.
General Pastor- OAPCI India.
This is what someone emailed me today because of what I posted against their video (below)
it is so sad that people feel like this today. We just have to keep fighting and telling them as best we can.
This is the email:;
God is punishing
everyone forever because of two people that didn't even know they were doing
anything wrong? I mean they literately had no possible way of knowing not to
eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge of right and wrong.
It's like me telling my
son not to touch the stove because it's hot, and then when he does and burns
himself; I set him on fire and then torture any children he may happen to have
in the future. Granted he lives that long after his "well deserved
punishment"
Click here if you want to
see the video: God is not good.
I had a fairly normal childhood I guess. My parents were divorced when I was about 7. I grew up loving wrestling and rock n roll. By the time I was 11 I was experimenting with drugs, witchcraft, and was addicted to satanic music. But I had always been taken to church all my life, in various denominations. By the time I was 12, I was having suicidal thoughts and deep depression. It just hit me that if didnt get ahold of God I was going to end up Dead quick. So one night at a trinitarian "pentecostal" church I repented. I mean REPENTED! I went home that night and tore down the posters all over my walls and broke all my heavy metal cds. The next day people said "what happend to you?". They could see an immediate change in me. My teen age years were like most, lots of ups and downs, tempations and giving in to those temptations. But I always knew that I was going to serve God and that deep down there was something special God had for me. When I was 15 I began to study the Bible alot and about different types of chuches. I was drawn to holiness. I began to seek out sanctification and holy living. I began preaching in the Church of God denomination at age 16. About that time a gradual change was happening about how I veiwed God, that Jesus was the one to pray to. I had read some apostolic literature then Bam! It hit me like a ton of bricks. Jesus Christ is God and I have been so blind! I got the revelation of the oneness of God. I new about a Jesus Name church about 50 miles away that an elderly lady had invited me to quite some time before. I knew she lived holy and had prayed fo me. One night I walked in that little backwoods Jesus Name church in south east Ky. That Lady turned around from her seat and pointed to me and said "I knew you would be here!" I looked around and people were shouting, praying, speaking in tongues, and praying for each other. I wanted what they had. I already knew the Holy Ghost was real, I already believed the oneness of God, I aready knew about baptism in Jesus Name. So just a few times of going there I was determined to get the Holy Ghost. I read Acts 2 and Acts 8 and I believed if I would obey the scripture to be baptized in Jesus name that God would give me the Holy Ghost. I called that pastor up one sunday and told him I wanted to be Baptized. He said come on down right now. So we went down there, way back in that holler, on a cold sunny day in February. I was Baptized in Jesus name at Slick Ford creek, near Monticello KY. I went on to service that night just feeling God like never before. I was up on the plat form playing on a guitar when they began to sing. I started to worship and got lost in the presence of God. Im not sure how it happend but I got that guitar off and was standing in front of the the alter. A brother put his hands on my head and I lifted mine and said Jesus! Then all I know is I hit the floor rolling and praising God in ways I couldnt understand or even control. I tried to get up and could not, I tried to stand and could not, I tried to speak normal but all I could say was Jesus. I new was changed and Jesus (the Holy Ghost) came in that night. Then came the rejection and persecution! I told my boss (the preacher who had baptized me in the titles when I was 12) that I got the Holy Ghost. He said that good. I said yes, but it what else I did that you wont agree with. I got baptized in Jesus name, I said. He looked with surprize and disgust. Then came the questions, the interogation in preachers offices, the losing friends, the being banished from pulpits, even my own family was against me. I was alone, But I hung on to that experience that night, I knew what I got was real and right. I got my strength from the word of God. Then God placed some knew people in my life that made me feel accepted again. I began to preach the One God, Apostolic, tongue talking, Holiness message and been preaching it ever since. Thats been over 10 years ago. I wouldn't trade this Jesus name, Holy Ghost salvation for anything in the world. Thanks be to God!
in Jesus name,
Bro. Billy Vaughn
