Believing Produces Repentance

Hello everyone.  Praise the Lord!

Repent - Be baptized - Be filled with the Holy Ghost.

Here is something that I found from an unknown author that I wanted to share.

Google commons

Believing produces obedience:

Jesus said he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved. We must conclude that believing produces obedience which leads to repentance in response to the Word of God. You must believe that you need to repent. 

But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? Rom‬ ‭10:16‬ ‭From this verse we see that believing produces obedience. If you believe, you’ll obey. 

Google commons

Obedience leads to repentance and baptism:

Jesus said he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved. Believing produces obedience which leads to repentance in response to the Word of God. John the Baptist, Jesus Christ, Apostles Peter and Paul all preached first to repent - believing comes first of course because the hearer had to believe before they could obey the need to repent. 

Believing is powerful, setting in motion a chain of events that leads to salvation. Believing activates faith. Believing opens up revelation. When you believe, you’ll obey. 

The only prerequisite it seems to be baptized is to believe with all of your heart. But that’s not just a believing heart, but a repentant heart. The eunuch asked If he could be baptized, Phillip responded, “if you believe with all of your heart you may.” Believe what? What Phillip just explained to him. He preached unto him Jesus. When you preach Jesus, you preach repentance, you preach baptism, and you preach being filled with the Holy Ghost. Faith without works is dead. 

We are begotten by the Word and repentance is the first response after believing. Repentance is powerful, but not complete without being baptized, yet powerful enough to prepare one to receive the Holy Ghost. 

Part of the response to the gospel is this: Jesus now commands all men everywhere to repent. I believe when men believe and obey that command, which is inextricably linked with baptism, revelation and real change takes place. 

Repentance is a commandment to be obeyed as well as a response to the Gospel. Conversion is repentance and baptism. While one can receive the Holy Ghost before baptism, but not the Holy Ghost before repentance, baptism is the NT circumcision which completes the conversion that began with repentance.

Repentance begins the process that isn’t completed until one is baptized - putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by being buried with Jesus Christ in baptism - yet one can receive the Holy Ghost before this takes place - which to me is a beautiful picture of grace - it doesn’t mean someone is sinning while being filled with the Holy Ghost - but while those past sins are still present and not yet washed away - you can be filled with the Holy Ghost. 

If you haven’t repented, you’re not ready for baptism. To repent is to want to be baptized. It’s why Paul asked the believers how were you baptized. Catch this: Paul knew that believers would be baptized. He just didn’t know how they were baptized. Believing and baptism goes together like peanut butter and jelly. 

To repent is to make a conscience choice to turn around from the direction one is headed. To repent is to change one’s mind for the better, to heartily amend with abhorrence of one's past sins. 

When you repent, you are biblically ready to receive the Holy Ghost, but you must be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Google commons

The Gospel is good news: 

“For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: and that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: after that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.” 1 Corinthians‬ ‭15 -  This is the gospel. 

Acts 2:17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh:

Google commons

God gives the Holy Ghost to them that obey Him:

And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him. Acts‬ ‭5:32‬ ‭

This prophecy by Joel as told by Peter would be fulfilled starting in Acts 2:4 - before Peter started preaching

Jesus was crucified, buried and rose again. That’s the good news. That’s the gospel. Not only did He rise again, but he was seen of many witnesses, 1, 12, and over 500 at one time. 

Acts 2:23-24 - Jesus was crucified and rose again just as it says in 1 Corinthians 15. And that’s good news. That’s the Gospel. You obey it by believing, and you believe it by obeying. 

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. Acts‬ ‭2:38‬. ‭

William James Roop

Roop-Crappell Ministries

Hospice Care and Dying

The Trucking Tango

Holy Spirit Fire

Hello everyone.  Praise the Lord!

How is the Holy Spirit like fire?

The Bible describes God as a "burning fire" (Hebrews 12:29), so it is not surprising that fire is often presented as a symbol of God's presence.  Examples include the burning bush (Exodus 3: 2), the pillars of the cloud (Exodus 14: 19), the clouds over the tabernacle of martyrdom (Numbers 9: 15-16) and the attitude of Ezekiel (Ezekiel 1: 4).  Often fire is the instrument of God's judgment (Numbers 11: 1 and 3; 2 Kings 1: 10 and 12) and is a sign of His power (Judges 13:20; 1 Kings 18:38).

For these obvious reasons fire was very important for Old Testament sacrifices.  The fire on the altar of burnt offering was a divine gift that was primarily illuminated by God Himself (Leviticus 9:24).  God commanded the priests to keep the fire which God had kindled always burning (Leviticus 6:13) and made it clear to them that fire taken by any other means would be unacceptable (Leviticus 10: 1-2 verses).  

The altar can illustrate our commitment to the Lord Jesus in the New Testament.  As followers of Jesus Christ, we are required to offer our bodies as "living and pure" (Romans 12: 1) sacrifices that are entirely dedicated to the divine gift, the unquenchable fire of the Holy Spirit.  ۔  At the very beginning of the New Testament, the Holy Spirit was attached to the fire.  John the Baptist prophesies that Jesus Himself will "baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire" (Matthew 3:11).  When the Holy Spirit began His ministry in the early church, He chose to dwell on every believer in the form of tongues "bursting like a flame of fire."  And on this occasion "they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with tongues, as the Spirit gave them power to speak" (Acts 2: 3-4).

Fire is an amazing picture of the work of the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit is like fire in at least three ways;  It brings God's presence, God's passion and God's holiness.  The Holy Spirit is an expression of God's presence because it resides in the heart of the believer (Romans 8: 9).  In the Old Testament, God revealed His presence to the Israelites through the appearance of the cloud at the tabernacle.  The presence of fire provided light and guidance (Numbers 9: 17-23).  In the New Testament, God guides and comforts His people through the Holy Spirit, who dwells in our bodies - in the "tabernacle" and in the "Holy of Holies" (2 Corinthians 5: 1; 6:16).

The Holy Spirit creates God's passion in our hearts.  Two disciples who traveled on the road to Emmaus after Jesus' resurrection talk to Jesus and later say,  Weren't you? "  (Luke 24:32).  After receiving the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, the apostles developed a zeal that lasted a lifetime and gave them the strength to speak God's word with boldness (Acts 4:31).

The Holy Spirit creates God's holiness in our lives.  God's original purpose is to cleanse us (Titus 2:14) and in this regard the Holy Spirit serves to sanctify us (1 Corinthians 6:11; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; 1 Peter 1:12).  In the same way our God uses the Holy Spirit to take away our sins (Psalm 10:10; Proverbs 17: 3).  His fire cleanses and purifies us.

I received this story from a friend, and the original author is unknown.  If you have and comments or any additional information, you can tell me in the comments section.  If you enjoyed this story you can click on the follow button to catch them all.

William James Roop, M.A.B.S.

Roop-Crappell Ministries

Hospice Care and Dying

The Trucking Tango

Apostolic Theological Seminary

This Same Jesus

Hello everyone.  Praise the Lord!

This story was published in the Azusa Street Mission newsletter, by William J Seymour in 1906, and Los Angeles, California.

When the Holy Ghost spell on the one-hundred and twenty it was in the morning of the dispensation of the Holy Ghost.  Today we are living down in the evening of a dispensation of the Holy Ghost. And as it was in the morning, so it shall be an evening. This is the last evangelistic call of the day. As John the Baptist was the voice of one crying in the wilderness: "Prepare ye the way of the Lord," so the voice of warning is going out through the land today to prepare the world for the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.  The angel said to His disciples as He was received up into Heaven, And they stood steadfastly gazing upward:

"This same Jesus that was taken up from you into Heaven shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into Heaven.".

This same Jesus is coming back again to sit in the Kingdom of His Father. 

This same Jesus that wore the crown of thorns and was lifted up between heaven and earth. 

This same Jesus that hung over yonder on Calvary, And now sits at the right hand of God the Father, is coming back to earth.  It's not that enough to ravish your souls, dear ones?

William James Roop, M.A.B.S.

 Roop-Crappell Ministries 

 Hospice Volunteer Stories 

 The Trucking Tango 

 Apostolic Theological Seminary