No matter who you are or what you’ve done. No matter how bad you’ve blown it. Today, there is hope.
You have hope. God stands ready to forgive you and give you new life.
We can never be good enough on our own to reach God’s standard of perfection. God is Holy and He is Perfect. Instead, when we come to God, we stand before Him holding the broken pieces of what we’ve done with our lives. But, we have a promise when we hand those broken fragments over to Him, He not only makes them whole. He makes them new (II Corinthians 5:17)!
He is faithful, just, and willing to forgive all our sins (I John 1:9)!
God is in the business of restoring broken lives. Including yours.
The Bible says we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and the penalty of sin is death (Romans 3:23 & 6:23). But thankfully, it also says the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord! We receive that life through following and obeying the teachings of Jesus.
We call this saving message “The Gospel,” which literally means the Good News.
The Apostle Paul put it this way in I Corinthians 15:1:
“Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;” (I Corinthians 15:1)
Paul then goes on to describe the Gospel in verses 3-4 -- the salvation plan we must follow to come to God:
“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.”
(I Corinthians 15:3-4)
The Apostle Peter preached this same concept in Acts 2. Here’s what the Bible says:
“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? 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. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.” (Acts 2:37–39).
The promise is for you today! God still calls to the hearts of men and women everywhere. God said in 2 Corinthians 6:1, “behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”
Jesus had given the Apostle Peter the keys to the kingdom, and had said the salvation message would be preached starting at Jerusalem. When Peter stood up on the Day of Pentecost, he preached the salvation message found in Acts 2:37–39.
But, Peter preached more than the Salvation message that day. He told the world Jesus was the Messiah and He was alive. It was in Jesus Christ humanity would see salvation (I Thessalonians 5:9). When the people heard this message, they were convicted about what they had heard. They knew they could not hear the message of Calvary and do nothing with it. It was then Peter gave instruction as to the three steps they would need to follow.
Paul and Peter agree, we are saved by identifying with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ and we do so in the following way:
- Repentance from Sin: The Death
- Baptism by Immersion in Jesus Name: The Burial
- The Infilling of the Holy Spirit: The Resurrection
Repentance
Repentance can happen in a moment once we realize the heart of God toward our sin. God is saddened by our sin every time we fail, every time we miss the mark and fall short of His expectations. Repentance is an inward change of mind that will change our outward directions and actions. Godly sorrow for our sins produces repentance in us (II Corinthians 7:10).
Baptism in Jesus’ Name
There is only one way to be baptized found all through the Scriptures—in the Name of Jesus. The Early Church understood “Jesus” was the Name to use at baptism, and from the day the church of God was established (the Day of Pentecost) until the end of their ministry, they baptized all nations (Jews--Acts 8:16; Gentiles--Acts 19:5) in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, the only Name given for our salvation. In every Biblical example, believers were ONLY baptized in the Name of Jesus (Acts 2:38; 8:12; 8:16; 10:48; 19:5; 22:16).
We are baptized for the remission of our sins, evoking the work of Calvary. When we’re baptized, all of our sins ever committed are remitted as far as the East is from the West. The Blood of Jesus washes the slate of our life clean from all of our sins. We’re buried with Jesus through baptism so we can be raised up and walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4).
Infilling of the Holy Ghost
The Holy Ghost is hard to measure, explain, and imagine because we operate in a finite world. But, God and His presence are infinite. Don't dismiss or attempt to quantify the unexplainable. Rather, embrace the supernatural move the Lord wants to pour out in your life.
Once the Holy Ghost comes upon you, you will speak in other tongues. Speaking in other tongues as the Spirit of God gives utterance is the indisputable, supernatural sign God gives as evidence of the Holy Ghost (Acts 2:4; 10:46; 19:6). It was prophesied by the prophet Isaiah as the rest and the refreshing (Isaiah 28:11-12), foretold by Jesus as a sign that would follow believers of the gospel (Mark 16:17), and experienced by Jews and Gentiles alike. Speaking in tongues means speaking miraculously in a language unknown to the speaker, as the Spirit gives utterance.
This is the one thing we cannot do in life—if we had the ability to organize or orchestrate it, we’d mess it up. This is why it’s known as supernatural! To complete our salvation experience, we must be filled with His precious presence! The Spirit of God is what gives us the Power to be victorious and live an overcoming life for God!
Today is the Day of Salvation
You don’t have to wait! Today is the day of salvation! Our altar is always open and we always have robes, towels, and warm water ready, if you’re interested in being baptized. Also, you can pray at any time, in any place, asking God to fill you with the Holy Ghost…and He will!
Do you want to talk more with someone about salvation? Are you interested in a Bible Study? Please contact us today and we’ll be more than happy to help!