Surely you jest...

You sure do get it honest, Bro Strange. ;)

Pardon me elder, but Acts 2:38 gives us both the how and why.

It is so simple that those that received the Word (ACTS 2:38) gladly were baptized. [ SEE ACTS 2:41 ]

No bedtime stories of old for the 3000, it was their time to awake from the slumber.

God Bless, Theo.

Surely YOU jest...

Unless you belong to some weird cult, no one is going to be baptized in any name at all just because someone tells them to be baptized in the name of Jesus without preaching the gospel to them. It is the preaching of the gospel that gives BOTH the WHY and HOW. Acts 2:38 alone gives NEITHER the WHY or HOW.

Indeed, WHAT Word did they receive???

They got something more than just some bloke standing up and giving the Acts 2:38 command. Anyone would be an idiot just on the basis of Acts 2:38 alone. Why! Someone may just as well tell them to go be baptized in vinegar in the name of Jim Jones. If they are so blind to obey only a command without understanding the precedent to Acts 2:38, a well preached gospel message by Peter, you would have to worry about a people so lame brained as that.

Peter preached JESUS to the people, giving both the HOW and WHY before giving the COMMAND found in Acts 2:38.

I am uttlerly amazed that so many people believe that the Gospel is nothing more than Acts 2:38. That is not simple...that's pure silliness.

Well I've heard that a compliment is like a gift and I would never receive a gift and not say thank you. So thank you sir for such a nice gift. :)

I agree with you Bro. Strange. The Bible is very clear that the gospel is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ (1Cor.15:3-5). Peter had no reason to even say what is recorded in Acts 2:38, except that in verse 37 the crowd was "cut to the heart" and asked, "What shall we do?". What convicted them? The preaching of the gospel!

Sam, isn't that where the "Good Samaritan Inn" is located? My brother went there and completed the program. I have been there!!! Amazing!

The Hamilton Dream Center is located at 725 Campbell Ave (7th and Campbell) in Hamilton, OH. It is an old red brick church built in 1994. At one time it was called Grace Chapel and (I think) pastored by Josh Willis. It may have been the Good Samaritan Inn at one time, I don't know. I don't know who all have been in that building. It was purchased in November 2006 by the church known as the Hamilton Dream Center. Just prior to that it was called Hope School and was part of the Hamilton School District.

Good Samaritan Inn is located on Route 4 also known as the Dixie Highway. It is in an old school building. Josh Willis is the pastor there.

The current pastor of the Hamilton Dream Center is Wendell Coning. I'm not sure when the church was established and what its history is. We have been part of that congregation since around Easter 2006 and at that time it was in a building on Fair Avenue at Hanover. The building had been a CVS or Rite Aid Drug store at one time. Wendell Coning went through the program at the Good Samaritan Inn. He was a youth pastor or children's pastor at the Hamilton Christian Center at some time before becoming the pastor of the Hamilton Dream Center. He is a Rhema School graduate but is not big into the Word of Faith message although he is ordained through Rhema. He is also ordained through a group called WME (Worldwide Missionary Evangelism). Their web site is
http://www.wmeinc.org/
The Hamilton Dream Center is also somehow linked to the Dream Center in Los Angeles pastored by pastor Barnett. Their web site is
http://www.dreamcenter.org/

Now you know about as much about the Hamilton Dream Center as I do. The pastor and a bunch of folks are going to be in Kansas City this week and I have been asked to speak at the Wednesday night service and to do any visiting of the sick that is needed this week while they are gone.

If your brother went through the program he may know Wendell Coning.

Excuse me sir, but I am not the one depending on lame sarcastic humor to make my points:

You are the jester in this court.


Anyway, are you completely illiterate?!? You seem to like to muddy the waters and complicate the matter, but our focus here is baptism. Simple matter. Stay focused. Take note of the thread title and subsequent posts.

No one has said that the Gospel is nothing more than Acts 2:38. That is just your overactive paranoia psychosis on the typical flare.

I can read and I know very well what Peter preached that morning, but what he didn't do is make the simple matter of Baptism complex. In fact, he summed up the HOW and the WHY of Baptism in one sentence.

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.

HOW: In the Name of Jesus Christ!

WHY: for the remission of sins!

Therefore, your short sighted charge is thus proved false!

Could this particular topic (BAPTISM), that we are discussing, (some of us anyway) that Peter addresses to the masses in simple terms, be any clearer?

Peter didn't think so, and neither did the 3000.

Furthermore, the message that Peter preached prior to Acts 2:38 wasn't complex either. A great deal more can be said about both the Gospel and Baptism (the truth of which is certainly good news) howbeit Peter kept it both, very short, and very simple, and to the point. The response to which, in one day, is more than the vast majority of "preachers" see in a lifetime.

Now then, If the HOW and the WHY was contained in Peter's message prior to 2:38, then there never would have been a question put forth which they otherwise would have already been given the answer to.

In other words, these that heard the message, would have never asked:

Men and brethren, what shall we do? (see verse 37)

What was put forth in chapter 2 prior to verse 38 was a brief summation explaining what had just taken place about the third hour, and why. Peter then took the opportunity to preach Jesus and briefly show that he was the Christ by way of the O.T. realized in recent, and then current events.

They were cut to the heart because they had just realized that they had crucified the Christ.

They did NOT ask the question in verse 37 because they had already been told the how and why of baptism. This, again, is what we are discussing aside from your tangent tantrums and short sighted responses.

Lastly, but I am almost sure that I'll have to explain it all again, a clear analysis of Acts 2 will answer your jestered demand:

Consider, Peter's words prior to v38 had already been received. How do we know? The response and proof is in v37. They asked a question in response. (remember...not already having an answer)

Peter's words in v38 were received gladly by 3000. How do we know? The response and proof is in v41. They responded by simple obedience to a simple command of Baptism (THREAD TOPIC) containing both the how and the why.

There is no question that all that he said was heard, but not all responded by obedience to a command, only those that gladly received the command were baptized and added unto the church. Others may have thought that he was out of line to command such a thing. Perhaps some, that didn't receive it gladly, forsook him as a man of Jim Jones and a vinegar bath, in essense.

Perhaps, perhaps nothing....certainly even today the gospel goes forth, and even though ACTS 2:38 is contained therein, there are still those that think you are of jim jones and with a vinegar bath to cite it as a requirement!

Thus the Gospel, apart from and/or containing Acts 2:38, itself only goes so far with some, no matter how well it is preached and received. Verily, obedience to Acts 2:38 is the Truth nevertheless, and those that receive and obey the command gladly are added unto the church daily such as should be saved.

Of course...

It is the goodness of God seen in the gospel (the why) that leads us to repentance. It is the redemptive plan (the why) within the preaching of the gospel that explains it all.

Not to take away from the simplicity of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but Acts 2:38 is not the gospel. Too many of us want to do a high-wire pole vault right over the gospel found in the gospels and jump right to Acts 2:38 (which I firmly believe), creating mere denominational robots following after little more than a creed.

So let us hear two evangelist discussing their revivals over breakfast during one General Conference.

Evangelist Jones: "Man we had a great revival down in Boogerville. We had 25 to get baptized in Jesus' name and 22 to receive the Holy Ghost."

Evangelist Smith: "Praise God, brother Jones. We recently closed a great revival too. After preaching the gospel, we had 30 to commit to deny themselves and take up the cross daily to follow Jesus."

Question: Which of these two fine evangelists had the greater revival?

My personal observation: I've seen far too many that jumped over the gospels to obey Acts 2:38 without understanding, thus defecient in commitment to deny themselves to pick up the cross daily to follow Jesus, too quickly fall away.

On the otherhand, those who fully understand the simplicity of Christ found in the gospel who subsequently commit to deny themselves, to pick up their cross daily to follow Jesus, seldom ever fall away...at least not nearly so quickly. The WHY of batptism in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ is not defined in Acts 2:38, which is to become identified with Christ's own DBR...which entails denying self and taking up the cross. Crossless baptisms are lacking in spiritual substance...since we are discussing BAPTISM. The CORRECT way of baptism is with our UNDERSTANDING ALSO. Too bad this is not understood by so many that claim such brilliance on one singular scripture...

The subject IS baptism. There is only ONE baptism. That baptism is INTO the body of CHRIST. Water baptism is NOTHING unless it is the act of becoming identified with the Lord Jesus' OWN death burial and resurrection. There is NOTHING in acts 2:38 that explains THAT. you call ME illiterate? That is laughable. I would put my academic accomplishments against yours any day, since you have called me completely illiterate. But, your resorting to personal disparaging remarks only underscore your own mental deficiencies. Too bad you feel such a need to resort to that.

Simplicity found in Acts 2:38 apart from the simplicity found in Christ is hollow and without meaning.

If any of yall needs to baptized right ,come see me I'll baptize you in the name of Jesus The Christ of course now I'll only baptize you if you have repented of your sins and have asked Jesus to forgive you.

I have a question regarding remission of sins. I had always been taught that baptism in Jesus' name was for the remission of my sins. Then, the other day as I was reading, I came across this scripture:

Acts 10:42-44

42 And He commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead. 43 To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins.”

I realize that later on in the chapter they were baptized. However this particular verse puts emphasis on our belief in Him for remission of sins.

In the spirit of wanting to learn, I submit this question: Is it, indeed, our belief in Him, OR the actual water baptism that grants us remission of sins?

Respectfully,
Judah