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Bibleline Bibleline, here God’s word on Bibleline, here God’s truth on Bibleline. Welcome to Bibleline with Dr. Ralph Yankee Arnold, pastor of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida, clearly declaring the Gospel of Jesus Christ through the radio and the internet. Your regular prayers and monthly support make it possible for Bibleline to continue on the You can reach us toll free at 1-800-576-3771. Online donations may be made by clicking on the donations link on the BibleLineMinistries.org homepage. We pray that you will enjoy our commitment to the clear gospel of Jesus Christ, and that today’s concluding message of this teaching will be a blessing to you and your family.

Manal, look there in Acts in chapter 1 and verse 8. Remember, He said, wait until you are in dude with power from on high. It means the power to do the job. The Holy Spirit comes within you, takes the message that we give and the Holy Spirit uses that message to enlighten a person’s mind, helping to see and understand. But it’s up to the individual to either believe it or not believe it. And some people will believe it and some people will not believe it.

He said in verse eight, but ye shall receive power. After that, the Holy Ghost has come upon you. So that’s why the lost man doesn’t have this power. The Christian does. The Holy Spirit lives within us and just waits for us to be obedient, to listen, through the word of God. And you’d be surprised how God can work in your life. God wants to do little bit of miracles in your life so that you’ll give the Lord the credit.

So He’ll lead you into impossible situations. Let’s things happen, you can’t control. Cause He wants to control it. Put everything in God’s hands and after a while it seems like God isn’t everything that you do. And you’ll come to believe it. But you’ll notice and you shall be what? Witnesses unto me. So witnesses means a soul winner. A person who goes and tells people, trying to persuade people. So as you read the book of Acts, it is a continual action.

One soul winning story after the other. So if you want to find out what should I do with my Christian life, read the book of Acts, what did they do? These are the ones that was with Christ. What was their message? How did they live? And so many people think the Christian life today is just sitting around just studying the Hebrew and the Greek and just trying to be spiritual and God, they never do anything. No, no, no, no, no, that’s not what it’s about.

It’s action. It makes you do something, makes you go. It gives you that compassion. So this is what you find all the way through here. So in chapter two, look in verse one, when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all in one accord in one place. Suddenly there came a sound from heaven as a rushing mighty wind. It filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as a fire and it sat upon each of them.

And they were filled, all filled with the Holy Ghost and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance, and there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men out of every nation under heaven. And then he says in verse six, and when they had noise, this was noise abroad, the multitude came together, we’re confounded because that every man heard them speak in his own language. This is not unknown tongues. How can you have a language that’s unknown?

The, if it’s a language and somebody knows it. This was Jewish people God using his disciples to reach. And so they came from all of these different places because it’s Passover. And this is what they did. And so they would give the clarity, the God, and it says they understood what they said. See, they’re in verse 11, the Crete, the Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongue, the wonderful works of God. So they not only heard them speak, they understood what they said.

and the Holy Spirit did that. So wouldn’t it be wonderful to have all these people from all these different nations to hear and understand the gospel? Go back to wherever they came from and all of a sudden bunk because they came from all over the world and they go back all over the world. The gospel gets around the world pretty fast. Wouldn’t you say? It helps. But God says, this is what He wants to do. So we believe that the church, this body of believers, was born on the day of Pentecost.

Because your baptized into a body, the Holy Spirit, the day you trusted Christ is your Savior, places you into the body of Christ. Pretend like this. Christ was on the cross, hanging out His body. Who is He hanging there? therefore. So when I believe on Him, and the Lord’s eyes are like, I was hanging on that cross. I was in His body and He died in my place. So all those who believe are like baptized by the Holy Spirit to the body of Christ.

But God says that all of us as individuals from this period of time until the rapture is the body of Christ. This period of time is called the church age, the grace age, the body age. This is where we are. So we know when the church age started the repenting cost. We know that it’s going to end and God’s going to take out of here, the body. Our head is in heaven, Colossians. Our body is on the earth, the book of Ephesians.

So when you read that and you understand that it helps clarify some things. Now take your Bible and turn to the book of Acts chapter 10, Acts and chapter 10. So we know the Jews were baptized by the Holy Spirit into the body of Christ. Now he talks about in chapter 10 of the book of Acts about Peter going to see the Gentiles. Gentiles are those that are not Jews. So, and so he says in verse 34, as Peter begins to open up his mouth, he’s going to tell him something.

And he says, then Peter opened his mouth and said, of a truth, I perceive that God is no respecter persons. The Jews is not better than the Gentiles. No one person better than another person. God so loved the world, every individual. But in every nation, He that feared him and walketh righteous is accepted with him. The word which God sent unto the children of Israel preached peace by Jesus Christ. He is Lord of all. See, He already is. That’s why you can’t make Jesus Christ Lord.

He is Lord. Anyway, He goes down through here and he published about all these things that were going on. And he says down here in verse 40, and him, God raised up the third day, showed him openly, not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before God, even to them who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead. They ate and they drink with him. So I love this part of the scripture because when I get my glorified body.

Eating isn’t over. Can you see that? Am I reading into the scripture just a little bit maybe or is this for real? We’re gonna have the Mary supper of the lamb. What am I gonna do? Just sit there and drool over it or am I gonna partake? I’m gonna eat all the chocolate, eat clairs. I won’t. Maybe Betty went the other day to a little place called two jays or something like that. Over there in West Shores, it’s got a little rest right in it.

So after we finish the radio broadcast, we always have a date. So for our date, we go, he breakfast together. So whenever we get, we get and we split it. We’ll never get individual, we’ll just get something good and split it. So anyway, we finish eating and then we come out and there’s a big old counter there. It is loaded with all kinds of goodies. And I told the lady at the counter, I said, this isn’t right. Y’all should not have this right where you’re getting ready to go out the door.

You’ve got all these chocolate cakes and, and then she says, you think you got chocolatey clairs? I said, I can’t have them. She said, if you want one. I said, all right. I looked at that thing, it was about this big. Two bites, that thing’s gone. I said, that’s very expensive for just a couple bites. So I said, I’ll take two. I didn’t get out the door and pour that thing within hell. So anyway, we’re going to eat when we get to heaven.

You got to make that point. But look down here now in verse 42, and he commanded us, commanded to preach the gospel. Under the people, to preach unto the people, to testify. And in verse 43, to him give all the prophets witness that through his name, whosoever, open imitation, all hosoever, believe it in him shall receive remission of sin. This was the message that they preached after the resurrection of Christ. This is in conjunction with what he said in the book of Luke in chapter 24.

Where to go and all? Teach this. People, you can be forgiven. You don’t have to pay for your sins. God loves you that much. You said that’s not fair because there might be some people you want them to pay. I led this one woman to the Lord one day. I said, man, I said, this is great. She said, oh, I sure is. I am just thrilled with that. I said, I need to talk to your husband. She said, no, no, no, no.

I don’t want him going to heaven. I want him to go to hell. Can you believe somebody would say that? Well, she just trusts the Lord. She didn’t have time to grow in the Lord yet. It takes time to learn and grow a little bit, to care. But anyway, so now you look there in chapter 11, look in chapter 11, and he says that when Peter had gone there and came back to Jerusalem, they wanna know, what are you doing going and talking to them Gentiles?

We said there was some brethren that went with me, some Jewish brethren, and they’ll verify. We saw something happen with them that happened us at the beginning. See this is the beginning. When the Holy Spirit came on them and those Jewish people they spoke in tongues and that’s the convinced unbelieving Jews. It was a sign. The Greeks seek after wisdom, the Jews seek after signs. So tongues was a sign unbelieving Jews to get them to believe that this is miraculous.

This has got to be of God. But anyway, so you look there in chapter 11. And he says here in verse 1, and the apostles and brethren that were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God. Uh oh. So in verse 4, Peter rehearsed the matter from the beginning and expounded it by order unto them, saying, he said, I was in the city of Japa. And this is what happened. So I went there and then in verse 12, And the Spirit made me go with them, doubting nothing more over these six brethren accompanying me.”

And we entered into the mens’ house. So he had six of these other Jewish people who went with him. So in verse 14, who shall tell the words whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved. So people get saved because they hear the word that is spoken. You and I are supposed to go into all the world and preach the word whereby they can hear because how shall they hear without a preacher? And so they can’t believe in that which they haven’t heard so they’ve got to hear about Christ.

So if we will do it there’s nothing wrong with the harvest. There’s nothing wrong with the message. There might be a problem with the messenger. Possible? You’d be surprised God said that the eyes of the Lord run like a radar screen searching for a man whose heart is right that God can use him in such a great and powerful way to let you look good on his behalf. God is looking for people that will be faithful. My father in the law, he told me this one day, he said, Yankee, the world has never seen what God can do through one man that’s totally yielded to him.

Now I didn’t know if it was true or not. I don’t know if he knew either. I mean, we don’t know everybody. But I didn’t think about that. I just thought about I want to be that guy. I want to be that man. So ever since then I’ve been saying and doing what I believe that God wants me to do. The world has never seen what God can do through one man totally yielded to him. Wouldn’t you like to be that guy?

And this is the only chance you’ve got this side of eternity. And you don’t get forever to live. You get one trip through. Wouldn’t you want to see how much you can accomplish for the Lord? Oh, I think it’s challenging to me. But look what he says here in verse 15. In verse 15, he says, and as I began to speak, The Holy Ghost fell on them as on us when? At the beginning. When did it begin? The day of Pentecost.

So on them Jews were baptized by the Holy Spirit because remember in Acts chapter 1 when he says, not many days hence. As John the Baptist said, you shall be baptized by the Holy Ghost. So we know that that was the first time the baptism of the Holy Ghost took place. Now he’s telling us that the Gentiles are also, and what happened to them, also happened in chapter 10 when he was talking to Cornelius in those Gentiles. Gentiles and they also were baptized by the Holy Spirit.

So you have Gentiles and the Jews both been baptized by the Holy Spirit. And that’s why I believe the church began here. Not before that, not after that. Paul was used in a great way to bring many things to the church, but the church did not start with Paul. The church started on the day of Pentecost. Jesus founded the church, not Paul, not Paul. And so he says, this is what took place. And water baptism is a simple picture of us being baptized into the body of Christ.

When you trusted Christ as your savior, you didn’t feel anything, right? Because you don’t feel the spirit. You received a spiritual birth and you were placed into that spiritual body of all believers. Everyone on the face of the earth, from Pentecost to the rapture, we’re all in the same family. We are in the same body during this age of grace and we make up this body of Christ. So there is a body of believers, even though some of them are scattered, who knows where?

You know, some of those people that go to the Catholic church might be in the body of Christ. There may be some that are Mormons, But if they’ve trusted Christ as their savior and truly have trusted him and him alone, if they’ve trusted the Lord, they’re saved. I don’t care who they are and what they used to believe or what they believe today. You may be, say, I’ve trusted Christ as my savior right here at Calvary Community Church and six months from now you can go down here to some heathen church and get totally messed up and be there for the rest of your life.

But are you still part of the body of Christ? Yes. And if the rapture takes place today, it’s not just all those that are faithful get to go. But if you’re not faithful, so long, good to know you. No. If you trusted Christ as your Savior, the Bible says we’re gonna disappear right out of the search. Regarce of where you may be, what you believe later. If you ever trusted Christ as your Savior, God is obligated to save you and he knoweth them that are his.

And he’ll never cast you out and never lose you. You’re going to heaven because of what he promised. He can’t go against his word. It would be wonderful if all of God’s children would serve the Lord joyfully, but we don’t. So he makes a statement here, looking verse 16. Then remember the word of the Lord, how that he said? John indeed baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost. For as much than his God gave them the light gift as he did unto us who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, what was I that I should withstand God?

All that they did was believed on Christ. And all that they did in Acts 10, the Gentile was believed on Christ. So they were all baptized by the Holy Spirit as promised by God into the body of Christ. So take your Bible and look in the book of 1 Corinthians in chapter 12. Now you’ll notice in this verse it shows you whether you know Jew and Gentile. Now we’re talking about hearing the book of Corinthians some very carnal materialistic, worldly, minded, disobedient, rebellious children of God.

I’m so glad we don’t have anybody like that here. But they had them there and they had 14 major problems in the church. But look what he says in verse 12, but as the body is one and hath many members and all the members of that one body, being many are one body and so also is Christ. For by looking verse 38, for by one spirit are we all baptized into one body? So we be Jews or Gentiles. Whether we be bondarfree and have been all made to drink into one spirit, this is the one body, one baptism, Jews, Gentiles become the body of Christ.

And when did it begin on the day of Pentecost? And God says that there’s a day coming when he’s gonna take his body, his bride, out of this world and we’re gonna be with the Lord for all eternity. Now why is this important? Let me show you this. Take your Bible and look there in the book of 1 Corinthians in chapter one, chapter one. Water baptism does not save you. Doesn’t even help save you. but it is a picture of your salvation.

It is a picture of your being baptized into the body of Christ. It shows that you believe his death, burial and resurrection was for you. It also can be typified to be your death, your burial and your resurrection to walk in newness of life. You see, whenever you go under the waters, put to be the death of the first birth. When you come up out of the waters, put to be the resurrection of the new birth. And you’re supposed to live like the old man is dead.

When you got baptized, what are the death of the flesh birth? Because you can’t get the second birth until the first one is dead, spiritually speaking. We have already trusted Christ in my Savior. I’m still walking around with this Othella. He didn’t really die, but I’m supposed to live like he died. I’m directing it to be true because in God’s It is true. God sees me now in my new birth, not in my first birth. I am now seen not as a lost man as an unbeliever.

I am seen as a child of God going to heaven. Now look what He says here in 1 Corinthians and chapter 1 and look in verse 13. Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? No. Were you baptized in them Paul? No. Paul says, I thank God that I baptized none of you but Christmas in case. Now if you had to be baptized, if you have to be baptized to be saved, that would be a shame for Paul that says, I’m so glad that I saved none of them.

But that’s not what he means. He says in verse 60, and not baptized also the household of stuff. Besides, I know not whether I baptized any other. For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel. So baptism in gospel is not the same thing. I can go into all the world and preach the gospel and never baptize. They went out so into the other night, can you preach the gospel and not baptize? Otherwise we’ve got to carry a tank around with us.

That could get pretty heavy. You wouldn’t go far. You need a water truck. Hose them down maybe. But you’ve got to be buried underneath the water. what he does say, he sent me to preach the gospel. And some people take this as meaning that Paul was against baptism. That’s not what he said. He even baptized. And so they say, well, that’s why the great commission isn’t given to the church because Paul is the one who founded the church and therefore the baptism is not a part of it and Paul was against so they don’t have to baptize.

Sounds good on the surface. But that means up until the time the Apostle Paul came along, the priesthood of God will go into all the world until Paul shows up, and then you can’t do it anymore. Baptizing them, but that’s only good until Paul comes. Well, that was only good for a couple years. Then where’s the command for the church then, If that’s not it, if that command was only to the nation of Israel, then, wait a minute, if he gave the command and says, wait until the year and due with powerful mohai, and the church began on the day of Pentecost, is it possible that the command was given to the church?

And that’s why we do what we do until he’s through. When he comes and gets us and takes us out of here, and I believe that’s what we’re supposed to do. So we preach the gospel and we baptize, but everybody doesn’t have to baptize. Paul said he didn’t because he didn’t want people choosing him over somebody else and I was baptized by Paul. Oh, you were baptized by Paul. Well, I was baptized by Bob Gilbert. Well, I was baptized by Bob Brooks.

That’s not what he’s talking about and I don’t believe that’s, but let me just show you this before we quit. Look there in verse 6 of chapter 4. Verse 6 of chapter 4, these things brethren, I have an I figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sake. In other words, it’s an illustration. That you might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written. That no one of you be puffed up for one against another.

For who make of thee to differ from another? And what hast thou that thou that thou does not receive? Now if thou disreceive it, why does thou glory is if thou did not receive it? You got it from somebody? You heard the message because somebody brought it. You didn’t just say to me, oh, came into your brain. I got it. No you didn’t. You heard the message somehow, someway and give God the credit. Don’t be puffed up as though you’re something that you’re not.

But we have a wonderful command given to us and that’s why the command was given on the day of Pentecost. We are to fulfill that command until God takes us out of here. And that That is my humble opinion. But look up here, I want to show you this. This hand represents you and me, the wallet represents sin. We all have sin on us. See, all of us do wrong. All of us have done bad and we’ve got to pay for it.

The payment is death and hell. God won’t be satisfied by nothing else except taking your life. The wages of sin is death. You did it, you owe it. So that’s why God wants us to go to heaven because He loves us, but He hates our sin, and we can’t go to heaven with our sin. So how is God going to get me in and keep this out? You and I couldn’t find a way because we are sinners and we can’t separate ourselves from it.

So what Christ did, there’s a way Christ came into the world. the Lord God Himself. Perfect. No sin. We have sin, but not Him. He’s righteous. He’s perfect. He didn’t know wrong. So He didn’t have to die. But because He loved us, He said He’d take our place. So He died in our place. He took all the sin of all the world, that debt that we had, that debt we had, He paid for it. He paid my sin debt.

Came back from dead and he said that if I would believe that he did it for me, he would put the payment he made to my account. I go to heaven what he did. I didn’t earn it. I don’t deserve it. I’m a sinner. So are you. We’re all sinners. Everybody in the whole world. When he paid for our sins, he did it for everybody in the world and offers it to everybody who soever it would believe you would not perish.

I mean, go to hell, but have eternal life. So that’s why I can’t go to hell because he says, if I believe it, I shall not perish. I mean, I can’t go to hell. Why can’t I go to hell? Because he says I can’t go to hell. Why? Because I believe it. Either you believe it or you don’t believe it. I don’t have any sins to pay for. He paid for my sins. That’s why the most five powerful words in the whole world of God is, Christ died for my sins.

Why am I going to heaven? Christ died for my sins. That’s why I’m going to heaven. It’s not because I have been good, very good. I have been very good. Yeah, see that’s how I work. Now, nothing comes up close to those five words. Christ died for myself. That’s why I’m going to heaven. And that’s the only reason anybody goes to heaven. You’re not going to heaven because you go to church. You don’t go to heaven because you’ve been good because you haven’t been.

You have to break your heart. You have not been good enough. No one has ever lived good enough to go to heaven. Father, good deeds. the gift of God. Best news and all of that. Well it’s almost Christmas and we’d like to give every listener a Christmas gift. Just for listening we’d like to send Dr. Arnold CD on understanding difficult passages of the Bible. No donation is required. We’ve compiled on CD Dr. Arnold’s teachings on difficult passages. For example does James chapter 2 teach that true faith will produce works?

Does 2 Corinthians 5 17 mean that a true believer will no longer desire to sin? These and many other verses are explained in their biblical context so that you can have confidence in the agreement of all the Word of God. Call us today toll free at 1-800-576-3771 or you can write us at 4811 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634. Again, no donation is necessary, just your address that we can send to you this important teaching. God bless you and Merry Christmas, and thank you for listening to Bibleline.

Thanks for joining us on Bibleline. If you are in the area, we welcome you to visit us. The address for Calvary Community Church is 4811 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634. And now, a closing thought from Pastor Arnold. Friend, one day it will happen. The trumpet will sound, and we will be changed. Caught up to meet the Lord in the air. So live today and every day. leaving that the Lord is coming soon. Just keep looking up.