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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 air. We just 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.

Now look in Acts chapter 28. You see, they say the things that belong to the church is not the Old Testament, it’s not the four Gospels, it’s what Paul wrote. So Paul wrote only those things that the Christians need to listen to and learn. Well look what you’ve got, you have robbed God’s people of the rest of the scriptures that Paul didn’t write. Doesn’t the Bible say in Romans chapter 15 that the Old Testament, these things were written for our learning.

So it may be not to us, but it is for us. And we can learn from reading those things. When you stop and think about it, when Paul did show up on the scene, he didn’t have the New Testament. He preached to the people from the Old Testament and used Old Testament scriptures. And even in the book of Acts in chapter 9, he said that he went into the synagogue and he preached to them concerning the Son of Man and proven that he was the Christ.

So Son of Man, He was deity, but Christ, He was the Messiah. And He used Old Testament Scriptures to show them. And then you’ll also find in the book of Acts where He talks about the Bering Christians they call them because they studied the Scriptures daily to see whether those things were true. What Scriptures? The Old Testament Scriptures, who was doing it, was the Church. And so there’s people that they say, well those are not for us and we don’t need those things.

And so there’s a lot of it, they just overstepped all those scriptures and just teach the book that Paul wrote. No, all of the scriptures. Paul made the statement he said, I have not shunned to declare unto you all, all of it, every last bit of it. But in Acts in chapter 28, Paul is at the end of his ministry. And so there’s those who say, well, we don’t have to teach concerning the things of Christ. So they don’t even want you to teach concerning Matthew, chapter 28, where he talks about the command.

They don’t want that covered because this is what ultra dispensationalists believe. They don’t believe that those things are for today. So it does away with the command. And the teachings of Christ throughout the Gospels, well you don’t have to teach those things. They rob their people of all of those things, taken away from individuals, the greatest powerful motivating force that a child of God can have and tell them they don’t need that. And it’s stripped away from them, those things that can help them in so many ways.

Those things were written for our learning. I can take the Gospels, I can take even the Book of Matthew, and I can go through the 10 virgins and preach the Gospel. I can talk about the judgment of the nations and I can preach the gospel. I can take the seventh chapter of the Book of Matthew and take out one thing about the false prophets and the wolf and your understanding that you’ll know them by their fruit and I can preach to you the gospel because it doesn’t contradict the gospel.

Those are illustrations that help you to understand you cannot save yourself by your works. There’s nothing wrong with those books. And I don’t like it when somebody takes and tries to strip away the most powerful thing all the world what Jesus said. Now this is why this one verse is so powerful and so important looking to Acts in chapter 28 and notice what he says in verse 25. This is at the end of Paul’s ministry right before he was going to lose his head.

He’s in Rome and he says in verse 25 and when they agreed not among themselves they departed. After that, Paul had spoken one word, well spake the Holy Ghost by Isaiah the prophet unto our fathers. Here he is, quoting the Old Testament again. Saying, go unto this people and say, here in ye shall hear and shall not understand. See and ye shall see and not perceive, for the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their dull of hearing and their eyes have they closed lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their hearts and should be converted and I should heal them.

Be it known therefore unto them. to you that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles and that they will hear it. And when he had said these words, the Jews departed and had great reason among themselves. And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house and received all that came in unto him preaching. Now look what he was preaching to those people toward the end of his life. The very thing, they say, you’re not supposed to talk about or to preach and we don’t need those things.

not for the church. Well look what he said, preaching the kingdom of God, teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ. With all confidence, no man forbidding him. In other words, he had the freedom to speak. And this is what they were doing. Now, if Paul did start the church, there is no command to the church then. And the baptizing, then that wouldn’t have been to the church. So that means when Paul came, then he shouldn’t have been baptized and he should have nothing to do with anybody being baptized if he’s not under the command.

But what does the scripture say? I thought you would ask and I want to show you this. Look in Acts chapter 2 and verse 41. Acts chapter 2 and verse 41. You’ll notice something that’s very interesting. In verse 41, then they that gladly received His Word were what? They were baptized. So on the very first day that the church began, they were not only baptized by the Holy Spirit, many were baptized in water. Because that was the command. This is what they were supposed to do.

Also, notice they’re in Acts chapter 8. Acts chapter 8 and look in verse 12. We know at this time right before Saul believed on the Lord and became Paul. It says here in verse 12 it says, but when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the, what’s those words? Kingdom of God. Same thing that Paul was preaching at the end of his ministry concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized both men and women.

Then Simon himself believed also and when he was baptized. So were they still baptized and at this time? Yes. Also look there in verse 35. This is Philip who is now preaching and notice what he says, didn’t Philip open his mouth and begin at the same scripture and priests sent to him Jesus. And as they went on their way they came unto a certain water and the eunuch said, see here is water what did the hymnid mean to be baptized?

Philip the end answered and said if thou believe it with all thine heart thou mayest. So what was the key before you could be baptized you had to believe right? You had to believe on the Lord. And the answer said I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God so he believed that. Son of God is referring to his deity Jesus Christ he’s the Messiah but he’s also God in the flesh. He commanded in verse 38 the chariot to stay until they went both down into the water.

Now you don’t go down into the water if all you need to spring a little bit on the head. Then it says in verse 39 when they come up out of the water. Now they were still baptizing at this time. Now in chapter 9 is when Saul trusts the Lord. But notice what happens here in verse 18 and immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scaled and he received sight forthwith and he arose and was what?

Well if it’s not for his period of time, why didn’t God baptize him? Why did he have to be baptized? But he was. Well if it’s not for his period of time, then why was he baptized? Because it’s still part of the kind. You trust the Lord, they were to be baptize in water. Look there also in chapter 16. Look in chapter 16. In chapter 16, look in verse 30. Now you know the story. Paul, Silas, In jail, midnight, and they were singing Amazing Grace, or Amazing Grace, Amazes, and they were singing one of the songs.

And they must have said something about being saved. Because when the earthquake took place, the jailer thought that everybody’s left, and so he was going to commit suicide. And Paul says, don’t, we’re all here. And so he says here in verse 28, Paul cried out with a loud voice in, do thyself know harm for we’re all here. He called for a light in spring and came trembling and fell down before Paul and Silah. He brought them out and said to him, sir, what must I do to be saved?

And they said, keep the 10 commandments. He made the golden rule and go to Calvary Community Church pay 50%. Well, if there’s any time to say how to be saved, they should have said it right there. Don’t you think it was a good time to say it? They asked the right question. They asked the right person. Surely he would have gave the right answer. and all he said was believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.

And if you tell your household they can be saved too. And then notice as soon as that was over with in verse 33 and he took them the same hour of the night, washed their stripes and was baptized. He and all his straight away. What in the baptized? They didn’t have to be baptized. Now Paul maybe didn’t baptize them, but he was with someone who did. It’s only a conclusion if Paul didn’t do it, somebody that was with him did it.

Then why didn’t Paul say, oh, this is a different dispensation and they don’t have to be baptized? Why didn’t he stop him? Look who he is. But he didn’t stop him. Why didn’t he stop him? Because where is the command that says stop? command to go in all the world and to baptize has been a gnaw. Where is it? Find it. It’s not in there. Well if it hasn’t been rescinded, maybe it’s still in effect. Is it possible? Maybe when he says go in all the world and preach the government, maybe we’re still supposed to do that.

Think it’s possible. You think we might still have that responsibility? I think so. I think so. Take your Bible turn to the book of 1 Corinthians chapter 1. 1 Corinthians and chapter 1. This does get a little interesting because Paul says, I don’t want you to be divisions among you because these are so, these Christians were so carnal, fleshly minded. He said, I can’t even talk to you in the spiritual, I got to talk to you as carnal Christians, babes in the Lord.

And so he makes a statement in verse 10, now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing that there be no divisions among you, that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind, same judgment. See, God wants his people to think the same way, have the same doctrine believed the same thing, all be on the same page. Well, we would if we all believed the same thing and studied the Bible and go by what it says, but he says there’s there’s contingents among you.

So he says in verse 11, for it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, of by them which are the house of clothes, that there are contingents among you. In other words, there’s people that are each other’s throat. You’re antagonizing each other. There’s divisions among you. You’re not all on the same page. He goes to it and he mentions 14 major problems in the Church at Corinth. But notice what he says. It hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren.

He doesn’t deny their salvation. He just says you’ve got some problems. You correct people’s problems by proper doctrine. So So he says, now this I say that every one of you say, if I am a Paul, I am of a Paul’s, I am of Cephas, and I of Christ. Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul? Now notice what he says. I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Christmas and Gaius.

Now it doesn’t mean that there was nobody else in the baptized. He’s talking to the church during Corinth. Look how many churches there were. He says, as far as you are concerned, he says this, I think God that I baptized none of you. Now if you had to be baptized to be saved, that would be a terrible thing to say. I’m so glad that I didn’t save any of y’all. But that’s not what it’s referring to. You don’t get baptized in water in order to be saved.

But look what he says. In verse 15 you ought to underline this word, the word less. Why I’m so glad that I didn’t baptize any of y’all. Less any should say that I had done what? Baptize in my own name. It didn’t say he was against baptism. They refer to this verse as the documentation that Paul did not baptize. And the reason he didn’t baptize because it’s not for this dispensation, it’s not for the church. That’s not what he says.

He says, less any should say that I have baptized in my own name. and verse 16, and I baptized also this household of stuff on us. Besides, I know not whether I baptized any other. Well, if he’s against it, why didn’t he just say, it’s not for now, it’s not for this time. And blah, blah, you can’t find that anywhere in the scriptures. So he says in verse 17, for Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel, but it didn’t mean that somebody else couldn’t go with him and do the baptizing.

Hold your place right here. I want you to see this over in John chapter four, the Gospel of John in chapter 4. If we take what they’re saying, or trying to make him say, is the truth that he was against baptism, and that it’s no longer effective for today, how to explain chapter 4 of the Gospel of John. In verse one, when therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John.

Well, competition going on here. Now get verse two and you ought to underline him. Though Jesus himself baptized not. But his disciples. So even if Paul didn’t baptize, doesn’t mean that Paul didn’t approve a baptism because whenever he was there with the jailer and after he had preached the gospel and he believed on the Lord, somebody with Paul baptized the jailer in his family. Yes or no? Paul may not have done it, but Paul was with somebody that did.

And the reason Paul didn’t do it, he says, lessTextColor would say, I’m baptized in my own name. If you had to be baptized in order to be saved, which some people teach, Jesus said that he baptized nobody. So if you have to be baptized to be saved, Jesus didn’t save anybody. Because you have to be baptized to be saved. Well, Jesus didn’t baptize him. So whoever baptizes you is your Savior. Let’s say, for example, I’m a lost man and And you gotta be baptized in water to be saved.

Well, if Justin here baptizes me, Justin saved me. I owe him myself, because if he hadn’t done it, I couldn’t have been saved. You understand my reasoning? Whoever does what you have to do to be saved, does it for you? Well, then that’s the person you owe. I don’t owe Justin anything, because see, I don’t have to be baptized in water to be saved. I’m saved by Jesus Christ. He saved me and I can thank the Lord for saving me, for giving me eternal life.

But just because Jesus didn’t baptize, does that mean he was against baptism? And just because Paul said, I’m glad I didn’t baptize. Maybe unless somebody would say I baptized in my own name, there was enough division as it was. Now go back there to verse 17 of 1 Corinthians in chapter one. For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words lest the cross of Christ should be made of none of faith.

This is what Paul was considered. He honed in on the gospel, he preached the gospel, but he had some people go with him that did the baptizing. And Luke, who wrote the gospel of Luke, also was used by the Lord, and the Holy Spirit guided him, and he wrote the book of Acts. And he’s the one who went around a lot with the apostle Paul and wrote what took place, and where do you find it where it doesn’t apply anymore?

He’s the one that was with Christ, and he wrote the book of Luke, and then he continued it in the book of Acts, and it was been baptized all the way through, and there’s nothing that says it’s not for the day, because if that’s not for the day, neither is the great commission, the great command. And if it was only changed because Paul shows up, think of all the training that all these apostles had had and what he had taught them in the gospels.

And then all of a sudden say, don’t go, don’t do anything. That command has been annulled. And so they say they preached a different gospel than what Paul preached. Paul preached grace. I got news for you. So did Jesus. So did all the apostles. So did all those Old Testament prophets. They all taught grace. That a man is saved by grace. And there’s nothing to change that. And when the Bible talks about there is no other gospel than that which Paul said, I have delivered unto you.

There is no other gospel by which a man is to be saved. You cannot earn it, you can’t work what you can’t buy. And the only way you can change the gospel of grace you got to add it works to it. So do you think God’s going to add works to the gospel? Just contrary to everything he teaches in the Bible. Then a man could glory or brag about that one thing he did that he added to the gospel.

No man can save himself by any works that he does. So baptism in water does not save you. But let’s finish with this one verse. Look there in the book of Acts in chapter 19. Acts chapter 19. And this is important because Paul… Had led many of these people to the Lord in Ephesus, and he’s the one that writes to them, and in chapter two of the book of Ephesians, he says that the Gentiles were without the Commonwealth of Israel, without the promises, without hope, without God in this world, but now are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

And he says, are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets toward the end of that chapter. So they already had a foundation laid. Paul showed him how to build the church on top of the foundation and gave us all kinds of wonderful information that had never been given before, but Paul didn’t start it. Christ had already made the statement upon this rock, I will what? what? I will build my church and that’s in the book of Matthew in chapter 16.

It was already declared. Now here in the book of Acts in chapter 19. You’ll notice in verse 1, the apostle Paul comes through, came to pass that while the apostles was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coast, came to Ephesus where the church of the Ephesians were and finding certain disciples, Jews. He said unto them, have you received the Holy Ghost since you believed? They said unto him, we have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.

He said unto them, unto what? They were your baptized. They said unto the John’s baptism. Then said Paul, John truly, very baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying unto the people that they should believe on him which should come after him. That is on Jesus Christ. Now, this is Paul telling what John the Baptist preached and where does Paul change the gospel? If Paul, John preached that you had to believe on Jesus to be saved, well what kind of a message does Paul preach?

Different than that or is it the same message that he preached? And then he makes this statement, when they heard this in verse 5, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Why would Paul take the He’s a phasing people and have them baptized in water. If they didn’t have to be, we’re shouldn’t have been. But Paul’s the one who had it done. If he didn’t do it, he had somebody else do it. But he’s talking to the church there in Corinth.

He says, I’m glad you’re on the Christmas thing. He says outside of the household of stuff. And so I don’t know if anybody else there. But see, Paul went into a lot of places. But see, when people don’t read and study the Bible thoroughly enough, you’d be surprised how your doctrine can be changed and not even know it. It can sound so right and they build things upon things that are false. One of the greatest things you’ll do is read the book, read, read, read, study, study.

Now, if all of this is true and I believe that it is, then I believe that the great commission, that he gave when he came back from the dead and before ascended into heaven, go into all the world and preach the gospel. I still believe that that’s what I’m supposed to be doing. This is why Hank came here. And that’s why I went to Denver. Lee Patton went to San Antonio, while he went down into Texas. And others went all over the place.

Why? Because we believe that. Take that out of there. Take that out of there. And you have messed up the greatest motivating thing, the challenge is the person to do what they say, because we believe we’re fulfilling the will of God. It’s what God wants and what’s over, City, you’re going to a whatsoever house you enter into. He said, this is what you say. This is what you do. And we should do that. Look up here. This hand representing you and me.

And this wallet represents sin. You know why Hank did this all the time? He might have used the song book for the same story. And why we do it all the time? Because today I’ve had about three or four that indicated they’ve trusted Christ as Savior just by watching online. Is it worth it? We do all of this work. We even pay somebody like Jesse back there to work and all these messages to put on YouTube and all, and well, why do all of that if it’s not necessary?

We don’t have to do this. Let’s just don’t do anything. What would your life be like if you weren’t serving God? It is my life. It is for real. Or we take the Bible, throw in the trash and forget all about it and just do whatever we wanna do. Or we take the things seriously. Missions, our soul investment. I love that statement. This is you and me. This is sin. We all have sin on us. God loves the whole world.

And the whole world has sinned against God. And for us to pay for sin is eternal separation from the Lord in hell. But God loves us. Wants us to go to heaven. To go to heaven we have to be perfect because righteous is God and none of us are perfect. None of us are righteous. We have all come short of God’s perfection. This hand represents Jesus Christ. He’s the Lord God in the flesh, came into the world because he loves us, hates our sin, because our sin separates us from him.

So Jesus Christ, who had no sin, didn’t have to die, but because he loved us, we couldn’t do anything about the situation. He took all the sin and died in our place, came back from the dead. Instead, if we would believe that he did it for us, he would give us as a free gift everlasting life, and we get to go to heaven on what Jesus Christ did for us. The other day there was a lady came to do some cleaning around here and I says I got a talk to you I talked to her at first she thought she was going to heaven and when I asked her the question I said There’s any way that you can go to hell in the future.

Oh, yeah Then they really don’t know where they go and they die So I talked to her she trusted to learn I Talk to her and Betty and some of the others I talked to her about coming to church that she came to church today And she brought a boy with her Two of them came to church day. Now, you see, we don’t do this if it’s not for real. Or we’re just playing games or is this a serious thing.

I walked out of the sale that they had yesterday. Well, when I walked in, John John was talking to somebody. But that was okay. I spent a little time checking on everything. I went back out. Now he’s got somebody else. So I came over here and I worked on a few things. and I went back, John, John was talking to somebody else. Now he has to do that to go to heaven, see him. Aren’t you glad you don’t have to do that?

It could be the reason because maybe he knows, I’m responsible and this is for real. And maybe he has something to do with, maybe he loves the Lord. Maybe he doesn’t want that person to go to hell. Whatever the reasons may be, do it. So well, I don’t have the proper motivation, just do it. The person you reach will be glad whether you did it for the right motive or not. I would rather you be obedient and do what God says to do.

And if you don’t like the word command, call it anything that you want, but do it. We are responsible. Christ came back from the dead. And the only thing He wanted us to do is believe that He did it for us. That He did it for us. And all we had to do is believe it. And He would give us as a free gift everlasting life. And we go to heaven on what Jesus Christ did for us. Let’s pray, shall we?

Our Father, we thank You again for Your blessings. Thank You for all You do for us. And help us Father to know the truth, stand for the truth, because these things do make a difference. All air affects our life, affects the way we think because there’s a truth that we had to set aside in order to believe something that’s not in Your Word. So bless each one of us. Thank You for our church. Do pray Lord for those that are not feeling well that You would help them heal their bodies.

Father, there’s so much that needs to be done, so much work to do, and help us to lean upon you, to trust you. We want your guidance and all the things that will we make plans, but we want you to feel free to, you can change them, do whatever you want to do. We’re in your hands. We thank you Lord for those who have given permission over the year. So many people have been blessed because of it. We thank you for the name Christ’s name.

Amen. Are you a new listener to Bibleline? Do you enjoy the teachings of Dr. Arnold? Well, if you’ve never contacted us before, we want to give you Dr. Arnold’s book, The Gospel Driven Man. Every day we receive many emails from folks who have questions about repentance and salvation, about faith in works, and about how to share the gospel with friends and loved ones. This book, The Gospel Driven Man, covers all those topics, and we want all new listeners of Bibleline to receive a free copy.

No donation necessary simply call us at 1-800-576-3771 or write to us and request your free copy of the Gospel-Driven Main. The mailing address is 4811 George Road, 3336-34. Again, don’t forget to include your mailing address and God bless you 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. Believing that the Lord is coming soon, Just keep in looking up.