| And the Lord said, "Simon, Simon,
Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I
have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not; and when thou art
converted, strengthen thy brethren."
And he said unto Him, "Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into
prison and death."
And He said, "I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day,
before that thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me." Luke
22:31-34. |
| There are two things that you
must know; FIRST, that Peter was a very strong believer in
Christ. He had followed him for over three years. He witnessed so many
miracles that he could not help but believe in Christ. |
|
Greatest Proof of faith |
| When Jesus asked at Caesarea Philippi, "Whom do men say
that I am?," Peter answered, "Thou are the Christ, the Son of the Living
God." Peter's confession of faith so pleased the Lord that he gave him
the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven. |
| SECONDLY, I wish to make it clear that Peter,
like many Christians today, though strong believers, have a false sense
of security. Peter, confident that his faith was sufficient, said,
"Lord, I will go with Thee even unto death." Because he had not yet
been converted, when confronted at the trial of Jesus, he cursed and
denied that he had ever known the Lord. Matthew 26:69-75. The purpose
of this article is to render sufficient evidence that you are not saved
or converted by merely believing on the Lord Jesus. The devil believes
and trembles. James 2:19. |
|
Modern DD's -- Doctors of
Deception |
| The world's foremost evangelist had a question and
answer column in many newspapers; most Christians accept his word as
law. A woman wrote in and asked, "Doctor, when are we born again?
This great evangelist's answer was very far from the truth. He replied,
"The moment you believe in Christ, that very instant you are born
again." A Gallup poll said that 96% of Americans believe in God. I dare
say that very few of these are saved and living for God. A spiritual
conversion involves a complete change of heart. Jesus told Nicodemus he
must be born again of the water and the Spirit or he could not enter
into the Kingdom of God. John 3:3-5. |
|
Not once! |
| Not once does the Bible say that you are saved the
moment you believe on Jesus. It does say that you shall be saved
if you believe on the Lord Jesus. Any educated person knows that
shall is a future tense verb. Believing is definitely the first
step in obtaining salvation. This must be followed by repenting and
obeying the commands of the Lord. Jesus said, "He that believeth and is
baptized shall be saved." Mark 16:16. Believing alone doesn't
remit sins. Peter, using the keys that Jesus gave him, said, "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. Without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins.
Heb 9:22. The blood is closely associated with the name of Jesus.
Acts 5:28. That's why Peter commanded us to be baptized in Jesus name
for the remission of our sins. |
|
Believing didn't convert peter |
| Peter was not converted when he confessed that Jesus
was the Son of God. His declaration of faith took place before
Jesus told him to be converted. Luke 22:32. After confession Christ as
Savior, Peter cursed and lied and denied that he
ever knew the Lord. Matt. 26:69-75. Just believing sure didn't save or
convert Peter! |
|
commands of Jesus |
| In Acts 1:4 Jesus commanded them not to depart from
Jerusalem, but to wait there for the promise of the Father. Luke 24:49.
Jesus commanded them to tarry in Jerusalem until they be endued with
power from on high. Whence this power? Acts 1:8 Jesus said, "Ye shall
receive power after that the Holy Ghost comes upon you." Yes, you are
still weak and unconverted without the power of the Holy Ghost, even
though you are a believer. |
|
obedience |
| Acts 5:32, God only gives the Holy Ghost to them that
obey Him. The disciples obeyed Him and returned to Jerusalem to await
the converting power of the Holy Ghost. With them was the strongest
believer of them all: Mary, the mother of Jesus. Because of the virgin
birth, there was no question in the heart of Mary that Jesus was the Son
of God. |
|
promise fulfilled |
| That which the 120 were prayerfully awaiting, fell upon
all of them (including Mary). They all received the Holy Ghost and
spake in tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. Acts 2:4. It was
then that Peter came into full being as a converted, born again
Christian. |
|
the glorious results |
| The tide had changed; Peter no longer hid behind the
crowd and denied Jesus. Having received the keys to the kingdom and
endued with power, he stood before the multitudes, many who had helped
crucify Jesus. Using the keys, he preached a dynamic and convincing
message. He told them that He who they crucified was both Lord and
Christ. Acts 2:26. |
|
God's plan of salvation |
| Great conviction fell upon the multitude, and they
cried out, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" Peter's answer has
been the New Testament plan of salvation until this day., "Repent
and be baptized everyone of you in the Name of Jesus Christ for the
remission of your sins, and ye shall receive the Gift of the Holy
Ghost. 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. Friend, are you called? If so, then this promise is for you
also. |
| If the Apostles and Mary, the mother of Jesus, had to
have this wonderful experience, can we afford to neglect it? Paul
asked, "How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation?" In
closing, may I ask you the question that Paul asked the Ephesian
believers: Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? Acts
19:2-6. Please don't accept the teaching that you are saved the moment
you believe. Paul re-baptized the Ephesian believers in the name of
Jesus and prayed with them until they received the Holy Ghost and spake
in tongues. Can you afford to settle for anything less than a Bible
experience?
(c) 1992 Rev. Lewis E. Manual, All rights reserved. |
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