Same Question,
Different Answer
Years ago, a customary part of Gospel Meetings included a “Question and Answer” session. Following each sermon, the visiting preacher answered questions fielded from the audience. While preaching in a meeting at Hazlehurst, Mississippi an elderly gentleman asks, “Why is it that almost every time in the New Testament when somebody is told what to do to be saved, the answer is different”?
From my youth, I had been taught the plan of salvation, and in those answers; although, different on the surface, I saw harmony. But here was a person who didn’t understand. He was not an ignorant man by any means, but this was an area in which he had not made a thorough study.
We sometimes assume that because we know
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The first time anybody was told what to do to be saved after the Law of Christ went into effect was when Peter preached on Pentecost Sunday. He told his audience to “Repent and be baptized” (Acts 2:38).
While Paul and Silas were preaching in Philippi, they were arrested and thrown into prison. At midnight there was an earthquake and the prisoners were freed; however, they didn’t escape. The jailor, being impressed with the events of the evening, asked Paul what he needed to do to be saved and Paul told him to: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 16:30).
Then there was the time our Lord confronted Saul as he was about to enter the city of Damascus. Saul spent the next three days in darkness (Acts 9:9), thinking and praying about his condition. Then, when Ananias came to him he told Saul to “arise, and be baptized, and wash away your sins.” (Acts 22:16)
Three different men and three different answers; therefore, I can see how that would be confusing to a person; especially one who has not made a study along these
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So, I begin my journey and when I reach Memphis, I ask “How far is it to Nashville” and I am told that it is two-hundred miles away. Once again I am back on the road headed toward Nashville. When I reach Jackson, I ask again, “How far away is Nashville and I am told that the Capitol City lies to the east one-hundred twenty-five
Paul, also known as Saul, was an apostle of God who wrote the book of Ephesians and was sent to set up churches for Him. He changed his name from Saul to Paul because he wanted to start his life over, follow God, and live for Him. He wanted to start over because he was known as a man who persecuted Christians. Saul did not even notice he was doing wrong until he started to reach Damascus and a voice yelled from the Heavens saying, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” Saul answered back, “Who are you, Lord?” then the Lord answered, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. But, rise and enter the city, and you will be told what to do.” For three days Saul was made blind by Jesus and did not eat or drink. Then, Ananias walked into where Saul was staying and restored his sight, something like scales fell off his eyes and he could see. After being in Damascus with the disciples he proclaimed that Jesus is the one true God. Then, he fled to Jerusalem where he joined the disciples with the help of Barnabas, changed his name to Paul and became a missionary to Christ. He set out on three missionary journeys where on his third, he was put under house arrest in Rome for two years where he wrote the book of Ephesians. After his release, he left, went to Spain, and was eventually persecuted and martyred by Nero.
Background: The history of Saul is thought to have ended at the battle at Mount Gilboa, but summarized as follows: after falling in battle the evil spirit that God set upon him became his Beast, in horror and shame he pulled himself from the wall Beth-shan and fled into the night. History would have you believe that his body had been burned. Convinced that he had fully fallen out out of God’s grace, he turned to prayer and a path of redemption. He had hoped that meditation, prayer along with other abnegation techniques could quell the Beast, however nothing could for long.
On May 8, 1845 in Augusta, Georgia, the Southern Baptist Convention separated from the Triennial Convention. However, this separation involved only the home and foreign mission societies. Many churches in the South continued to buy Sunday school materials from the American Baptist Publication Society in Philadelphia.
By 1945, nearly everyone in the African American community had heard gospel music (2). At
For my field experience activity I choose to go and visit the Jehovah’s Witness Kingdom Hall in Cumming, Georgia. I choose this particular location because not only did it represent a religious sector that I was very uninformed of, but this specific building is one that has been there for almost 15 years now and I would say I have driven by it without paying it any mind just about 5-6 times a week for several years. The Kingdom Hall is made entirely out of red brick. The Kingdom Hall building is a simple setup. They have a general meeting area with about 150 seats inside and a podium for speaking purposes. They have a couple of additional rooms for storage purposes and multipurpose areas like a kitchen and other open areas for different things.
“We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, the only Son of God. For us and for our salvation He came down from heaven, was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and became truly human. Being fully God and perfect man He performed miracles and lived a sinless life.” (GCU, Doctorial Statement) This paper will discuss how God and Jesus Christ is the essential core of all Christian worldviews despite the many differing internal worldviews they have.
In today’s society, Christianity is plagued with many disagreements about how to deal with current issues in society. These problems arise from the fact that Christians have the same fundamental beliefs, but they often disagree on the details. This is the reason why there is a panoply of denominations in the Christian faith. The way that many of the factions in Christianity interpret the word of God can be categorized into different styles of gospel, such as evangelicalism and fundamentalism. One such category that is beginning to gain popularity in today’s society, often taught in megachurches, is Prosperity Gospel. Prosperity Gospel, also called the “Health and Wealth Gospel” by Scot McKnight’s internet article “The Problem for the Prosperity Gospel,” is the belief that if humans adhere to God’s will, then He will in turn bless them with prosperous lives (McKnight). This prosperity often comes in the form of health and wealth according to many megachurches that preach this gospel. In times of economic strife, the prosperity gospel offers comfort in the hopes of having a prosperous future. It is also suspected that Prosperity Gospel has also become an outlet for the people who have a considerable amount of money as a means to justify their wealth. Whatever the reason for believing this gospel, it is important to remember that Prosperity Gospel is just one of the many ways that we can interpret the teachings of the Bible.
In the Bible’s New Testaments the book of Acts is of Narrative genre and is also called the Acts of the Apostles. It is written by Luke who happens to be the author of Gospel of Luke. This book tells a story of first Christians. After the death of Jesus (as mention in “Matthew”) as he went to heaven the Christians waited in Jerusalem. After Holy Spirits were sent by God, the first Christians were given the power by them. And they end up telling the people about Jesus. It was the Christians who explained t...
Gospel music began in the cotton fields of the old south. It originates from slaves singing songs of freedom about Jesus and has integrated into today’s music. Gospel music is a standard version of sanctified music that has encouraged Christian beliefs and stimulated the practice of Christian ethical principles, both inside the context of worship services and as music entertainment. Gospel music began with Thomas A. Dorsey, the Father of Gospel Music. Gospel, mean "good news," it was given the name because of the books of the Old Testament with the gospels.1
Oedipus thinks that he has certainty of knowledge, but in reality he does not because he does not accept the whole truth. Oedipus is so certain that he is right that he disregards
Quakers didn’t like the French and Indian war they opposed everything that may harm or threaten someone. Quaker’s refused to support war also. They were the ones to help slaves escape through the underground railroad. They didn’t consider themselves Christians, they regarded themselves as a universal religion. Quaker’s don’t celebrate christian festivals like Easter and Christmas(BBC). The Quakers worship a lot.
The Book of Acts was written to provide a history of the early church. Acts emphasis the importance of the day of Pentecost and being empowered to be effective witnesses for Jesus Christ. Acts sheds light on the ministry gift of the Holy Spirit, which empowers, guides, teaches, and serves as our Counselor. When reading the Book of Acts many of the readers will be enlightened and encouraged by the many miracles that were being performed during this time by the disciples Peter, John, and Paul. The Book of Acts emphasizes the importance of obedience to God’s Word and the transformation that occurs as a result of knowing Christ. There are also many references to those that rejected the truth that the disciples preached about in Jesus Christ. Power, greed, and many other vices of the devil or evidenced in the book of Acts. Acts 1:8 serves as a good summary of the Book of Acts. Acts records the apostles being Christ's witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the rest of the surrounding world.
This was when the Spirit of God came upon him, a spirit of prophecy, turning him into another man. He was given another heart which equipped him to rule and prophesy as the king, and he prophesied among the prophets that met him. The Spirit of God, which is the same Spirit of the LORD, came upon Saul once again, when he heard about the cruelty that the Ammonites thought to do unto the residents of Jabesh-gilead (I Samuel 11:6). Saul then gathered an army together, went to the Ammonites, and fought against them in the early morning hours, scattering them where no two men stood together. After this battle, Saul was made a king.
Paul was blinded for three days and neither ate nor drank during that time. In Damascus, there was a certain disciple named Ananias. The Lord came to him in a vision. In that dream the Lord commanded Ananias to look for Paul and put his hands on him that he may receive his sight.
...merciful, for they will be shown mercy" and "Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God" (Holy Bible, Matthew 5:3-11). These scriptures say a lot to us reinstating what Matthew has written in how we should live our lives and follow the laws stated by Jesus in The Greatest Commandment so that we can obtain our peace of heart and give our love, ourselves selflessly to God. For when Jesus answered this question, the religious leaders and the Pharisees knew that he had answered well. After this question was answered Jesus also asked and answered a question about his son ship to God and from then on his answers showed his wisdom and those that questioned him never dared to ask Jesus any more questions. They knew that he was the son of the Lord. All knew and understood that these two Greatest Commandments were to be the law and the prophecies to live by.