Acts 2:36-42
(36) Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.
(37) Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
(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.
(39) For 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.
(40) And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.
(41) Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
(42) And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.
Verse Acts 2:38 is the FOUNDATION teaching of the Apostolic Church. Notice that it was Peter that preached this verse, and he stated that all that heard his message must:
Repent of Sins
Be Baptized in Jesus Name for Remission of Sins
Receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost
Apostolic Doctrine is the teachings of Jesus as taught to us through the writers of the New Testament. If you keep it simple, Jesus wrote no part of the New Testament using His human hand. We believe the words of Jesus THROUGH the words of the Apostles, therefore it would be ignorant to make a statement that we believe on the words of Jesus rather than the words of the Apostles because Jesus did not write any of it. It is completely impossible to trust the words of Jesus Christ without trusting the Apostles that Jesus chose to write the New Testament through. The words of the Apostles ARE the word of God.
John 17:20-21
(20) Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;
(21) That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
Now understanding that Peter being the chosen vessel of Jesus Christ (in Matthew 16), we understand that he was given the responsibility of founding the Church and he was told NOT to leave Jerusalem until he was endued with power from on High. This is indeed what happened to Peter, he was filled with the Holy Ghost (Acts 2:4) and spoke with other tongues as the Spirit gave him utterance. Once that occurred to the Apostles, they were given the commission of Jesus Christ to PREACH AND TEACH the GOSPEL, to make DISCIPLES of all nations. This is the call of God on these men's lives. What is amazing to me is that most of my life I did not know what Peter preached. Even though I did know a lot about the Gospels and Epistles of Paul, I was never introduced or studied the book of Acts. What amazes me still to this day is that fact that the book of Acts Chapter 2, the preaching of Peter's message is FULL of quotations from the Old Testament. Peter quotes from Joel, Psalms, and Isaiah and all of the content of his message is telling the people around him the direct Revelation that God gave him of these scriptures. For example:
Joel 2:28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:
Joel 2:29 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.
Peter quoted these 2 verses and said that what they were experiencing on the Day of Pentecost was in fact what Joel had told Israel hundreds of years before. He said "THIS IS THAT which was spoken by the prophet Joel". That means the speaking in tongues and the Holy Ghost experience that had just happened to the people was a fulfillment of the scriptures.
That is just the tip of the iceberg of that Chapter, all I can tell you is that Peter received DIVINE Revelation from God and what he preached in Acts 2 is not a "religion" it was DIVINE fulfillment of the Old Testament Prophets.
I don't mean to get too deep in this study, but let me return to the definition of Apostolic. God told us he had a plan in the prophets:
Amos 9:11-12
(11) In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old:
(12) That they may possess the remnant of Edom, and of all the heathen, which are called by my name, saith the LORD that doeth this.
God said that He was going to rebuild the tabernacle of David. The simplest understanding of what God means is that He wants to restore His people to be what they were in the time of King David's rule, a people that LOVED God and worshiped God. God is telling us in this scripture that He would rebuild this relationship that had fallen. To understand what this means to us first let me describe the items that were in the tabernacle required by God for the priests to obey in order to be cleansed of their sins (had to be done once a year) and for the atonement of sin.
Now I am going to try to make this part very simple and easy to grasp. Please bear with me as I go through this portion, it is so important that I explain that Acts 2:38 is not a man made teaching. It actually comes from the entire Bible. Peter spoke a DIVINE revelation when he preached on the day of Pentecost and I want to at least lay out the basics of what Peter preached:
The 3 major portions of the tabernacle (rather you speak of Moses' or David's)
Brazen Altar - BLOOD
Brazen Laver - WATER
Ark of the Covenant (Holy of Hollies) - SPIRIT
(there is a difference between Moses' and David's Tabernacle but I will not get into that in this study)
Ok, so remember these 3 symbols given to use by God. BLOOD. WATER. SPIRIT.
Now let's see how deeply embedded into the Old and New Testament this message really is:
1 John 5:8-9
(8) And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.
(9) If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son.
The Apostle John tells us that BLOOD, WATER, and SPIRIT agree IN ONE. He also calls these the "witness of God" and he tells us that the witness of God is GREATER than the witness of man.
Simple concept to absorb, you DO NOT WANT simply the witness of man about your soul and your salvation. I have experienced this first hand with the "denominational churches", they are into convincing folks that they are "SAVED" and train them to be so assured of it.
You ever notice that folks that truly have something don't need to put on about having it? I noticed in my life that insecurity causes folks to continually try to prove their security when in fact they are not secure at all. In the case of Salvation, people that truly have it don't need to flaunt or talk down about others to be secure. This is a flaw in quite a number of people claiming Christianity and for many years it pushed me away from all of it.
Notice what John said in that verse:
"... The witness of God is GREATER"
What this means is convincing yourself of "being saved" or hype that is really what most churches are about. The scripture calls that "the witness of men"
So how do you get the witness of God? We know that it involves BLOOD WATER and SPIRIT as per the verse we just read. So how does that happen?
John 3:5
(5) Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
Jesus Died - BLOOD
Jesus was Buried - WATER
Jesus Rose Again - SPIRIT
When Peter preached Acts 2:38, he was OBEYING Jesus' teaching in John 3:5.
REPENTANCE - BLOOD
BAPTISM in JESUS NAME - WATER
RECEIVE HOLY GHOST - SPIRIT
Therefore, the true Gospel message of Jesus Christ is that Jesus DIED, Jesus was BURIED, Jesus ROSE AGAIN. This is spoke to us in 1 Corinthians 15:1-5 by Paul. So remember this the GOSPEL or the GOOD NEWS is the DEATH, BURIAL, and RESURRECTION of Jesus Christ.
How do we obey the GOSPEL?
REPENTANCE - DEATH
BAPTISM - BURIAL
HOLY GHOST - RESURRECTION
Finally to conclude this study is the words of Paul in Romans:
Romans 6:3-7
(3) Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
(4) Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
(5) For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:
(6) Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
(7) For he that is dead is freed from sin.
So to conclude:
The Apostolic Church foundation is Acts 2:38 which is Peter's obedience to what Jesus taught in John 3:5, Matthew 28:19, Luke 24:47, and Mark 16:16, it is the fulfillment to the Tabernacle plan of the Old Testament and is the Only Bible method of being born again.
Of course this is only skimming the surface of the significance of BLOOD WATER, and SPIRIT. You will find that EVERY example of SALVATION in the entire Bible is based on these symbols. (Noah, Moses, David, etc...)
Also very important that I say this: Although the Apostolic Church is not Catholic or Protestant, it is not a "heretical" church. Jehovah Witness, Mormonism, Unitarianism are all examples of heretical churches that are not "orthodox". The reason these are heretical is because they are not faithful in teaching the Apostles Doctrine. What a truth seeker must ask him/her self when seeking the Truth is to ask the question- did the Apostles teach this? What did the Apostles do about this... etc...
So I will leave you with a list of Apostolic Doctrines that should be examined by anyone who wants to know the truth about the Bible and wants to be born again according to the scriptures and not according to the traditions of men.
The Apostles preached that Jesus Christ is God Himself manifest in flesh.
1 Timothy 3:16
(16) And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.
The Apostles preached baptism in Jesus Name for the remission of sins:
Acts 2:38-39
(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.
(39) For 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.
The Apostles preached that the fulness of the Godhead was IN Jesus Christ they also warned us not to let philosophy, tradition, or the world spoil us from this revelation.
Colossians 2:8-9
(8) Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
(9) For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
The Apostles taught the Oneness of God (the doctrine of the trinity came from philosophy)
Ephesians 4:4-6
(4) There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;
(5) One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
(6) One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
The Apostles taught that their GOSPEL was the ONLY RIGHT GOSPEL and any other preaching was ACCURSED.
Galatians 1:8-12
(8) But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
(9) As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.
(10) For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.
(11) But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man.
(12) For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Simple final analysis. If the Gospel is the DEATH BURIAL AND RESURRECTION of Jesus Christ, that is what the Church should preach. (1 Corinthians 15 tells us it is).. therefore OBEYING that GOSPEL means Acts 2:38. So if anyone preaches ANOTHER gospel other than Acts 2:38 (even if it were an angel or one of the apostles coming from the dead) - it is accursed. What I am saying is that what is called "Church" outside of the Apostles teaching is in fact not God's Church at all. God's Church comes from His desire to call a PEOPLE OUT FOR HIS NAME sake. TO REBUILD THE TABERNACLE, to restore His People to the place that they should be. And I leave you with this:
Amos 9:11 is accomplished in Acts 2:38. The LORD said HE WOULD CALL HIS NAME upon the heathen. That is exactly what the Apostles did when they taught the people to be baptized in Jesus Name for the remisson of sins.
This is what indeed happened to me on April 2, 1997 I was baptized in the name of Jesus Christ and God washed my sins away and filled me with the Holy Ghost. I didn't think it could be, until it happened to me.
Lord, please give light and revelation to the hearts that read this, for Acts 2:38 is your plan, not mine. Filling people with the Holy Ghost is what you do, not me. Washing sins from people and giving them a brand new life is what you do, not me. But LORD, I am available for you to use me, I love Your work and Your people, and I love to see you change lives. Use me LORD.
In Jesus Name.
