MECHANICS OF THE FAITH - I

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FUNDAMENTALS OF DISCIPLESHIP

THE MECHANICS OF THE FAITH - I

Acts 2:36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that Elohim hath made the same Yahushua, whom ye have crucified, both Master and Messiah.
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 Yahushua Messiah for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Any time someone takes on the task of presenting foundational doctrines of the faith, he opens the door to alienation, or worse, ridicule.  There are literally hundreds of different “Christian” denominations in the world, today; and every one of them varies from the other in some fundamental aspect.  In other words, there is no way to present basic doctrines of the faith with a reasonable expectation that a majority of people will agree with you.  Recognizing this fact, it is still needful that we address these basics in order to insure that there is no limitation to our pursuit of genuine discipleship.

Our opening passage of Scripture was the climax of the first sermon ever preached in the “church age.”  It wasn’t the end of the sermon, as most people imagine; but it was the “action” point of Peter’s message.  It is unheard of today that a minister’s audience would interrupt and ask what they must do; but Peter’s words had created an inescapable awareness that a response was mandatory. So, what was the first action required of the first gospel message ever preached?  It had three parts: 1) Repent, 2) Be baptized, 3) Receive the Holy Spirit.  Before we can address these three points, there is an important observation that we need to make; and that observation will be the focus of this posting.

The book of Acts is the only book in the New Testament that provides an historical record of the presentation and content of the gospel as it was presented to various groups of peoples, and how they responded to the gospel.  The rest of the books of the New Testament are letters written to people who had already responded to the gospel; they were already disciples. The content of the letters, therefore, should be understood to be instruction intended to enhance the readers’ discipleship. 

Do you know what is not found anywhere in the book of Acts?  There is no evidence of the contemporary gospel message.  Why is this?  It is because the message presented as the gospel, today, is taken from the epistles, the letters written to disciples.  Some fundamental churches refer to “the Roman road to salvation,” because their gospel message is developed from passages taken from the book of Romans.

Perhaps most notably missing from the book of Acts is the “invitation.”  Most Protestant church services end with “an invitation to accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior.”  It is even written in on the order of worship on the church bulletin…”Invitation.” No such thing can be found in the scriptural record of the growth and advancement of the church of Messiah.  No one is ever asked to accept Messiah.  The message in Acts is a proclamation that commands a response.  In our opening verses, the people asked, “What MUST we do?”  Those that obey what “must” be done, enter into the grace of Elohim.  Those who do not understand the command or those who refuse to obey the command remain alienated from the covenant of Elohim; and those presenting the gospel shake the dust off of their feet and move on to the next audience.

The failure to understand the difference between the “gospel” message and the instructional messages of the New Testament epistles is why there are hundreds of denominations.  The believers, today, have been separated from the very core of their faith; and the resulting product is self-centered and unwilling to comply with the very first lesson of discipleship…to take the Messiah’s yoke upon ourselves and learn meekness and humility from Him.  Let me illustrate how this happens.

The Declaration of Independence was a presentation of the reasons why it was necessary for the colonies to break away from the authority of the King of England, and why they must establish their own government.  The Declaration of Independence refers to a moral imperative originating with Elohim, human rights and freedoms originating with Elohim, and the necessity before Elohim to take action when such matters are compromised.  It is a very spiritual document rooted in a genuine belief and commitment to Elohim as the Creator and the grantor of all human rights.  By contrast, the Constitution of the United States is a document that sets forth the manner in which this new government shall function.  It is a sterile document utterly void of any overt spiritual content.  Are the provisions within the Constitution true and reliable?  Yes.  Do they honestly and accurately define the nature of the life of the people that shall be governed by it?   No.  Why is this?  Look at the last sentence of the Declaration:

“And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.”

What do you suppose happens to such a nation once the population no longer mutually pledges to each other their lives, fortunes and sacred honor; but are still held together by a constitution?  It is said that a woman asked Benjamin Franklin what the Continental Congress had provided for the people, a monarchy or a republic.  He replied, “A Republic, if you can keep it.”  This response was given because the founding fathers understood that this new government was wholly inadequate to govern any but a Christian people. Should the people cease to be a people of faith, the spiritually sterile Constitution would be manipulated to serve evil purposes.  In other words, as long as the people subscribed to the spirit of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution would serve the people well.

In like fashion, the gospel message in the book of Acts establishes the heart of the people who would be instructed by the New Testament epistles. If the epistles are severed from the true gospel, the result will be a gospel message based on doctrine, not repentance; and will be filled with people who want to be blessed rather than to bless the King. This is where the church is, today.

In the book of Acts, not only is there no invitation to accept Messiah; no one is told to ask Messiah to forgive them their sins. No one is told that they should ask Messiah to be their personal Master or Savior. No one is told that they will go to Heaven when they die.  No one is told that Elohim has a wonderful plan for their life.  No one is told that salvation is a free gift.  No one is even told that Elohim loves them.  None of these fundamental elements of the contemporary gospel message are found in the only Scriptural record of the preaching of the gospel. 

It is important for us to realize that the doctrines that are found in the epistles cannot be properly understood unless they are applied to the life that has been changed by the gospel as found in the book of Acts.  If you sever them from the true gospel, you end up with a religion; and that is not what Messiah died to produce.