COME FOLLOW ME

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FUNDAMENTALS OF DISCIPLESHIP

COME FOLLOW ME

1 Peter 3:21  The like figure (Noah and his family being saved through the flood) whereunto even immersion doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward Elohim,) by the resurrection of Yahushua Messiah:

Peter was explaining that Noah and his family were saved through the flood, and likened their experience to immersion (baptism).  They were not saved in this experience because it did anything to their own sinful flesh.  The experience had no fundamental effect upon their physical or spiritual nature. Noah and his family had the choice to remain with their friends and neighbors, and weather the storm the world would eventually face.  Instead, they made a choice, a choice they knew would forever separate them from their life as they knew it.  They knew that this choice would result in everything being different for them. They knew that the whole world was under a sentence of judgment; and they could remain and receive that judgment, or they could be “saved” from that judgment by stepping into the ark. They said goodbye to all they knew and embraced an uncertain future. Peter called this the “answer of a good conscience toward Elohim.” (It is important to note that not everyone was given that choice.  Noah and his children and their wives were CHOSEN.  No one else was even given the opportunity.)    

Baptism is the answer of a good conscience…but what was the question?

Man is the creation of IAUE.  He was created for a purpose---to do the will of IAUE; and in the doing of His will, to enjoy the fellowship with IAUE that results from obedience.  As we have seen, however, man’s ability to fulfill his purpose was forfeited in the fall; an event that deprived man of righteousness.  In prior lessons, we have seen that it was impossible for man to regain his lost righteousness; because having become sinful (disobedient to the will of IAUE), there is nothing within him that can produce the requisite purity.  That purity had to be provided by another whose birth was not defiled by unrighteousness.  This is why Yahushua was born of a virgin; to secure his birth in righteousness; and qualifying him to be a viable substitute for us.

IAUE brought forth a son into the earth, and destined him to an abhorrent death in order to provide for the restoration of man from the consequences of the fall in the Garden of Eden.  Yahushua was the singular plan of IAUE to restore man both to do His will and to enjoy His fellowship. With this in proper perspective, it is easy to see that IAUE considers carefully how man responds to the sacrifice of His son; whether his sacrifice is honored or despised.  It begins with “the question.”

Matthew 4:19  And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.

Matthew 8:22 But Yahushua said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.

Matthew  9:9  And as Yahushua passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him.

Matthew  10:38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.

Matthew  16:24 Then said Yahushua unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

Matthew 19:21 Yahushua said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.

Matthew 19:28 And Yahushua said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

The question is, “Will you come and follow me?”  It is elicited as a command (“Come, follow me.”); but it remains a choice for us to answer “Yes,” or “No.” Ultimately, it is asking if we would accept IAUE’s only solution to be restored to our created purpose, or would we prefer to remain enslaved to the selfishness of our own will. If we answer, “Yes,” then to demonstrate that we have responded with the proper motive, we are asked to bury our past and burn our bridges behind us.  It is in this context that immersion is the answer of a clear conscience toward Elohim.  If we say, “No,” we dishonor both IAUE and His son and deserve the same response that Messiah instructed his apostles to give.  The messenger is to wipe the dust from his shoes and move elsewhere to ask the question.

There is a wonderful story that depicts this transaction in 1 Kings 19:9-21.  You will recall that after Eliyahu’s (Elijah’s) great victory on Mt. Carmel, he fled into the wilderness away from the threats of Jezebel.  He came upon a cave and remained there until the word of IAUE came to him.  When IAUE spoke to him, he was instructed to do three things; one of which was to anoint Elisha to be his replacement as prophet.

1 Kings 19:19 So he departed thence, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth: and Elijah passed by him, and cast his mantle upon him.

You really have to picture this in your mind to see what is happening here.  It is assumed that Elisha had been instructed of his father to plow the family field.  He very probably, at first, hooked up a couple of oxen to a plow and tried to dig furrows into the hardened ground and found that two oxen were not enough.  Maybe he tried four oxen, next; then six.  He ended up yoking 24 oxen together to pull his plow.  Elisha was absolutely committed to plowing the field.  Most people would probably say the ground just isn’t suited to farming; but that was not Elisha’s concern.  His concern was to plow the field; and he was going to do it whatever it took.  Then comes Eliyahu who cast his mantle upon him.  Elisha understood that this action meant that the prophet had selected him as his apprentice. 

20 And he left the oxen, and ran after Elijah, and said, Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow thee. And he said unto him, Go back again: for what have I done to thee?

Elisha expressed his willingness to follow Elijah; but he asked for permission to “kiss my father and my mother.”  This was a request to wait until his parents passed away before he left home to follow Elijah.  This is not unlike so many believers that choose to spend years still pursuing their own interests before getting serious about their obedience to the one they have been calling their Master.  They have made the choice to follow; but have abated their obedience until a time that suited them better. It is being anchored to the cares of this world and holding those worldly responsibilities and desires as more important than honoring IAUE.  Elijah’s response to his request was, “What have I done to thee.”  This was to say, “It’s your choice.  I am not forcing you to do anything.” The prophet had said, “Come, follow me.”  So, what did Elisha do? 

21 And he returned back from him, and took a yoke of oxen, and slew them, and boiled their flesh with the instruments of the oxen, and gave unto the people, and they did eat. Then he arose, and went after Elijah, and ministered unto him.

Elisha took two of the oxen that he had formerly been using to plow the field, took their yoke, set fire to it, and slaughtered the oxen and cooked them, giving the meat to all who were around.  In effect, by burning the yoke, and sacrificing the oxen, Elisha was burning his bridge behind him.  He was making a public demonstration that communicated he was dead to his former life.  He would not be returning to it.  This was his answer of a clear conscience toward Elohim.  He would not taunt the goodness of Elohim with any further consideration of returning to his former life.

Matthew  10:38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.

Now we know the question, the answer, and the answer of a clear conscience.

MECHANICS OF THE FAITH - VI

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FUNDAMENTALS OF DISCIPLESHIP

THE MECHANICS OF THE FAITH – VI

John1:25  They asked him, and said to him, “Why then are you baptizing, if you are not the Messiah, nor Eliyahu (Elijah),  nor the Prophet?”

In our previous lessons, we have observed the divine order invoked by the gospel of Yahushua Messiah, 1) Repent, 2) Be baptized, 3) Receive the Holy Spirit.  We have discussed repentance and receiving the Holy Spirit.  It is important that we not move to another topic until we have discussed baptism.  If there was ever a subject that has divided believers, it is this one.  If there was ever a doctrine that has been twisted, contorted and confused, it is this one. 

One Christian denomination teaches baptism as an “ordinance” of the church, to be observed almost like checking it off a list of things that you should do; but which has no real practical significance.  Some churches teach that it is through water baptism that you are allowed to “join” the membership of their congregation. Another Christian denomination teaches baptismal regeneration; that it is in water baptism that you are actually born of the spirit.  Another Christian denomination teaches that you must be baptized in water in order to receive the Holy Spirit; and that you should emerge from the water speaking in tongues. Yet another denomination teaches that baptism neither makes you born again, nor does it serve to fill you with the Holy Spirit; but that if you are not baptized, you cannot be “saved.” 

The first thing that we need to understand is that the words “baptism, baptize, baptist” are all transliterations of words from the Greek manuscripts of the New Testament. (A transliteration spells a word in the receiving language so it will be pronounced the way it is pronounced in the original language.  For example, “dunamis,” “exousia,”and “charis” are transliterations of the Greek words for “power,” “authority,” and “grace.”)  At the time of the writing of the King James Version of the Scriptures, infant baptism had already become a popular practice, performed by the sprinkling of water upon the head of the baby.  The scholars transcribing the Greek texts into English understood they would be incurring wrath by translating “baptidzo” into English because it literally means “to dip or immerse.” In an act of scholarly dishonesty, they created new words in the English language by simply transliterating the Greek words into English. To make it possible to more correctly understand this issue of water baptism, we will look at it as it should be properly translated in the Scriptures.

In our opening verse, the Jews had sent priests and Levites to Yohannes (John) to inquire who he was (John 14:19).  There was no practice in Israel of people immersing other people.  The law required that they wash themselves to be restored clean from having become unclean through sickness or disease, by the transmission of bodily fluids, or by some defiling act whether intentional or accidental.  Washings were an integral part of Hebrew life.  In fact, it is reported that there were 1,000 pools of water associated with the temple in Jerusalem to facilitate all the washings that were required of the law.  Immersing one’s self in a pool of water was common place.  Someone immersing another was not.  That would require a unique identify for the person doing the immersing.  This is why they asked Yohannes who he was. 

They did not ask Yohannes if he were the Messiah; but he knew that would be the first person they would associate as having the authority to immerse; so he answered that he was not the Messiah.  Scratching “Messiah” off of their check list, they asked if he were the Prophet that Moses said would come (see Deuteronomy 18:15,18), or Eliyahu (See Malachi 4:5-6).  Yohannes knew that they were the only other people they could understood would have the authority to wash another, but he denied being either one. This produced another question.  “Why then are you immersing?”

How was Moses associated with immersion?

Exodus 29:1  And this is the thing that you shall do unto them to hallow them, to minister unto me in the priest's office: Take one young bullock, and two rams without blemish,

2  And unleavened bread, and cakes unleavened tempered with oil, and wafers unleavened anointed with oil: of wheaten flour shall you make them.

3  And you shall put them into one basket, and bring them in the basket, with the bullock and the two rams.

4  And Aaron and his sons you shall bring unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and shall wash them with water.

This is the first time that one person washed another person for the purpose of cleansing. This act consecrated Aaron and his sons to the priesthood.  It separated Aaron and his sons from the rest of the people and from the life they lived up to that point, and consecrated them to the holy purpose and function of the priesthood, no longer to be like they were, nor like the rest of the people.  This consecration marked the change of their life and their lifestyle.

Yohannes told the priests and Levites that he was “the voice of one crying in the wilderness” (Isaiah 40:3), which they immediately understood was the one who would come to prepare the people for IAUE.  We know from Paul’s explanation to the Ephesian disciples in Acts 19, that Yohannes’ immersion was an immersion of repentance, instructing people to make themselves ready for the coming of the Messiah.  It was a call of preparation to enter into the general priesthood of the believer; because when Messiah comes, ALL of his disciples would constitute a royal priesthood.

1 Peter 2:5  Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to Elohim by Yahushua Messiah.
9  But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light;

Many have asked through the centuries why Yahushua submitted to his cousin, Yohannes, to be baptized, seeing he had no need of cleansing.  Yahushua’s answer to Yohannes was that it was to fulfill all righteousness (Matthew 3:15).  There was a divine order: repent, be baptized, and receive the Holy Spirit.  If Messiah was going to be the perfect substitute for man, he was going to begin with fulfilling the divine order of his Father. 

Yahushua engaged in what I call “corporate repentance.”  It is what Daniel did in Babylon at the end of the 70 years of captivity.  He identified with the sins of his people, though not being guilty of those deeds himself.  He was a Hebrew, and the Hebrew people as a whole were guilty of all manner of departures from the will of IAUE.  Daniel repented on their behalf, as one of them.  This is what Yahushua did when he came to Yohannes to be immersed.

When Messiah emerged from the water, the testimony of Yohannes was that he saw the Spirit of IAUE descend upon him and remain (John 1:32-33).  Repent, be baptized, and receive the Holy Spirit.  The divine order was fulfilled in Him…fulfilling all righteousness.  

Messiah was 30 years of age when he came to Yohannes to be washed.  This was the age that a Levite could be consecrated to the priesthood. This was the beginning of Yahushua’s ministry.  He did not begin his ministry until he was consecrated unto the priesthood of his Father. This established the pattern that immersion was, as it was in the beginning with Moses, the consecration of one to the priesthood.  From this point forward, even Yahushua’s life was no longer lived as it had been up to then. 

There are eight recorded events of immersion in the book of Acts:

1.    The day of Pentecost (Acts 2:37-41)

2.    The Samaritans (Acts 8:12-16)

3.    The Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8:35-38)

4.    Paul (Acts:9:17-18; 22:5-16)

5.    Cornelius and his household (Acts 10:34-38; 11:14-18)

6.    Lydia and her household (Acts 16:13-15)

7.    The Philippian Jailer and his household (Acts 16:30-33)

8.    The Ephesian disciples (Acts 19:1-6)

On the day of Pentecost, they were told to be immersed for the “remission” of their sins.  This isn’t forgiveness of sins.  Forgiveness is a finished work in the death and resurrection of Yahushua.  Remission is the release from the bondage of sin.  Like the famous hymn begins, “He breaks the power of cancelled sin, he sets the prisoner free.”  Sin has already been cancelled whether you are a disciple of Messiah or not; but the bondage to sin is not a function of forgiveness.  It is a function of remission; and remission is a function of immersion, of consecration to the order of the royal priesthood.

Saul, soon to be known as the apostle Paul, was called to “wash away his sins” by immersion. This was not a doctrinal explanation by Ananias that immersion would cleanse him of his sins.  Messiah had already done that.  This was a call to submit to immersion to demonstrate that Saul/Paul had put away his former life and was consecrated to a royal priesthood.

1 Peter 3:21  The like figure (Noah and his family being saved through the flood) whereunto even immersion doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward Elohim,) by the resurrection of Yahushua Messiah:

In Philippi, the jailer asked Paul what he must do to be saved; and Paul told him to believe on the Master Yahushua Messiah.  It was after the jailer and his household professed their faith in Messiah that Paul immersed them, distinguishing between the salvific nature of faith and the urgency of the consecration of immersion. 

I have long said that a believer who has not been “baptized” is a rebel in the Kingdom of Elohim; because he has refused to provide the very first required act of obedience to the Master; thus demonstrating the non-subservience of his will to the will of the Master.  Of what use to a kingdom of priests is one who refuses to be consecrated to the priesthood? 

Ministers in the early 1900’s have said that in Islamic countries, if you profess faith in Messiah, you will be shunned as if you do not exist to them; but if you submit to immersion, they will kill you; because they recognize immersion as a death to one’s former way of life; thus they see it as a condemnation of their way of life…a condemnation of any way of life that is not consecrated to the royal priesthood of Messiah.  I share this to bring focus to just how serious a matter immersion should be in the life of the disciple.

2 Corinthians 5:14 For the love of Messiah constrains us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:
15 And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.

If you have been “baptized” by sprinkling, you have not been “baptized” at all, as baptism is not sprinkling.  You have not been immersed according to the divine order.  If your understanding of what you were doing when you were baptized was to satisfy a requirement of your church, or to join a church, you have not been immersed according to the divine order.  If you were baptized under the impression that you were going to be born again because of the water, you have not been baptized under the divine order.  If you have never consecrated yourself to the royal priesthood of Messiah, leaving your old life behind and embracing the will of the Master, you have not been immersed according to the divine order.

When you submit to immersion as a separation of your life from your past with a view to the remission of your sins (the release from the power of forgiven sins) in order to be consecrated unto the Master’s priesthood, you will experience a release from your past heretofore unknown to you; and you will enter into a walk that will involve routinely hearing and obeying the voice of the Master; and if you have never had the confidence that you have received the gift of the Father, the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, the hindrance to receiving Him will be removed. 

MECHANICS OF THE FAITH - V

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FUNDAMENTALS OF DISCIPLESHIP

THE MECHANICS OF THE FAITH - V

Acts 2:38 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.

This climax to the first sermon ever preached in the “church age” reveals a divine pattern.  The pattern is not set in concrete; but it is the divine intention that it be followed whenever possible.  This pattern establishes three elements of discipleship that are essential to a life of successful service to the Master.

1.  Repent 
2.  Be baptized
3.  Receive the Holy Spirit


Let’s examine how this pattern is observed in the book of Acts.  There are four other incidents recorded for us in this early church history that demonstrate the divine intention.

We already see on the day of Pentecost, in Acts 2, that those hearing the message of Peter first repented.  Then they were baptized.  Then they received the Holy Spirit.  Let’s look at the second experience recorded for us.  The whole story is contained in Acts 8:1-25; but we will look at the pertinent verses to our discussion.

Acts 8:5  Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Messiah unto them.
12  But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of Elohim, and the name of Yahushua Messiah, they were baptized, both men and women.
14  Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of Elohim, they sent unto them Peter and John:
15  Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit:
16  (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Master Yahushua.)
17 Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

First, the gospel was preached by Philip, and the people of Samaria believed the gospel.  In the setting of the book of Acts, believing on the gospel was manifested by the synonymous act of repentance.  Secondly, they were baptized.  Now, according to modern day theology, they should already have received the Holy Spirit; but according to this passage of Scripture; they were repentant believers, baptized in water, but had not yet received the Holy Spirit.  In fact a goodly number of days must have transpired for the word to have reached Jerusalem that Samaria had responded to the gospel; and for Peter and John to make the journey to Samaria.  Once they arrived in Samaria, Peter and John laid their hands on the believers, and “they received the Holy Spirit.”

The second recorded incident is also found in Acts 8:26-40, with Philip’s experience with the Ethiopian eunuch.

Acts 8:35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Yahushua.
36  And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized.
37  And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Yahushua Messiah is the Son of Elohim.
38  And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.
39  And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of IAUE caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing.

The Ethiopian eunuch was an important official in the Candace, queen of the Ethiopians.  He had traveled more than 1,000 miles to come to Jerusalem to worship IAUE.  On his way back home, the Spirit had united Philip with his chariot to overhear him reading from the book of Isaiah.  This opened up conversation that allowed Philip to reveal the Messiah to him.  When the eunuch believed the message that Philip was preaching, he inquired why he could not be baptized right then and there, given the availability of the water.  Baptism was the logical response in the mind of the Ethiopian; as well it was in the mind of Philip.  Repentance unto life was followed immediately with water baptism.

Now, we had just seen demonstrated in the earlier portion of this chapter, Philip clearly did not see himself as one who was either qualified or authorized to minister the Holy Spirit to those who responded to his preaching; even though he ministered by the Spirit many signs and wonders.  Peter and John had to be sent from Jerusalem to Samaria to get that job done.  We see that broken pattern again here with the Ethiopian eunuch.  We have no record here that the Ethiopian ever received the Holy Spirit; though we can be confident he was born of the Spirit in response to his faith and repentance.

The third recorded incident is in Acts 10, with the household of Cornelius.  Again, we will look at the pertinent verses of that record.

Acts 10:44 While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Spirit fell on all them which heard the word.
45  And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Spirit.
46  For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify Elohim. Then answered Peter,
47  Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Spirit as well as we?
48  And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Master. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days.

Peter had been given a vision three times in preparation for the call to go to Caesarea and speak to a house full of Gentiles.  That was something that no torah-abiding Jew would have done; but IAUE had revealed to him that the sacrifice of Messiah was efficacious for the Gentile as well as for the Jew.  Peter willingly went inside, and met a houseful of Gentiles who had gathered for one purpose alone---to hear the words of life.  As Peter spoke, Cornelius and those gathered in his house received the words of Peter and their hearts responded accordingly.  IAUE then poured out His Spirit upon them; and the Gentiles who had believed the gospel received the gift of the Holy Spirit.  Peter had not ministered this to them; nor was he likely intending to do so.  This was something beyond his imagination.  He was content to share the gospel with them; and even expect that the Father would give them “repentance unto life” (see Acts 11:18); but he certainly did not expect that IAUE would make the Gentiles completely equal citizens of the Kingdom of Elohim by giving them the gift of His Spirit. 

Very likely, Peter had no expectation, going up to Caesarea, that he would be baptizing any Gentiles; but seeing they had received the gift of the Holy Spirit; what was Peter’s first reaction?

Acts 10:47  Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Spirit as well as we?

So integral was the divine order to the ministry of the gospel; that once Peter recognized that IAUE was making absolutely no distinction between the Jews and the Gentiles, water baptism became the immediate order for these new believers.  The Holy Spirit was given prior to their baptism because Elohim knew that without this sovereignly bestowed outpouring, the inclusion of the Gentiles into the church of Yahushua Messiah would not have been completed.  Peter had understood enough in his thrice-given vision to go to the house of Cornelius; but it was not enough to understand the intentions of IAUE to incorporate fully the Gentiles into the Body of Messiah.

The last incident is found in Acts 19.  Apollos, a student of the Scriptures and a man zealous for IAUE, had preached in Ephesus and had raised up disciples knowing only the baptism of John.  Priscilla and Aquila met up with Apollos later and completed his understanding regarding Messiah (Acts 18:24-28); but they did not minister this more complete understanding to those that had responded to Apollos’ preaching.  Paul ran into some of them about this time.

Acts 19:1 And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples,

2  He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Spirit since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Spirit.

3  And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism.

4  Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Messiah Yahushua.

5  When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Master Yahushua.

6  And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.

It was evident to Paul that these disciples did not have the Holy Spirit.  We are not told how he knew; but for those of us who have received the Holy Spirit, we know all too well the magnitude of the transformation in our lives He makes, the empowerment and the illumination.  It can be quite apparent to the informed observer.  The first and obvious question in the mind of Paul was, “Have you received the Holy Spirit since ye believed?”  Why was this an obvious question?  It is because the divine order was 1) Repent, 2) Be baptized, 3) Receive the Holy Spirit; and it did not appear they had the Holy Spirit.

Once Paul understood they were “disciples of John,” he preached Messiah to them; and they believed on the Master Yahushua and, though recently they had been baptized into John’s baptism, this was insufficient.  They were baptized again; but this time they were baptized in the name of the Master Yahushua.

No one, today, would suggest that Paul’s message to these Ephesians would have been inadequate.  They believed what Paul told them.  They responded to the message in a manner that was approved by Paul, which was evidenced by the fact he then baptized them as believers.  No one, today, would suggest that at this point, the Ephesian disciples were not “born again;” and yet, it was not until after belief and after baptism, that Paul laid his hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

The point in this lesson, today, is that we do not receive ALL that the Father has for us in a single point in time, as a consequence of a single experience with Him that men call the “moment of conversion.”  If the Samaritan believers could live for days after repentance and baptism before they received the Holy Spirit, then we do not necessarily receive the Holy Spirit as a package deal at the moment of conversion.  If the household of Cornelius could receive the Holy Spirit in a sovereign act of IAUE, such that it surprised the apostle Peter, and those believing Jews who had accompanied him; then Peter’s own surprise testifies to the fact he did not expect their belief would have included receiving the Holy Spirit. If the Ephesian disciples, like the Samaritans, required an apostle to lay hands on them before they received the Holy Spirit, then they were believers and members of the Body of Messiah without receiving the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit.   

I know there are teachers who say that Messiah gave to Peter the “keys to the Kingdom,” and that it was necessary for Peter to open the door to the Kingdom of Elohim to all peoples.  It was Peter who preached to the Jews on the day of Pentecost; and they received the Holy Spirit.  It was Peter and John who ministered the Holy Spirit to the Samaritans (half-Jew, half-Gentile); and it was Peter who preached first to the Gentiles at the house of Cornelius; but it was IAUE who sovereignly poured out His Spirit upon them.  Peter was nowhere to be seen in Ephesus when more Gentiles received the Holy Spirit; so this teaching breaks down in Acts 19.

The false teaching that a believer receives the Holy Spirit the moment he believes in Messiah is responsible for multitudes of believers living their entire lives without ever receiving the indwelling presence and ministry of the Holy Spirit. This is a crime and a shame in the church of Yahushua.  I am sharing this with YOU, the reader, so you may see in the Scriptures that this could possibly be YOU I am discussing.  If you have always been told you received the Holy Spirit of IAUE when you gave your life to Messiah, you very likely have never actually received the Holy Spirit.  Let me tell you, you are about to experience the most exhilarating element of your discipleship to Messiah. 

If you know someone that you are confident has received the Holy Spirit, ask them to pray with you to receive the Holy Spirit.  If you do not know someone who has already received the Holy Spirit; just remember the words of Yahushua:

Luke 11:13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

 Just ask him.