by David J. Stewart | May 2016
Acts 2:41, “Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.”
I was thinking today about the popular
passage in Acts chapter two about Pentecost. It's important to notice that
there was no interpreter present at Pentecost. The Bible mentions 16
different nations in Acts 2:8-11 that were present on the Day Of
Pentecost. The word “Pentecost” means fifty, that is, this day happened
50 days after Jesus' bodily resurrection. The Day of Pentecost fulfilled the
Lord's promise to His disciples of being endued with the power of the Holy
Spirit for soul-winning. Just before the Lord ascended into Heaven, He told
His disciples:
Acts 1:4-5, “And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.”
Those days foretold by the Lord happened on the Day of Pentecost, and have been happening ever since when the power of the Holy Spirit comes down. THE SPIRIT'S ABIDING (MP3, Dr. Jack Hyles; All is vain unless the Holy Spirit comes down!) Amen!
The most important thing to notice about the Day of Pentecost is that THE GOSPEL WAS PREACHED in the power of the Holy Spirit!!! Every mighty preacher (Dwight Moody, Jack Hyles, Billy Sunday, John Rice, Harry Ironside, Frank Norris) all testified that at some point in their ministry they prayerfully begged God for His Holy Spirit power upon their preaching, and from that point they saw thousands of converts instead of hundreds. The Holy Spirit makes the difference! Since the beginning of my online ministry in 2002, I have claimed the promise from Zechariah 4:6, “Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.”
R.A. (Reuben Archer) Torrey (1856-1928) wisely said:
“We are too busy to pray, and so we are too busy to have power. We have a great deal of activity, but we accomplish little; many services but few conversions; much machinery but few results.” —Pastor R.A. Torrey (1856-1928)
The preceding quote describes 99% of churches and Christian organizations today! Today's churches are spiritually dead! Most Baptist churches are about as lifeless as a Catholic mass. It is a shame! If you attend most Baptist churches nowadays, you'll never hear about the power of the Holy Spirit. Oftentimes the pastor is henpecked by a meddling pulpit committee and is not allowed to preach as he ought. You won't hear about the power of the Holy Spirit on religious radio programs. Most of what we hear nowadays from carnal preachers is how to get health, wealth and prosperity in Jesus' name. We often hear dry sermons without any real substance to sink our teeth into. Someone wake up the preacher!!! God help us! The great need of the hour is Holy-Spirit-Filled men of God who are preaching preachers!!!
Sadly, seeking the power of the Holy Spirit a
forgotten teaching in today's churches. Back in the good old days, when our
nation still feared God and had some moral backbone and character, seeking
the power of the Holy Spirit for soul-winning was much more common. Perhaps
more than any other thing, the television has ruined Americans, providing a
permanent distraction from walking with God. Satan controls the airwaves,
which may be why the Bible refers to the Devil as “the prince of the
power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2).
It is Still Possible in Modern Times to See 3,000 Souls Saved in One Day!
One of the most important truths in the Word of
God is taught in Acts 2:41, which is, it is literally possible to win
thousands of souls to the Lord Jesus Christ in ONE DAY! First Baptist Church
of Hammond, Indiana is famous worldwide for soul-winning and seeing
thousands of souls saved in one day. That's the result of preaching the
Gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit! Dr. Jack Hyles proved it could still
be done! Evangelist John R. Rice proved it could still be done! Evangelist
Billy Sunday proved it could still be done! Pastor Harry Ironside proved it
could still be done! Pastor Lee Roberson proved it could still be done! J.
Frank Norris proved it could still be done! Amen and amen! The Day of
Pentecost was not a one time event; but rather, as Dr. John R. Rice
(1895-1980) termed it, it was “a specimen day.” The Day of Pentecost ought
to be a regular occurrence! Big soul-winning days are still possible! Great
city-wide revivals are still possible! Receiving miracles from God is still
possible today! It is a matter of faith!!!
May I say, kindly, I have read much criticism online from Evangelists David W. Cloud, Paul Washer and Ray Comfort of soul-winning pastors and missionaries who've claimed to have led hundreds and even thousands of souls to the Lord Jesus Christ. Why should it be difficult to accept someone's claim of thousands of souls saved over 5-years, when the Scriptures tell us that 3,000 people's souls were saved in just ONE DAY? Acts 2:41, “Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.” Furthermore, we read in Acts 4:4 that another 5,000 men were saved, not including women and children. The total number of souls saved was probably around 10,000 to 15,000 people!!! Acts 4:4, “Howbeit many of them which heard the word believed; and the number of the men was about five thousand.” To deny that it is possible to see thousands of souls saved in a short period of time is to express a lack of faith in the power of God!!! Our God is still an omnipotent, miracle-working, mountain-moving, awesome God. But do you have faith in God?
I can hear the skeptics back in Bible times,
challenging the validity of claims of thousands of people saved at
Pentecost. I can hear the David Clouds of their time, calling the Apostle
Peter “The King Of Shallow Soulwinning” (which is what Mr. Cloud calls Dr.
Jack Hyles). I can hear the Paul Washers of their time mocking Christ's
disciples who were at Pentecost, accusing them of “turning the Gospel into a
Flu-Shot” (which is what Mr. Washer says about soul-winning Christians). I
can hear the Ray Comforts of their time referring to claims of 3,000 and
5,000 souls saved as, “Quick-Fix Evangelism” and “Easy-Believism.” They
would all be very wrong! Whether you like it or not, it is easy and simple
to be saved (i.e., born-again). You can call it a Flu-Shot if you'd like, or
shallow soul-winning, but instant and permanent salvation is 100% Biblical.
We read how the 3,000 souls were saved at Pentecost in Acts 2:41a, “Then
they that gladly received his word...” Peter preached the Gospel and
3,000 people gladly received, that is, BELIEVED, what they heard and were
immediately saved.
At Pentecost 3,000 People Were Saved Simply By Believing The Gospel
How does all this compare to the complicated
teaching of Lordship Salvation in many churches today, which says that a
person is not saved unless they've been changed and have declared Jesus as
Lord? Do you think that the disciples screened all 3,000 people,
interviewing them to see if they had decided to fully surrender their lives
to Christ? This is the garbage theology that we are hearing taught in many
churches and radio stations these days. Please read
Ray Comfort's heresy on what it means to be “born-again.” I am
contending for the Christian faith. It is not a personal matter. I do not
attack people, but I do expose false teaching, as Titus 1:10-13 and
Ephesians 5:11 command all believers to do. 1st John 4:1 commands us to try
(test) the spirits, to see if they are of God.
The Biblical way to be saved is to simply repent (think differently) to believe the Gospel. If you didn't think differently, you wouldn't believe the Gospel. You don't repent AND believe the Gospel; You repent TO believe the Gospel. There is an increasingly popular heresy in religious circles today, which falsely teaches that a person must turn away from sinful behavior to be saved. This would be works (human effort) for salvation, which is a false Gospel.
The Apostle Paul knew that once a person is saved, they are no longer under the curse of God's law. Therefore, Paul reminds us that just because we are no longer under the law, that doesn't give us God's permission to abandon the moral obligations of the law. Romans 3:31, “Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.” We are expected as believers to keep the law, not to be saved, but because WE ARE SAVED. Keeping the law has NOTHING to do with salvation, nor the validation of our salvation (Romans 3:20). Salvation is incredibly simple, by simply receiving the Gospel by faith when you hear it:
Galatians 3:2, “This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?”
In Galatians 3:2 the apostle Paul says he only wants to know ONE THING... How did you get saved? (i.e., Paul wanted to know how they were indwelt by the Holy Spirit). Was it by doing the works of the law (turning away from sins), or was it by putting your faith in the Gospel when you heard it preached? We are saved by receiving the Gospel by faith (Hebrews 4:2).
We are taught in the Gospel of John that the way to be saved is to BELIEVE. John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Notice that John didn't mention anything about repenting. The reason is not that repentance is not necessary to be saved; but rather, it is because the object of repenting is to BELIEVE. Repentance is the realization that I am a guilty sinner in the eyes of a holy God, which compels me to believe the Gospel to be saved. If a man didn't change his mind, then he would never come to Christ (John 3:20). We learn what Peter preached at Pentecost in Acts 10, where Peter preached the same simple Gospel message to Cornelius. Cornelius simply believed the Gospel message and was saved. That's so simple and wonderful!
The way you get saved is by receiving the Gospel. If the Gospel (Good News) of Christ's death on the cross for your sins, His burial, and bodily resurrection three days later is your only hope for Heaven, then you are saved!!! John 6:28-29, “Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.” Ephesians 1:13, “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise.” Again and again, repeatedly, we are taught in the Scriptures that salvation is obtained simply by BELIEVING the Gospel. God made it very simple for anyone to go to Heaven, so simple that 3,000 people can be saved in one day! Just believe the Gospel, Oh sinner! END
