Receipt and The Baptism of The Holy Spirit

The Receipt and The Baptism

of The Holy Spirit

 

 

          There seems to be some debate, in the body of Christ, about the Holy Spirit, and if there is one or more fillings of the Spirit.  The Apostles had received the indwelling of the Holy Spirit when Jesus breathed on them (John 20:21-23) while in Acts 1:5, at Pentecost, there was another act of the Holy Spirit. 

          1. John 20:19-23  " Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and said unto them, Peace be unto you. And when he had so said, he showed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord. Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.  And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:"

          2. Acts 2:1-4  "And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance."

 

          3. In Acts:2:5-39, Peter explains the "filling of the Holy Ghost.  "And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. ⁶ Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. ⁷ And they were all amazed and marveled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galileans? ⁸ And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born? ⁹ Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, ¹⁰ Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, ¹¹ Crete's and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God. ¹² And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What does this mean? ¹³ Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine. ¹⁴ But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: ¹⁵ For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day (9AM). ¹⁶ But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel (Joel 2:28-32); ¹⁷ And it shall come to pass in the last days, said God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: ¹⁸ And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: ¹⁹ And I will show wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke: ²⁰ The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and notable day of the Lord come: ²¹ And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. ²² Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: ²³ Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: ²⁴ Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be held by it. ²⁵ For David spoke concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved: ²⁶ Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope: ²⁷ Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer your Holy One to see corruption. ²⁸ Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shall make me full of joy with thy countenance. ²⁹ Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulcher is with us unto this day. ³⁰ Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; ³¹ He seeing this before spoke of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. ³² This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. ³³ Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. ³⁴ For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, ³⁵ Until I make thy foes thy footstool. ³⁶ Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made the 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."

          Acts 8:5-17 The Samaritans believed and were baptized - then the apostles came and they received the Holy Ghost. 

 

            Acts 10:44-48 they received the Holy Ghost and spoke with tongues; and then were baptized. " ⁴⁴ While Peter yet spoke these words, the Holy Ghost 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 Ghost. ⁴⁶ For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter, ⁴⁷ Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we? ⁴⁸ And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days."

          What was the 'like gift' Peter was talking about in Acts 11:15-17?  “But I had hardly begun speaking when the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) fell on them, just as on us at the beginning!  And I remembered that the Lord had said, ‘Yochanan (John) used to immerse people in water, but you will be immersed in the Ruach HaKodesh.’  Therefore, if God gave them the same gift as he gave us after we had come to put our trust in the Lord Yeshua the Messiah, who was I to stand in God’s way?” (Complete Jewish Bible)

          Acts 19:5-6  They had been baptized in the name of Jesus; then Paul laid hands on them and the Holy Ghost came on them and they spoke with tongues and prophesied. (2 events)

          For further information on the gifts of the Spirit, see my paper titled the Gifts of the Spirit, written in October of 2011.  http://www.thespiritsnestministries.com/2011/10/gifts-of-spirit.html

 

 

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Fear of the Lord

          The "fear of the Lord" is a statement that is often a stumbling block to non believers.  Statements such as: "why should I be afraid of your God?",  "Why should we be afraid, if He is an all loving God.", Who is he that I should worry about him?" and  "OK, so what does He want from me?".

          "The word translated "fear" in many versions of the Bible comes from the Hebrew word yirah, which has a range of meaning in the scriptures.  Sometimes it refers to the fear we feel in anticipation of some danger or pain, but it can also mean "awe" or "reverence".  In this latter sense, yirah includes the idea of wonder, amazement, mystery, astonishment, gratitude, admiration, and even worship.  The "fear of the Lord" therefore includes an overwhelming sense of glory, worth and beauty of the One True God."  (http://www.hebrew4christians.com/Scripture/Parashah/Summaries/Eikev/Yirah/yirah.html)

          We can see that if we are "in" the Lord, we see the fear of Him  as respect and reverence. If we are not "in" the Lord, we can expect to be on the side that doesn't receive unmerited blessings.  You can't expect His hedge of protection to protect you, if you climb over it.

          The following are some good examples in the Bible, but not nearly all, of the complexity of the meaning of the "fear of the Lord".

      Proverbs 1:7

            The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom     and instruction.

Genesis 15:1

After these things the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.

Genesis 26:24

And the Lord appeared unto him the same night, and said, I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham's sake.

Leviticus 19:32

Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honour the face of the old man, and fear thy God: I am the Lord.

Deuteronomy 6:2

That thou mightest fear the Lord thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son's son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged.

Deuteronomy 8:6

Therefore thou shalt keep the commandments of the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to fear him.

Deuteronomy 10:12

And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul,

Joshua 4:24

That all the people of the earth might know the hand of the Lord, that it is mighty: that ye might fear the Lord your God for ever.

2 Kings 17:39

But the Lord your God ye shall fear; and he shall deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies.

2 Chronicles 14:14

And they smote all the cities round about Gerar; for the fear of the Lord came upon them:

2 Chronicles 17:10

And the fear of the Lord fell upon all the kingdoms of the lands that were round about Judah, so that they made no war against Jehoshaphat.

2 Chronicles 19:7

Wherefore now let the fear of the Lord be upon you; take heed and do it: for there is no iniquity with the Lord our God, nor respect of persons, nor taking of gifts.

2 Chronicles 19:9

And he charged them, saying, Thus shall ye do in the fear of the Lord, faithfully, and with a perfect heart.

Job 28:28

And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.

Psalm 19:9

The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.

Psalm 25:14

The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant.

Psalm 33:8

Let all the earth fear the Lord: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.

Psalm 33:18

Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy;

Psalm 34:7

The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.

Psalm 34:11

Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord.

Psalm 102:15

So the heathen shall fear the name of the Lord, and all the kings of the earth thy glory.

Psalm 103:17

But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's children;

Psalm 111:10

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.

Proverbs 1:29

For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord:

Proverbs 2:5

Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.

Proverbs 9:10

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.

Proverbs 10:27

The fear of the Lord prolongeth days: but the years of the wicked shall be shortened.

Proverbs 14:27

The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life,

Proverbs 15:33

The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom;

Isaiah 11:2

And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord;

Hosea 3:5

Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the Lord their God, and David their king; and shall fear the Lord and his goodness in the latter days.

Acts 9:31

Then had the churches rest throughout all Judaea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied.

 

          As stated in Proverbs 1:7, the "fear of the Lord" is the beginning of knowledge.  When Solomon was asked by the Lord, what gift he wanted, he said wisdom.  When the Lord answered him, he indicated that wisdom and knowledge were intertwined.  We use the "fear of the Lord" to further our knowledge, through the study of His Word and the guidance of His Spirit.

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Jesus' Instructions

          We have all heard of the Great Commission.  What we need to determine is what the scope of that commission is.  Salvation is a joint effort.  We are to tell people about the availability, the Holy Spirit convicts the people of their need and the Father supplies it through the sacrifices of His Son Jesus.  What did Jesus, in His own words, tell us that He wanted us to do?

1.  Matthew 28:19

King James Version (KJV)

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

New KJV
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

1599 Geneva Bible
Go therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the holy Ghost,[1]

Orthodox Jewish Bible, Mattityahu  28:19
Go, therefore, make talmidim for Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach of all the nations, giving them a tevilah in a mikveh mayim in Hashem, in the Name of HaAv, and HaBen, and HaRuach Hakodesh,[2]

[My translation of the Orthodox Jewish verses.  Go, therefore, make disciples for our  teacher, King Messiah of all nations (meaning King of the world), giving them a full body immersion in a mikveh (a collection of water), in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost.] 

        "In Christianity, the term disciple primarily refers to students of Jesus and is found in the New Testament only in the Gospels and Acts. The New Testament records many followers of Jesus during his ministry, but only some became disciples."[3]

2.  Mark 16:15

King James Version (KJV)

 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

New King James Version (NKJV)

 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.

1599 Geneva Bible (GNV)

 ^[a]And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to ^[b]every creature. [4]

Footnotes:

1. Mark 16:15 The Apostles are appointed, and their office is limited unto them, which is to preach that which they heard of him, and to minister the Sacraments, which Christ hath instituted, having besides power to do miracles.
2. Mark 16:15 Not to the Jews only, nor in Judea only, but to all men, and everywhere: and so must all the Apostles do.

Orthodox Jewish Bible (OJB) Markos 16:15[5]

 And Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach said to them, Go into kol haOlam (all the World), and proclaim the Besuras HaGeulah to all HaBriah (the Creation).

3. Acts 1:8

King James Version (KJV)

But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

New King James Version (NKJV)

But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

1599 Geneva Bible (GNV)

But ye shall receive power of the holy Ghost, when he shall come on you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.[6]

Orthodox Jewish Bible (OJB), Gevurot 1:

"But you will receive ko’ach when the Ruach Hakodesh has come upon you, and you all will be the Eidus (the Witness) of me, in Yerushalayim, and in all Yehudah, and Shomron and as far as ad ketzeh ha’aretz."[7]

World Religions[8] -

Religion                Number of followers

Christianity           2,200,000,000

Islam                     1.600,000,000

Hinduism              1,100,000,000

Buddhism                488,000,000

Shinto                      100,000,000

Sikhism                     28,000,000

Judaism                     14,000,000

All others                  49,000,000

          Atheists and agnostics account for about three percent of the world's population.

          As we can see, from the above statistics, there is yet a lot of work in evangelism to be done.  Our job is not to save them, it is to present the Gospel to them.

          As Christian soldiers, we can see we have marching orders.  Notice, we are instructed to go into all nations.  "Nations don't go to Heaven, people do."[9]  It is the people in all the nations we are to bring the "good news" to.  Being Born Again into Christianity is not a group event, it is a personal relationship with the Christ of God, the Melech HaMoshiach, the savior of the world, one soul at a time.[10] 

 

          Our additional duty is to help them grow, and mature, in their walk with the Lord.  They, and we, must study to show ourselves approved.  All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.[11] All is to be done for the glory of God.[12]

          Now granted, Jesus did say that "these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover".[13]  His main emphasis, however, was to tell the world about the gift of salvation.

---

[1] http://www.biblegateway.com

[2] http://www.biblegateway.com

[3] Wikipedia

[4] http://www.biblegateway.com

[6] http://www.biblegateway.com

[7] http://www.biblegateway.com

[8] Statistical information from Wikipedia

[9] David Jeremiah

[11] 2 Timothy 3:16-17

[12] Inspiration for this writing came from Pastor Mike Tyson, Bozeman, Montana

[13] Mark 16:17-18

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Ingratitude

          Luke 7:33-34 says that some people are never satisfied. " For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine; and ye say, he hath a devil.  The Son of man is come eating and drinking; and ye say, behold a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners!"  The Bible describes the people talked about here as hard hearted and stiff necked. 

          Throughout the Bible, people are able to witness miracles; and since it is hard to understand, they either ignore the miracle worker or give credit to something they make up in their own minds.  I give for example the Israeli people , who since 1948 have seen and acknowledged the miracles God has performed on behalf of His People, but some finish their account with "but I'm not religious".

          As we see in the four Gospels, those that have the power are the ones that Jesus has to contend with.  They can't acknowledge Him for who He was, because it might cost them their positions of power and influence. The Sadducees, the Pharisees and the Scribes were the people in power when Jesus was here on earth.  The Father sent Jesus to reconcile mankind to Himself, and He was rejected and ridiculed. Those in power fought Him at every turn, eventually torturing Him and then Killing Him on the cross.  Not all of those in power rejected Him, but the majority who received Him were the "common people".  Examples such as Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea were the exception, rather than the rule. 

          Caiaphas, the chief priest in those days, even went so far as to say the following: It would be better for one man to die for the good of the many, and later, that the Apostles should be left alone because if their movement was not of God it would fade away, but if it was of God it would be impossible to fight against it.  

 

Prime examples of ingratitude are as follows -

Matthew 12:10-14 describes Jesus as healing a man with a withered hand - "Then said he to the man, Stretch forth your hand. And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, like as the other.  Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him."

Matthew 12:22-24  Jesus healed the man possessed by a devil and they accused Him of doing it by Beelzebub. (unforgivable sin Matt.12:30-32)

In Matthew 21:15, they saw what He did and were sore displeased.

In Mark 3:22, they said he cast out devils by Beelzebub. They saw the devils cast out and accused Him of doing it through the power of the devil.  Jesus explained that to give credit to the devil for the work of the Holy Spirit was blasphemy against the Holy Spirit and unforgivable.

Mark 2:4-12  Jesus forgave the man's sins and the scribes said it was blasphemy, so Jesus reasoned with them and healed the man.

In Mark 3:1-6, Jesus healed the man with the withered hand and they plotted against Him.  (Not the people, but the Pharisees)

In Mark 8:11, the Pharisees had just seen the miracle of the feeding of the 4000 and demanded a sign from heaven. We know that the feeding of the  4000 was looked on as miraculous by the people.  For the Pharisees, the event was not enough of a sign.

In Luke 6:6-11 they looked to see if Jesus would heal on the Sabbath day? Forget the miracle, wrong day.  The scribes and pharmacies saw a healing of a mans right hand and plotted against Jesus.

In Luke 8:26-37, after he delivered the Gaderine demoniac they asked Him to leave.

In Luke 6:10-11, He healed and they were filled with madness

Luke 11:14-16 says: " And he was casting out a devil, and it was dumb. And it came to pass, when the devil was gone out, the dumb spoke; and the people wondered. But some of them said, He casts out devils through Beelzebub the chief of the devils. And others, tempting him, sought of him a sign from heaven." Again, see the miracle and demand a sign - like the miracle wasn't a sign.

Luke 13:10-14  Jesus healed the woman and the leader got upset, miracle - then rebuke - for healing on the Sabbath

In John 5:8-17, Jesus healed the man and the Jews were upset, and sought to kill Jesus because He told the man to carry his bed home on the Sabbath.

John 10:24-39 The Jews asked Jesus if He was the Christ - He told them He was, and they tried to stone Him. 

John 10:32-33 says Jesus did good works, then they accused Him of blasphemy. Jesus answered them, "Many good works have I shown you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me? The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, make thyself God".

In John 11:38-53,  Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead and the chief priests and Pharisees plotted against Him because they didn't want the people to believe in Him.  John 12:9-11 - they wanted to kill Lazarus also. After Jesus raised Lazarus they were afraid the people would believe in Him - why didn't they?  ^"And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with grave clothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus said unto them, Loose him, and let him go. Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him. But some of them went their ways to the Pharisees, and told them what things Jesus had done. Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, What do we? for this man doeth many miracles.  If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation.  And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all, Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not.  And this spoke he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation; And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad.  Then from that day forth they took counsel together for to put him to death."

John 12:9-11 says, they wanted to kill Jesus and Lazarus both. "Much people of the Jews therefore knew that he was there: and they came not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also, whom he had raised from the dead. But the chief priests consulted that they might put Lazarus also to death;  Because that by reason of him many of the Jews went away, and believed on Jesus."

John 12:37 says, they saw miracles and still didn't believe.

John 12:42-43 says, even the rulers believed, but would not confess Him because of the cares of the world.  ^"Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue: For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God"

John 13:37 Though He had done many miracles among them, they still didn't believe on Him

John 15:24-25 says: "If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father. But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause."

Following the resurrection, the Apostles were treated the same way.

Acts 2:22-23 says, "Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:" vs.36 says, " Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made the same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ."

Acts 4:5-20 - they were doing to the apostles what they did to Jesus. First the miracles - then the persecution.

Acts 4:16-21 - healing - then threats

Acts 5:15-18 - sick were healed and the Sadducees put them in jail.

Acts 5:38-42 says: "And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nothing: But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God. And to him they agreed: and when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ."

Acts 6:8-15 - Stephen did great wonders and miracles and they accused him and stoned him to death.  (7:1-60 - the rest of the story)

Acts 9:2-23 Paul preached and they plotted to kill him.

          As we can see from the above, in Jesus time on earth, as well as today, many of those who are unbelievers are hard hearted against God and His word.  The price has already been paid in full. The sin of the world has been forgiven. There remains only one stipulation to gain eternal life, with the Lord in Heaven.  In John 3:7, Jesus said: you must be born again.  John 3:16-18 says, "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. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." Romans 10:9-10 says, "That if thou shall confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shall be saved.  For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."

          The dictionary defines an ingrate as an ungrateful person.  The thesaurus says an ingrate is a person who shows no gratitude.  The Bible demonstrates that an ingrate is someone who fails to receive the blessing and salvation offered freely because of the sacrifices Jesus made.  

          Accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior and you have complied with the Fathers plan.  To not accept or to reject is a decision which lies within your own heart.  The responsibility is yours to accept or reject, because to fail to make a decision is to decide - inaction is the action of non action.  John 3:18 states that "He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God".

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