Good morning, Doc! I really respect what you’re trying to do here, and I’m receiving it in the spirit you’re writing it.
I’m 100% with you that a diluted, emotional “gospel” that doesn’t form real disciples leaves people vulnerable. If repentance, baptism, and Spirit-led obedience get treated like add-ons, it’s not hard to imagine how a counterfeit “unity” could feel convincing later.
Where I’m trying to stay humble is this, I haven’t studied deeply enough to say Acts 2:38 has to function as the one universal sequence with no exceptions, because Acts has a couple moments that seem to unfold differently (like Acts 8 and Acts 10). Same with the “Name” emphasis — I agree “Name” carries real weight in the Hebraic sense of authority and allegiance, but I’m not ready to speak confidently on it as a strict verbal formula until I’ve done more work in the text. And I will.
If I had one gentle caution, it’s just this: I’d hate for people to walk away trusting a pattern like a checklist instead of trusting and obeying Messiah Himself. That said, your central warning lands with me, and I’m grateful you’re pushing people toward something real and covenant-deep.
You’re a rare find in the "modern church" world, and I’m genuinely thankful to call you a friend!
Shalom u’vracha, achi — may Adonai guard you and your ministry!
First, let me say plainly and without hesitation how deeply I value you, your friendship, your posture before the Word, and the reverence with which you approach the text. Your response provides me with an opportunity to clarify and thus participate in the covenantal sharpening process. That is rare and precious. I receive it with gratitude.
You are absolutely correct in your instinct, and I want to make this as straightforward as possible for clarity and for readers who may be tracking this conversation closely.
When I speak of a pattern, I am not speaking of a mechanical sequence, nor a rigid calibration, nor a salvific checklist. I am speaking of something elemental in nature, something organic, something woven into the architecture of redemption itself.
Scripture itself refuses to be flattened into a single procedural formula. As you rightly noted, Acts bears witness to moments when the Spirit fell before water baptism, as in the house of Cornelius, and to moments when the Spirit was delayed, as in Samaria. These are not contradictions; they are confirmations that God is not constrained by human ordering, yet He consistently reveals a recognizable spiritual grammar. Truth, when encountered, draws the whole man, body, soul, and spirit, into alignment with God’s saving work.
This is why I am careful to say pattern, not prescription.
The pattern is revelatory, not regulatory.
The danger I am addressing is not obedience to Jesus our Messiah, but counterfeit familiarity with spiritual language divorced from transformation. People who know the words but have not passed through the thresholds those words signify become vulnerable to imitation, substitution, and false unity.
And here the Tabernacle becomes an invaluable lens.
The Outer Court is where the sinner first encounters God, at the altar of sacrifice and the Laver of washing. Repentance is not abstract here; it is bloody, costly, and humbling. The Laver is a type of our water baptism that belongs here, not as a mere symbol of ceremony, but as the embodied confession that the old man is judged and buried.
The Inner Court reveals something more intimate. Here, there is light, bread, and intercession. This is where Jesus is known as New Life, illumination for the mind, sustenance for the soul, and prayerful intercession for the spirit. It is not conversion alone, it is communion. Many believers linger here, alive, sincere, yet still standing outside the veil.
The Holy of Holies is something altogether different. This is not about initial forgiveness, but indwelling presence. This is the place where God accepts man's death and burial (his sacrifice). This is the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the place where God no longer meets man externally but takes up residence within. This is not earned by sequence, but entered by surrender. And yet, God Himself established the pattern, not as a checklist, but as a revelation of how He restores humanity from the outside in, and then from the inside out.
So when I speak of Acts 2, repentance, water baptism, and the Holy Spirit, I am not calling people to trust in a formula. I am calling them to recognize that salvation is covenantal, not casual, comprehensive, not cosmetic.
Your caution is wise, and I share it. Jesus Himself is the revealed center, not the pattern. But the pattern guards the center from being redefined by emotion, trend, or counterfeit peace. When obedience is severed from allegiance, and allegiance from transformation, the result is a Christianity that feels spiritual but lacks power.
Your humility in saying, “I will study this more,” honors the text and the Lord. The Hebraic weight of the Name, authority, allegiance, identity, and ownership is not something to be handled lightly, and I respect your restraint. My burden is simply this: that in a generation flirting with borrowed spirituality, we recover the seriousness of covenant without replacing Jesus Christ with the covenant signs themselves.
Brother, your hunger for truth, your fear of misrepresenting the Word, and your love for God’s people mark you as a steward, not a performer. I am genuinely grateful to walk this road with you.
I speak Shalom u’vracha, achi over you as well. May the Lord God of Heaven guard you, enlarge your understanding, and keep you anchored in the fire of His Holy Spirit and the favor of His great faithfulness.
I'm extremely grateful to be in such wonderful company. I've sensed God's anointing and blessing with this collaborative work. Please keep it up as God leads you!
This is a message sent with a clear sound - Jesus is Lord!!! God is not willing that any should perish, but that all would come to repentance! Our journey to find Truth begins with repentance, turning away from the world system and toward God!
I have the same uneasiness about the pattern, method, or whatever.
I met the Lord by calling my Dad and telling Him I needed to be baptized in the Holy Spirit. I had no idea what I was talking about—I was an ex-Episcopalian, drug-crazed hippy.
He took me to his nightly Bible study [a different one every night in the Twin cities area]. He was an Episcopalian Perpetual Deacon with a strong deliverance ministry, working for a Bishop who did not believe in personified evil. The meeting that night was an RC home Bible study.
They put me in the prayer chair in the center of the group. They asked me to renounce the world, the flesh, and the Devil. I did that. I think they asked me to accept Jesus as my Lord. Then they laid hands on me to receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. Before I left that night, they told me that I had done everything I was required to do and that Jesus had baptized me with the Holy Spirit. It did not matter if I felt anything or not. I had felt nothing. Too stoned, I think.
Over the next days and weeks, Dad told me to ask the Lord to show me all my sin. I did that and repented—many times. His focus was on Romans 6, and Gal 2:20. Within six months I was completely transformed.
Ten years later, I was teaching a weekly Bible study, as normal. I was asked by someone in church leadership to get water baptized by immersion in case anyone complained. I took that seriously and did that. I felt nothing that time either.
This is the message of the hour! Be a lover of people and share this with everyone you know.
Good morning, Doc! I really respect what you’re trying to do here, and I’m receiving it in the spirit you’re writing it.
I’m 100% with you that a diluted, emotional “gospel” that doesn’t form real disciples leaves people vulnerable. If repentance, baptism, and Spirit-led obedience get treated like add-ons, it’s not hard to imagine how a counterfeit “unity” could feel convincing later.
Where I’m trying to stay humble is this, I haven’t studied deeply enough to say Acts 2:38 has to function as the one universal sequence with no exceptions, because Acts has a couple moments that seem to unfold differently (like Acts 8 and Acts 10). Same with the “Name” emphasis — I agree “Name” carries real weight in the Hebraic sense of authority and allegiance, but I’m not ready to speak confidently on it as a strict verbal formula until I’ve done more work in the text. And I will.
If I had one gentle caution, it’s just this: I’d hate for people to walk away trusting a pattern like a checklist instead of trusting and obeying Messiah Himself. That said, your central warning lands with me, and I’m grateful you’re pushing people toward something real and covenant-deep.
You’re a rare find in the "modern church" world, and I’m genuinely thankful to call you a friend!
Shalom u’vracha, achi — may Adonai guard you and your ministry!
Good morning, Sergio, my brother.
First, let me say plainly and without hesitation how deeply I value you, your friendship, your posture before the Word, and the reverence with which you approach the text. Your response provides me with an opportunity to clarify and thus participate in the covenantal sharpening process. That is rare and precious. I receive it with gratitude.
You are absolutely correct in your instinct, and I want to make this as straightforward as possible for clarity and for readers who may be tracking this conversation closely.
When I speak of a pattern, I am not speaking of a mechanical sequence, nor a rigid calibration, nor a salvific checklist. I am speaking of something elemental in nature, something organic, something woven into the architecture of redemption itself.
Scripture itself refuses to be flattened into a single procedural formula. As you rightly noted, Acts bears witness to moments when the Spirit fell before water baptism, as in the house of Cornelius, and to moments when the Spirit was delayed, as in Samaria. These are not contradictions; they are confirmations that God is not constrained by human ordering, yet He consistently reveals a recognizable spiritual grammar. Truth, when encountered, draws the whole man, body, soul, and spirit, into alignment with God’s saving work.
This is why I am careful to say pattern, not prescription.
The pattern is revelatory, not regulatory.
The danger I am addressing is not obedience to Jesus our Messiah, but counterfeit familiarity with spiritual language divorced from transformation. People who know the words but have not passed through the thresholds those words signify become vulnerable to imitation, substitution, and false unity.
And here the Tabernacle becomes an invaluable lens.
The Outer Court is where the sinner first encounters God, at the altar of sacrifice and the Laver of washing. Repentance is not abstract here; it is bloody, costly, and humbling. The Laver is a type of our water baptism that belongs here, not as a mere symbol of ceremony, but as the embodied confession that the old man is judged and buried.
The Inner Court reveals something more intimate. Here, there is light, bread, and intercession. This is where Jesus is known as New Life, illumination for the mind, sustenance for the soul, and prayerful intercession for the spirit. It is not conversion alone, it is communion. Many believers linger here, alive, sincere, yet still standing outside the veil.
The Holy of Holies is something altogether different. This is not about initial forgiveness, but indwelling presence. This is the place where God accepts man's death and burial (his sacrifice). This is the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the place where God no longer meets man externally but takes up residence within. This is not earned by sequence, but entered by surrender. And yet, God Himself established the pattern, not as a checklist, but as a revelation of how He restores humanity from the outside in, and then from the inside out.
So when I speak of Acts 2, repentance, water baptism, and the Holy Spirit, I am not calling people to trust in a formula. I am calling them to recognize that salvation is covenantal, not casual, comprehensive, not cosmetic.
Your caution is wise, and I share it. Jesus Himself is the revealed center, not the pattern. But the pattern guards the center from being redefined by emotion, trend, or counterfeit peace. When obedience is severed from allegiance, and allegiance from transformation, the result is a Christianity that feels spiritual but lacks power.
Your humility in saying, “I will study this more,” honors the text and the Lord. The Hebraic weight of the Name, authority, allegiance, identity, and ownership is not something to be handled lightly, and I respect your restraint. My burden is simply this: that in a generation flirting with borrowed spirituality, we recover the seriousness of covenant without replacing Jesus Christ with the covenant signs themselves.
Brother, your hunger for truth, your fear of misrepresenting the Word, and your love for God’s people mark you as a steward, not a performer. I am genuinely grateful to walk this road with you.
I speak Shalom u’vracha, achi over you as well. May the Lord God of Heaven guard you, enlarge your understanding, and keep you anchored in the fire of His Holy Spirit and the favor of His great faithfulness.
With deep respect and brotherly affection.
I appreciate you framing that, Doc. That helps! I’ll have to read it again! One thing is for sure: we’re on the same mission, my friend! Iron at work!
Talk soon!
I'm extremely grateful to be in such wonderful company. I've sensed God's anointing and blessing with this collaborative work. Please keep it up as God leads you!
Thank you, Scott. I’m glad you’ve enjoyed the collaborative experience we are sharing. Join in and add to the conversation!
This is a message sent with a clear sound - Jesus is Lord!!! God is not willing that any should perish, but that all would come to repentance! Our journey to find Truth begins with repentance, turning away from the world system and toward God!
🙏 Amen, and Amen!!!
revelatory
🙏 Amen!
I love this!!!!
🙏. Thank you. Many won’t.
https://therantichrst.blogspot.com/2025/11/fire-from-heaven.html Is THIS deceptive?
I have the same uneasiness about the pattern, method, or whatever.
I met the Lord by calling my Dad and telling Him I needed to be baptized in the Holy Spirit. I had no idea what I was talking about—I was an ex-Episcopalian, drug-crazed hippy.
He took me to his nightly Bible study [a different one every night in the Twin cities area]. He was an Episcopalian Perpetual Deacon with a strong deliverance ministry, working for a Bishop who did not believe in personified evil. The meeting that night was an RC home Bible study.
They put me in the prayer chair in the center of the group. They asked me to renounce the world, the flesh, and the Devil. I did that. I think they asked me to accept Jesus as my Lord. Then they laid hands on me to receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. Before I left that night, they told me that I had done everything I was required to do and that Jesus had baptized me with the Holy Spirit. It did not matter if I felt anything or not. I had felt nothing. Too stoned, I think.
Over the next days and weeks, Dad told me to ask the Lord to show me all my sin. I did that and repented—many times. His focus was on Romans 6, and Gal 2:20. Within six months I was completely transformed.
Ten years later, I was teaching a weekly Bible study, as normal. I was asked by someone in church leadership to get water baptized by immersion in case anyone complained. I took that seriously and did that. I felt nothing that time either.