Kei144:
Mk. 1:15 “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!”
God threw open His kingdom to mankind during the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Kei144:
Unfortunately, up till this day, mankind has not understood what the kingdom of God is really all about.
All that mankind has been able to do is to form a religion that is about Jesus Christ.
Today, more than two billion people belong to the Christianity religion; but very few of these belong to the kingdom of God

Kei144:
What is the problem?
The problem is lack of understanding.

Kei144:
Everybody talks about the good news or gospel, but very few understand that the good news is simply that God has thrown His kingdom open to mankind. Any person who understands and believes the good news should ask, how do I get in?

Read more: http://www.pdf-archive.com/2015/05/31/enter-the-kingdom-of-god-now/enter-the-kingdom-of-god-now.pdf

Kei144:
How to enter

Ac. 2:37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”
Ac. 2:38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptised, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.
And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Col. 3:2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.

The first thing a person that wants to enter the kingdom of God must do is to repent. Repentance means to no longer set your mind on earthly things, but on the kingdom of God. The result of this paradigm shift is that you will begin to lose out in the things of the world and begin to grow in the spiritual life of God.

You now submit yourself to a minister of the gospel who will baptize you in water into the Lord Jesus Christ, so that Jesus Christ becomes your Lord. You commonly hear preachers say that people should receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and saviour; the proper way to do it is by baptism in water.

Jn. 3:5 Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no-one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.
Jn. 3:6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit [Or but spirit] gives birth to spirit.

When you have been baptized in water, you have been born of water

Kei144:
it remains to be born of the Spirit. In order to receive the Holy Spirit, all it takes is to pray to God to give you the Holy Spirit (Lk. 11:13) and believe that you have received. The minister that carried out the baptism in water can also pray for the person baptized to receive the Holy Spirit, immediately after the water baptism (Acts 19:6)

Kei144:
Speaking in tongues is not a necessary indication that you have received the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is a spirit and the mouth that speaks in tongues is just flesh. Flesh and spirit do not often go together. A person who receives the Holy Spirit has been born into the kingdom of God.

Read more: http://www.pdf-archive.com/2015/05/31/enter-the-kingdom-of-god-now/enter-the-kingdom-of-god-now.pdf

MuttleyLaff:
Hallelujah

Startling

... and bad hermeneutics, misinformed teachers, bigots etc



With all due respects, this bolded part, out of misunderstanding is completely misleading
John 3:5's "... no-one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water ..." has nothing whatsover to do with "baptism in water"

It is has nothing to do with born of the flesh either (i.e. nothing to do with the breaking waters or amniotic sac at physical birth either)

One doesnt need to be dipped into water to enter the Kingdom of God

If you dispute the immediate above sentence, then research the Greek word used in John 3:5
It is "huetos" meaning "rain" or "rain water"
The word of God is like water (i.e. raining water)when the word of God rains on one, one gets borns into the Kingdom of God
Refer to Ezekiel 36:25-26, this is the connection to John 3:5-6 from where Jesus is alluding that one needs the to be born of water and the spirit
Even John 4:14 attests to this too

Please, if necessary, feel free to ask for clarity purposes, whatever questions, there may be, on John 3:5

Baptism in water is not a prerequisite to enter the Kingdom of God, some are already in it without baptism or being baptised.

Some, without the receiving the Holy Spirit are already in the Kingdom of God

Kei144:
1Pe. 2:21 To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.

A person could enter the kingdom of God and crash out later. A person's membership of the kingdom of God becomes permanent when God adopts her/him as His son. Only one person has been adopted by God as His son; Jesus Christ! He is an example to us. He began His life in the kingdom when he was baptized by John the Baptist. Baptism of the Holy Spirit and anointing with power followed after. Don't be deceived by doctrines crafted by human beings.

Kei144:
Look unto Jesus and you will never make mistake.

Kei144:
I am surprised that you believe that there are people who never received the Holy Spirit that are already in the kingdom of God.

Kei144:
May be your idea of receiving the Holy Spirit is speaking in tongues.

Kei144:
Ro. 8:9 You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.

MuttleyLaff:
If I were you, I'll be shy using the word adopted for Jesus, in that "adopted by God" phrase,
also I would rein in the unnecessary extravagant writing

so what EXACTLY are your justification(s) for water baptism in this dispensation?
Please be careful, think deeply and dont be in a haste to reply back...

Kei144:

Ro. 1:3 regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David,
Ro. 1:4 and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God, by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.

He. 1:3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.
He. 1:4 So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.
He. 1:5 For to which of the angels did God ever say, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father”? [Or have begotten you] [Psalm 2:7] Or again, “I will be his Father, and he will be my Son”? [2 Samuel 7:14; 1 Chron. 17:13]
He. 1:6 And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says, “Let all God’s angels worship him.” [Deut. 32:43
He. 1:7 In speaking of the angels he says, “He makes his angels winds, his servants flames of fire.” [Psalm 104:4]
He. 1:8 But about the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever, and righteousness will be the sceptre of your kingdom.
He. 1:9 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.” [Psalm 45:6,7]

He. 5:11 We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn.
He. 5:12 In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food!
He. 5:13 Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness.
He. 5:14 But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

Kei144:
The divinity that Jesus Christ possesses today, he inherited when God adopted him as his firstborn Son.

Kei144:
The adoption took place after Jesus' death on the cross.

Kei144:
My justification for water baptism is that Jesus Christ, who is my model, went through it.
Even though John the baptist tried to prevent Jesus from going through water baptism, Jesus insisted that he must fulfill all righteousness (Mt. 3:14-15). Jesus is my reference, not any pastor, neither any doctrine.

Kei144:
I don't believe that there has been any new dispensation since the earthly ministry of Jesus. New dispensation will commence when Jesus comes for his own.

MuttleyLaff:
You can't hide behind rhetoric bible verses for long.
I warned you to desist from doing the unnecessary and unmeaningful extravagant bible verse posting or writing

In light of the few evidences put forward against it, you've been avoiding and evading countering them, so now what is your response to that?
Is "water baptism" a prerequisite to enter the Kingdom of God?

Dont play the ignorance card here.

Dispensations come and go, even the Temple veil ripping in half is an example of an end of one dispensation under which certain rules or laws were suspended and the beginning of a new dispensation heralding in grace

Kei144:
1Pe. 3:18 For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit,
1Pe. 3:19 through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison
1Pe. 3:20 who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water,
1Pe. 3:21 and this water symbolises baptism that now saves you also — not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience towards God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
1Pe. 3:22 who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand — with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.

I always go by the words of the Bible. I don't believe in any doctrine other than what can clearly be seen in the Bible. The above passage says that water baptism is important in the salvation process, which is the process of entering the kingdom of heaven. Even in Acts 10:45-48 that you quoted previously, where gentiles received the Holy Spirit prior to water baptism, water baptism was still administered to them. Water baptism may not have any wonderful spiritual impact on a person, but it does include a person into the name of Jesus Christ.

Incidentally, I have a particular testimony concerning water baptism. However, my experience can be regarded as a particular experience; it may not imply a general truth. In my second year in the university, I visited the Christian Union Fellowship (NIFES) of my university, following the advice of a friend who became born again. I had a wonderful encounter with God. For six weeks, I was moved by the Holy Spirit. Then my mother warned me against joining SU people; after the warning, I began to experience health and psychological crisis that eventually threw me out of fellowship with God's people. One month to my graduation, I followed another friend to Deeper Life Church; God once again manifested Himself to me in a great way and I decided within me that I will hold on to Jesus for life. Before long, my worldly friends pulled me back to their side. Then, two weeks to my degree exam, I began to have migraine headache that prevented me from reading. When one born again boy in my class got to know about my predicament, and my experience in Deeper Life, he prayed for me and I was healed that day. He sent his Deeper Life room mate to come and talk to me. I attended Deeper Life all through my degree exams and I was always filled with great joy and peace. The next month, I went for NYSC and I was such a wonderful Deeper Life Christian in camp. I was then posted to teach in a school. In my first month there, I was so much in the Spirit. Then I met a business man from my place and I began to enjoy riding with him in his car and he took me to all sorts of places. Before long, I fell out of Deeper Life and out of being born again. One month to the end of my NYSC, I learned that Christian corpers fellowship was going to hold at the residence of one female Yoruba corper (medical doctor) that was friendly with me, so I decided to attend. In that fellowship, God embraced me again and I was so full of remorse for my prodigality. There was this thought in me that I would soon move into the wider world and that if I backslid again, it may be difficult to recover me. I became worried bout my inability to remain in Christ continuously and feared that I might not make it to heaven. The next year, after my NYSC, I was baptized in the Deeper Life Bible Church. About one year after that, I was living in Lagos and I found myself in a situation where I did not attend any church service or Christian fellowship for up to six weeks, yet I knew in my heart that I solidly belonged to Jesus. Some years later, I wondered how I overcame the initial instability in my relationship with God and I traced it to my baptism in water. Apparently, there were some ancestral spirits that refused to allow me to be a born again. Water baptism separated me from those spirits; they no longer had power over my spiritual life, but they sorely troubled my worldly pursuits.

Kei144:
Actually, there is biblical explanation for the testimony that I presented in my last post.

Ro. 6:3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptised into Christ Jesus were baptised into his death?
Ro. 6:4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

Adam entered into a covenant with Satan, by eating the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil from Satan. We all inherited this covenant, having been born as descendants of Adam. Water baptism is a rite of spiritual exit from Adam's lineage and initiation into the name of Jesus Christ. People who had some experience in mysticism will be able to tell you the importance of initiation ceremonies. Through water baptism, a person takes upon her/him by faith the death that Jesus died on the cross. This death by faith disconnects a person from Adam's and all ancestral covenants. Rising from the baptismal water is initiation or resurrection into Jesus Christ.

1Pe. 3:21 and this water symbolises baptism that now saves you also — not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge [Or response] of a good conscience towards God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Ac. 8:15 When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit,
Ac. 8:16 because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptised into the name of the Lord Jesus.

1Co. 1:13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptised into [Or in; also in verse 15] the name of Paul?
1Co. 1:14 I am thankful that I did not baptise any of you except Crispus and Gaius,
1Co. 1:15 so no-one can say that you were baptised into my name.

What about those who receive the Holy Spirit without water baptism?

He. 6:1 Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God,
He. 6:2 instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.

The first century Church clearly understood the particular roles of both water and Holy Spirit baptisms. Unfortunately, the knowledge of the roles of these baptisms were lost in the Roman Catholic Church, which took over from the early disciples of Christ. The popular belief in most new churches today is that only Holy Spirit baptism is necessary. My thinking is that once you decide to become born again, it is good to receive both baptisms. Each one plays an important role.

MuttleyLaff:
Also pointed out to you, that John 3:5's "... no-one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water ..." has nothing whatsover to do with "baptism in water" as you posted or claimed.

Do you agree that John 3:5's "... no-one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water ..." has nothing whatsover to do with "baptism in physical or literal water"?

Kei144:
Mk. 16:15 He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.
Mk. 16:16 Whoever believes and is baptised will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

He. 1:1 In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways,
He. 1:2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made
the universe.

Kei144:
You believe that being born of water refers to the word of God raining on a person.
Can you see what Jesus says Mk. 16:16?

Kei144:
What exactly do you call word of God? Is it whatever your pastor says, or whatever any person calls "word of God"?

Kei144:
Once again, I tell you that Jesus alone is my reference, and not any pastor, neither any doctrine.

Kei144:
Jn. 12:47 “As for the person who hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge him. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save it.
Jn. 12:48 There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; that very word which I spoke will condemn him at the last day.
Jn. 12:49 For I did not speak of my own accord, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and how to say it.
Jn. 12:50 I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say.”

Kei144:

He. 6:1 Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God,
He. 6:2 instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.

The first century Church clearly understood the particular roles of both water and Holy Spirit baptisms. Unfortunately, the knowledge of the roles of these baptisms were lost in the Roman Catholic Church, which took over from the early disciples of Christ. The popular belief in most new churches today is that only Holy Spirit baptism is necessary. My thinking is that once you decide to become born again, it is good to receive both baptisms. Each one plays an important role.[/size]