HAVE YOU BELIEVED ANOTHER GOSPEL?

”I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed”  [Galatians 1:6-9].

The Apostle Paul reveals there is “another gospel” which is a perversion of the original gospel preached by the apostles.  This passage in Galatians should alert every believer to make their calling and election sure.  We must believe and declare exactly what was preached in the beginning of the church. 

I have found that the Gospel preached in the beginning, demanded the following responses from those that heard it: “Believe”, “Repent”, “Obey”. When one believed, repented and obeyed, they, “Received” the promise God gave to the world. 

Today, there is “another gospel” being preached that requires you to only believe what was preached to them, simply repeat a sinner’s prayer they quote you, and you’re saved.  There is no command to repent, and no command to obey. Therefore, the result is no actual receiving of the Promise.

In this article, I want to review a few examples of just what was preached and what those early first believers in Christ experienced.  

It’s a very dangerous thing to preach any other Gospel than what was originally preached.

If the same message the Apostles preached was preached today, we would witness the same supernatural results!

Therefore, I encourage everyone to compare the Gospel message and the experiences of the early believers recorded in the Book of Acts to your own understanding and experiences.

Apostle Paul’s letter to the Romans is a great and inspired epistle.  Most of the Gospel tracts people give out use verses found in Romans as the plan of salvation.  However, it should not be used as God’s plan for salvation.  Why?  Because Paul was writing to the church at Rome.  These people were already saved.

Only in the Book of Acts will you find the verbatim gospel preaching of the Apostles to the unsaved; and the supernatural results their message manifested.

 In the pages of Acts, we find several instances of actual messages that were preached and the results of those messages.   Let’s begin in chapter 8, where we find the writer records that an angel of God spoke to a man named Philip and told him to join himself to a chariot where a man from Ethiopia sat reading.  We can see clearly what Philip preached to him.  He started preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ from the book of Isaiah, ”Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus. 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? And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. 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”  [Acts 8:35-38].  I know you can see that, It’s plain!  Philip preached the gospel to this man and the first thing he wanted to do was get baptized!  Is that the Truth?  Sure it is, plain and simple.

Many of you are aware that water baptism is seldom heard when the Gospel is preached today. It is appalling to see men and women with (no doubt) good intentions mislead so many.  If it was required in the beginning, why is it not necessary today?

Not only are verses taken out of context in Romans; we find other places the scripture is misapplied or distorted.  The following verse of scripture in Acts is used often to mislead people because it is taken out of context.  You will find it in Acts chapter 16, verses 30 and 31: ”And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.”   

“There it is”, most folks will say, “All you have to do is believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved”.  But hold on, before we jump to the same conclusions, Let’s read the writer’s complete statement beginning with verse 30 and continue to verse 33:

(Vs. 30) ”And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

(Vs.31) ”And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.”

(Vs. 32) ”And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.”

For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed.  And there was great joy in that city”  [Acts 8:5‑8].

We have just read where Philip preached a great revival in the City of Samaria that brought great joy to the people.  Not only did Philip preach the Gospel to them, he healed the sick, and cast out devils. Philip worked miracles among the people!  

Moreover, we are told in the 12th verse . . .  ”But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women . . .”   These Samarian people believed the Gospel Philip preached and they were also baptized in water!  Why? Because Philip preached the original true Gospel Jesus had commanded them to preach.

But there’s more to this “Gospel Revival” story.  Let’s continue with verse 14: ”Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John:  Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost:  (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.)  Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost”  [Acts 8:14‑17].  

How plain could it be written?  Again, we find it written that the new Samarian believers had confessed faith in Christ, were baptized in the name of Jesus. However, there was something lacking in their conversion. They had not received the Holy Ghost!  How did Philip know these people had not received the Holy Ghost?

This sure isn’t the popular gospel message preached today.  Here is the watered-down “another gospel” teaching of  today:  “Just believe is all you need to do; you don’t have to be baptized in water, you’re saved and you received the Holy Spirit when you believed.”  If that is what you believe, you have accepted “another gospel” than what the apostles preached.

Although the people Philip knew the people of Samaria hadn’t received the Holy Ghost because there was no manifestation or evidence that they had received it. This is why he called for the Apostles to come to Samaria.  Philip knew it was necessary for the people to receive the Holy Ghost and he knew they had not!  Was there a supernatural manifestation or evidence of receiving the Spirit that Philip looked for?   

The answer of course is, yes there is evidence.  The evidence Philip looked for was the same supernatural manifestation they had experienced on the day of Pentecost. ”And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance”  [Acts 2:34].

They spoke with tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance!  Of course, our modern enlightened Christianity (or so called) with its simplified salvation of easy‑believism would have simply left those believers in Samaria thinking they had something they did not have.  It is evident therefore that most professing Christians in our time have never had a real New Testament experience in the Holy Ghost because they have believed “another gospel”.

 Let’s review this great revival in Samaria one more time.  First, they saw and heard the miracles Philip performed. They accepted what he preached about Jesus Christ.  They became believers.  Secondly, they obeyed the Gospel preaching of Philip and submitted themselves to being baptized in water in the name of the Lord Jesus.  Thirdly, although they believed the gospel and were water baptized, none of them had received the Holy Ghost.  Lastly, the Apostles came down to Samaria and laid their hands on them and then they received the Holy Ghost.  This fulfilled the plan of salvation given by the Apostle Peter on the day of Pentecost.

Most modern revivals leave poor misguided people into thinking they are saved and filled with the Holy Ghost when in fact they are not. They come, they hear, they leave believing they are saved and have received the Holy Ghost when they believed on Jesus.  This is not the Gospel preached by the Apostles of Jesus Christ.  

Let’s look at another example of believers in Jesus but had not received God’s promise of the Holy Ghost.  The Apostle Paul came across these believers at Ephesus:

“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,  He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.  And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John’s baptism. Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.  When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.  And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied”  [Acts 19:1-6].

Here again, we find believers in Christ that had never received the Holy Ghost!  They had never heard of it.  And the Apostles quickly got to the core of the problem . . .  They were not water baptized correctly. 

This should alert all of us as to the importance of proper water baptism.  Notice, Paul re‑baptized them in the Name of the Lord Jesus.  I must ask, “If water baptism is unimportant and unnecessary, why did Apostle Paul do such a thing?”  After Paul baptized them, he laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.  How did Paul know they received the Holy Ghost?  “They spake with tongues, and prophesied.”   These believer’s experience was  evidenced by the supernatural manifestation of speaking in tongues!  Thank God we have first hand eye witnesses of the supernatural beginning of the church.  We cannot be misled if we believe the reports found in the book of Acts.

Oh, just think of the multitudes who have believed and perhaps have been baptized in water . . . and still . . . without the promise of the Holy Ghost!  And why?  Because most have been deceived by “another gospel” preached by carnal men and organizations! These poor souls were told they received the Holy Ghost when they said the sinner’s prayer or made some other confession of faith in Christ.  This is not the Gospel we find preached in the Book of Acts.  Sadly, this has caused many professing Christians to deny any supernatural manifestation of God’s power today. 

I must give you one more example of what happened to believers when the True Gospel is preached.

The very first Gentiles to receive the Holy Ghost was an awesome event.  (Please read the entire account in Acts chapter ten when you have time).

Peter was led of the Lord to the house of Cornelius and he preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ to them.  Please note, the gentiles assembled in the house of Cornelius had never heard the gospel message.  They had no clue what to expect; only that a man was going to come and speak to them about God. 

“Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:  But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him”  [Acts 10:34‑35].

Peter preached Jesus Christ to them about how God anointed Jesus who went about doing good and healing the people, and how God had raised Him from the dead.  Then we find these words beginning with verse 44:

”While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. 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.  For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter, Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?  And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days”  [Acts 10:44‑48].

The Apostle Peter never preached they would receive the Holy Ghost, but they did!  Although they received the Holy Ghost as Peter was preaching; Peter commanded them to also be baptized in water in the name of the Lord.  Peter later wrote in 1Peter 3:21, “Water doth now also save us, giving us a clear conscience toward God”.

My friends, the Holy Ghost is not an option, it is a necessity.  There is a commandment contained within the Gospel message.  If obeyed, promises the gift of the Holy Ghost.  It is the commandment that was given in the beginning and was for all people of all generations.  You will find it in the book of Acts beginning with the second chapter and 38th verse: “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”  [Acts 2:38].

Don’t be deceived by the “only believe another gospel” of modern apostate churches and ministers.  Obey the Gospel the Apostles preached and receive the promise it offers! 

Peter continues the Gospel in the next verse where we find these glorious words recorded: “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 2:39].

This original Gospel commandment with the same promise is still valid today.  If you have obeyed this great commandment, you have the promise of the Holy Ghost.  Don’t be deceived!     Brother Phillip Hayes