[chette777]

what can happen with this topic is that this will rabbit trail into all sorts of dispensational issues such as Kingdom Church or Body of Christ, which Gospel, works vs faith alone. Of which many of you are so hard headed in your view you will fight tooth and nail to prove your right and not respect each other and you will end up calling people heretics and false teachers.

so let us remember Water Baptism is not essential to anyone's salvation or position in Christ.

Acts 2 once again needs to be dispensationally divided. you would use it for Baptism but not for sign gifts. Acts 2 is the Kingdom church while the Body of Christ is in latent form (already begun just not seen) the church here is the Kingdom church which later will transition into the church Age body of Christ. the Apostle Doctrines were not the faith alone in the cross doctrines, but the gospel of the Kingdom, baptism for the remission of sins, signs and wonders, good works to prove ones salvation. i.e. Simon the sorcerer part of his getting right was to "repent thereof". this man believed and was baptized but never received the Holy Ghost. not one person in that city received the Holy Ghost upon belief in Christ, they had to have hands laid on them to receive the Holy Ghost and by an Apostle.

Part of the commandment obedience to Matt 28 is the healing of the sick, casting out of devils, raising the dead, baptism for the remission of sins, taking no money when they travel to preach the gospel of the kingdom (which is one of 3 Gospels found in the NT). But if you take only the things you want and leave out the rest you are not obedient to Matthew 28. Acts 2 is a reflection of the Apostles obedience to the Matthew 28. but then they never GO, so God scatters them Israel rejects and we see the kingdom Church diminished and the Body of Christ Church arise and transition into the church age.

CKG,

The letter sent in Acts 15 was called ordinances too if I am not mistaken. of the "ordinances" he received as cited by Paul in 1Cor 11 he only clarifies one, so why not the rest? it is good to know why. the answer is in the type of Christians the Corinthians were portraying themselves to be (carnal). so he only talks about the one ordinance remembering the death of Christ.

and who was the one to decide that Baptism was the "first step of obedience" anyway? your first step was when you trusted Christ alone for your salvation. somewhere between there and Being Baptized repentance of sinfulness begins (so that would be second in obedience, assembling together to hear the word would be another step. you get my point.