The First Step is Repentance Towards God

Spiritual Building-Stone No. 192

Acts 11:18, “When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.”

Listen what the Prophet of God said about it:

And now, that's the way you come: through justification to believe God (Rom. 5:1-2). You were baptized unto repentance for the remission of your sins (Acts 2:38). You confessed your sins before God, and He forgive you for it. And you were baptized to show that you had been forgiven, confessing to the people and showing to the world that you believe that Jesus Christ died for you, and He took your place, and now you stand in His place. He become you that you might become Him. Then the sanctifying power of God cleansed all the habits out of your life (Heb. 10:10; I Peter 1:2). You used to smoke, drink, do things that wasn't right, tell lies, everything. Then the sanctifying power of the Blood of Jesus Christ comes into your life; it takes all the things away from you (John 17:17-19). If you happen to say, something's got wrong, quickly you say, "Wait a minute; pardon me, I didn't mean to say it like that." See? The devil got a trap setting there, but you've got grace to come back if you're a real Christian, say, "I was wrong." Yes. (Gal. 6:1; Heb. 10:1-2).
Now, the next thing you receive was the baptism of the Holy Ghost and Fire (Matt. 3:11-12; I Cor. 12:13). Now, God, when this millennium is over, God's going to give the world a baptism of fire. It's going to blow the whole thing up. The heavens and earth will be on fire. Peter said so (II Peter 3:9-10). And the thing will have a baptism of fire, renovation of the whole thing, and then there'll be a new heavens and a new earth (Rev. 21:1). That's where dwelleth righteousness. We have become from mortal beings, from time beings to eternal beings when the Word of God lit our souls and we become sons and daughters of God with the attributes, the gene of God in us to be sons and daughters of the Father God in heaven, crying, "Abba, Father: my God, my God." (Rom. 8:14-17). [1]

Now, the first step is repentance towards God (Rev. 3:19; Jer. 31:19; II Tim. 2:25-26), and then follows after that, is water baptism. Water baptism: "Repent and be baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ." See? Water baptism follows, showing that repentance was genuine, or, to remit our past sins. Now, that has nothing to do with future sin. It only remits. "Repent and be baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ." What for? Remission, taking away of past sin: has nothing to do with the future. Just your sin has been chopped off, what you did.
You can't repent for what Adam done. You never done it; Adam did. You just get forgiveness for what you done. The old nature is still there.
But the thing that made you do it is still there. That's the old root of evil. It's still there.
Notice, then you repent and are baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ, that He forgave you of your sins (Acts 17:30-31).
Notice, then secondly comes sanctification, which sets our mind in order for holiness: to think right, taking away. "Sanctification" is a compound Greek word which means "cleaned and set aside for service."
Then the next comes the baptism of the Fire and Holy Ghost that God might dwell in us, and the Fire of God cleanses our hearts from sin and puts the Holy Ghost inside. Then we bring forth the same Life that His did, because that's in us.
Notice, in the natural birth when a woman gives birth to a baby... The natural life types the spiritual life. When a woman gives birth to a baby, the natural, the first thing happens is breaking of water, then blood, and then the spirit: life. Grab the little fellow and spank him and away he goes, screaming. Water, blood, spirit... (I John 5:7-8).
And now, when a baby is borned into the Kingdom of God, it comes the same way: Water, Blood, Spirit (John 3:5; Eph. 5:26).
Now notice, sanctification, the second stage of it, cleanses the mind, sets the heart, the mind of the heart in order of holiness.
A man can repent of sin and he's still thinking of... Well, maybe he's an immoral man. Every immoral looking woman he finds; it's still there. Maybe he's a drunkard. Every time he smells a drink; it's still there. See? But then when he gets sanctified, that cleanses that desire out of him. See? It takes the want of it away. He can still be tempted, but He takes the want of it away. Still he's not right yet. Then he is baptized with the Holy Ghost and Fire (Matt. 3:11-12), cleansed, burnt out, cleaned up, and then put into the service of God. Sanctification only sets him aside for service.
And notice just exactly how that comes, the messages coming: Martin Luther, justification; John Wesley, sanctification; the Pentecostal, the baptism of the Holy Ghost. The messages, that's so where there can't be no more ages of it. See? We're at the end time. Three stages... Baptism cleanses the heart with the Holy Ghost.
How striking now. He takes the place where we are to dwell in through the same process. Now He's called the Church through justification, called it through sanctification, then filled it with the Holy Ghost and Fire, and He took it through a process that He Himself, the Holy Spirit Himself, the Son of God, could dwell in the human heart. Now, it has to go through that before He can come into it. Notice, He done the world (where that Bride's going to live in) the same way, His same plan of salvation. [2]

You don't have to know a whole lot; you only have to know one Person: that's the Lord Jesus. To know Him is Life. That's the only Person you have to know to have Eternal Life: To know Him, not know the Book, not know the creeds, but know Him is Eternal Life (John 17:3), know Him as your personal Saviour, know Him as the One Who has filled you with His goodness and His mercy (Rom. 2:4), that's sent the world away from you, discharged it, sent it away like the scapegoat in the Old Testament to go into the wilderness to be killed, to be no more.
And the very thing that made you sin and do the things that you used to do has been drove from you by His precious Blood that sanctified you and set you aside for His service, that He might will His will through you, to work through you. It's just as simple... and to believe it. [3]

We want you saved, friend. We want you filled. Remember, you are saved, of course. When you accept Christ you're saved (Mark 16:16). But you're not converted until you receive the Holy Ghost. Now, you know that. That's right (Luke 22:31-32).
Jesus told Peter the night of the betrayal... He was already saved. Said, "Now, after you are converted strengthen your brethren." That's right. Oh, sure. You accepted Christ as your Saviour. But when you're converted is when you're really changed. That's right. He wasn't changed yet. He cursed before the Lord, and denied Him, and everything (Luke 22:54-62). But after his conversion... "After thou art converted, strengthen your brethren." That's right. Is that right? It's what the Scripture says anyhow. And that makes it right. Jesus told Peter, that had followed Him, and cast out devils (Matt. 10:1-4), and done miracles, and everything, said, "You're not converted yet. But after you're converted, then strengthen your brethren." That's right. It's true.
But I want you to receive the Holy Ghost.
Now, it's for you. See, you just got to humble yourself, open up your heart, and really believe it. [4]

You're not converted until you receive the Holy Ghost. And no man is truly converted until he's been changed (II Cor. 5:17), and died to himself, and the Holy Spirit has control of that person.
Oh, how you love to give up the things of the world, when the Holy Spirit comes in. How it cleanses you and washes you, and puts a desire in you to follow Him, and a thirst, and a hunger for more of it, just bathing yourself. He brings realities. [5]
Let me say this, my friend. You better destroy your enemy before your enemy destroys you. Bring back the old fashion prayer meetings, old fashioned repentance, when they stayed to the altar until they were dead and finished with sin (Isaiah 57:15). You never seen a woman go to the altar and die out to sin, and next day come back with bobbed hair, paint on her face. There's no such. The Holy Spirit teaches, nature does, nature of the Holy Spirit. You never seen women going out and dressing sexy, come in and try to cover themselves up. You never seen men that was afraid to stand up and afraid his little wife would leave him or something another, because he took the initiative. Well, men were men in them days. They spoke; they were men; they governed their house. They were the head of the house. [6]

By faith we're walking. Grace, what God did for you... That's right. You believed God. You believe on God; and as soon as you are sorry, you're already forgiven.
As I was speaking to a brother yesterday, kinda got a little mixed up on it, and I said, "Look, brother, if you said something to hurt your wife's feelings, immediately you'd feel sorry for her; you're sorry you did it; you're already repented in your heart. That's right. But you got to go tell her about it. You got to go and say, 'Honey, I'm sorry I said that.' Then you've thoroughly repented." (Rev. 3:19). Now, that's the way it is with God.
A man that would go and say, "I hurt her feelings; don't make any difference; I'll tell her I'm sorry but really I'm not," you're a hypocrite. See? That's right. That will never be received by God.
You've got to thoroughly be sorry for your sins (II Cor. 7:9-11; Ezekiel 36:31). Then when you know that you're sorry for your sins, and then repentance, and be baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins, and you shall receive forgiveness, receive the Holy Ghost (Acts 2:37-38). See, just simple, God's made it so simple. [7]

Reference:
[1] “Things That Are To Be” (65-1205), par. 63-64
[2] “Future Home” (64-0802), pg. 15-17
[3] “We Would See Jesus” (60-0708), par. E-23
[4] “God Hiding Himself In Simplicity” (63-0412E), par. E-138-141
[5] “Unfailing Realities Of God” (60-0626), par. 75-76
[6] “Just One More Time Lord” (63-0120E), par. 141
[7] “Revelation Chapter 4 Part 3, Throne Of Mercy” (61-0108), par. 186-189

Spiritual Building-Stone No. 192 from the Revealed Word of this hour, compiled by: Gerd Rodewald, Friedenstr. 69, D-75328 Schömberg, Germany, www.biblebelievers.de, Fax: (+49) 72 35 33 06

"There´s coming one with a Message that´s straight on the Bible, and quick work will circle the earth. The seeds will go in newspapers, reading material, until every predestinated Seed of God has heard It." [Bro. Branham in "Conduct-Order-Doctrine“, page 724]