Into the Gospels...

John 1:1-5 & 14
In the beginning, the Word was God and became flesh.  Jesus Christ is the Living Word of God.

John 1:11-13
If we believe in Him and receive Him, Jesus gives us power to become the sons of God by a supernatural birth.  He spoke further about this new birth one night to a ruler of the Jews...

John 3:1-8
The Lord told Nicodemus that everyone who wanted to see or enter into the Kingdom of God, must be born again of water and the Spirit.

John 3:16-21
Jesus also told Nicodemus that whosoever believeth in Him should have eternal life.  Jesus mentioned two seemingly different requirements for salvation.  One is being born again.  The other is believing.  Yet, this is not a contradiction.  The next scripture explains how believing is related to experiencing the birth of the Spirit...

John 7:38-39
Here, we discover that if we believe on Him (according to the Word), we will receive the Spirit.  We find that scriptural belief is more than just a change in the way we think.  It also results in a scriptural experience.

John 12:35-36 & 42-43
Today, just as in Jesus' day, many believe on Him.  But, they will not confess Him for fear of what others will do or say.

John 12:44
In response to their fearfulness, Jesus warns that His Spirit will judge us, so we must be careful not to reject it.  Rather, we should believe and obey it... no matter what others say...

John 17:17-20
In Jesus' prayer for his disciples, just before His crucifixion, He said God's Word is truth.  He also prayed for us; and for all those who would believe on Him through the Apostles' word.

To find out what the Apostles' word was to be, let us read what Jesus told them to proclaim.  The setting of the following great commission scripture in Luke 24:45-49 is just after the Lord's death, burial and resurrection... and just before His ascension into heaven.

"Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations, beginning in Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these things. And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.

Did the Apostles preach the message that Jesus commanded them to preach?

How was the promise of the Father fulfilled?

Let us continue our journey into the Word of God by seeing what was preached and
what happened at Jerusalem...