Matthew 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Matthew 16:19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Notice that Jesus said that Peter would be the man with the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Peter used those keys AFTER he had received power from the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
Luke 24:47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
Luke 24:48 And ye are witnesses of these things.
Luke 24:49 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.
Notice that according to Jesus that remission of sins through his name was to (future tense again) be preached BEGINNING at Jerusalem, AFTER they were to receive POWER. They received that POWER on the day of Pentecost:
Acts 2:1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
Acts 2:2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
Acts 2:3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
Acts 2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
After receiving POWER, Peter began to preach:
Acts 2:36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.
Acts 2:37 Now when they heard [this], they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men [and] brethren, what shall we do?
Convicted sinners asked what they could do (to be saved).
Acts 2:38 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.
Then the method of remission of sins JESUS NAME BAPTISM was first preached at Jerusalem just as Jesus commanded that it would be.
Acts 2:39 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 2:38 is the plan of salvation for any and ALL Christianity. Baptism in Jesus name is the only method for the remission of sins through Jesus Name for all Christianity. (as many as God will call)
Acts 2:40 And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.
Acts 2:41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added [unto them] about three thousand souls.
Those who "believed" were "baptised".
Acts 2:42 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.
One "calls on the name of the Lord" and receives a washing from their sins through Jesus name water baptism. Even though Paul had just spoken directly with God (who identified Himself as "Jesus"), Paul still needed to have his sins remitted and was told by the preacher:
Acts 22:16 And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.
(the NAME of the Lord is Jesus)
Acts 22:7 And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
Acts 22:8 And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest.
Anything other than Acts 2:38 salvation is simply not really Christianity, it is something else. Those who promote "something else" are to be "accursed".
Galatians 1:8 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.
It is to be expected that the "accursed" will have much support:
II Timothy 4:3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
II Timothy 4:4 And they shall turn away [their] ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
Rev. Steve Winter