Going to Jesus

Gospel Tracts

 Select a tract to read:

• Tracts 1-50

  1. How I Received the Holy Ghost 2. Jesus Is Coming Again 3. You Must Be Born Again 4. Stir Up the Gift of God 5. The World’s Most Dreaded Hour 6. What is Salvation? 7. Stand Still in Jordan 9. Grieved Hearts 10. The Second Death 11. The Father and the Son 12. Suffering and the Saints 13. Cancer Conquered 14. The Church? 15. How Shall They Preach, Except They Be Sent? 16. Have You Received the Holy Ghost Since You Believed? 17. Patience 18. Alone With God 19. Tithes and Offerings 20. Prayer 21. The True Sabbath 22. The Besetting Sin 23. The Cry of the Righteous 24. What Will the Harvest Be? 25. Marriage and Divorce 26. Taking the Name of the Lord 27. The Keys of the Kingdom 28. Works 29. Politics and Believers 30. Unequally Yoked in Marriage 31. Coming Out of Babylon 32. The Forgiven Woman 33. The New Earth 34. The Sin of Silence 35. Freedom 36. Gods of the Gentiles 37. Why Some Are Not Healed 38. The Seven Pillars 39. Life, More Abundantly 40. Fear 41. The Comforter’s Testimony 42. This is My Friend 43. Conversion 44. The Time Is Drawing Near? 45. Songs in the Night 46. The Master’s Net 47. Trials are Opportunities 48. Receiving the Messenger 49. Seven Messages to the Seven Pastors 50. Keep Yourself Pure

• Tracts 51-100

  51. The New Birth 52. John the Baptist and Jesus 53. Denying Jesus 54. Bruised Reeds 56. The Wise and the Foolish 57. Holiness 58. Is Jesus God? 59. Christ or Christianity 60. Have Faith In God 61. Worthy to Suffer 63. Four Kinds of Soil 64. Communion 65. The Fullness of Time 66. Baptism 68. No Room 69. Crucified With Christ 70. Homosexuality and the Bible 71. The Kingdom of God 72. The Gospel of Christ 73. A Wedding Garment 74. Perseverance 75. The Resurrection 76. Salvation 77. Sanctification 78. New Commandments 79. The Sacrifice of Christ 81. The Sound of the Spirit 82. The Wrath of God 84. God’s Compass 85. Perfection 86. The Abomination of Desolation 87. Antichrist 88. The Way of Grace 90. Relationships 91. The Vineyard of God 93. Subdued 94. The Spirit of Christ 95. The Blood of Christ 96. Spirit of a Serpent, Spirit of a Dove 97. Gluttony 98. The Lost Lamb 99. Scripture Burners 100. Bleating and Lowing

 

Matthew 3:1–12

“In those days, John the Baptizer appeared, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, “Repent!  The kingdom of heaven is at hand!”  This is what was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying, “A voice crying in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way of the Lord!  Make His paths straight!’”  This John had clothing of camel hair, and a leather belt around his loins, and his food was locusts and wild honey.  At that time, Jerusalem and all Judea, as well as the whole region around Jordan, were coming out to him and were being baptized in the Jordan by him, confessing their sins.  But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for his baptism, he told them, “Brood of vipers!  Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?  Produce fruit worthy of repentance, and don’t think to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’  I tell you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones!  Even now, the ax is laid at the root of the trees.  Every tree, therefore, not bearing good fruit is cut down and cast into the fire!  I indeed baptize you with water at repentance, but after me comes the one who is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to remove.  He will baptize you with holy Spirit.  His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will thoroughly cleanse what he has threshed and will gather his wheat into the storehouse, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire!”

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Let’s ask some questions now about these Scriptures concerning John the Baptist.

Question #1:  What makes a person a Baptist?

The Answer:  The word baptist means “baptizer”, not “baptized”.  John was called John the Baptist, not because John himself was baptized (as far as we know, he never was), but because he baptized others, and the people baptized by John were not called Baptists.

Question #2: Who was John the Baptist, according to the prophet Isaiah?

The Answer: John was the “voice crying in the wilderness,” foretold by Isaiah (Isa. 40:3).

Question #3:  What did God send John to preach to Israel?

The Answer: God sent John to call the Jews to repentance because the Messiah was soon to appear who would baptize them with God’s Spirit instead of with water.

Question #4:  What was God’s purpose for sending John?

The Answer: John said his purpose was to introduce the Messiah to Israel (Jn. 1:31) so that they might receive remission of sins through the baptism the Messiah would give (Mk. 1:4; Lk. 3:3).  Peter preached this same message to the Jews after Jesus baptized him with the Spirit and remitted his sins.  He said, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you will receive the gift of the holy Spirit!” (Acts 2:38).

Question #5:  Did John baptize everyone who came to him wanting his baptism?

The Answer: No, for “when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for his baptism, he told them, ‘Brood of vipers!  Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?  Produce fruit worthy of repentance!’”

Question #6:  What did John require of those who wanted his baptism?

The Answer: John required those he baptized to believe his preaching and repent.

Question #7:  If you had lived in Israel during John’s time and a person said to you, “I asked John for his baptism, but he did not baptize me,” which of the following would you think?

1. Would you think that person had been misjudged and mistreated by John?
2. Would you think that John didn’t want to baptize that person?
3. Would you think that John’s baptism was no longer necessary for the remission of sins?
4. Or would you think that person had not repented?

The Answer:  The answer is #4: that person had not repented.  John misjudged and mistreated no one; he gladly baptized in the Jordan any Jew who believed and repented; and his baptism was necessary as long as his ministry lasted.

Since John was a figure of Jesus, and his baptism was a figure of Jesus’ baptism, we may ask the same questions, replacing the name “John” with “Jesus”.

Question #8:  If a person today says to you, “I asked Jesus for his baptism of the Spirit, but he did not baptize me,” which of the following would you think?

1. Would you think that person had been misjudged and mistreated by Jesus?
2. Would you think that Jesus didn’t want to baptize that person?
3. Would you think that Jesus’ baptism is no longer necessary for the remission of sins?
4. Or would you think that person had not repented?

The Answer:  Again, the answer is #4: that person has not repented.  Jesus misjudges and mistreats no one; he will gladly baptize with the Spirit anyone, anywhere, who believes and repents; and his baptism will be necessary as long as his ministry lasts.

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Jesus is still alive, my dear Reader, and his ministry will last forever.  He is still baptizing with holy Spirit every soul who believes and repents.  May God give us the grace to take advantage of the precious opportunity to believe, repent, and be baptized by the Spirit into the body of Christ.