I had an unusual urge to teach certain Bible doctrines to the teens during Vacation Bible School. It would be a 3-day session teaching:

1. Doctrine of Salvation
2. Doctrine of Baptism
3. Doctrine of the Trinity

We were in the process of moving to Alvin but the urge was so great that I talked to our pastor about it. Flyers went out about the special session for teens from 6^th grade to 12^th grade.

My class was scheduled just before the puppet classes. The kids loved the puppets so much that I really thought they would be anxious to leave as soon as possible. Turned out they were starving for doctrine. They didn’t want to leave. Everyone was surprised.

Salvation is believing what Jesus said. He said he came to die for us. He said his blood was shed to cleanse us from all sin. He said he came to seek and to save that which was lost. He said he did not come to condemn us.

If we fall in love with Jesus and ask him to fill us with his Holy Spirit, we will be born again as soon as the Holy Spirit moves into our hearts.

People will know we are born again when we start bearing the fruit of the Spirit. These are Love – Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-control. I then explained each part of Love and how to recognize it.

1. Joy – a celebration that bubbles up from deep inside; it just makes you want to sing.
2. Peace - quiet confidence; you are calm no matter what is happening around you.
3. Patience – to excitedly wait
4. Kindness – forgive
5. Goodness – usefulness
6. Faithfulness – stand fast with what you believe; be a friend even when it is difficult; stay true to your word.
7. Gentleness – power under control
8. Self-control – self-possession; nothing of this earth controls you. You are in control of yourself.

I went on to expound on each aspect of Love and emphasize that love does no harm. I then explained that Love fulfills the law because if you love someone you will not steal from him or her, etc.

I also explained that a person could not bear good fruit unless the Holy Spirit lived in the person and bore fruit for them - through them.

After a person is born again, Jesus says they should be baptized.

Baptism does not save a person.

Baptism fulfills all righteousness.  Baptism makes us right with God.  We have a gown of salvation and a robe of righteousness. 

It is the first thing God tells us to do and He will not tell us to do anything else unless we obey the first order of business.

God showed me a picture of the trinity in the form of a doll I had when I was a child. It was made of rubber and it’s hands, arms, legs and head would pop off and then pop back on. I went to several Goodwill and Salvation Army stores around Houston before I found a doll like that one.

I took the doll to class and used it to teach the trinity. I told the class to pretend that the doll was God in Heaven. I explained that the head like our brains thought and commanded and that it was the Father.

I took the doll’s right hand off and threw it on the floor. I explained that the right hand represented the Holy Spirit and that his job was to draw us to the Father through Jesus. I asked them if the hand was all God but only part of God. They responded with a loud yes.

I then took the doll’s right arm and threw it on the floor. I explained that the right arm represented Jesus and he had come to earth to die on the cross so we could be saved. I asked them if the hand was all God but only part of God. They again said, "Yes!"

I had them wave their right hand and explained that their brains commanded them to wave, their arm moved and their hand did. That is how God works. He commands, Jesus moves and His Holy Spirit does.

After VBS was over our pastor called me and told me that 4 of the teens made a profession of faith and wanted to be baptized. Two more who were already saved wanted to be baptized. We praised the Lord.

Psa 94:15 But judgment will return to righteousness, And all the upright in heart will follow it.

Isa 34:16-17 "Search from the book of the LORD, and read: Not one of these shall fail; Not one shall lack her mate. For My mouth has commanded it, and His Spirit has gathered them. He has cast the lot for them, And His hand has divided it among them with a measuring line. They shall possess it forever; From generation to generation they shall dwell in it."

Isa 64:8 But now, O LORD, You are our Father; We are the clay, and You our potter; And all we are the work of Your hand.

Isa 40:10-11 Behold, the Lord GOD shall come with a strong hand, And His arm shall rule for Him; Behold, His reward is with Him, And His work before Him. He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, And carry them in His bosom, And gently lead those who are with young.

Isa 53:1-12 Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, And as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; And when we see Him, There is no beauty that we should desire Him. He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely He has borne our grief's And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment, And who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; For the transgressions of My people He was stricken. And they made His grave with the wicked; But with the rich at His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was any deceit in His mouth. Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, And the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand. He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, For He shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, And He shall divide the spoil with the strong, Because He poured out His soul unto death, And He was numbered with the transgressors, And He bore the sin of many, And made intercession for the transgressors.

Luke 1:35 And the angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.

Psa 80:15 And the vineyard which Your right hand has planted, And the branch that You made strong for Yourself.

John 20:22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit.

Job 32:8 But there is a spirit in man, And the breath of the Almighty gives him understanding.

Isa 34:16-17 "Search from the book of the LORD, and read: Not one of these shall fail; Not one shall lack her mate. For My mouth has commanded it, and His Spirit has gathered them. He has cast the lot for them, And His hand has divided it among them with a measuring line. They shall possess it forever; From generation to generation they shall dwell in it."

Isa 64:8 But now, O LORD, You are our Father; We are the clay, and You our potter; And all we are the work of Your hand.

Psa 98:1 Oh, sing to the LORD a new song! For He has done marvelous things; His right hand and His holy arm have gained Him the victory.

Luke 3:7-8 Then he said to the multitudes that came out to be baptized by him, "Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? "Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.

Luke 3:21-22 When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened. And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, "You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased."

Acts 2:38 Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 8:14-17 Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

Acts 8:36-38 Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, "See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?" Then Philip said, "If you believe with all your heart, you may." And he answered and said, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God." So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him.

John 14:15 "If you love Me, keep My commandments.

1 John 4:19 We love Him because He first loved us.

Rom 1:17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith."

2 Cor 5:7 For we walk by faith, not by sight.

Gal 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

Gal 5:5 For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.

Eph 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.

Luke 8:14-15 "Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity. "But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.

Mat 7:16-20 "You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? "Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. "A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. "Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. "Therefore by their fruits you will know them.

Gal 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

John 3:3-21 Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?" Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. "Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.' "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit." Nicodemus answered and said to Him, "How can these things be?" Jesus answered and said to him, "Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things? "Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness.

Mat 3:11 "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

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