How can you and I know if we are genuinely saved? What traits mark all truly born-again people? This study was not written by me. This outline comes from Dr. John Barnett of Discover the Book Ministries. In this lesson John Barnett does an overview of the Book of Acts in the New Testament. Acts is a history of the first Jesus followers. Barnett asks the question “What are the essential characteristics of all true Jesus followers?”

Some say that John Barnett is a heretic because he makes the Christian message too complicated. I encourage you to listen to his lecture, follow his outline of Acts and read the passages for yourself. Then, you will be able to evaluate if Acts does in fact describe these traits as being true of all genuine Christians. And, you will be able, as well, to evaluate if you have been born-again of God yourself and if you are an authentic disciple of Jesus, God’s Messiah. Don’t be a Christian in name only. Don’t trust in a church, religion, formula or yourself. Discover real salvation from God. Throw yourself on the mercy of God and place all of your confidence in Jesus and His work on your behalf.

I suggest that YOU turn each main point in this outline into a QUESTION and ask yourself, for example:

“Have I turned from religion and fully turned to Jesus?”

“Do I want Jesus more than my sin?”

“Do I believe that Jesus is the only way to know God?”

“Has God’s Spirit radically changed my life?”

“Have my desires changed since believing in Jesus?”

“Does everything inside of me know that Jesus is the only one to follow?”

“Is Jesus my Lord and do I obey Him?”

“Am I confident that my sins are forgiven?”

“Have I turned my entire life over to Him?”

“Am I confident that I’m in a right relationship with God due to my sins having been forgiven by Jesus?”

“Do I see my previous spiritual efforts as useless in comparison to knowing the Creator?”

“Do I feel as if my heart has been purified?”

“Has my heart been opened so that I want to obey God?”

“When did I first believe in the Lord Jesus as God’s Messiah?”

“Can I boldly say that Jesus is my King?”

“Have I escaped the judgement of God by accepting Him as my Maker – while casing aside earth worship?”

“Am I actively worshiping God?”

“Do I now take authority over demons and am I burning the magical artifacts in my household to follow Jesus entirely?”

“Have I repented of my sins and put my complete confidence in Jesus?”

“Am I learning about God’s righteousness, my need for self-control and the reality of God’s future judgement?”

“Has God opened my eyes and have I turned from Satan, to God’s power?”

“Are Jesus and His teachings changing everything in my life?”

Now, open a Bible to Acts and listen to the lecture here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gk7QjcyqwSc (“HOW DO YOU KNOW YOU ARE SAVED? WHAT DOES “BELIEVE ON” MEAN IN ACTS–FOR ETERNAL SALVATION?”

This is the outline that Pastor Barrett provides. “WHAT MUST I DO TO BE SAVED? Acts 16:31 explained from Acts 2-28. God has given us an amazing picture of salvation in Acts. Salvation has only one Door (Christ), but has many descriptions (these accounts). Every one of us who comes to Christ, finds that He does what these accounts describe when He enters our lives. Each of the 22 different individual portraits of salvation God records for us, are the way to eternal life; but all of them are true about the life of everyone going to Heaven.

You see, when God saved us He made us new creations, and transformed us into the sons and daughters of God. Welcome to the Gospel of God, written down for us in Acts. For the opening thirty years of Christ’s church, from Christ’s Ascension in AD 30 until Paul’s arrival in Rome to await trial in AD 60: God has given us a Divine Summary of the Gospel. Paul, Peter, James, Jude, and John all explain the doctrine surrounding salvation; but the Book of Acts gives the actual words of the actual messages, when salvation is offered and received.

In the study of the sharing of the Gospel, there is really nothing more vital than the words we have before us today in Acts. Today we are going to step back and look at the entirety of this history of the Gospel’s spread. Right almost in the middle of Acts these most famous words are spoken by the jailer of Philippi to Paul: “What must I do to be saved?” The answer can be found in the sum of all the parts as well as in the simple response of Paul in Acts 16:31: “BELIEVE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST (MESSIAH), AND YOU SHALL BE SAVED.” Salvation is both simple and profound. It is impossible yet so constantly effective. Salvation can be perplexing, confusing, and incomprehensible to so many, but to those who believe and respond it is always the power of God.

Join me in Acts 16:31, as we listen to this simple explanation of the Gospel by Paul. Acts 16:31 (NKJV) So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BELIEVE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST? To the jailer’s simple question, we can answer with God’s complete record of all that He wanted us to know, to hear, and to see in these 28 chapters.

WHAT MUST I DO TO BE SAVED? SIMPLY BELIEVE THAT SALVATION IS:

1. COMING to Christ and Away from Religion (Acts 2:21, 37-38)

2. WANTING Jesus More than My Sin (Acts 3:19,26)

3. SEEING Jesus Christ as the Only Door to Salvation (Acts 4:12)

4. FINDING that the Holy Spirit has Changed My Life (Acts 5:31-32)

5. RECEIVING a New Heart (Acts 8:21-23)

6. BELIEVING with all your heart (Acts 8:35-37)

7. WANTING Jesus as the Lord to Obey (Acts 9:1-6)

8. KNOWING the Peace of Sins Gone (Acts 10:36,39-43)

9. TURNING to the Lord in repentance (Acts 11:21)

10. HAVING both the Penalty & Record of ALL my sins forever gone (Acts 13:38-48)

11. TURNING from Useless Things to the Lord (Acts 14:15, 21,27)

12. ASKING God to purify my heart (Acts 15:7-9) 1

3. HEEDING God’s Word from an Opened Heart (Acts 16:14-15)

14. BELIEVING in God the Son as the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 16:31-34)

15. FOLLOWING Jesus as the New King of my life (Acts 17:6-7)

16. REACHING out to God as True Creator & REPENTING of all Idols (Acts 17:22-34)

17. BELIEVING & WORSHIPING God (Acts 18:8-13)

18. ENTERING God’s Kingdom & FOLLOWING God’s Way and no longer mine (Acts 19:8-26)

19. REPENTING & BELIEVING in the Kingdom of Christ (Acts 20:21-25)

20. FOLLOWING the Way of God’s Righteousness, Self-control & Judgment (Acts 24:14-27)

21. EXPERIENCING God-opened Eyes & God-turned Living (Acts 26:18)

22. Entering God’s Kingdom & Living God’s Way (Acts 28:28-31)

THE TESTIMONY GOD GAVE US – The book of Acts is a report that God gave to us, of how the Apostles Christ personally trained, and the disciples they trained, shared the Gospel message in every possible setting. What we get is to see how the eyewitnesses and those they trained, shared with the world what happened in the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus.”

Follow Discover the Book Ministries on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/discovertheb… For more of Dr. John Barnett’s Bible teaching messages go to: https://discoverthebook.org/https://youtu.be/Gk7QjcyqwSc