Rules for Baptism
Now let me talk about baptism. The elders, priests, and teachers were all baptized—but only after they showed by their lives that they were ready for it. They wouldn’t baptize anyone unless they came with a humble and repentant heart, and made it clear to the church that they had truly turned away from their sins. No one was baptized unless they were willing to take Christ’s name on themselves and commit to serving him for the rest of their lives.
After they were baptized and cleansed by the power of the Holy Spirit, their names were added to the church records. This way they could be cared for and taught from God’s word, kept on the right path, encouraged to pray constantly, and helped to rely entirely on Christ—the one who begins and completes their faith.
Life in the Church
The church gathered often to fast and pray together, and to talk about the condition of their souls. They also met regularly to share bread and wine in memory of the Lord Jesus.
They were serious about keeping sin out of the church. If someone was caught doing wrong and three members of the church testified against them before the elders, their name would be removed from the records—unless they repented and confessed. Once removed, they were no longer counted among Christ’s people. But whenever they came back with genuine repentance and asked for forgiveness, they were forgiven.
Their meetings were led by the Spirit and the power of the Holy Spirit. Whatever the Spirit prompted them to do—whether to preach, encourage, pray, plead with God, or sing—that’s what they did.