God chose preaching. God expects us to hear His word. Belief is required. Belief must lead to action. We must repent of sin.
Baptism is done for the purpose of removing our sins.
Baptism puts us into Christ. Some say that we can't know whether we are in the Lord's Church, we can only hope. However, God has told us that we can know without a doubt where we stand. Watch for the contrasting actions and results in these scriptures. God expects us to obey him.