Well, the apostles were leading folks to salvation after Jesus ascended and before the 4 gospels were written, true? I originally put my trust in an idea somebody told me about, but I talked to Jesus after I read about and studied Him, then asked Him to come into my heart, and He did, for real, and the Holy Spirit came into me for real. The faith comes in that I can't see him, but I know he is there, and will always be there, and that he does everything he promises. So I study scripture because it helps to have it all in writing also. But he teaches me things that are not in scripture also, just like my dad taught me things that were just for me, and not my siblings.
Not that scripture is not important, it's very important, just that so many folks today think that all they need is to recite some verses and say a repeat-after-me prayer and they are saved, when they really do have to go to the Father through Jesus, that it's not the words in the book that save them, but the Word (Jesus; John1) in real life. And it's that simple, and all the numbers and patterns in the world won't change this.