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The Lessons
- 2
Lesson Two -
You and Your Baptism
and
Church Membership |
Discipler's Notes |
How to Identify with Christ
and Join a Bible-Believing Church
The word baptize means to dip, to immerse, to place under, or to put
underwater and completely cover. Baptism is a picture of the death, burial,
and resurrection of Christ. It is a testimony to others in the church that
you have already been saved and that you now intend to live your life
surrendered to Christ. Both baptism and faithful church attendance are
important steps of obedience for the Christian.
The Importance of Baptism
1 Do you have to be baptized in order to be saved? (Romans 10:13; Ephesians
2:8-9) No, we are saved
through faith in Christ alone.
2 Through what are we redeemed? (Ephesians 1:7)
We are redeemed through
the blood of Christ.
3 Did the apostle Paul view baptism as apart of the gospel? (I Corinthians
1:13-17; 15:1-4) No he
clearly states that baptism is distinct from the gospel.
4 Who commanded Christians to be baptized? (Matthew 28:18-20)
Jesus Christ commanded
believers to be baptized.
5 If baptism is a command from the Lord, what would you call a refusal to be
baptized? (James 4:17)
Refusing to obey the command would be sin.
6 Acts records the beginning of the church. In the following verses note who
was baptized and what preceded their baptism. Do you notice a pattern?
Acts 2:41 About three
thousand were baptized following Peter's preaching and their repentance.
Acts 8:12 Samaritan men
and women were baptized after believing Philip's preaching.
Acts 8:36-38 An Ethiopian
eunuch was baptized after Philip's explanation of Isaiah 53 and the eunuch's
profession of faith in Christ.
Acts 10:44-48 Cornelius
and those gathered in his home were baptized after they put their faith in
Christ following Peter's message.
Acts 16:30-34 The
Philippian jailer and his family who had just been saved were baptized after
Paul and Silas explained God's Word.
7 In the same passages
listed above, does it appear that these people were baptized according to
the biblical definition of baptism given at the beginning of this lesson?
Explain.
Yes, each passage points
to baptism by immersion (a somewhat redundant phrase). The eunuch spotted
enough water (evidently in oasis) in which to be baptized. He did not merely
reach for a canteen!
8 According to the above Scriptures, have you been scripturally baptized?
(Give your own experience
here. Do not attempt to teach this lesson if you have not been obedient in
this important step!) |
Review last week's memory verse, I John 5:13.
Baptize is a transliterated word from the Greek word baptizo. The word is
properly translated, immerse, or place under.
Some people use the following two verses to teach "baptismal regeneration"
(i.e., you must be baptized in order to be saved):
1) Acts 2:38 -The key is to understand the word for, the Greek preposition
which can mean for the purpose of or because of. Here it obviously means
because of the remission of sins. This interpretation agrees with all other
Scripture on salvation and baptism.
2) 1 Peter 3:21 - Baptism is symbolic of the death, burial, and resurrection
of Christ. It does not wash away sins, but assures us that as a Christian we
have been obedient to God.
Only believers were baptized (Acts 2:41; 8:12; 8:37-38; 10:44-48; 16:31-33).
Baptism publicly identified
them with Christ. Today we are baptized to show our identification with
Christ and His church.
Deliberate disobedience will stop spiritual growth.
We refer to this as the mode of baptism. Sprinkling and pouring do not agree
with the biblical definition or -the biblical examples of baptism. The
arguments for other modes of baptism just do not hold water!
Encourage your disciple to come forward in the next church service to
present himself for baptism. The eternal security of a believer |
The Importance of Church
Membership
9 What should immediately
follow salvation and baptism? (Acts 2:41)
Church membership should
follow.
10 List the activities of the early church. (Acts 2:42)
They were faithful to the
apostle's doctrine.
They were faithful in their fellowship.
They were faithful in observing the Lord's table.
They were faithful in prayer.
11 Why should you be careful about the type of church you join? (Galatians
1:6-9; 11 Timothy 4:3-4)
Churches that do not
preach the gospel arc cursed and lead people astray.
12 How often do you think the Lord would have you attend church? (Hebrews
10:25)
I should attend the
regular services of my church, especially on the Lord's Day.
13 What two offices of leadership were given to the local church? (I Timothy
3:1, 8)
The pastor
The deacons
14 For what purpose were the evangelists and pastor/teachers given to the
local church? (Ephesians 4:11-12)
Evangelists and pastors are
leadership gifts given to men to mature other Christians for ministry.
15 What should be your attitude toward the leadership in the local church?
(I Thessalonians 5:12-13; Hebrews 13:17)
We should appreciate them,
esteem them highly in love, obey them and submit to them
16 What is the main ministry of the members of a local church? (Acts 1:8;
Mark 16:15; Matthew 28:19-20)
The main purpose of the members
of a local church is to reach the world with the gospel.
17 How should church members relate to one another? (Philippians 2:2-4; 1
Thessalonians 4:9; 1 Peter 1:22)
Church members should
relate to one another in humility and godly love.
MEMORIZE
Acts 2:41 Then they that
gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added
unto them about three thousand souls.
What will you do as a result of what you have learned from God's Word?
(James 1:22-25)
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The same day there were added..." Joining with
other believers naturally followed salvation and baptism.
Note the simple outline of the church's activities in Acts 2:42. You might
want to discuss Baptist Distinctives at this point.
Breaking of bread is the Lord's Supper. Discuss this briefly from I
Corinthians 11:23-34. It is done to remember Christ and His sacrifice and to
look forward to His return. It does not give any special grace, nor do the
bread and juice actually become Christ's body and blood.
You may need to point out that the terms bishop, elder, and pastor are all
used interchangeably (Acts 20:17, 2S).
Ephesians 4:12 could read: "For the perfecting of the saints, unto the work
of the ministry." Every Christian is to be maturing (growing in the Lord)
and ministering (going for the Lord).
God uses church leaders to guide His flock. Disobedience places one outside
of this God-ordained protection.
Briefly discuss soul winning.
Stress the importance of faithful church attendance for spiritual growth. Is
your disciple enrolled in Sunday School yet?
Examples of love can be found in Acts 2:45 and Ephesians 4:29. To edify
means to build up. I Corinthians 13 describes genuine love. If your disciple
is living in some sin that would require church discipline after he/she
becomes a member (e.g., fornication, adultery, drunkenness), now is the time
to deal with this. If you feel that you cannot handle the situation, seek
help from the pastoral staff or the deacons. |
Give the
disciple Lesson 3. Make an appointment for your next session.
Complete a Progress Report and submit it to the church office.
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