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Each One Teach One Discipleship Lessons
Part Four:
FAITH THAT BUILDS UP
Participating in the Church of God
LESSON FIFTEEN:
A FRESH START
Throughout these lessons, we have spoken of “disciples” of Jesus. We have encouraged you to become a disciple
of Jesus, and to encourage others to become disciples of Jesus. One definition of “disciple” is “learner” or
“student” of a particular teacher. Thus someone can accurately be labeled a “disciple” of Jesus if they study those
things that He said, and those things written about Him. But is that all God expects of us–just study, and perhaps
put into our lives some of the principles Jesus taught?
When you consider that Judas, the man who betrayed Jesus to the Roman authorities, was called a disciple of
Jesus, you can see that there must be something more to being a Christian than just studying the words of Jesus.
Judas spent over three years learning directly from Jesus in a way none of us are able to! Yet in the end, he
abandoned Jesus.
If being a disciple isn’t enough, what is the next step? In his last discussion with his disciples on earth before He
ascended up to heaven, Jesus said:
[Matt 28:19-20]
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the
Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And
surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.
The next step is baptism.
After the Holy Spirit came to the followers of Jesus, the very first “sermon” given by Peter admonished those
listening:
[Acts 2:38-39]
Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the
forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you
and your children and for all who are far off– for all whom the Lord our God will call.”
The word translated “baptism” in the Bible is a Greek word which means “to immerse.” Baptism is a ceremony
which gives an outward symbolism to an inward decision. That decision has several parts.
Step 1.
You agree with God that His laws are perfect
and that your human nature is often at odds with those Laws.
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[Rom 7:12]
So then, the law is ________, and the commandment is holy, righteous and __________.
[Rom 8:7-8]
…the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not _____________ to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those
controlled by the sinful nature cannot ____________ God.
Step 2
You admit to yourself and to God that you are a sinner,
one who has not lived a life of perfect harmony with the Laws of God.
[I Jn 3:4]
Everyone who sins ______________ the law; in fact, sin is _______________________.
[I Jn 1:8-10]
If we claim to be without sin, we ___________ ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our
sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we
claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a ________ and his word has no place in our lives.
Step 3
You desire with all your heart to be changed so that you are in harmony with God.
“Repentance” is a word that doesn’t just mean to feel “sorry” about what you have done.
It also means to “change your mind” and desire what is right.
[2 Cor 7:10]
Godly sorrow brings ____________________ that leads to ____________________ and leaves no
regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.
Step 4
You acknowledge that your sins have cut you off from God,
you deserve only death,
and you are unable to do anything by your own power to pay that debt
[Rom 6:23]
For the _________ of sin is death, but the ________ of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Step 5
You accept Jesus Christ as your Savior,
the one who can redeem you from this dilemma.
[Rom 5:6-9]
You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will
anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God
demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have
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now been _________________ by his blood, how much more shall we be _________ from God’s wrath
through him!
Step 6
You make a commitment to become the servant of Christ in all things,
to accept Him not just as Savior,
but as Lord— of every part of your life.
[Gal 3:26-29]
You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have
_______________ yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor
female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you _______________ to Christ, then you are Abraham’s
seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Step 7
The final step is the outward act of baptism itself,
signifying to those around you
that you have made these internal commitments.
[Rom 10:9-11]
That if you _____________ with your _____________, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that
God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are
justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, “Anyone who
trusts in him will never be put to shame.”
[Luke 12:8-9]
I tell you, whoever _____________________ me [Jesus] before men, the Son of Man will also
_____________________ him before the angels of God. But he who disowns me before men will be
disowned before the angels of God.
[Rom 6:3-11]
Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We
were therefore ____________ with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was
raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united
with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. For we know
that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should
no longer be slaves to sin– because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with
Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the
dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once
for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves __________ to sin but
______________ to God in Christ Jesus.
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The word “baptism” to many brings up pictures of an infant being sprinkled with water, as that is the kind of
“baptism” practiced in many churches. But the recent popularity of the movie O Brother, Where Art Thou? has
introduced the general public to a much more Biblical concept of baptism… full immersion of adults and older
children in water (as seen in the scene above from the movie), who are making a personal commitment to change
in their life. The symbolism of being fully immersed under water in a baptism ceremony is shown in the passage
from Romans 6 above. It is a symbolism of death and resurrection–death of your “old self” and resurrection to a
“new life” in Jesus Christ.
The “confession” with your mouth spoken of in Romans 10 above is part of the act of baptism, in which you
publicly make known your acceptance of the blood of Jesus to cover your sins, and your allegiance to Jesus as
Lord of your life from now on. As the passage in Luke 12 above indicates, you cannot just be a “secret”
Christian.
Some folks have been baptized at some point in their life, but may be unsure if that baptism was “valid.” If this
describes your situation, you may wish to consider the seven steps just outlined, and decide for yourself if you
completed all those steps.
If you have never been baptized, or if you are unsure of a baptism you experienced, consider these facts:
Baptism is not just a social act you participate in
to be acceptable to others in fellowship.
Baptism is not just a ceremony “inducting” you into membership
in an institution such as a local denominational church.
Baptism is a one-on-one commitment to Jesus as your Lord and Savior.
If you are considering baptism for the first time, or if you are considering being “rebaptized” because you feel a
previous baptism ceremony was entered into by you without full understanding, you need to study the following
passages before you make a decision to be baptized.
You need to “count the cost” of complete commitment to Jesus:
[Luke 14:26-33]
If anyone comes to me and does not ________ his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers
and sisters– yes, even his own life– he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross
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and follow me cannot be my disciple. Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit
down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete. For if he lays the foundation and
is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was
not able to finish.’ Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit
down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with
twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and
will ask for terms of peace.” In the same way, any of you who does not give up ___________________
he has cannot be my disciple.
Since other scriptures insist we must love everyone, including our enemies, Jesus must be using the word “hate”
in this passage in a sense of “love so much less by comparison” that you always put Jesus first.
This is pretty serious! What will be our reward for putting Jesus first?
[Mark 10:28-30]
Peter said to him, “We have _________ everything to _________________ you!” “I tell you the truth,”
Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields
for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers,
sisters, mothers, children and fields– and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life.
What good will it do to promise to follow Jesus if we cannot overcome sin by ourselves? If we truly admit we
are powerless to obey God’s Law perfectly, what is the use?
[Phil 4:13]
I can do everything through him who gives me ________________.
[Rom 8:9-15]
You, however, are _____________________ not by the sinful nature but by the ___________, if the
Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to
Christ. But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of
righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised
Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.
Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation– but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. For
if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds
of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did
not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by
him we cry, “Abba, Father.”
[2 Pet 1:2-4]
Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. His
divine ___________ has given us everything we need for life and ____________________ through our
knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very
great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape
the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
[2 Tim 1:7]
For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of _____________, of love and of
self-discipline.
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If we repent and are baptized, and accept Jesus as Savior and Lord, God promises to give us His Holy Spirit to
accomplish what we can’t under our own strength!
In conclusion:
You don’t need to understand “all doctrine” before becoming baptized.
You don’t need to “overcome” all your weaknesses before becoming baptized.
You don’t need permission from any human before becoming baptized.
You do need to repent
and accept Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord
before becoming baptized.
MEMORY SCRIPTURES
LESSON 15 MEMORY SCRIPTURE
Acts 2:38
Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you,
in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.
And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
LESSON 13 MEMORY SCRIPTURE
I Pet 2:9 But you [Christians] are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the
praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
LESSON 14 MEMORY SCRIPTURES
II Tim 3:16-17 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness so that the man
of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Mark 2:27 Then he [Jesus] said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of
the Sabbath.”
QUESTIONS
1. Describe one way that a decision for baptism is like a decision to marry.
____________________________________________________________________________________
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2. Do you think it is possible for someone to try to “claim” Jesus as Savior without accepting Jesus as Lord? If
you think it is possible, what would you tell someone who had done so?
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
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3. What does the word “Savior” mean to you?
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
4. Describe what “count the cost” means in your own words.
____________________________________________________________________________________
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