Walking in New Life

Should I get baptized?

Ryan

Ryan McDermott

April 25, 2022

The weekend doesn't have to end. Keep Talking on your own or with a group.

Start Talking – Find conversation starters for the group or with a friend.

How was your Easter weekend last week? What is your best takeaway from the weekend?
During the service this week, Pastor Ryan showed a picture of the first baptism at Christ Fellowship, which took place in someone’s swimming pool in 1984. If you’ve been baptized, where did it occur and describe the experience.

Keep Reading – Read the Scripture and ask a question to get the group thinking.

Luke 23:43

Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

What is the most surprising thing to you about this passage?
There has been much speculation about the other thief who didn’t repent. From your experience, why do some people refuse to acknowledge Jesus for who He is? What do you think is the biggest obstacle for them today?

Luke 3:21-22

When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well-pleased.”

As you read Luke 3:21-22, share one or two remarkable things about this baptism.
According to Pastor Ryan and the Scriptures, Jesus didn’t need to get baptized. So why did He get baptized? What does this say to you about baptism and its meaning?

Acts 2:41

Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.

Peter had just preached the sermon at Pentecost, and three thousand people “accepted” the message that Jesus is Lord and Savior and were baptized. Why is the order of first accepting the message and then being baptized crucial?
This passage in Acts 2 is the birth of the Church! Today’s churches are busy doing a variety of ministries. How does this verse and the entire passage remind us to keep the most important things a priority?

1 Corinthians 15:1-4

Someone has said the Gospel is “good news,” not “good advice.” What’s the difference between the two?
Notice in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 that Paul tells the Corinthians that the gospel was “preached” to them, and he also “passed on” things of first importance. What do you hope to “pass on” to your family and friends? Why do people seem to catch more of what we do than what we say?

Matthew 28:18-20

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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, even to the very end of the age.

This famous passage is known as the Great Commission. Share and discuss the things it says the Church should always do. Which is the most challenging for you and why?
Why is the last sentence, “And surely, I am with you always, even to the very end of the age” one of the greatest promises in the Bible? How does it help and encourage you as you share the good news of Jesus?

Keep Talking – Choose questions to create openness.

This is what Baptism is:

1. Baptism ISN’T essential for salvation.

Pastor Ryan said that baptism isn’t essential, but it is foundational to our faith. What did he mean by that statement?
What Jesus said to the thief on the cross in Luke 23:43 is stunning! How is Jesus’ response to him reassuring to you as a Christian?

2. Baptism ISN’T optional for believers.

Why do you think many Christians today have a “gap” between when they accept Jesus and when they ultimately get baptized?
What can you do as a believer to help close this “gap” for others?

3. Baptism IS a proclamation of the Gospel.

Pastor Ryan shared that the Gospel has three elements – Jesus died, was buried, and rose from the dead. Why are all three pivotal to understanding God’s “good news?”
How does baptism proclaim the Gospel? How did your baptism do this for you and others who witnessed it?

4. Baptism IS a demonstration of obedience.

Baptism is a believer’s first act of obedience to God. What did Pastor Ryan mean when he then said, “And a thousand acts of obedience should follow it?”
Symbolically, in what way is a wedding ring like baptism?