|
|
What
is a Christian?
In its simplest terms, a
Christian is a follower of Jesus Christ, the son of the living
God. So how do we demonstrate that we are His followers?
Christians...
- accept Christ as being one
with the Father (John 10:30)
- understand that salvation and
eternal life are gifts from God and are ours through Christ,
not through a way of our own choosing (Proverbs
16:25, Romans 6:23)
- accept that we have sinned,
but know that His sacrifice provides for the forgiveness of
those sins (Ephesians 1:7)
- know Him as our shepherd, and
are known by Him as His sheep (John
10:14)
- place dedication to the
principles of Christ above our own desires. (Matthew
16:24)
- give Him more than just lip
service (Matthew 7:21)
- love one another as He has
loved us (John 13:34)
Why
become a Christian?
- Christ died for us, even
though we were sinners (Romans 5:8)
- Christ alone is the way to
God, the Father (John 14:6)
- Christ is the one true
mediator between God and man (1
Timothy 2:5)
- God has sent Christ to be our
savior (1 John 4:14)
- There is eternal life in
Christ (Romans 6:23)
How
do I become a Christian?
Why
baptism?
What is baptism?
- A rite that was ordered for
believers. (Acts 10:48)
- An act done in the name of
Jesus. (Acts 8:36-38; Acts
10:48)
- Described in the scriptures as
a burial. (Romans 6:3,4)
- Defined by Bible dictionaries
as "plunging, dipping, immersing, submerging."
- An action that always involved
going to a place where there was enough water, not bringing a
small amount of water to the candidate; archeology shows early
baptisteries as pools of water.
Who is to be
baptized?
Why should I be
baptized?
What
then? After I become a Christian, what?
Upon your baptism, you are added to Christ's
church -- the total of all people who have obeyed Him (Acts
2:37-47). Christ and His church are inseparable. He gave
Himself for the church (Acts 20:28)
and is the head and Savior of His church (Ephesians
1:22-23; Colossians 1:18).
Christ is Lord of everything, including daily work
responsibilities and relationships (Ephesians
5:21-6:9).
The church, the body of believers, shares the
Lord's supper (communion) as a memorial to Christ's death on the
first day of each week (Acts 20:7; 1
Corinthians 11:17-32), sings hymns of praise (Ephesians
5:18-20), prays (Acts 2:42; 1
Thessalonians 5:17), receives God's word in teaching (Acts
2:42), and encourages each other (1
Thessalonians 5:11).
Christ's followers show the presence of Christ
in their lives by both their words and their deeds (Colossians
3:17).
Verses
Cited |
John
10:29,30
|
My
Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all;
no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. I and
the Father are one. |
Proverbs
16:25 |
There
is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it
leads to death. |
Romans
6:23 |
For
the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is
eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. |
Ephesians
1:7 |
In
him we have redemption through his blood, the
forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of
God's grace. |
John
10:14 |
I
am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know
me. |
Matthew
16:24 |
Then
Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come
after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and
follow me." |
Matthew
7:21 |
Not
everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the
kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my
Father who is in heaven. |
John
13:34 |
A
new command I give you: Love one another. As I have
loved you, so must you love one another. By this all men
will know that you are my disciples, if you love one
another. |
Romans
5:8 |
But
God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we
were still sinners, Christ died for us. |
John
14:6 |
I
am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to
the Father except through me. |
1
Timothy 2:5 |
For
there is one God and one mediator between God and men,
the man Christ Jesus. |
I
John 4:14 |
And
we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his
Son to be the Savior of the world. |
Romans
6:23 |
For
the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is
eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. |
Romans
1:16 |
I
am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of
God for salvation of everyone who believes: first for
the Jew, then for the Gentile. |
Acts
3:19 |
Repent,
then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped
out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord. |
Acts
17:30 |
In
the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he
commands all people everywhere to repent. |
Romans
10:9 |
That
if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is
Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised
him from the dead, you will be saved. |
Mark
16:16 |
Whoever
believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does
not believe will be condemned. |
Acts
22:16 |
And
now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and
wash your sins away, calling on his name. |
Romans
6:3-4 |
Or
don't you know that all of us who were baptized into
Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were
therefore buried 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. |
Acts
10:48 |
So
he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus
Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a
few days. |
Acts
8:36-38 |
As
they traveled along the road, they came to some water
and the eunuch said, "Look, here is water. Why
shouldn't I be baptized?" Philip said, "If you
believe with all your heart, you may." The eunuch
answered, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son
of God." Then both Philip and the eunuch went down
into the water and Philip baptized him. |
Romans
6:3-4 |
Or
don't you know that all of us who were baptized into
Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were
therefore buried 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. |
Mark
16:15,16 |
He
said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the
good news to all creation. Whosoever believes and is
baptized will be saved, but whosoever does not believe
will be condemned." |
Acts
18:8 |
Crispus,
the synagogue ruler, and his entire household believed
in the Lord; and many of the Corinthians who heard him
believed and were baptized. |
Acts
2:41 |
Those
who accepted his message were baptized, and about three
thousand were added to their number that day. |
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." |
Matthew
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. |
Acts
22:16 |
And
now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and
wash your sins away, calling on his name. |
Galatians
3:27 |
...
for all of you who were baptized into Christ have
clothed yourselves with Christ. |
1
Corinthians 12:13 |
For
we were all baptized by one spirit into one body -
whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free - and we were all
given the one Spirit to drink. |
Acts
2:37-47 |
When
the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and
said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers,
what shall we do?" 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." With many
other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them
"Save yourselves from this corrupt
generation." Those who accepted his message were
baptized, and about three thousand were added to their
number that day. They devoted themselves to the
apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the
breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled
with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were
done by the apostles. All the believers were together
and had everything in common. Selling their possessions
and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day
they continued to meet together in the temple courts.
They broke bread in their homes and ate together with
glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the
favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their
number daily those who were being saved. |
Acts
20:28 |
Keep
watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the
Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the
church of God, which he bought with his own blood. |
Ephesians
1:22-23 |
And
God placed all things under his feet and appointed him
to be head over everything for the church, which is his
body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every
way. |
Colossians
1:18 |
And
he is the head of the body, the church; he is the
beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that
in everything he might have the supremacy. |
Ephesians
5:21-6:9 |
Submit
to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives,
submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband
is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the
church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the
church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to
their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives,
just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for
her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with
water through the word, and to present her to himself as
a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other
blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way,
husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies.
He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one
ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it,
just as Christ does the church--for we are members of
his body. "For this reason a man will leave his
father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two
will become one flesh." This is a profound
mystery--but I am talking about Christ and the church.
However, each one of you also must love his wife as he
loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.
Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is
right. "Honor your father and mother"--which
is the first commandment with a promise--"that it
may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on
the earth." Fathers, do not exasperate your
children; instead, bring them up in the training and
instruction of the Lord. Slaves, obey your earthly
masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of
heart, just as you would obey Christ. Obey them not only
to win their favor when their eye is on you, but like
slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart.
Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord,
not men, because you know that the Lord will reward
everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave
or free. And masters, treat your slaves in the same way.
Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both
their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no
favoritism with him. |
Acts
20:7 |
On
the first day of the week we came together to break
bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended
to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight. |
I
Corinthians 11:17-32 |
In
the following directives I have no praise for you, for
your meetings do more harm than good. In the first
place, I hear that when you come together as a church,
there are divisions among you, and to some extent I
believe it. No doubt there have to be differences among
you to show which of you have God's approval. When you
come together, it is not the Lord's Supper you eat, for
as you eat, each of you goes ahead without waiting for
anybody else. One remains hungry, another gets drunk.
Don't you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you
despise the church of God and humiliate those who have
nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you for
this? Certainly not! For I received from the Lord what I
also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he
was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks,
he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is
for you; do this in remembrance of me." In the same
way, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This
cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever
you drink it, in remembrance of me." For whenever
you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the
Lord's death until he comes. Therefore, whoever eats the
bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy
manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and
blood of the Lord. A man ought to examine himself before
he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. For anyone
who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the
Lord eats and drinks
judgment on himself. That is why many among you are weak and
sick, and a number of you have fallen sleep. But if we
judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment. When we
are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we
will not be condemned with the world. |
Ephesians
5:18-20 |
Do
not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead,
be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms,
hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart
to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for
everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. |
Acts
2:42 |
They
devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the
fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. |
I
Thessalonians 5:17 |
Pray
continually. |
I
Thessalonians 5:11 |
Therefore
encourage one another and build each other up, just as in
fact you are doing. |
Colossians
3:17 |
And
whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the
name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father
through him. |
|
|
|
|