The Gospel is the good news that Jesus Christ came from heaven, died on the cross having lived a perfect sinless life, bearing in His body the full penalty of our sins and was raised from the dead. Those who repent of sin and place their faith in the perfect work of Jesus can and will be saved.

Romans 10:9: “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.” (CSB)

WHAT DOES THE GOSPEL DO? IT SAVES US!

JUSTIFICATION Saved from the PENALTY of sin
SANCTIFICATION Saved from the POWER of sin
GLORIFICATION Saved from the PRESENCE of sin

Baptism and Communion are the two ordinances of the local church. Baptism is reserved only for those who have believed in Jesus Christ as their Savior and it is an outward demonstration of an inward transformation. Communion is a memorial of Jesus’ atoning work on the cross. Communion is reserved only for believers in Christ. 

As we enter into the waters or watch another do so, we are reminded that Christ was crucified and raised from the dead and that we too have died to the old self in order to live for Christ. Baptism is a physical representation of the life of Jesus, the death of Jesus, and the resurrection of Jesus. 

Jesus said that just as the Father had sent him on a mission to demonstrate and declare the gospel to us, as his sons and daughters we too are called to be missionaries who do the same…empowered by the Holy Spirit in that mission. We have a new name because we are new creations who can do new works by the power of the Holy Spirit living in us.

1. To obey the commands of Jesus
Jesus commands us in Matthew 28:19-20 to make disciples and baptize them.

2. To give evidence that a person is a disciple of Jesus
Acts 8:12: “But when they believed Philip, as he proclaimed the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized.” (CSB)

3. To follow the example of Jesus
Jesus himself got baptized by John in the desert. At the same time His Father spoke and said “...This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:17 (CSB)

Matthew 28:19-20: “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (CSB)

Baptism is not merely a responsibility but also a privilege. We have the opportunity to show our trust in and love for our King through obedience in this ordinance. If we think of baptism as a mere burden, we have not properly understood the joy of following Jesus in the call to be baptized.

We should have a similar response as the Ethiopian eunuch who, when he believed the gospel, proclaimed, “What prevents me from being baptized?” It should be our joy, and we should eagerly anticipate our participation in the ordinance.  While there are certain costs associated with baptism, the reward of obedience is always worth it.  The desire to be baptized should be motivated by a desire to glorify God in faithful obedience. Any other motivation (to join a particular local church, to please a friend or family member, etc.) should not be the ultimate reason for seeking to be baptized.

As soon as a person trusts Jesus, he or she should be baptized. The Scriptures do not speak of a delayed baptism in which a believer refrains from obedience to the ordinance. In all the accounts in the Scriptures, baptism is immediate. This pattern of somewhat immediate baptism should be emulated unless there are convincing reasons to delay baptism.

ACTS 8:38: “Then he ordered the chariot to stop, and both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him.” (CSB)

Creekside Church practices Credobaptism. This is also called a believers baptism. So we only baptize those who have made a profession of faith in Jesus Christ.

The literal meaning of the Greek word baptizo means to submerge, immerse, or to plunge. This is where our English word for baptism originates. We also believe that baptism is a representation of the life, death, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Whether buried below or above ground, the symbolism of burial is still that of being placed under something. Likewise, resurrection is accomplished by coming out of something (whether grave or tomb). Immersion best symbolizes this reality by actually placing the believer under the water and bringing them out.

Matthew 3:16 says “When Jesus was baptized, he went up immediately from the water. The heavens  suddenly opened for him,  and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming down on him.“ (CSB)

Although there are no prescriptions in the Scriptures to location, we prefer to practice the ordinance within the context of the local church in order to allow the congregation to celebrate together in a person’s act of obedience and submission.  That said, we do not want to prescribe what the Scriptures do not, and thus we do allow for baptism to occur outside the weekly gathering. Our preference in such cases is that video and/or pictures be taken to record the event so that the church can share in the joy.

Also, there is no reason to believe that only a pastor can baptize you. The only thing we ask is that the person that you would like to baptize you is a believer themselves that has been baptized and following Jesus.

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. He made people in his image to reign over his world by his word. The first man and woman rebelled against God, and all humanity followed. Claiming to be wise, we became fools and traded the truth of God for the lie that we could live and reign without him. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loves us, sent his Son to pay for our sins. He has made us alive together with Christ and is reconciling to himself all things in heaven and earth by making peace through the blood of his cross. We now wait for the day when all things will be made new and we will worship Jesus in a garden city, seeing him face-to-face and singing with all the saints, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain."

This is God’s big story, and he’s weaving each of our stories together with his for the glory of Jesus.  

You can tell a lot about people by how they tell their stories. Who is the hero? What obstacles do they overcome? What power does the hero use to win? Many of us tell stories with ourselves as the hero, or share testimonies of how this book or that teacher changed our lives…and can change yours too! This isn’t surprising. We were made to worship God. God is worthy of worship, and our lives are meant to worship him. As followers of Jesus, our stories put Jesus front and center.  We say yes and amen to Ephesians 2—we were enemies of God, but God loved us and saved us by his grace in Jesus Christ. So we learn to re-tell our stories—bragging about the hero who died to save the villains so that we could become his friends. 

As we learn to tell our story, we can ask God to lead us, and look to his story for guidance. A basic outline goes like this: Creation, Fall, Redemption, Restoration.

Our stories begin with where we came from and where God was in our upbringing.
“Growing up… “ || What did you think about Jesus?

Eventually, we began living (or at least become aware of) our own version of life without God.   This may be a series of habits or decisions that are demonstrably sinful. Some of our stories will highlight a tragic event or personal crisis that made us aware of our need for a savior.

“My life was…” || What event, decisions, or habits marked or exemplified this ‘fall’?

Our stories take a turn when Jesus enters in.
“Then I heard the good news…” || What was it about Jesus that drew you to trust in him?

Make it clear that Jesus is the hero. You could say something like, “I believed that Christ died from my sins and rose from the grave” or “all of a sudden, I couldn’t deny God’s grace in sending his son for me.”

 Another option is to quote a bible passage that makes the good news very clear, such as John 3:16, Romans 5:8, or 1 John 4:10.

The bible ends with Jesus on the throne, reigning over a new creation. However, our stories are not finished yet. We live in a real world, but with real hope.
• How has new life in Jesus changed the way you think about yourself?
• What future are you longing or hoping for?

Pastor James Clouse
Pastor of Adult Discipleship