THREE THINGS TO KNOW
DON’T MISS THIS. This coming weekend, we are excited to celebrate BAPTISM again across all Ada Bible campuses! Baptism is an outward expression of an inward change that happens in our lives after we place our faith and trust in Christ. Do you have questions about baptism? Are you interested in getting baptized? To learn more about how you can take this important step in your faith, click HERE.
GROUP VALUES. This week, we continue our focus on the value of BIBLICAL TRUTH. God’s Word is our primary guide for how we understand the Christian life, including the practices Jesus commanded us to follow. This week, we explored one of those commands—baptism. As a group, reflect on this: Are there other practices or commands Jesus gave that you have been slower to obey, and why? How does returning to biblical truth help us move from knowing what Jesus said to actually doing it?
GROW AS A LEADER. This week’s sermon offers a unique opportunity. Your group may include people who have never been baptized, some who were baptized as infants, and others who have a story around their believer’s baptism. Before your group meets, think about how you will make space for all these experiences without pressure. Be ready to share your own story honestly. A leader who goes first makes it easier for others to follow.
SERMON DISCUSSION GUIDE
Welcome to the third week of our series, YOU ASKED FOR IT VOL. 2, where we tackle the tough questions our church family has been asking. This week, we unpack what the Bible says and what Ada Bible believes about baptism.
ICEBREAKER
What is one tradition or practice from your childhood that you later learned was done very differently somewhere else?
THIS WEEK’S TEXT
Have someone read Matthew 28:18–20 aloud.
What does Jesus claim about his authority, and why does that matter for what he says next?
What are the specific actions Jesus commands his followers to take?
What does Jesus promise his followers, and what do you think that promise means to the disciples?
THIS WEEK’S SERMON
In the third week of YOU ASKED FOR IT VOL. 2, Pastor Aaron Buer and Pastor Luke Koskinen walked through what baptism is, how we practice it at Ada Bible, and what it symbolizes about the gospel. As a group, recall some of the sermon’s big ideas and main points.
Our culture tends to treat faith as a private, personal matter. Why do you think public declarations of belief, like baptism, matter today?
What did you grow up believing or being taught about baptism, and has that changed over time?
Have someone read Mark 1:9–10 aloud. What does it mean to you that Jesus didn’t just command baptism, but he submitted to it himself even though he had no sin to repent from?
Have someone read Romans 6:3–4 aloud. Paul describes baptism as our old life being buried with Christ and being raised to new life. As a group, how can we help each other live like that is true?
Faith in Jesus’s death on the cross saves us, not baptism. Where do you tend to drift toward earning or adding to what Jesus has already done for you freely?
Have someone read Titus 3:4-6 aloud. God has the power to wash us clean, and he wants to. When have you experienced coming to God with something heavy and finding mercy and cleansing, instead of condemnation?
This week, we were challenged to not wait until we know more or have life together to take a step of obedience, like baptism. What is an area where you know what God is asking of you, but you’ve been hesitant to obey, and what is a step you can take this week?
WRAP UP
This week, we were reminded that baptism is an act of obedience, a public declaration, and a symbol of the gospel. Which of those three descriptions is most meaningful to you, and why?