Scripture Memorization
Acts 2:41-42 Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day—about 3,000 in all. All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer.
GETTING STARTED
1. What do you like to do when you have some time to yourself?
2. What are some things you can do alone that are beneficial? (Studying, cleaning your room, resting, etc.)
3. Some of struggle with loneliness, and it opens us up to temptation. What are some sin problems that creep up on us when we are along?
Solitude can produce great temptation, but it can also provide opportunities for closeness with God. And today, we’re going to consider two of the opportunities we have to be closer to God through something called sacraments. Get your Bible out and let’s get ready to dig in.
DIGGING IN
Today we’re going to discover afresh the meaning of two important sacraments which Jesus instituted—baptism and communion. But before we do that, we need to understand what a “sacrament” is.
Sacrament Word Study
The word “sacrament” does not appear in the Scriptures. It is a word used to describe a set of scriptural practices, however. The word itself didn’t show up until centuries later.
Augustine of Hippo says a sacrament is a “visible sign of an invisible reality.” In other words, when a sacrament is practiced there is (simultaneously) something happening physically and supernaturally.
We are going to talk about the two most widely-recognized sacraments, baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Let’s take baptism as an example. There is a body of a person being dunked by another person. That body gets wet. But there is also something supernatural going on, according to the Scriptures. God is active in an invisible way. For this reason, Eastern Orthodox Christians believe that all of life is, in this sense, sacramental.
But back to the two sacraments we’re going to study today as we continue our study of theology.
Baptism
Baptism is all over the book of Acts, and the rest of the Bible. And yet so many people still don’t seem to understand what it means according to the Scriptures. We’re going to drill way down into the book of Acts on this one so we can understand how the early church valued baptism. Chances are we’ve got something to learn from them.
(Below is a long list of every appearance of baptism in the book of Acts. Assign verses to individuals or smaller groups of students. Have them read their verses and be ready for a few basic questions afterward.)
Baptism in the Book of Acts
• Acts 1:5 • Acts 2:38 • Acts 2:41 • Acts 8:12 • Acts 8:13 • Acts 8:16 • Acts 8:36 • Acts 8:38 • Acts 9:18 • Acts 10:47 • Acts 10:48 • Acts 11:16 • Acts 16:15 • Acts 16:33 • Acts 18:8 • Acts 19:3 • Acts 19:4 • Acts 19:5 • Acts 22:16
1. What did your verse(s) say about baptism?
2. Who participated in it? What were their reasons?
3. How important does baptism seem, based on this passage?
Baptism was an important practice in the early church, and it should be in the modern church, too.
General Discussion:
• Why do you think baptism is important?
• Could you talk with someone about the importance of baptism in the life of someone who wants to follow Jesus? What would you say to them?
• What questions do you still have about baptism? (This is a very open-ended question, but will likely lead somewhere positive. Below is a list of passages about baptism that may help frame your discussion or answer questions. As questions come up, feel free to dig deeper into these verses as they pertain to the sacrament of baptism and its biblical importance.)
Baptism Elsewhere in the Bible:
• Matthew 28:19 being a disciple and baptism are linked
• Colossians 2:12 baptism is an entry point to the New Covenant
• Galatians 3:27 we “put on” Christ at baptism
• Mark 16:16 baptism and salvation are linked
• 1 Peter 3:21 baptism and salvation are linked
• Romans 6:3-4 baptism aligns us with Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection
Communion
(Below is a list of every appearance of communion in the book of Acts. Assign verses to individuals or smaller groups of students. Have them read their verses and be ready for a few basic questions afterward.)
Communion in the Book of Acts
• Acts 2:42 • Acts 2:46 • Acts 20:7 • Acts 20:11 • Acts 27:35
1. What did your verse(s) say about communion?
2. Who participated in it? What were their reasons?
3. How important does communion seem, based on this passage?
Communion Elsewhere in the Bible:
• Matthew 26:26-29 • 1 Corinthians 10:16
1. What does the bread of communion stand for? (Christ’s body)
2. What does the cup stand for? (Christ’s blood)
3. In the book of Matthew, when does Jesus say he’ll partake of it again with us? (In His Father’s Kingdom)
4. What do you think that means?
5. What do you think it truly means to commune with God?
MAKING IT REAL (10 minutes)
These sacraments, communion and baptism, are very real ways that we can connect with God.
• How many of you have been baptized? What was your baptism like? What do you remember about it?
• How did your baptism change your life? Should it more than it has?
• For those of you who have not been baptized, what do you think you are missing out on?
• What have you learned afresh about communion today?
• Do you think you practice communion in a holy way? How can you be more reverent during the Lord’s Supper?
We’re not going to practice the Lord’s Supper today, and we haven’t planned to baptize anyone, but I do want to take a few moments and do something special.
We talked at the beginning about a sacrament – something that happens simultaneously, supernaturally and naturally. These are holy moments.
CLOSING PRAYER So, in the next few minutes, Spread out around the room Take your Bible. Spend some time in prayer. Perhaps you can pray kneeling, Take some time to experience God, and allow yourself to understand that this is exactly what we should be doing when we are baptized and when we participate in communion – we are experiencing an invisible God in a visible way. Any question? Alright, let’s do it.
Instead of bringing your group back together, go to each of them individually and pray for them to walk with God this week.