Conversion and Baptism

Fulfilling the Great Commission

Week 1: What is the Great Commission and Who is responsible?

Week 2: Going in Evangelism and Missions

Week 3: Pre-conversion Discipleship

Week 4: Leading to Christ and Baptism

Week 5: Discipling a new believer

Week 6: Discipling towards maturity

I want us to start out tonight with a question: What does it mean to be made new?

As we understand our call to make disciples, there are a few important things we need to consider. One is our responsibility as church members to guard the kingdom of who is in and who is out. Turn with me to Matthew 16:13-29, it says:

Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

Now, we are soon going to be going over Mark’s account of Peter’s confession in a few weeks, so I don’t want to spend a ton of time here. However, it is upon this confession that Jesus says he will build his church. And the keys of the kingdom are given to the church to bind and loose who enters in and out of the kingdom. In other words, the church is to guard the doors from imposters. But how do we guard the doors from imposters?

We guard the door from imposters by ensuring that people confess this truth and have been born again. If you will, turn with me to John 3 where I want to spend a good bit of time this evening.

John 3 (Read John 3:1-15)

There is a need for us to remember as we are making disciples to see people be made new again. We don’t need decisions for Christ, we need born again believers in Christ. We need to make clear in those coming to Jesus the call for repentance. Michael Lawerence in his book Conversion gives a helpful definition for repentance. He says, “Repenting means exchanging our idols for God. Before it’s a change in behavior, it must be a change in worship.”

For too long American Evangelical culture has called us to make decisions for Christ. The problem with this language is that it has missed this essential call to repent and believe. People out of fear of hell have chosen Christ. However, they in that decision have not turned from their idols in worship. The call to be born again isn’t merely a decision but a changing of allegiance, a call to die to the old man and rise anew.

Being made new is a heart reorientation where we turn and worship the Lord our God and seek to follow him. If there is no repentance, if there is no heart change, there is no new birth and one has yet to come to faith in Jesus. For one must be born again to enter the kingdom of God.

Conversion is something that even as the church we need to step up and recognize our responsibility in guarding the church and others from false conversions. This is one reason that before we say someone has come to faith, they should be able at some level to give a basic understanding of the gospel. And the reason for this, even as was mentioned this morning, if they cannot articulate the gospel at an appropriate level, then how are they to understand what it is that they are trusting in for salvation? Conversion at it’s elementary level is a belief that Jesus came to save us from our sins. We see that in John 3:14 and 15. And we see it continue into John 3:16-21, please follow with me as I read these verses.

Even here part of a sign of true faith is a desire for holiness, a desire to do what is true. A follower of Christ who has changed allegiances from worshipping idols to worshipping the Lord our God will have a desire for holiness. To be holy is to be set apart from the world. The Christian is to be distinct from the rest of the world. And this is the calling of our lives as Christ followers, as disciples.

But let me set some clarifications here for a moment, this process of growing in holiness will be at different levels for different people. It will often be a very slow and messy process. Therefore we should be slow to make judgement on others in this process as they seek to grow in holiness. Yet, at the same time there should be signs of growth in areas of a Christians life. For instance, one might be struggling with a particular sin that is a continual battle. This is often called a besetting sin. That sin in particular might be the issue of anger. And while one is battling this sin, they feel constantly beat down by it. However, while they are battling that, they are overcoming other sins such as jealousy and envy. So while one area continues to struggle, there are areas of growth. This is how sanctification looks in us as we grow to be more like Jesus. And I share this to try and keep us from wrongly doubting ourselves. We should constantly be examining our lives for fruits of the Spirit to ensure we are rightly walking with Christ.

But our hope and salvation are not to rest in our own works and efforts, but in Christ alone. We rest in his finished work on the cross. And this is what someone coming to faith is placing their trust in. And it is this that we as the church want to guard. We as the church want to see people born again in Jesus. This is the aim of our pre-conversion discipleship is to see people come to faith in Jesus and be born again. We are helping them to wrestle through the objections and questions they have in order to help them try and come to a saving faith in Jesus.

What questions does anyone have on this part of our discussion tonight?

Baptism

Turn with me to Acts 2:37-41, let’s read this passage.

Baptism is what is to follow one’s profession of faith in Jesus. It is the passport of the kingdom.