F I V E S T A R C H U R C H
E P I C L E A D E R S H I P J O U R N E Y
S T A R O N E
New Beginnings
S T A R TW0
New Life
S T A R THREE
New Purpose
S T A R FOUR
New Opportunities
S T A R FIVE
New Horizons
Dear friend,
You have said, “Yes” to Jesus! Congratulations.
Becoming a Christian is the most incredible event that will ever take place in your life. You now have peace with God, your Creator.
You have found everlasting life!
You can be certain that God will never leave you nor forsake you.
He has brought you this far and He will complete the wonderful work that He has begun in you. God knows your every thought, your every care and your deepest concerns.
Now that you have said YES to Jesus and asked Him to live in your life, you will be amazed how your life unfolds. The truth is, there is no more important, life-changing decision that any person can make; and that includes marriage, career, or anything else that you can imagine.
As you will discover, your decision to trust Jesus Christ started with God’s plan made before the creation of the world. It affects every aspect of your present-day life; and will stretch on with amazing results as your destiny unfolds.
Over the next few weeks, we will take some time to understand what the Bible says about becoming a child of God.
I encourage you to make every effort to join us here each week and to become part of an EPIC LIFE group. It is so good to connect with others who have also discovered how good God is.
We love you,
Steve and Marion Penny
Senior Pastors
New Beginnings
CONTENTS
Introduction to beginning a new life
Page 6
Session 1 - Repentance & Assurance of Salvation
Page 11
Session 2 - Baptism in Water
Page 17
Session 3
New Life in Christ - Page 21
Session 4
Living Free - Page 30
Session 5
The Holy Spirit - Page 34
Sunshine Coast Function Centre (RSL Caloundra)
Caloundra, Queensland 4551
Email: helloepicchurch.com.au
Website: www.epicchurch.com.au
Baptise: The word literally means to dip or submerge.
LESSON TWO BAPTISM
When a person is baptised, they are dipped or submerged under water and then brought back up again.
Acts 2:37-38, 41
“When the people heard this they were pierced to the heart and said to Peter and the rest of the disciples: Men, what shall we do?” Then Peter said to them: “______________ and let every one of you be ______________ in the name of Jesus Christ ... then those who gladly received his word were ______________ and that day about 3000 souls were ______________ to the ______________.”
How soon were people baptised after becoming Christians? __________
WATER BAPTISM
In Matthew 28:19 Jesus commanded His disciples to: “Go and make disciples of all the nations, ______________ them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you.”
Jesus said that every disciple should be b______________.
WHAT DOES BAPTISM SIGNIFY?
Baptism Signifies a Death to your old life - and a Burial of all old ways.
WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS:
Romans 6:3-4 “Do you not know that as many of us as were ___________ into Christ Jesus were baptised into His ______________? Therefore, we were _____________ with Him through _____________ into death”.
When you go under the water it symbolises the death and burial of your old life. Your old way of living is forever dispensed with. You’re declaring it finished in the strongest possible terms – it’s dead and buried! (Note: Your old life isn’t dead and buried because of will power but because of Jesus’ death on the cross where He destroyed the power of sin, the power that had dominated your old life until now)
However, when we baptise you; we don’t keep you under the water! Thankfully, we bring you back up because there’s a second thing that baptism signifies …
Baptism Signifies a Resurrection to New Life
Romans 6:4
“… that just as Christ was ______________ from the dead by the glory of the Father; even so we also should walk in ______________ of life.”
Jesus was buried in a tomb but three days later emerged in resurrection power. When I am baptised, it signifies my old life is dead and the power of sin is broken. Then I come up out of the water signifying that the NEW LIFE I now live is lived in the power of God.
Galatians 2:20 describes this miracle:
“It’s no longer I who ______________ but ______________ who ______________ in me.”
Baptism Is a Public Declaration of My Commitment to Christ
We baptise people regularly during our weekend services. This is a public declaration, before your friends and family, as well as before every spiritual force, that you have chosen to surrender your life to Jesus Christ.
This is incredibly powerful and should not be underestimated.
WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS:
Matthew 10:32
“Whoever ______________ Me before______________, him I will also confess before My Father who is in ______________ but whoever ______________ Me before men, him I will also ______________ before My Father who is in heaven.”
Notice that being baptised is a public declaration of a commitment you have already made. Baptism doesn’t make you a Christian.
You became a Christian the moment you expressed faith in Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins. Baptism is an outward expression of what has already happened in your heart.
Baptism is a Public Commitment to the Church, and to your family and friends.
We have saved the most important meaning of baptism for last.
Baptism is a public commitment to the church. As soon as we believe, we should be baptised because believing means belonging and baptism signifies that we now belong to the Body of Christ.
We have already learned that when we are baptised we are identifying with the Body of Christ. The Bible says that the church is the Body of Christ on the earth.
WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS:
1 Corinthians 12:13 says: “For by one Spirit we were all ____________ into one ____________ … and have all been made to drink the same ____________.”
Ephesians 1:22-23 teaches us that the church is the Body of Christ.
So, when we are baptised, we identify with Christ’s body, the church, and enter into fellowship with believers everywhere! Other believers become our brothers and our sisters. We have all shared in the same Spirit, 1 Corinthians 12:13 says.
That’s why Acts 2:37-38 says that the people were baptised and then v41 carries on to say that they were “added to the church”.
INFANT BAPTISM
WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS:
The Bible speaks of a “believer’s baptism and Jesus said to baptise disciples (IE: people who have made a conscious choice to follow Christ).
A baby or small child is not capable of making an informed decision to follow Jesus, so we don’t baptise infants.
We do, however, believe it is important to dedicate children to the Lord … just as Jesus’ parents dedicated Him at the temple soon after His birth (Luke 2:22).
If you have not yet been baptised, now is the time to register for the next Baptism Service.