The first session, Connecting with God,17 began at 1:05 p.m. Seventeen people, excluding me, were in attendance, 7 of whom were not members of the church. Two of the participants, 1 who was a member, and 1 who was not, had to leave early. The man who was not a member had come forward to join the church in the first service earlier that day and I encouraged him to come to the class. Due to prior commitments, he had to leave after session 2. The member who left early was a realtor and she had a work
appointment and left after lunch, but her husband, who is a leader in the church, remained throughout the duration of the class.
Salvation. I opened the session explaining that as extremely important as it is, the most important decision people will make is not to which church they will belong.
The most important decision they will ever make is how they respond to Jesus Christ. I explained the good news of Christ beginning with “God’s Plan” in creation and “The Problem” of sin and the fall of humanity. I used Ephesians 2:1-3 to explain that the default position of humanity is separation from God showing that verse 1 reveals that people are separated by trespasses and sins; verse 2 shows that people are following the course of the world; and verse 3 declares that everyone is by nature is a child of wrath. Then we examined Romans 3:23 realizing that everyone has sinned and is guilty. Romans 6:23
16See appendix 7 for “Articles of Faith: What We Believe, Ballardsville Baptist Church.”
was used to show that the result of sin is death, and Revelation 20:14-15 was used to demonstrate that there is a second death for those who do not know Christ. I explained the second death as everlasting separation from God, his grace, love, provision, and his people. Using Hebrews 9:27, participants learned that everyone will die physically and then face judgment.
At this point, I introduced “The Solution,” using Ephesians 2:4-7 to prove that Jesus Christ took our place so that God could save us. I explained verse 4, 5, and 7, which respectively speak of God’s love and mercy toward people, that he makes people alive in Christ, and that he demonstrates immeasurable grace and kindness. We moved to Romans 5:8 to learn that “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” I then explained Ephesians 1:7, which says, “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,” and John 14:6, where Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Moreover, we read 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, where the apostle Paul outlines the gospel:
Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.”
We moved next to “The Response,” where I used Ephesians 2:8-9 to argue for salvation by grace alone, in Christ alone, by faith alone. During this section, I brought up good works, baptismal regeneration, eternal security, and compared the Bible to what other churches and denominations believe is required to gain salvation. We turned to John 1:12, which reads, “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” I explained that they must believe that (1) Jesus Christ is the only begotten son of God; (2) he is God in flesh, and lived a sinless life; (3) he died on the cross to pay for their sins; and (4) he rose from the grave on the
third day. Second, I explained how to receive (1) His forgiveness by accepting it through faith; and (2) accept his ruling authority over every aspect of their lives.
I invited anyone who realized that they were not born again to receive Christ. I explained that if they believed this message, were ready to trust in Jesus Christ for
forgiveness, and ready to commit to live for him, then they were ready to be saved.
Furthermore, I explained that it is Jesus Christ who saves someone based on Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection and the person’s personal belief in him. I gave them an opportunity to express trust in Jesus and accept his forgiveness by praying to him.
Participants who were already Christians were asked to summarize, in writing, their conversion experience using key details about how they heard the gospel, what they heard, how they responded, and if and how they were baptized. Non-members were asked to bring a copy of their written testimony to their membership interview.
I am not aware that anyone accepted Christ during this session, but I am
confident that the session is necessary and helped participants understand the gospel more clearly. I encouraged all the participants to use the presentation coupled with their
testimonies when sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with others.
The gospel presentation followed the biblical exposition of Ephesians 2 presented in chapter 2 of this project and fulfilled the first priority of assimilation at Ballardsville Baptist Church to give every man, woman, boy, and girl the opportunity to hear, see, and respond to the saving gospel of Jesus Christ.18
Ordinances. Session 1: Connecting with God, also covered the Baptist
ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper. The section on baptism explained why it is important. I shared that (1) Jesus was baptized; (2) baptism properly represents being
18This priority is derived from the mission statement of Summit Church, Greenville, SC, accessed February 15, 2013, http://spartanburg.summitupstate.org/
mission. A variation of the Summit Church statement was adopted as the mission
born again; (3) Jesus commands us to be baptized; and (4) baptism demonstrates that the person is a Christian. Several basic facts about baptism were given and explained, such as the fact that it does not save a person, is for believers, by immersion, and means that a person is joining a local church.
The importance of the Lord’s Supper was also covered in session 1. Participants were taught using many Scriptures that (1) Jesus instituted it; (2) it reminds Christians of their sin; (3) it symbolizes Jesus’ atonement for sins; (4) it reminds us of Jesus; (5) it proclaims the gospel and anticipates Jesus’ return; and (6) it provides an opportunity to renew one’s personal commitment to Christ. To address a question that I am commonly asked by members and visitors, I explained the frequency with which Ballardsville Baptist Church takes the Lord’s Supper.
Session 1 required exactly forty-five minutes and concluded at 1:50 p.m.
Participants were given a fifteen minute break. Snacks and drinks were provided during this time. Participants appeared to enjoy the class and fellowship with others during the breaks.