Connect Groups
Connect Notes
Baptism and Communion—Living out and remembering what Jesus has done
for us - 24 September 2007
Link to life
Grace is only a word… but when it is real there is nothing like it.
It is amazing because grace is doing something good for someone when
they just don’t deserve it and grace even shows them they are loved.
Why don’t they deserve it? Most often grace is given as a loving act
to the person who has caused hurt. Grace can never be earned, it can
only be given.
What
does grace mean to you?
Have
you ever had something done for you by someone after you had hurt
them and didn’t deserve anything good in return?
Both
Baptism and Communion are strong reminders of God’s grace to us.
Bible focus
(Matthew 28:19-20)
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in
the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and
teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I
am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
(Luke 22:19-20)
And he took bread, gave
thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body
given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after
the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in
my blood, which is poured out for you.”
Discussion
Part 1 – Reflect
Last
meeting we were left to think about what the Church meant to us and
how we might let the Holy Spirit empower us to be effective members
of God’s Church
Both
Baptism and Communion can bring our thoughts back to what God’s
Church really means. They were both commands by Jesus to all people
who follow him. They both focus on the act of grace done by Jesus
when he suffered and died on the cross to pay the price for our
sins.
Think again about what Church means to you and share your thoughts
and experiences together.
Part 2 – Baptism
Baptism comes from a word that means to immerse, submerge, or to
fully cover in liquid.
Why
do you think Jesus would command his people to be baptised?
Think about what Jesus did on the cross. He suffered and did not use
his supernatural powers to overcome those who had nailed him up on
the cross. Even though he suffered greatly he continued to love
those around him such as when he promised the prisoner on the cross
beside him that, “today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke
23:43). Jesus then died and after three days he rose from death and
appeared to the disciples and other people before returning to
heaven. 1 Peter 3:18 says why all this occurred: “For Christ died
for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring
you to God.”
Ask
a person from your group who has been baptised to explain what being
immersed in the water meant to them.
Are
you challenged to be baptised?
Part 3 – Communion
Read
both of today’s “Bible focus” passages and share what you see is
similar about both commands. What does this mean to each of you?
If
Jesus had not:
-
suffered and died for
our sins, and
-
shown he had overcome
sin by coming back to life and returning to heaven,
how
close to God would we be able to come?
Have
you tried to get close to God by just trying to be good?
Think now about each of
the parts of communion that Jesus asked us to remember him by: His
broken body (the bread, broken and eaten by everyone sharing in
communion) and, His blood poured out (the wine, or liquid drunk by
everyone sharing in communion).
Don’t try and give a
right answer, but share what you think these two things Jesus asked
us to remember him by, mean to you.
Remember a time you have
shared in communion. Think about all the people who shared in the
bread and the grape juice with you. How possible would it be for all
those people in the room to be perfectly loving and Godly? What, or
who is it that makes it possible for us all to come close to each
other and to God?
Jesus has promised us new and eternal life when we have faith in
him. He commanded that we be baptised once we believe in him, and
remember his sacrifice regularly in communion. Both of these
commands bring us back to see that God has done something for us we
did not deserve. He has given us grace because he gave us Jesus.
The Big Question
Grace is not easy because it is needed when there has been an unjust
hurt. The only reliable source of grace is God. If there is a
situation where you have been unjustly hurt, share about it briefly
and see if over this fortnight you can come to ask God through
prayer to give his grace to the person or organisation that hurt
you. (This is a really big thing to do, so go as far as you can in
asking God to give his grace, and see how you can support each other
when you meet next time.)
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