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Why Should I Be a Christian?

Read the story about a man named Nicodemus in John 3:1-7. Jesus told us we must be “born again” in order to get to heaven. Well, we all know we have been born once, since we are all here! What Jesus meant is we must be born again into His family. We must become children of God. How do we become “Born Again?” By going through the ABCs:

Admit that you are a sinner who needs a Savior. 1. Read Romans 3:23 and highlight it in your Bible. According to this verse who has sinned? 2. Read Romans 6:23 and highlight it in your Bible. According to this verse what do you deserve if you sin? What is the free gift offered to you instead?

Believe that Jesus is the only Savior available. 3. Read Romans 5:8 and highlight it in your Bible. According to this verse who gave His life for us? 4. Why did He do this?

Choose to follow Jesus. 5. Read Romans 10:9-10 and highlight it in your Bible. It gives us a clear way to know if we are a Christian or not. How can you know if you are saved? Draw a picture of a cross in between YOU and GOD. Imagine Jesus Christ as the bridge between you and God. Write “Jesus” on the cross.

YOU GOD If you were to draw yourself on the picture above, where would you be? Draw a stick figure to show where you are in your relationship to God. If you truly believe and do the ABCs, pray this prayer: “Dear God, I know I’m a sinner. Please forgive me. I believe that Jesus died for my sins. I want Jesus to come into my life and be my Savior. I want to follow Him and obey Him. I want Him to be the Lord of my life. Amen.”

TIPS FOR PARENTS 1. Read the New Believer in Christ, Kid’s Edition booklet you got in our Kids Baptism Class with your child. 2. Answer the questions in this worksheet (don’t feel like you need to complete it in one sitting). 3. Read the book Leading Your Child to Jesus by David Staal (available in The Island or Amazon.com). 4. When you feel your child is ready to get baptized please call the church at 760-245-2415 x270

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What’s Baptism All About?

Being baptized is very important to our Christian walk because it’s something Christ asked us to do. However, I have to be honest with you, I really didn’t want to be baptized because I was afraid of 2 things. The first thing was the water. I didn’t want to go all the way under. You know, that no air thing kind of scared me. The second thing was I was afraid everyone would see me, you know, I’d be embarrassed. Unfortunately for me those 2 things were pretty important and could not be left out.

The Bible says Christ died for our sins, was buried, and then raised again on the third day. That’s what baptism symbolizes. When you stand in the water it’s a symbol of Christ dying on the cross. When you go under the water it is a symbol of Christ being buried in the tomb. When you come up out of the water it is a symbol of Christ being raised from the dead. All of this is done in front of people so you can show them that you have made a commitment to follow Christ!

Did you know: The word “baptize” means “to dip under water”?

Baptism cannot get you to Heaven. Read Ephesians 2:8-9 and write down in your own words how we get to Heaven.

Act of obedience. According to Matthew 28:19 who should be baptized?

Picture of Christ’s Death, Burial, and Resurrection. Read Colossians 2:12 and fill in the blanks: Going under the water is a picture of Christ being in the tomb. Coming up out of the water is a picture of Christ being on the 3rd day.

Those who believe in Christ. Did you know that only those who have asked Jesus into their heart need to be baptized?

Identifies you with Christ. According to Romans 6:4 who are you identifying with when you are baptized?

Symbol of belief. 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 talks about Christ dying, being buried, and then being raised from the dead on the third day. How is baptism a symbol of these two verses?

Must be under water. What did Jesus do in Matthew 3:13-16 before He began His ministry? How was it done?