Breaking Ground
What’s been your favorite experience or part of summer so far? Why?
The Dig
This Sunday, we celebrated Baptism Sunday or THE BEST DAY EVER! With this in mind, reflect this week on the sacrament of baptism & your own experiences with it.
Have you been baptized? If so, what did it mean to you in the moment & what does it mean to you now? If not, then why haven’t you?
What do you believe to be the purpose of baptism? What role does it play in Christian spirituality & religion?
Next, read Acts 19:1-7. In this story, Paul comes across a group of other disciples who have undergone the ritual of baptism; but are not currently in possession of or relying upon God’s Spirit for guidance, transformation, or following Jesus. In doing so, Paul makes it clear that there’s a distinction between ritual & repentance vs. transformation & dependence upon God.
Why do you think Paul draws such a hard line between these two aspects of religion?
What happens when we embrace a vision of religion that’s solely about ritual/repentance & not transformation/trusting God? Why do you think it’s so tempting to do so?
Given this distinction, what role does baptism play in a healthy vision of spirituality & religion? How can we include both ritual/repentance & transformation/trust in our understanding of following Jesus?
Where do you find yourself most often leaning too far into a vision of religion that elevates ritual & repentance about transformation & trust? Where do you most often find yourself going too far in the other direction as well? What effect does this imbalance have on you & your discipleship?
How can you find greater balance between these two visions of religion in this next season of your life? How can the sacrament of baptism, Paul’s teaching, & the conversation you’ve had tonight help you do so?
Getting Out of the Hole
Take time each week to reflect upon the Sunday sermon.
- Have you been baptized? If so, take time to reflect on that experience. What led you to that decision? How did it feel/impact you in the moment? How do you reflect back upon it now?
- If you haven’t been baptized, then what do you think is holding you back from doing so? How might making the decision to be baptized impact your faith & discipleship journey?
- What does baptism mean to you today? How can it continue to direct you closer towards Jesus in this season of your life?
Additional Resources*
Centered Set Church by Mark D. Baker
Practicing the Way by John Mark Comer
TheBibleProject.com
Coming Up This Week:*
Sunday, July 5th: Join us next week as we continue seeking Jesus as the center of our church!
* Please see mye3.org for details.