Relationships of the Believer

Lesson Goal: Our goal in this lesson is to better understand two important practices that are to be a part of the life of each congregation - baptism and the Lord's Supper.

1. Read Matthew 28:18-20--18 Then Isa came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 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, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

a. Who does Isa command to be made disciples?

b. Following their being made disciples, what is to happen to those people according to verse 19? 

c. What are those disciples then to be taught according to verse 20? 

2. Read Acts 2:37-39--37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?" 38 Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Isa al-Masih for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off--for all whom the Lord our God will call."

NOTE: In Acts 2 Isa sends the Holy Spirit to live within his followers. The Apostle Peter, in the Holy Spirit's power, then preaches to a huge crowd of Jews and tells them first to repent of their sins and then to place their faith in Isa al-Masih to receive salvation. We see the results of his message in the passage mentioned above.

a. What did the crowd ask Peter on hearing his words? 

b. In response to their question, what command did Peter give them? 

c. How many people were baptized on that day according to verse 41?

3. Read Acts 8:26-39--26 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Go south to the road--the desert road--that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." 27 So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, 28 and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the book of Shaya the prophet. 29 The Spirit told Philip, "Go to that chariot and stay near it." 30 Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Shaya the prophet. "Do you understand what you are reading?" Philip asked. 31 "How can I," he said, "unless someone explains it to me?" So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. 32 The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture: "He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth. 33 In his humiliation he was deprived of justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth." 34 The eunuch asked Philip, "Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?" 35 Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Isa. 36 As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, "Look, here is water. Why shouldn't I be baptized?" 38 And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. 39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing.

a. Who did Philip meet in the desert?

b. The man he met was reading from what book of Scripture?

c. What was the official's response on learning that Isa had paid for his sins through dying on the cross? (See vss. 37,38) 

d. In this incident, how long after coming to faith in Isa was the new believer baptized?

4. Read Romans 6:1-4--1 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2 By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3 Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into al-Masih Isa were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as al-Masih was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

a. Since we have been saved by grace, are we therefore free to continue sinning?

b. According to verse 4, through baptism we have been united with al-Masih in what?

c. We were buried with al-Masih through baptism in order that, through the glory of the Father, what might happen? 

5. General Questions Relating to Baptism. Answer the below questions on the basis of what you have learned in the four sections above.

a. What two things are necessary before a person takes baptism? 

b. How long after repentance and faith should a person be baptized? 

c. In your opinion, will receiving baptism be of any benefit to a person who has not sincerely repented of his sins and placed his faith in Isa? Why or why not? 

d. Which would you say is therefore more important - the inward change in a person's life through repentance and faith or the outward sign of that change which is baptism?

e. Suppose a person has come to repentance and sincere faith in Isa, but has no opportunity to be baptized. If that person should die in that condition, will he be saved? Why or why not? (Consider Luke 23:39-43--39 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: "Aren't you al-Masih? Save yourself and us!" 40 But the other criminal rebuked him. "Don't you fear Allah," he said, "since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong." 42 Then he said, "Isa, remember me when you come into your kingdom. " 43 Isa answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.") 

6. Read Exodus 12:1-14,26,27--1 Allah said to Musa and Harun in Egypt, 2 "This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year. 3 Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household. 4 If any household is too small for a whole lamb, they must share one with their nearest neighbor, having taken into account the number of people there are. You are to determine the amount of lamb needed in accordance with what each person will eat. 5 The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats. 6 Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the people of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight. 7 Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs. 8 That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast. 9 Do not eat the meat raw or cooked in water, but roast it over the fire--head, legs and inner parts. 10 Do not leave any of it till morning; if some is left till morning, you must burn it. 11 This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is Allah's Passover. 12 "On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn--both men and animals--and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am Allah. 13 The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt. 14 "This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to Allah--a lasting ordinance. 26 And when your children ask you, `What does this ceremony mean to you?' 27 then tell them, `It is the Passover sacrifice to Allah, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when he struck down the Egyptians.' " Then the people bowed down and worshiped. 

NOTE: Allah sent the Prophet Musa to deliver the descendants of Ibrahim out of slavery in Egypt. Through Musa, Allah sent nine plagues onto the Egyptians and the final and tenth is about to come in this passage. Now Allah tells the Israelites how they can avoid the destruction of the tenth plague.

a. What was the tenth plague to be? 

b. What must the Israelites do to escape? 

c. What was to be applied to each believer's home as a sign in order to escape the destroyer angel?

d. In order to remember for all time their deliverance, what are they commanded to do? 

e. What is the name of the festival arising from this incident?

7. Read Matthew 26:17-19,26-28--17 On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Isa and asked, "Where do you want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover?" 18 He replied, "Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, `The Teacher says: My appointed time is near. I am going to celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house.' " 19 So the disciples did as Isa had directed them and prepared the Passover. 26 While they were eating, Isa took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take and eat; this is my body." 27 Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. 28 This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

NOTE: This incident occurs directly before Isa's arrest, trial and death on the cross.

a. The disciples are making preparations for which festival?

b. What does the bread symbolize?

c. What does the wine in the cup symbolize?

d. Allah's new covenant was established for what purpose? (See the end of vs. 28) 

8. Read 1 Corinthians 11:23-32--23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Isa, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me." 25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me." 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. 27 Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. 28 A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30 That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. 31 But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment. 32 When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world.

a. Who is the person Allah used to write this book of Scripture?

b. The instructions in this passage were given so that the congregation in Corinth would regularly and properly celebrate the Lord's Supper. From verse 26, what does our taking the Lord's Supper proclaim? 

c. Before partaking of the Lord's Supper, what ought every believer to do? 

d. What can happen to the person who partakes unworthily? 

e. Thus, if we are aware of any sin in our lives, what should we do before taking the Lord's Supper?

9. General Questions Related to the Lord's Supper.

a. What relationship is there between the Lord's Supper and the Passover? (See John 1:29--The next day Yahya saw Isa coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of Allah, who takes away the sin of the world!)

b. Do you practice the Lord's Supper in your local congregation?

c. If so, how and when? 

d. If your local congregation does not observe the Lord's Supper, what could you do to help them see the need for doing so? 

 

TO MEMORIZE - MATTHEW 28:18-20

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