CONNECt. GROW. SeRVE.

So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

Acts 2:41-42 (ESV)

Connect: Baptism

One Sunday afternoon there was a drunken man who was staggering down a country path. He came upon a baptismal service at a pond. There were many to be baptized that day and the drunk, not knowing what was going on, got in the line to be baptized. Finally, it was the drunk’s turn to be baptized. The preacher asked him, “Sir, did you find Jesus?” “No,” the drunken man said. With that, the preacher baptized him. The drunken man came up sputtering. The preacher asked again, “Sir, did you find Jesus?” “No,” the drunken man said. With that, the preacher baptized him again. The preacher asked again, “Sir, did you find Jesus?” “No,” the drunken man said. With that, the preacher baptized him again and this time made him stay under until his arms and legs were flailing. The preacher finally let him back up. The preacher asked again, “Did you find Jesus?” The drunken man said, “No, are you sure this is where he fell in?”

One of the ways we connect with God’s family is by baptism. The biblical purpose of baptism was to publicly show that one believed in the message of Jesus with the family of God. In Acts chapter 2 we see the birth of the New Testament Church. It was a group of people who shared core beliefs about Jesus as God’s resurrected Son who was sent to save us from our sins. And they were baptized as a way of professing those beliefs. In some ways, baptism was the team uniform for God’s family. One of the missions Jesus gave the church before He ascended back into heaven was to baptize more of His followers.

Reflection

Connecting with each other is one of our core values at Second Baptist. If we accept His message and are baptized we are part of God’s family. Accepting the message should come before baptism. We call this “believer’s baptism” because it’s someone professing their beliefs. Have you experienced “believer’s baptism?” If not, contact us at  info@sbcwr.org for more information on being baptized.

Praise

Thank God for opening your eyes to understanding the Gospel and the privilege of being baptised into the family of God.

And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship,

to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

Acts 2:42 (ESV)

Connect: Fellowship

Adrian Rogers elaborates on “fellowship” with the tuning of instruments: Now, we have a piano here, and we have a piano here. Those pianos ought to be in tune. Now, I don’t know a lot about tuning pianos, but I’ve read this, and I believe it to be true: that it is virtually impossible to tune one piano to another piano. But, if you get a tuning fork, and tune that piano to the tuning fork, and tune this piano to the tuning fork, do you know what happens? Ipso facto—they’re in tune with one another—isn’t that true? When you’re in tune with Jesus, and I’m in tune with Jesus, then, friend, you’re going to be in tune with me, and I’m going to be in tune with you.

In Acts 2:42 the early church was devoted to the fellowship. Fellowship describes a close association involving mutual interests and sharing. This certainly spoke of their faithfulness to assemble together. Hebrews 10:24-25 challenges us to “consider one another in order to provoke love and good works, not neglecting to gather together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day approaching.

Reflection

Have you ever heard I don’t need the church to be right with God? The bible makes it extremely clear that biblical gathering and fellowship is important to God. Is gathering with other believers as much a priority for you as it is for God? We would love for you to consider becoming a member of the Second family if you aren’t. The next step is our Second Life Class. You can stop by one of our Welcome Centers or call the church office to sign up for our next Second Life Class.

 Praise

Praise God for giving you a church family, like Second Baptist Church, that values you and values biblical fellowship.

So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

Acts 2:41-42 (ESV)

Grow 

The teacher of the earth science class was lecturing on map reading. After explaining about latitude, longitude, degrees and minutes the teacher asked, “Suppose I asked you to meet me for lunch at 23 degrees, 4 minutes north latitude and 45 degrees, 15 minutes east longitude . . .?” After a confused silence, a student said, “I guess you’d be eating alone.” 

One of the values of the New Testament church was a commitment to learning from the “apostles’ teaching” together. The word “devoted” implies a continual process. They understood and believed that the Bible was God’s Word and was essential in growing in their walk with God. 1 Peter 2:2-3 says we should, “Like newborn infants, desire the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow up into your salvation, if you have tasted that the Lord is good.” The church was filled with babies in Christ and they just wanted all the milk of God’s Word they could get.

Reflection

We are committed to helping you Grow, here at Second Baptist Church. Are you devoted to hearing good bible teaching with other believers? Would your hunger for the Word of God be compared to a baby craving milk? Ask God to grow your hunger and understanding of His word.

Praise

Thank God for the good bible teachers who have helped you over the years. Thank God for the people who you have been able to grow in Christ with.

And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes,

they received their food with glad and generous hearts,

Acts 2:46 (ESV)

Grow: Life Groups

Author Max Lucado tells of an episode from his youth. He was part of a group of young people from his church who, as a service ministry, took the Lord’s Supper to homebound or hospitalized members of the church. He and his friends visited one elderly gentleman in particular who was in the hospital–nothing serious, just a minor illness–and these young people were disappointed to find that the gentleman was fast asleep. Nothing they did, it seemed, could stir him from his sleep.

Well, they were crestfallen; they hated to leave without performing their duty. So, one of the eleven-year-olds pointed out that the gentleman’s mouth was open. The young boys looked at each other, as if to say, “Why not?” and they broke off a tiny little piece of a wafer, and placed it in the elderly gentleman’s mouth, and poured in a tiny sip of grape juice; and sure enough, the man swallowed. He never woke up. Max Lucado goes on to write: “Neither do many people today.”

It pleases God when we do life together. The New Testament church “broke bread from house to house.” This refers to the celebration of the Lord’s Supper but could also refer to an independent fellowship meal. Certainly the Lord’s Supper instituted by Jesus followed an actual meal. These people did church life together but also had meals together in the homes in small groups.

Reflection

Life Groups are for everyone at Second Baptist Church. These groups provide a weekly, small-group Bible study experience where people gather together for study, fellowship, and encouragement. This is a place where we put into practice so much of what we talk about in our large gatherings. You can stop by one of our Welcome Centers or call the church office for more information about joining a Life Group.

Praise

Thank God for the small group of believers He has sent into your life to do life with you. Ask God to grow more small groups at our church.

Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.

Romans 12:6-8 (ESV)

Serve

Joe had been away from his family for two weeks and was lonely. As he sat down in a little cafe to eat, the waitress asked, “What would you like?” Joe responded, “I want some lasagna and a few kind words.” The waitress soon returned with his order, set it in front of him and turned to leave when Joe said, “Say, what about my kind words?” She leaned down to his ear and whispered, “Don’t eat the lasagna.”

Some people have the gift of cooking and others don’t. Some people have the gift of words and others don’t. When it comes to serving others, Christians have been given a variety of gifts. Romans 12 teaches that our gifts are given by the grace of God. The quiet person who serves in the church nursery is using his gifts. The extroverted person serving on the  greeting team is using her gifts. The couple welcoming new families into their home for a meal is using their gift of hospitality.

Reflection

In 1 Corinthians 12:12-26 the Apostle Paul explains the importance of each part of the body of Christ doing its unique job. Take some time to read that passage. In what ways do you think the Second church family is missing out on the gifts you’ve been given to serve with? If you’re interested in hearing about all the ways you can serve at Second, contact Hannah Kennedy at hannahk@sbcwr.org.

Praise

Praise God for the ways you’ve been blessed by other people using their gifts to serve you.