Ben Phebus // Rockford Campus // August 25, 2024

 

Unashamed: Baptism Sunday

SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION GUIDE

 

REMINDERS

Unashamed: Beach Baptisms were Sunday, 8/25 at the Maranatha Conference Grounds (4759 Lake Harbor Road, Norton Shores). We had over 70 people come forward to be baptized. 70+ people who made the public declaration that they are a new creation in Christ Jesus – that He has rescued them and brought them to new life!

If you or someone you know would like to be baptized, or have questions about what that means for us here at Magnify Church, please follow the link and register to have a conversation with one of our team members!

 

LIFE GROUP LEADER GATHERING (Wed. September 4, 6:30pm – Rockford Campus)

In a few weeks we’re hosting an evening to catch up as group leaders and prepare for the fall to be a successful time of re-grouping as many come back together after the summer break. We’ll take some time to talk about the upcoming fall, do some preparation for the GROUPS SUMMIT, and take time to pray for and with each other as we go.

We’ll have desserts and drinks, just bring yourself!

Please RSVP to our Groups Admin Kim Fernando ([email protected])

 

LEADER DEVELOPMENT CLASS (Sun. Oct 6, 6-7pm – Rockford Campus Room 300)

We’re relaunching our LDC this fall! Come join fellow group leaders from various ministries to both get sharper and help sharpen others in faith. Whether you’ve led a group for 20 years or you’re just getting started, this class is open to all leaders young and old. No RSVP necessary.

New Leaders:  Please plan to attend 8 of these classes over the course of Oct. 2024 through April 2025.

Veteran Leaders: Please plan to attend 4 of these classes between Oct. 2024 through April 2025.

 

Fall Events are right around the corner. With the turn of the page of the calendar into August comes Fall planning in full swing. As you and your family begin to carve out time in your schedules, please be sure to keep an eye on what’s going on across the church.

We want to do our very best as a congregation to help everyone become a disciple of Jesus through the ways we Worship, Learn, Relate, Give, Serve, and Reach.

Please connect with us if you have any questions or ideas for this Fall!

 

TOGETHER IN LIFE

This past weekend was our Baptism Sunday. If you’ve been baptized, share about that experience for you. When and where were you baptized? Do you remember who was involved in helping you be baptized? What do you remember from that day?

 

TOGETHER IN THE WORD

THIS WEEK’S KEY PASSAGE: Romans 3

Note: We encourage you to read the entire text together out loud.

 

Baptisms Impact

This past Sunday morning, Pastor Ben Phebus laid out some important Scriptures for the significance of baptism in our faith journey. He included many illustrations, the first encouraging us to imagine what we get most excited about. In this, getting us to think about our priorities:

QUESTIONS

• What is something you think, dream, and plan for that excites you? Perhaps it’s family vacations, business ideas, or – as in Ben’s case – something recreational like hunting season.
• What about that experience brings about excitement? What about it causes you to spend some of your life’s work, energy, money, and time planning for it?
• How does this compare to the excitement of living the Christian life? Do you think, dream, and plan for moments in your faith journey?

 

The Standard of Goodness

READ Romans 3:21-26

As we consider the condition of our heart, we all try to come to grips with right and wrong, good and evil and where our life stacks up in relationship to the right/good or wrong/evil. How we determine this says a great deal about our view of God, the world, and ourselves. According to this passage in Romans (and others like it), we’re all guilty people – we all are short of the standard of “the good”.

QUESTIONS

• What is your standard for “goodness” in life? Where does this come from? Was it mostly based on how you were raised? Was it shaped mostly since you’ve become an adult?
• What has it looked like for you to determine good/right from evil/wrong in these past few years?
• How does this compare to the world’s standards of “Goodness” or “rightness”?
• What does this passage tell us about God’s view of rightness?

 

In the message, Ben shared an image that illustrates our separation from God because of our sinful condition.

On the right side is God, on the left is us. In between is a chasm caused not only by the sins of Adam and Eve, but also by our continuing sinful condition on our own.

 

In the image of the humans on the left is three postures:

• Running toward God: attempting to achieve goodness to get closer to right-ness with God by our behaviors. For example: serving continuously, having all the right head-knowledge of God, and speaking boldly about God.
  • This falls short because it never actually humbles the self, acknowledges the depth and breadth of our sinful state, and wrongly believes that God can be brought near by our efforts.
• Standing still: whether through apathy or through despair, one can put themselves in a “stuck” position by not thinking about him all that much.
  • This misses the mark by totally ignoring God and/or pretending like there isn’t actually anything wrong with ourselves apart from Him.
• Running away from God: this is full on rebellion that acknowledges God’s existence (even if sarcastically) but willfully and intentionally moves in the direction away from Him.

Ben made note that in any case, we are actually all rebelling against a holy and just God. Romans 3 reminds us that not a single one of us is without excuse.

 

A Gift Understood: Justification, Redemption, Propitiation

Read Romans 3:22-25 and 6:23 Ephesians 2:8-9

When we receive a gift, it is an act of love on behalf of the giver. To attempt to purchase the gift is a rejection of that love – it changes the nature of the gift itself into a transaction. To outright reject the gift until it is somehow earned dishonors the giver and breaks relationship in the ways the giver intends to bring it life.

QUESTIONS

• What does Romans 6:23 tell us about the cost of death?
• Do you really believe this is true? How so?
• What does Romans 6:23 remind us about God’s forgiveness?
• Do you really believe this? How so?
• What does it mean to be Justified before God?
• What does it mean to be Redeemed by God?
• What does it mean that He was the propitiation of our sins?

 

Ben said: (see the YouTube video timestamps listed after each to rewatch these moments to remind you…)

“When you see ‘Justified’, I want you to think about, ‘declared righteous, declared to be without sin'” (48:24 – 49:06)

“When you see ‘Redemption’, I want you to think, ‘He paid my ransom'” (57:42 – 58:35)

“When you hear ‘Propitiation of our sins’, I want you to think ‘Jesus absorbed God’s wrath'”   (59:25 – 1:00:12)

A Gift Received

Read Ephesians 2:8-9

HERE’S THE GIFT – Video Clip (1:04:11 – 1:05:10)

Faith (trust in Christ) and Grace go hand in hand. Baptism is the visual representation of our belief that Jesus died and was raised on our behalf.  Jesus in my place. This is what baptism is for the followers of Jesus.

LIFE BEFORE AND LIFE SINCE Clip (1:06:43 – 1:07:43)

 

QUESTIONS

• What does Rom. 3:25 and Eph. 2:8-9 tell us about receiving that gift?
• How should our life be different if we are found in Christ?
• What has this looked like in your life?

 

TOGETHER IN ACTION & PRAYER

As we take stock of our lives in response to Jesus’ offer of new life in Him, we come face to face with ourselves. God longs for us to come to Him not only to receive forgiveness and grace, but to be the source of New Life from the moment of salvation forward. He wants to give you all you need.

Consider: What is a Next Step you need to take today in your faith?

For some who may have been hesitant this past weekend, perhaps you need to be baptized.

For others, you’ve been holding out on going “all in” with Jesus.

Other still, perhaps there’s been an area of “holding back” where you have not yet allow God to infiltrate that area of your life out of fear of what He may ask you to do.

Take time to pray over these things as a group.

Think about, pray for  and encourage one another in your Next Step and help one another be accountable to living these out daily.

Find a spot in your next 7 days to text your group about how it is going.