STARTING

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Understanding Your New Identity

and How To Grow in Christ
STARTING
POINT
Understanding Your New Identity
and How To Grow in Christ
 Table of Contents
Lesson 1: Beginning Your New Life in Christ1
Learning more about Your Relationship with God from the Bible 1
Confidence in Your Relationship with God 1
Truths about Your Relationship with God 2

Lesson 2: Prayer: Communicating with God3

You Can Talk to God with Confidence that Hears and Responds 3
Developing a Life of Prayer 4
God’s Will and Timing  4
Remember to Be Thankful! 4

Lesson 3: The Holy Spirit: Your New Power Source  5

Who Is the Holy Spirit? 5
The Role of the Holy Spirit in your Life as a Believer 5
Living by the Spirit 6

Lesson 4: Your New Life in Community7

What is the Church? 7
Copyright © 2023, Watoto Church, Kampala, Uganda The Local Church 7
All scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, The Benefits of life in the Community of believers 7
Identifying a Healthy Local Church 8

Lesson 5: Telling Others about Jesus9

Share the Gospel - Good News about Salvation 9
Pray and Watch 10
Share Your Story 10
Ask for a Decision & Lead the Person to Christ in Prayer 10

Lesson 6: Baptism - Your Public Testimony12

Definition of Baptism: 12
Why is Baptism Important? 12
A celebration 12
An act of Obedience 13
Lesson 1: Beginning Your New Life in Christ 2. Confidence in Your Relationship with God
You can be confident in your new relationship with God because you have been
Congratulations on giving your life to the Lord Jesus and becoming his follower! completely forgiven and accepted by Him. Only Christ’s death on the cross is
Heaven and us, your Watoto church family rejoice and celebrate this most important sufficient to provide this important and special
decision you’ve made. relationship with God.

To help you start your new life in Christ with confidence, there are some important In Ephesians 2:8-9, three important ideas explain the basis of our acceptance before
things about your new life in Christ we would like to take you through. God:

a. GRACE: Unmerited favor, an undeserved gift.

1. Learning more about Your Relationship with God from the Question: What role did grace play in establishing your relationship with God?
Answer: You didn’t deserve this relationship, nor did you earn it by any good works.
Bible It is a free gift from God that you accepted when you received Christ through faith.
If you received a special letter or email from Jesus telling how much He loves you
and giving you guidance you need for daily life matters, would you read it? Of b. SAVED: Rescued, spared from disaster, spared from God’s anger, judgement and
course, you would! eternal separation from him.

That’s what the Bible is — God’s love letter to you! The Bible is God’s word for you Question: What do you think Ephesians 2:8-9 means by saying “you are saved”?
and to you. It is the source of the truth about your new life in Christ. Like reading From what are you rescued?
a love letter increases your love for the author, reading and studying the Bible Answer: Romans 6:23 says that the final result of sin is death. When you received
will help you to know God better. You will discover many treasures in your new Christ, you put your trust in Christ and his death for your sin. You have been rescued
relationship with Christ. from death and eternal separation from God.

Some Important Information about the Bible c. FAITH: Belief, trust, commitment of mind and heart, attitude, action.
Question: What does faith have to do with receiving Christ?
The Bible is one book containing a collection of 66 books combined together for Answer: Simply put, faith is believing or trusting God and his Word. When you
our benefit. The Bible is divided into two main parts: The Old Testament and the received Christ, you put your trust in Christ and his death for your sin. Instead of
New Testament. The Old Testament tells the story of the beginning of the world and believing in your own ability to earn God’s favor, you must now trust that you have
God’s promises given through the nation of Israel. It tells how the people of Israel been reconciled to God through what Christ has done for you.
obeyed and disobeyed God over many years. All the stories and messages in the
Old Testament lead up to Jesus Christ’s coming to the earth. Key Question: Suppose you were standing before God and he asked you, “Why
The New Testament tells the story of Jesus Christ, the early Christians, and God’s should I let you into my heaven?” What would you say?
promises to all those who believe in Jesus. You can think of the Old Testament as
“before Christ” and the New Testament as “after Christ.” 3. Truths about Your Relationship with God
Many exciting things have happened since you surrendered your life to Christ and
Each book of the Bible is divided into chapters and verses within those chapters came into a relationship with God. Being aware of these truths will help you build a
to make it easier to study. Bible references include the book name, chapter number firm foundation for your faith.
and verse number(s). For example, Ephesians 2:8 refers to the book of Ephesians,
the 2nd chapter, and verse 8 within that 2nd chapter. Printed Bibles (Hard copies a. You’re forgiven (Colossians 1:13-14). When you trusted Christ for the forgiveness
of the Bible) have a “Table of Contents” in the front to help you locate books by of your sins, all your sins were forgiven- past, present, and future. What difference
page number. Electronic Bibles also have a contents list by book. Each lesson in this does it make to you to know that your sin is forgiven?
booklet, is based on the bible to help you learn more about your new life in Christ.
b. You’re now a child of God (John 1:12). When you received Christ, you were ushered
Question: How can a person who has given their life to Jesus, know with certainty into a loving relationship with God as his child. How important is that to you?
that they’re now born again and have a personal relationship with God?
Based on what the Bible says, you have assurance that you have a secure and c. Jesus lives in you and will never leave you (Hebrews 13:5). Under what
personal relationship with God. So, the next section will highlight some truths in the circumstances might Christ leave you?
Bible to help you understand who you are now and what you have in Christ. Read
each Bible verse or verses and think through what they say. d. You have a new life ( 2 Corinthians 5:17). When you trusted Christ to be your

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Savior and Lord, you began a new spiritual life. God will increasingly produce new
qualities in you as you respond to him. Are you grateful that God has made all
Lesson 2: Prayer: Communicating with God
things new for you?
What Is Prayer?
e. You’ve received eternal life ( 1 John 5:11-13 ). On what is eternal life based? When Jesus taught his followers to think of God as their Heavenly Father. Prayer is
does a person’s eternal life begin? When will it end? communicating with your Heavenly Father and hearing back from Him. It is a
conversation with someone who loves you dearly. What a privilege for the believer
Key Question: If you were to die tonight, how sure are you that you would spend to go directly into God’s presence and talk with him about whatever is in their heart
eternity with God? Circle your answer: 0—25—50—75—100% or on their mind. God desires to hear from us, and he promises to listen and answer
us!
The benefits or blessings you have receive after giving your life to Jesus are based on
what he has done for you. None of them is earned. You received them the moment
1 John 5:14-15 tells us: “this is the confidence we have before him: that whenever we
you placed your faith in Christ. Are any of these truths especially meaningful to you
ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in
right now? If so, why?
regard to whatever we ask, then we know that we have the requests that we asked
from him.”
Scripture to memorize:
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves,
As a new Christian, you might be wondering, “What do I tell God in
it is the gift of God not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9, NIV).
prayer?”Encouraging news is that the Holy Spirit helps us to pray and teaches us
how and gives us confidence to pray (Romans 8:27). As you read the Bible, the Holy
Spirit will teach you who God is and how to talk with Him meaningfully.

As you learn about prayer, a key question to ask is: What words come to mind when
you think about the character of God? Is he someone you can know?

It’s important to understand that God is a good and loving Father in whom we put
our trust as we pray (2 Corinthians 6:18; 1 John 3:1; Matthew 7:11; Psalm 119:68).

Now that you know your heavenly father is good and loving, you shouldn’t be afraid
to approach him in prayer. As his child, you are always welcome in his presence. Go
to him boldly and confidently!

Hebrews 4:16 tells us: “Therefore, let us confidently approach the throne of grace to
receive mercy and find grace whenever we need help.”

You Can Talk to God Anytime and Anywhere

You can talk to God throughout the day, telling Him your needs, asking him for
guidance, and thanking him for everything He’s done for you. Please note that your
prayers do not have to be long. He hears and answers even short prayers: For
example, you can say to God, “Father, I need your peace,” or “Please
comfort me right now.” You can talk to Him at work, while driving in the car or when
you are talking with other people! He loves you so much that He longs to hear from
you.

You Can Talk to God about Anything

Your Heavenly Father loves you very much and wants to hear what is on your
mind. When you talk to him about your thoughts and needs, it shows him that
you trust and depend on him. You can cry out to him, and he promises to answer.
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What a wonderful guarantee! Your prayers do not have to be anything fancy. God God delights in you bringing him your requests since doing so is an act of faith,
is pleased with honesty, not impressed with formality. Right now you can tell God obedience and trust in him. Keep talking to him about your needs and desires. He
what is on your mind and also ask him to speak to you. will answer those prayers in his time and his way!

Remember to Be Thankful!
You Can Talk to God with Confidence that He Hears and God has done so much for you that it’s necessary to thank him in prayer and praise
Him because of his goodness and his unending love for you.
Responds
God has given us His Word, the Bible to teach us what His will is for all aspects Scripture to memorize:
of life of our lives. You can pray with confidence that He hears and answers your “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you
prayers because the Bible says so. need and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace,
which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and
Read 1 John 5:14-15 Again. what does it tell you? minds as you live in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7, NLT).

You can ask God what to do in any situation and believe he will guide you. Asking
God for guidance, wisdom, direction, strength, courage, peace, good health,
protection, a job etc shows you’re depending on him for help.

James 1:5 says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously
to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you”

Developing a Life of Prayer

As a Christian, you can approach prayer as a conversation with someone who loves
you dearly. As with any relationship, living in the Father’s love requires spending
regular time with him. So, plan a daily time that works for you to have focused time
with your Heavenly Father. It helps to have a place with few distractions. Jesus, as
our example, got away from the people surrounding him so that he could talk to his
Father, God (Mark 1:35; Luke 5:16; Matthew 14:23)

Question: In your daily life, when can you set aside focused time to communicate
with your
Heavenly Father? How would you minimize distractions?

You can start talking to your Father in the morning before you even get out of bed.
For example:
“Thank you, Lord for life and the goodnight i have had. Today, before I get going, I
just want you to know I love you and want to live to honor you today!”

“Lord, I am going to trust you to guide me today as I make some decisions or do

my work”.

God’s Will and Timing

Do not be discouraged when some of your prayers seem to go unanswered. God
in his goodness may choose to delay the answer you need or he may not answer
your prayers the way you expect. Countless Christians will tell you stories of God’s
faithfulness in answering prayers after many years of continual praying.

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Lesson 3: The Holy Spirit: Your New Power Source death on the cross dealt with your spiritual disease (sins); God’s grace has removed
your sins from you. You are forgiven and spiritually healed. That means, God’s Spirit
has restored life in you. What is declared about you now in Ephesians 2:4-5?
Amazing transformation has begun to take place since you gave your life to Jesus
as your Savior and Lord. You are now living a Christian life, which isn’t a standard of b. To give you a new beginning. What does this Scripture 2 Corinthians 5:17 say
performance nor laws to keep, but a living personal relationship with Jesus Christ. about you? You may not always feel new. But, in God’s eyes, you are totally new!

When you run a race, such as a marathon, it is your race to win or lose. Living for c. To teach you. Read John 16:13-15; 1 Corinthians 2:9-12. According those Scriptures,
Christ is different. what will the Spirit do for you?

Just as our relationship with God is totally dependent on what God has done d. To free you from the power of sin. Though you’re now spiritually born again,
through Jesus Christ, so the power to live a vibrant Christian life also comes totally attraction to old and sinful habits will keep manifesting in your life. Your own
from God. hormones and desires will crave to be fulfilled. But according to Galatians 5:16, what
freedom does the Spirit give to you?
A computer has all the potential to do what it was created to do, but it has no
power of its own. Similarly, a Christian cannot live as a new person on their own. So,
e. To present your needs to the Father. What is promised in Romans 8:26 ? How
the Holy Spirit is available to enable us to live the way God wants us to live.
does this make you feel?
When Jesus left the earth after his resurrection, he told his disciples to wait for the
f. To transform you into the likeness of Christ (Romans 8:29 and 2 Corinthians
“promise” he would send them from his Father. This is what Jesus told his disciples:
3:18). God’s awesome plan is to change you to become more like Jesus Christ in
“And look, I am sending you what my Father promised. But stay in the city until you
your character. The Spirit of Jesus who lives in you has begun this change, and he
have been clothed with power from on high” (Luke 24:49).
will continue his work throughout your life (Philippians 1:6). Is this
Without Jesus, living a life that pleases God is impossible. With Him, you can do something you desire for your life?
anything and everything through Christ who gives you strength through the Holy
Spirit. g. To produce fruit in you and through you. Read Galatians 5:22-23. These qualities
of Jesus’ character will grow in your life as you let the Holy Spirit take charge of
Discover more about the Holy Spirit and his role in your life your entire life.

h. To give you power. What does Acts 1:8 say you’ll become when you’re filled with
1. Who Is the Holy Spirit? the power of the Holy Spirit? To be a witness means to share with others what you
Even though he is invisible (can’t be seen, the Holy Spirit is a real person and have seen and experienced yourself.
completely God. He is addressed by several titles in the Bible: Spirit of God, Spirit of
Jesus, the Spirit, the Holy Spirit. The Bible teaches us that we worship one God in 3. Living by the Spirit
three Persons—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. (Mathew 28:19) As long as you live on earth, your life will be marked by a continuous battle between
the desire to do what your sinful nature wants and what God wants.
What do these verses say about the Holy Spirit?
John 14:16, 17 ; John 16:8 ; 2 Corinthians 3:17 But this is the solution: The Holy Spirit is a greater power than your sinful nature.
Choosing to listen to the Spirit and follow what He says will always be the right
When you gave your life to Jesus Christ, He actually came into your life and will be choice!
with you forever through the Holy Spirit living in you. You will never be alone!
What does Galatians 5:16-17 say about a life controlled by the Holy Spirit?
2. The Role of the Holy Spirit in your Life as a Believer Just as a soccer player freely chooses to let Him coach direct Him so he can do
a. To give you life. Read Ephesians 2:1-5. The Bible describes your life before Christ His best to win the game, we must choose to yield ourselves to the Holy Spirit’s
as being dead in your sins. Think of it as having a disease that led to death. Christ’s direction an guidance in our lives.

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The Spirit-controlled life is the life that’s under the full control of the Holy Spirit. So,
by faith we must yield to the Holy Spirit to control our lives. He gives us the power to
Lesson 4: Your New Life in Community
overcome our selfish tendencies. It is a privilege to enjoy fellowship with other believers in God’s awesome family on
earth, the Church.
You can pray this prayer right now:

“Dear Lord, I ask you to change my life from being self-centered into one that is Christ What is the Church?
centered. I no longer want to follow my sinful thoughts and actions. I give you, Holy The moment you became a Christian, the Holy Spirit placed you into a new family
Spirit, control of my thoughts, attitudes, words and behavior today. Fill me with yourself called the Church. The Church is spread across the whole world and made up of
and show me how to live a life that pleases Christ.” people from different racial and cultural backgrounds. Simply, the church is all
followers of Christ on earth. It is not limited to a building. As Christ is the head of
Key Question: The Spirit-controlled life is an exciting journey with Christ. Are you ready this spiritual family, all those who have given their lives to Him are part of his Body.
for that journey? When you think of what God has done for you, and how much he loves And, this family of God’s own children is given an amazing purpose - the privilege
you, is there anything better than that? of showing the world who God is.

Summary of what you’ve learnt. John 1:12-13 says, “To all who did receive Him, to those who believed in his name, He
God’s Spirit lives inside you forever (you are never alone!), gave the right to become children of God. 13 children born not of natural descent, nor
God’s Spirit empowers you to live your new life of faith, of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God”.
God’s Spirit produces the character of Christ in you.
1 Peter 2:9 also says, “You are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation,
God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for
Scripture to memorize: He called you out of the darkness into His wonderful light (NLT)
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law”
(Galatians 5:22-23, NIV).
The Local Church
While you are part of the universal Church, God wants you to be part of the
local church family. It is like having relatives all over the world but living with your
immediate family. A local church is a group of believers committed to worshiping
Christ, teaching his Word, supporting each other as they follow Jesus, growing
together and spreading the Good News of salvation to others.

Question: Why do you think it is important for you to fellowship and do life together
with other Christians?

The Benefits of life in the Community of believers

Hebrews 10:24-25 tell us, 24 “let us consider how we may spur one another on
toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in
the habit of doing, but encouraging one another and all the more as you see the
Day approaching”.

Just as logs burn more brightly when placed together, so Christians need each
other to grow and for encouragement. The local church provides opportunity for
us to enjoy life in the community.These are some of the benefits of belonging to a
local church:

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a. Growth - Ephesians 4:11-14 Through a local church, you experience growth in d. Encourages Believers to Proclaim the Good News
your spiritual life as you’re regularly taught God’s Word which helps you to know A healthy church is obedient to Jesus’s command in Matthew 28:19 to share the
God more. good news about Him with those who arent His followers. This is the assignment of
the worldwide Church to tell others about Jesus that they, too, may be saved and
added to God’s family.
b. Protection - Acts 20:28
Just as a house keeps people protected from harm, a good local church community In Matthew 28:19, Jesus told his disciples: “Therefore, go and make disciples of all
keeps Christians safe from false and harmful teachings. Church leaders who are nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit”.
faithful in preaching and teaching the pure Word of God will also encourage the
church community to obey and put into practice what God’s Word teaches.
Since you now have an idea of what a healthy church looks like, pray and ask God to
help you find the local church He wants you to be a part of. When you find a healthy
c. Learning to love Others - John 13:34-35. church that is committed to the things highlighted above, ask Him how you can get
Being part of a church family helps you learn to love others for who they are. As we involved in the life of your church family.
do so, we model God’s love to the world.

How to Get Actively Involved in Your Local Church Family:

d. Spiritual Gifts Attend worship or celebration services regularly.
According to 1 Corinthians 12:4-7 and Ephesians 4:16, God has given you gifts to Join a small group (cell) and participate in its activities.
serve your church family. A local church family can help you discover your gift or Use your time, gifts and resources to serve and reach others for Christ.
gifts and use them to bless the Body of Christ. Whether God has given you the gift Look for mature believers who can mentor you as you grow.
of singing, teaching, giving, helping others, encouraging etc., that gift is important Ask God for someone you can disciple and share with them what you are learning.
and needed for the healthy functioning of the Body of Christ. Support your church financially through your tithes (10 percent of your income)
and offerings.

Identifying a Healthy Local Church

No church is perfect just like no family is perfect. But a healthy church is committed Scripture to Memorize:
to certain things. So, a healthy church is one that: 24 Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.
25 And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage
one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near (Hebrews
a. Worships Christ
A healthy church presents Jesus as the Son of God and faith in Him alone as the 10:24-25, NLT)
only way to be saved from your sins and have a relationship with God.

b. Teaches His Word as the Truth

A healthy church honors the Bible as God’s Word, completely true, and the
guidebook or manual for matters of life and decision-making.

c. Nurtures and Inspires Believers to Follow Jesus

A healthy church encourages you to personally follow Jesus as His disciple and
grow stronger in your faith (Ephesians 4:11-14). When you are joined together with
other believers who are growing in Christ, you each encourage one another and
keep each other “fired up” for the Lord Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5:11 says, “encourage one another and build up each other, just as you
are in fact doing.”
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Lesson 5: Telling Others about Jesus
Jesus told his disciples that “Let your light shine before people, so that they can see
How did you first hear about Jesus? Most likely someone told you or preached your good deeds and give honor to your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16 ).
to you. Did you know that you have also been sent by the Lord to reach others
with the good news about Jesus? You and I as followers of Jesus Christ have the But, as we read at the beginning of this lesson, you must also share the Gospel
awesome privilege of sharing the good news of God’s love and eternal life with (Good news) so others may believe in Christ.
others. There is tremendous joy in reaching out to those who do not know Jesus The Gospel is the good news about Jesus Christ coming to the earth to save us
and introducing them to Him so they can know Him just as you now know Him. from our sins. If you have opportunity to tell someone one thing, tell them about
Jesus. Tell them that God loves them and wants a relationship with them. But sin
Apostle Paul says, “But how can they call on Him to save them unless they believe separates people from God’s love. Tell them that Jesus is God, who came to the
in Him? And how can they believe in Him if they have never heard about Him? And earth as a man, and died for everyone’s sins. Tell them that they can be completely
how can they hear about Him unless someone tells them?” (Romans 10:14, New Living forgiven of their sins and receive eternal life with God only by believing in Jesus as
Translation). Savior and Lord. That is the gospel.
Anyone can share it, and everyone needs to hear it. Pray and ask God for an
Telling others about Jesus is called the “Great Commission.” It is what Jesus told opportunity this week and any time to share the Gospel with someone. One
his followers before He left the earth to go to Heaven. “Go and make disciples of evangelist once said this, “Take the initiative to share the Gospel in the power of the
all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Holy Spirit and leave the results to God.”
Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you”
(Matthew 28:19-20).
2. Pray and Watch
When Jesus gave the command, “go and make disciples of all nations” to his You do not need to be an expert in the Bible or a person who has been a Christian
disciples, they were for many years to reach others for Him. There are several ways you can present
ordinary people like you and me. As a follower of Jesus now, it is your responsibility Christ to others on a daily basis. The first and most important thing to do is to pray.
to carry out that command. “All nations” includes your sphere of influence, wherever Ask the Holy Spirit to lead you to someone who is not a follower of Christ. It is the
that is (family, friends, workmates, schoolmates, neighbors). Holy Spirit’s job to draw people to Christ. You can pray like this for someone who
needs to give their life to Christ:
Think of it this way: Imagine you had cancer and were chosen to be part of a special
test group for a new drug. The treatment cured all of your cancer completely free of “Father, please send the Holy Spirit to work in the heart of---------(name of the
charge. What is the first thing you would do after you were healed? You would want to person you desire to become a follower of Christ) --------to draw him or her to
tell all of the other cancer victims about this great cure! Well, sin is a cancer affecting Jesus and make him or her a follower of Jesus.”
every single person. And you have been cured—forgiven of your sins by Jesus Christ. Do
you remember how your life was before you believed in Jesus? Maybe you were lonely, Keep on praying for that person as often as you think about them, Trust the Holy
guilty of the things you had done, depressed, fearful and without hope. The entire world Spirit to work in that person’s life and draw them to Jesus. You can ask the Spirit to
is lost without Jesus. That is why we are Christ’s ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20). He open the door to you to have a conversation with them. Make a deliberate effort to
has selected us to represent him and reach people who are not followers of Christ with spend time with that person.
his love and forgiveness.
When you talk to them, ask good questions to determine if the person is interested
Question: Are you willing to be Christ’s ambassador to those in your sphere of influence? in spiritual things or whether they have already given their life to Christ as their
If so, pray for someone who is not a follower of Christ and ask God to give you an Savior.
opportunity to tell them about Jesus.
You can ask questions such as:
What is your faith background?
How to tell others about Jesus What do you know about God?
What experience has shaped your life the most?
Have you ever read or been taught the Bible?
1. Share the Gospel - Good News about Salvation
Sharing the Gospel with others takes two basic forms: your walk and your talk. As
you grow in your relationship with Christ, others can see Christ by how you live
(your walk). As mentioned earlier, Jesus living his life through us is one way He
draws people to himself.
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3. Share Your Story Although the tendency is to spend most of the time on your “before Christ”
If you gave your life to Christ recently, you remember what your life was before Christ experience, only give enough information so someone else would know why you
came into your life. How did you feel? What triggered your need for Jesus? What did gave your life to Christ.
God use to draw you to Him? That may be how God will use you to reach others for Briefly share what your life was before you gave your life to Jesus.
Christ.
What were your attitudes, needs, and/or problems?
Once you have established a relationship with a person, and “earned the right to be What did you try to find security, peace or happiness in?
heard,” pray for an opportunity to share your story—what Christ has done in your life. Be In what ways were your efforts to find happiness, security, or peace unsuccessful?
ready for opportunities in the conversation where you can share a simple story of what Find 2-3 words to describe what Christ has dealt with in your life since you gave
God has done in your life. Give the person an opportunity to appreciate the change that your life to him (for example: loneliness, feelings of insignificance, anger, rejection,
has happened in your life. Arouse their interest and curiosity to hear more of what God
has done in your life. purposelessness, fear, recklessness, confusion etc).

b. How you gave your life to Christ (point of salvation)

4. Ask for a Decision & Lead the Person to Christ in Prayer Share when and how you first heard about Jesus.
As you talk to people about Jesus, expect God to work in their hearts. You can ask the What brought you to the place of being willing to listen to what was taught about
Jesus?
person you want to lead to Christ one of the following questions:
Who or what influenced you to give your life to Jesus?
How and when did you decide to follow Jesus?
Does this make sense to you? Describe how you felt after you made the decision to give your life to Christ.
Would you like to accept God’s gift of salvation?
Would you like to give your life to Christ now? 6. Share the gospel at this point- use 1 or 2 relevant Bible references.

If they are ready to make decision to give their life to Jesus, then pray with them. You can
pray with them like this (this is just an example): Practicing writing your salvation story:
Prepare a story of “Your life after becoming a born-again Christian”.
“Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for dying for all of my sins – past, present, and future.
Use the following questions as a guide:
Thank you for giving me eternal life and desiring me to have a relationship with you.
What specific change has occurred in your life since you gave your life to Christ?
I trust in you and receive you now as my Savior, and I welcome you to be the Lord of What issues are you still struggling with though you’re now born again?
my life.” How do you depend on Jesus to help you overcome those struggles?
What difference does having Jesus in your life make even when you’re facing
5. The Next Step for the Person who has Believed – Help them get challenging situations?
grounded in Christ
Once a person has come to Christ, now you have the privilege and honor of helping Very important: In your story, emphasize the positive change that has occurred in
them get established and grow in Christ. Connect them to church and a small group your life since you gave your life to Jesus.
(cell). By joining a community of believers, they can learn more about their relationship Scripture to memorize:
with Jesus from other believers. “But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they
believe in Him if they have never heard about Him? And how can they hear about Him
Telling Your Salvation Story unless someone tells them?”
People love to hear stories. Telling your salvation story is just that- your personal story (Romans 10:14, NLT)
about how you gave your life to Christ. It’s a more personal way to talk about the love
and work of God in your life and the love he has for all people. Your life and story
effectively show people what God has done in your life !

Use the following prompts to help you prepare a “Five-Minute salvation Story” that you
can share with someone when God gives you opportunity.

15 Watoto
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Point 16
Lesson 6: Baptism - Your Public Testimony Apostle Paul writes in Romans 6:3-4 that:
“ Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we
joined him in his death? For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And
Definition of Baptism: just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we
The English word “Baptism” has its roots in the Greek word “Baptizo” which also may live new lives” (NLT).
means to “dip”, “plunge”, “immerse” something in a liquid. Unfortunately,baptism
was changed from its original form of immersing people in water, to sprinkling or Ray Richard (a Christian writer) says this about the importance of baptism: “as you
pouring little water on one’s head for the following reasons. stand in the water waiting to be baptized, you symbolize Jesus dying on the cross.
As you are lowered into the water, you symbolize Jesus buried in the tomb. And as
First, people waited till late in life to accept baptism. Waiting to be baptised when you are raised from the water, you symbolize Jesus rising from the dead”.
people were older meant that, some risked dying before getting to a pool of water
that was sufficient for total immersion. As a compromise, the practice of sprinkling Your baptism then tells a story of the old life you’ve let go and the new life you’ve
began to occur. taken on because “if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has
gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17)
Secondly, the practice of baptizing infants was introduced in the church in the
late 2nd century. At Watoto Church we dont baptize children because it is neither 2. A celebration
taught nor practiced in the Bible. Instead, we dedicate children to Jesus. During baptism, a person who is baptized celebrates their decision to be a follower of
Jesus.We’re told Acts 8: 39 that the Ethiopian Eunuch whom Philip preached to and
Thirdly, it was believed that baptism washed away all the sins a person committed baptized “went on his way rejoicing” He was definitely celebrating his decision to believe
before they were baptized. So, if one was baptized just before they died, they would in Jesus and getting baptized.
not need to repent of sins committed after baptism. At Watoto Church, we baptize
people by immersing them in water because it was the method (mode) that was 3. An act of Obedience
used in the New Testament. After rising from the dead, Jesus met with his disciples and told them, “All authority
in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all
In the Bible, there are a number of instances in which baptism was practiced. For nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
example: Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am
with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20).
Many people who confessed their sins were baptized by John the Baptist (Matthew
3:5-6), The command to “make disciples” and “baptize them” applies to all the disciples of
Jesus was also baptized by John in River Jordan (Matthew 3: 13-16; Luke 3:21-22) Jesus in the past, present and future. In obedience to that command, we regularly
Jesus and his disciples baptized people (John 3:23) conduct baptism at every Watoto church campus. It happens on the second
3,000 new believers were baptized on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:41) weekend of each month. We don’t do it as a time-filler during a celebration service.
Ethiopian Eunuch who was also a high ranking official, was baptized by Philip (Acts We do it as something important Jesus commands his church to practice.But one
8:36-39) of the questions that is often asked is “Will a Christian who is not baptized go
Paul was baptized after his conversion (Acts 9: 18) to heaven?”The answer is “YES” they will go to heaven because baptism is not a
means to salvation. We’re not baptized to be saved. We’re saved when we accept
Jesus as our Saviour and Lord.
Why is Baptism Important?
Everyone who has given their life to Jesus ought to be baptized, because baptism is: However, as a Christian (a follower of Jesus, a child of God), a decision to be
baptized is an act of obedience to our Lord’s command.
1. A testimony Jesus says: “If you love me, obey (keep) my commands” (John 15:15, NIV).So, if
When a person is being baptized, they are in reality preaching the gospel visually. you love Jesus as his devoted follower, don’t hesitate to get baptized as soon as
opportunity is available.
In that moment, those being baptized are simply saying to the people witnessing their
baptism and the whole world that "I died with Jesus Christ, I was buried with Him and
now I am raised with Christ to a brand-new life” Scripture to Memorize:
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
17 Watoto Church Watoto Church 17 of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20, NIV). Watoto
StartingChurch
Point 18
Sources of Content NOTES

Melanie Brown. https://bible.org/series. ______________________________________________________________________

https://bible.org/question/what-are-historical-origins-infant-baptism
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Carl Mitchell, minister, Patrick Gardens Church of Christ, Jamaica
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Ray Pritchard, Senior Pastor, Calvary Memorial Church, Oak Park, Illinois
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 WATOTO CHURCH
Plot 73 Kampala Road, P.O Box 2311 Kampala
Email:[email protected]