1. powerpoint presentation designed by claro ruiz vicente http://clarovicente.weebly.com Adult Bible Study Guide Oct Nov Dec 2012 Adult Bible Study Guide Oct Nov Dec 2012

2. Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide An Appeal Dear User…. This PowerPoint Show is freely shared to all who may find it beneficial. While intended primarily for personal use, some find it useful for teaching the lesson in church. There are those, however, who add illustrations, change background, change fonts, etc. While their intention may be good, this is not right. Slide #1 says “designed by claro ruiz vicente.” For honest Christians, it is not necessary for another’s creation to be copyrighted in order to be respected. P LEASE U SE A S I S.

3. Kwabena Donkor Principal Contributor

4. Growing in Christ Contents 1. The Great Controversy: The Foundation 2. Revelation and the God Revealed in It 3. Man: God’s Handiwork 4. Salvation: The Only Solution 5. Growing in Christ 6. Victory Over Evil Forces 7. “Arming” for Victory 8. The Church: In Service to Humanity 9. The Church: Rites and Rituals 10. The Law and the Gospel 11. The Christian Life 12. Last Things: Jesus and the Saved 13. When All Things Become New

5. Growing in Christ Our Goal {169} THE goal of the quarter is to help us to not just believe the Truth (John 14:6), but to love Him even more and to grow in His grace.

6. Growing in Christ Lesson 9, December 1 Growing in Christ Lesson 9, December 1 The Church: Rites and Rituals

7. Key Text Acts 2:38 NKJV “Then Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’ ”

8. The Church: Rites and Rituals Initial Words {267} RITES formalize the Christian’s commitment to their professed faith. 1. Confirms participation and fellowship in the community. 2. Helps in becoming a faithful and productive member of that community. 3. Helps in understanding what their commitment to Christ must entail.

9. The Church: Rites and Rituals Quick Look 1. The Ordinance of Baptism (Romans 6:2-8) 2. The Ordinance of Humilty (John 13:3-5) 3. The Ordinance of Lord’s Supper (Matthew 26:26-28)

10. The Church: Rites and Rituals 1. The Ordinance of Baptism Romans 6:3-8 NKJV “DO you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, and just as Christ was raised from the dead even so we also should walk in the newness of life.”

11. 1. The Ordinance of Baptism Symbols of {268} 1. ROMAN 6:3-8. Spiritual union with Christ, involving participation in His suffering, death, and resurrec- tion, as well as the renunciation of one’s former lifestyle. Baptism is linked with repentance and the forgiveness of sin; the new birth and reception of the Spirit; and entrance into the church.

12. 1. The Ordinance of Baptism Symbols of {268} 2. Colossians 2:11, 13. Covenantal and spiritual relationship with God through Christ. It represents what circumcision represented in the Old Testament.

13. 1. The Ordinance of Baptism Symbols of {268} 3. Acts 2:5, 8. Transfer of loyalties. One that places a person into a community that is consecrated to the service of Christ. The reception of the Spirit in baptism enables believers to serve the church and work for the salvation of those who are not yet in the faith.

14. The Church: Rites and Rituals 2. Ordinance of Humility John 13:3-5 NKJV “JESUS…rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel….”

15. 2. Ordinance of Humility Foot-washing Service {270} IT’S hard to imagine the pain that must have been going on in the heart of Jesus as He—about to face the Cross, the greatest humiliation possible—saw the jealousy and infighting among His own disciples over who would be the greatest in His kingdom.

16. 2. Ordinance of Humility Foot-washing Service {270} Who in his or her right mind would rather be the one serving than the one served? No words He could have said would have conveyed the truth of what real greatness is in the eyes of God more forcefully than His washing the feet of those who should have been kissing His feet.

17. The Church: Rites and Rituals 3. Ordinance of the Lord’s Supper Matthew 26:26-28 NKJV “JESUS took bread, blessed it and broke it, and gave it…and said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body.’ Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it…saying, ‘Drink from it…. For this is my blood of the true covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.’ “

18. 3. Ordinance of the Lord’s Supper Body and Blood {271} THE Lord’s Supper replaces the Passover festival of the old covenant era. Just as the Passover festival commemorated Israel’s deliverance from slavery in Egypt, the Lord’s Supper commemorates the deliverance from spiritual Egypt, the bondage of sin.

19. 3. Ordinance of the Lord’s Supper Body and Blood {271} The Passover lambs’ blood applied to each house protected the inhabitants from death; the nourishment that its flesh provided gave the strength to escape from Egypt. So, Christ’s sacrifice brings liberation from death; believers are saved through the partaking of both His body and blood.

20. 3. Ordinance of the Lord’s Supper Body and Blood {271} When you add to the Lord’s Supper the foot-washing, we should also get a sense of the communal nature of this ordinance. The Communion service should help us all to realize our obligations, not just to the Lord but to one another, as well.

21. “For as often as you eat this bread, and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes” (1 Corinthians 11:26 NKJV). What Jesus did on the cross for us doesn’t reach its ultimate culmination until the Second Coming. 3. Ordinance of the Lord’s Supper Anticipation of the Second Coming {272}

22. The Church: Rites and Rituals Final Words {268} THESE “ordinances” are not conduits of grace or acts by which we earn salvation or gain merit before God. Only the death of Jesus on the cross was sufficient to accomplish the salvation. The ordinances are outward symbols of our acknowledgment of what Christ has done for us and of our union with Him.