I went out on the web to see what I could find regarding baptism preparation. I was surprised how little material there was available (I mean, entering any three random words into Google will usually drown you in more information than you could ever desired). And most of what was posted was not particularly useful, and some of it absolutely bizarre.
So, I did what I should have done in the first place, and opened my Bible to search out the information on my own. And I've assembled a basic baptism preparation worksheet, which anyone is welcome to use in part or in whole in any manner you desire.
The worksheet is divided into four sections:
- "What Scripture says..." which is an overview of all the major elements of baptism from the Bible.
- An extract from the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith, which I thought gave some nice balance.
- "Putting it together..." where I'm looking for the student's understanding of the results of baptism.
- "Where I'm at..." which seeks to understand the purpose and spiritual state of the student.
- John, Jesus' first cousin, was known as John the Baptist.
What was the significance of his baptizing? (Matthew 3:1-12)
- Is this the same baptism that we do now in the Christian
church? What are the differences? (Acts 18:24-27; 19:3-5)
- What do you think it means to be baptized in the name of
Jesus? (Acts 10:48; 19:5)
- Should you expect to speak in tongues at or after your
baptism? (Acts 8:36-40; 10:44-48; 19:6)
- What does baptism tell you about being part of the Church?
(Rom 12:1-13; Eph 4:1-6)
- What does baptism tell you about your relationship with Jesus
and your position before God? (Rom 6:3-8; Col 2:8-15; 1 Peter
3:18-22)
- What does baptism announce to the world regarding your
intentions for your life? (Rom 6:1-14)
The 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith
- How does baptism affect your relationship with God?
- How does baptism affect your relationship with other
believers?
- How does baptism affect your relationship with non-believers?
- How did you become a Christian?
- What has God done in your life to bring you to this point?
- Why do you want to be baptized?
- What do you want to announce by your baptism?
- What do you hope will be the results of being baptized?
- Any other questions or concerns?