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The first-ever Christian sermon ended with this application, “And Peter said to them, ‘repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). Peter had just told a huge crowd that Jesus had died and rose again, and their response was to repent and be baptized. Peter’s sermon application has a lot to teach us.
A lot of people these days are Christians for years before getting baptized. That’s unfortunate because, in the New Testament, baptism comes at the start of your Christian life. Peter told a group of non-Christians that their first step in following Jesus was to get baptized. Jesus made the same point in Matthew 28:19–20: Baptism comes at the start of a life of obeying his commandments. It is initiatory. If you’re a new Christian, you should be baptized. If you’ve been a Christian a long time but have never been baptized, it’s time to do what Jesus commanded you to do at the beginning of your Christian life. It’s never too late to do what is right!
Notice who is called to be baptized—it is the same people who are being called to repent. Repenting means turning from your sin. Only people old enough to consciously turn from their sins should be baptized. You don’t get baptized because you are related to someone who has repented—you get baptized when you have repented.
We know that there are many fine Christians who do not agree about who should be baptized and how they should be baptized. Yet, we believe the word "baptism" literally means “to dip.” Biblical baptism involves sinners being immersed completely in water. Why? Because it is symbolic (see below).
If you have read the Bible before, you might be surprised that Peter said, “Repent and be baptized.” After all, didn’t Jesus say, “Repent and believe” (Mark 1:15)? Are we supposed to repent and be baptized or repent and believe? Well, the answer is both, and the reason the words "baptism" and "believe" can almost be used interchangeably is that baptism is an act to symbolize our faith. In 1 Peter 3:21, the Bible says that baptism is, “an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” Baptism symbolizes the death and resurrection of Jesus.
When Peter told the crowd to be baptized, 3000 of them did. These same three thousand people immediately “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers” (Acts 2:42). In other words, they devoted themselves to committed church life. If you are baptized at Monterey, we trust you will enter yourself into committed church membership as well.
After reading these words, you may be saying, “That’s me! I have repented of my sins. I believe in Jesus! I want to be immersed in water as a symbol that proclaims my trust in Jesus to cleanse my conscience through his death and resurrection.” If that is you, we encourage you to talk to the pastor or a deacon.
On the other hand, some of you may be confused after reading these words. You may be asking common questions like, “I was baptized by sprinkling, does that count?” Or, “I was baptized before I repented and believed, does that count?” Or, maybe you’re asking, “Can my child be baptized?” All of these questions are common, and we would be delighted to talk through them with you. We encourage you to talk to our pastor or a deacon.
At MBC, we celebrate the Lord’s Supper monthly. We share bread and fruit of the vine to remember the death of our Lord Jesus Christ for us. The bread symbolizes his body given for us. The fruit of the vine celebrates his blood shed for us for the forgiveness of our sins. We do this because Jesus commanded us to: “Do this in remembrance of me” (1 Cor. 11:24). When we take the Lord’s Supper, we are remembering the central treasure of our faith. If you are visiting MBC, we want to help you decide if you should take the meal with us!
The Apostle Paul says this meal is to be taken when Christians come “together as a church” (1 Cor. 11:18). Who is the "church"? Christ’s church is made up of all those who have turned away from their sins and trusted Jesus to be their Savior and Lord. True Christians are not people who merely come from a Christian background—they are people who have turned away from loving themselves to loving God. If you know that you are a sinner who deserves God’s wrath but you have trusted Jesus' death on the cross to take that wrath for you, then this meal is for you! It is not a meal that will save you, but rather, a meal that reminds you of the salvation that Christians have received in Jesus Christ.
Historically, almost all Christian groups have insisted that believers are to be baptized before taking the Lord’s Supper (Matthew 28:19-20, Acts 2:38-42). Baptists have sometimes offended their Christian brothers and sisterS because many of us do not believe that infant baptism or baptism by sprinkling is indeed New Testament baptism. It is not our desire to be offensive to our fellow believers, but it is our desire to practice what we are convinced the New Testament teaches.
For this reason, we only invite those who have been baptized by immersion to the Lord’s table. If you are a brother or a sister in Christ, we hope that you will not see our practice as a way to offend you but as our attempt to be faithful to God.
Paul’s strongest words of warning come to those believers who take the Lord’s Supper while they are being unchristlike to their fellow Christians. Thus, he warns Christians like this, “Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.” (1 Cor. 11:27–32)
Before we take the Lord’s Supper, we are to judge ourselves. We are to ask, “Is there any way I have offended, or am offending, a brother or a sister in Christ through my sin?” If the answer is “yes,” then we should do all we can to be reconciled with that brother or sister before we take the Lord’s Supper. If we refuse to do this, the Lord may bring severe—even deadly—discipline upon us.
MBC is often privileged to have guests from other Christian traditions. We are also privileged to have guests from other religions and guests with no religious commitment. We are delighted that God has brought you to worship with us. Whether you are curious, skeptical, or hostile, we are glad you are here. In fact, we are honored you are here. We would love it if you would introduce yourself so that we can get to know you.
While the Lord’s Supper is our family table, we are delighted whenever our family gets to show hospitality to those who do not share all of our beliefs. So please stick around, start a conversation, attend a Prayer Meeting, etc. We would love to have you around, even if you’re not ready to join our faith family!
If you are a Christian, you probably know you should go to church. After all, the first Christians were devoted to getting together (Acts 2:42), and the book of Hebrews actually tells us plainly that we are not to be “neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near” (Heb. 10:25). We are supposed to go to church. But join one... where is that in the Bible?
Well, the honest answer is that church membership is nowhere commanded, but everywhere implied. In fact, there are several New Testament commands that can’t be obeyed unless you join a church.
The New Testament letter to the Hebrews says, “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you” (Heb 13:17). If you don’t join a church, how do you know who your leaders are? Are they the leaders of the churches nearest to your house? Are they the leaders of the last church you attended? Apparently, Jesus thinks you should obey a group of leaders and you are supposed to know who they are. Do you?
Not only that, but apparently a group of leaders is supposed to be watching over your soul. A particular group of leaders is supposed to be getting great joy from your life. Which leaders are those? You might watch a TV preacher but he cannot faithfully “watch over” you. The Bible wants you to be in a relationship with one local church where you know the leaders and the leaders can know you. That can’t happen unless you commit to a local church.
Now you might be thinking, "Who wants to be held accountable by a congregation?" Well you should, because that is what Jesus desires for you. In Matthew 18, Jesus gives us a look at what church life should look like, and one of the things he shows us is that it is characterized by loving accountability. He tells us that when someone sins against us, we should confront them in love. When they keep sinning, we should keep pursuing. And when they refuse to listen, he says, “tell it to the church” (Matt. 18:17).
In our individualistic age, that may initially sound terrible. However, when you have come to see how prone you are to wander from Jesus, it is a wonderful gift to have a church that would lovingly come after you. If you ever wandered from the Lord, which church would care for your soul? If you ever had to pursue another Christian, which church would you eventually tell? If you can’t answer these questions, you need to join a church.
The Christian life is not a life of mere acquaintances—it is a life of living like a family in the context of a local church. The Christian life is a life of joyful love. It is a life of learning to walk like Jesus in, “all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph 4:2–3). Who have you agreed to bear with, even when they are struggling with sin? Who has agreed to bear with you in all of your struggles? If you can’t answer that, you need to join a church.
Anyone can! The gospel message is for the whole world! Anybody in the world can repent of their sin, place their faith in Jesus Christ, submit to baptism, agree to MBC's confession of faith, and join.
Brothers and sisters wishing to join MBC from other churches can do so by letter, and if unattainable, by a profession of faith and declaration of baptism by immersion.
To become a member at MBC, you must do 4 things. First, express your intention to the pastor or a deacon. Second, have a meeting with the pastor. This will allow him to get to know you, your story, your beliefs, and your commitment. It will also allow you to start getting to know him. Third, complete the new member class. Fourth, be received by the church during a monthly business meeting.