Throughout our lives there are ceremonies that mark important occasions, draw lines in the sand of our lives and divide our histories into "before" and "after": graduation, weddings, and others, including baptism. Baptism is an ancient Christian ritual from before the days of Jesus that has been used to symbolize the start of a person's new life with God. Join us as we celebrate with several people who have chosen to mark off their new life with Jesus in the ceremony of baptism and take a moment to reconsider where you are with Jesus Christ, in your life of faith, hope and love.

1. Spend some time reflecting on the baptism service you experienced this week.

• Did one baptism story stand out to you as especially meaningful? What did that story seem so significant to you? Why did God connect that story to you?
• Was there anything that God spoke to you during any of the stories? Something you think that God wanted you specifically to hear him say through the experiences of others in our community?
• In thinking about the journey that our community has been on this year, how did this baptism service affect (if at all) your sense of passion for sharing your faith in Jesus? Who came to mind as someone you'd like to see in the baptism tank?

2. Read Ephesians 2:1-9. In these verses, Paul states that experiencing salvation through Jesus Christ happens through an act and lifestyle of faith; conviction about the truth of Christ, confidence in Christ, and commitment to Christ.

• If you have never done so as a group, consider telling each other the story of your journey of faith with Jesus Christ. Where did it start? What were the big influences in it going the way that it has? Where are you now and where is this story going?

OR, debrief the following questions...

• Have you decided to put your faith in Jesus, to believe in him as the forgiver and leader and life-force of your life? Why or why not?
• Where is your faith-o-meter at these days? Which of the three components of faith (conviction, confidence, and commitment) is the biggest struggle for you? Why?
• What does the next step of faith look like for you? What is God calling you to in your life?
• Have you been baptized as an enactment of your faith in Jesus Christ? If not, why not?

3. Read Ephesians 2:10. The Greek word behind “handiwork” (or whatever word your translation uses) is a word from which we get our English word, “poem”. It refers to a work of art. Watch the Beautiful Things video at http://southridge.cc/message/12000_baptism.

• Paul implies that a life of faith in Jesus Christ is a life in which we are being shaped into God’s work of art. Do you feel that God is making your life beautiful? Why or why not?
• What is the biggest inhibitor to God’s ability to make your life into a beautiful thing? Is it something you are doing? Something you are not letting God do?
• What could you do to allow God to speak the beauty of what he is doing in you into your heart? What could we do as a group to walk with you in that?

4. If you did not do so last week, review the entire 13Thirteen series as a group to reflect on the beautiful life that God is creating in us.

• What stood out as a highlight, as the most significant learning or experience during this series? Why was that so significant for you? Was there any part of the series that you seriously struggled with? Why was that such a struggle for you?
• How do you think people who do not love or follow Jesus would respond to us differently if we were to become people of deeper faith, hope and love? What do you think would have the biggest impact on "outsiders" to faith?
• What is one thing that you will commit to being different in the way that you live as a follower of Jesus because of this series? How can our group support you in that change?
• Pray for each other, for your experience and expression of faith, hope and love. Pray for those who don't yet love Jesus, that they would be deeply impacted by our renewed devotion to Jesus in these ways.