Study Guide
ROOTS - Roots of our Faith
July 20th
Scripture
“Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice… are like a man
building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the
torrent struck that house but could not shake it.” Luke 6:47, 48 (NIV)
(additional Scripture used for each point below)
Main Idea
Roots are vital to our growth and stability. Without a solid foundation that keeps us firmly planted in
the group we will quickly realize we are nothing more than firewood. The Bible uses this analogy
when talking about our development as followers of Christ:
“Let your roots grow down into him and draw up nourishment from him, so you will grow in
faith, strong and vigorous in the truth you were taught.” Col. 2:7 (NLT)
In order to begin understanding what we believe, not only as a body of believers, but also as
Baptists. Baptists have a long history of being world leaders, revival instigators, and
revolutionary minds. We may not always agree on some of the secondary beliefs, but that is
part of what makes up the beauty of this denomination.
Each of the following core beliefs, or doctrines, are what make up who we are as the body of
Christ, especially at Coastal. Spend a moment looking over the main points from the Sunday’s
message and see what stands out to you.
Recap:
Pastor Hank explains the core beliefs by using the acronym for BAPTIST:
Biblical authority
"The whole Bible was given to us by inspiration from God and is useful to teach us what is true
and make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It straightens us out and helps us to do what is
right." 2 Timothy 3:16 (TLB)
Autonomy of the local church
“See that you also excel in this grace of giving. I am not commanding you, but I want to test the
sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. For you know the grace of
our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor.”
2 Corinthians 8:7-9 (NIV)
Priesthood of all believers
“You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that
you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” 1
Peter 2:9 (NIV)
Tithing
“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse... Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see
if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will
not be room enough to store it.” Malachi 3:10 (NIV)
Immersion
"When you were baptized you were buried with Christ and in baptism you were also raised with
Christ." Colossians 2:12 (GNT)
Security of the believer
“I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know
that you have eternal life.” 1 John 5:13 (NIV)
Telling others about Jesus
"Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the
hope that you have." 1 Peter 3:15 (NIV)
Discuss
1) Did you know that Coastal is a Baptist church? What are some of your experiences with Baptists?
When you hear the phrase, what thoughts come to mind?
2) Understanding our roots is vital to growing and sustaining life long term. What core belief stood
out to you from the acronym of BAPTIST?
3) Priesthood of all believers is a great reminder that we are all in full-time ministry. We don’t need
someone else to mediate in our relationship with God. Discuss in your group how this impacts our
everyday worldview.
4) Finally, it is at the core of what we believe that each of us accepts the role of telling others about
Jesus. How are you doing at spreading the good news? Would you say it is a priority of yours?
Deeper Look
1) The beliefs are important to understand, but the biggest impact is found not in our head, but in our
heart and our hands. Spend some time as a group working through each of the doctrines we
covered and discuss the practical implication of this in our lives.
2) The author of Hebrews (6:1) talks about why these teachings are important for our growth:
“Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity.” The evil
in this world wants nothing more than for us to stay infants in our spiritual maturity. We must
press forward and continue to improve and strengthen our understanding and application of God’s
Word. What are some ways you have seen growth in your life recently, and how can you make
this maturation process more important in your life?
Next Steps
We are proud of who we are and what we believe as a church. As we continue this series, we hope
to not only grow in our knowledge, but also raise our awareness of where we come from in a long line
of world changers. We are thankful that we have God’s word to teach us and mold us so we can be
men and women of righteousness:
How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of
sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he
meditates day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit
in its season And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers. Psalm 1:1-3
(NASB)
Family Friendly
BAPTIST Acronym Activity
Supplies: blank BAPTIST acronym page, Hank’s acronym from service (see below)
Write the word BAPTIST going down a page. Talk with the children about what they think being a
Baptist means. Then, as a group, have the children come up with words for each letter. Their words
probably won’t be the same as Hanks were but let them be creative and come up with their own.
Once you’ve done that, go over the acronym that Hank gave and talk with children about what each
letter stands for. It is important to bring this down to their level.
Biblical Authority – The Bible is True
All Churches Make Their Own Decisions – As Baptists we believe we are in charge and responsible
for our own decisions. We don’t answer to the Pope or Deacons, etc
Personal Relationship With Jesus – Every person can talk to God. We don’t need a middle person to
do it.
Tithing – Everything we have belongs to God. God wants us to give with a generous heart. He wants
us to give back to the church.
Immersion – Immersion comes from the word immerse which means going fully under the water. We
baptize like they did in the Bible. Baptism is the first step once we become a Christian.
Safe in Jesus’ Hands - Once you give your life to Jesus you’re always in his hands.
Telling Others About Jesus – Jesus commands us to tell others about him. We are never too young
to talk about how amazing Jesus is and help others learn so they too can one day receive the gift of
Jesus Christ!