Preaching the Word & a Vertical Response

The New Testament knows nothing of an unbaptized convert. Jesus asked us to do two specific things—to remember His sacrifice with the bread and the cup, and to be baptized.

I’ve been preaching verse-by-verse through the book of John in a study called Authentic Jesus. A few weeks ago the entire message was dedicated to John 3:16—the greatest verse in the Bible. Expositing that verse word-for-word led to an incredible movement of the Spirit in our church, with more than 70 first-time confessions of faith in Christ.

The next weekend we finished chapter 3, and the call to obedience through baptism leaped straight out of the text through the clear proclamation of the Word: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him” (John 3:36).

Here is the Vertical response that followed…

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