1. Be Ready to Give an Answer… Be Ready to Give an Answer… I Peter 3:15 “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give an answer to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear.”

2. Concerning the Authenticity of the Bible II Timothy 3:16-17 “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” John 17:17 "Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.”

3. To Show the Bible as a Complete Guide II Timothy 3:17 “…that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” II Peter 1:3 “…His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue.”

4. To Show the Bible as a Complete Guide Galatians 1:6-9 “I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As| we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.”

5. To Show that the Bible Must Be Obeyed Luke 6:46-49 "But why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do the things which I say? Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock. But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great."

6. To Show that the Bible Must Be Obeyed Luke 10:16 “He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me.” II Thess. 3:14 “And if anyone does not obey our word in this epistle, note that person and do not keep company with him, that he may be ashamed.”

7. To Show that the New Testament is our Authority Romans 7:4-6 “Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another--to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God. For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit to death. But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.”

8. To Show that the New Testament is our Authority Galatians 5:2-4 “ Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law. You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.”

9. To Show that the New Testament is our Authority Hebrews 10:9-10 “Then He said, "Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God." He takes away the first that He may establish the second. By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”

10. Why We Should Respond to the Gospel Romans 3:23 “F or all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” I John 3:4 “ Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.” Romans 6:23 “ For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Knowing I am a Sinner, Where do I Begin?

11. Obey God! James 1:21-22 “Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” I Peter 1:22-25 Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever, because "All flesh is as grass, And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, And its flower falls away, But the word of the Lord endures forever." Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you.”

12. Obey God! Romans 6:17-18 “But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.” Matthew 7:21 "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.” What Must I do Next?

13. Believe God! John 6:28-29 “Then they said to Him, "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?“ Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent." Romans 1:16-17 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith.“ After I Believe What Must I Do?

14. Repent! Acts 17:30-31 "Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead." Acts 3:19 "Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.” What follows Repentance?

15. Confess Jesus Christ! Matthew 10:32-33 "Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.” Romans10:9-10 “That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

16. Confess Jesus Christ! Acts 8:36-38 “Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, "See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?“ Then Philip said, "If you believe with all your heart, you may." And he answered and said, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.“ So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him.” After We Confess Jesus What Must We Do?

17. Be Baptized! Mark 16:15-16 “And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.” Acts 2:37-38 “Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

18. What does Baptism Accomplish? Mark 16:16 "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.” Acts 2:38 “Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Acts 22:16 “And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.”

19. What does Baptism Accomplish? Romans 6:3-7 “Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin.”

20. What does Baptism Accomplish? Galatians 3:26-27 “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” I Cor. 12:13 “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.” I Peter 3:20-21 “…while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water. There is also an antitype which now saves us-- baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”

21. What does Baptism Accomplish? Baptism is immersion in water which is a symbol of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ for the remission of our sins. Baptism saves us, washes away our sins, puts us in Christ, adds us to the church, makes us a new creation, gives us a clear conscience and allows us to become children of God.

22. Now that I am a Christian, what Must I do? Remain Steadfast - Acts 2:41-42 “ Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.” Be Faithful - Revelation 2:10 “ Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.”

23. Now that I am a Christian, what Must I do? Grow - II Peter 3:18 “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever.” Work - I Cor. 15:58 “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” Worship - John 4:24 “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."

24. Now that I am a Christian, what Must I do? Build Others Up - I Thess. 5:9-11 “For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him. Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.” Put God First - Matthew 6:33 “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

25. Are You Ready to Give an Answer?

26. By Bob Gard – Hollister, Missouri church of Christ www.hollisterchurchofchrist.orgwww.hollisterchurchofchrist.org