In this episode of Witnessing Christ from the New Testament, Casey and Jon discuss Matthew 3, Mark 1, and Luke 3.

This podcast episode covers the following:

Matthew 3

• John the Baptist Prepares the Way
• The Baptism of Jesus

Mark 1

• John the Baptist Prepares the Way
• The Baptism and Testing of Jesus
• Jesus Announces the Good News
• Jesus Calls His First Disciples
• Jesus Drives Out an Impure Spirit
• Jesus Heals Many
• Jesus Prays in a Solitary Place
• Jesus Heals a Man With Leprosy

Luke 3

• John the Baptist Prepares the Way
• The Baptism and Genealogy of Jesus

Key concepts in this episode include: 

• What do we learn about John the Baptist?
• Why would John baptize Jesus?
• How was the prophecy in Mark 1:2–3 fulfilled?
• How will “repentance” and “baptism” be understood by LDS?
• How will our LDS friends view these sections differently?

To understand the dramatic differences between biblical Christianity and Mormonism, download Are Mormons Christian, which includes a comparison of teachings on repentance.

For a better understanding of how Christianity and Mormonism look at the same words differently, request a copy of Dictionary of Mormonese.

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Click here to download a Bible Study outline to use with your Mormon friends, family, and missionaries.

Share this conversation starter with your LDS friend:

John the Baptist preached a “baptism of repentance” in the wilderness (Mark 1:4). Jesus said, “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:15). So, what is repentance?  

Repentance is turning from trust in self to trust in God alone. It’s not a series of steps that you must complete but rather a gift from God himself. If something is a gift from God, then he is the source. An electrical appliance can only accomplish what it was created for when plugged into the power source. Instead of looking to our own feeble power to make changes in our life, we look to the Spirit, who motivates and empowers fruits of repentance (Luke 3:8).

Repent. Stop trusting in your own power. Trust in God alone. When you do, you’ll see the gravity of sin, stand in awe of God’s grace and forgiveness, and walk forward empowered by the Spirit. Repentance is not a painful process to endure. Instead, you’ll discover it is a restful state to be in where joy overflows through you to others.