SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON The New Testament Church

Transcription

1 Elementary Lesson Year Two, Quarter Four, Lesson One SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON The New Testament Church AIM: to teach my class that the power of the Holy Spirit is what empowers us to preach the Gospel to the world. OBJECTS TO HAVE: A flashlight without batteries The proper batteries to make the flashlight work, concealed from sight Your Bible POINT OF CONTACT: I want you to pretend with me for just a minute. Pretend that it is 6:00 at night, and you are home in your house. The sun has already gone down, and it is dark outside. You were outside playing earlier today, but now you are safe inside, getting ready to eat supper. As you are walking to the table, your mom says, I can t find your coat. What did you do with your coat? And you say what you always say to a question like that: I dunno? Your mom says, You were wearing it when you went outside to play. Did you leave it outside? Then all of a sudden you remember: I left it outside hanging on a tree. Your mom says, It s going to rain tonight, and your coat will get ruined. So before we eat supper, go outside and bring your coat in. You say, But mom, it s dark out there! And your mom says, Take a flashlight from the closet. I ll be watching you from the door. You ll be alright. So you go to the closet and get the flashlight. You walk out the door, and into the darkness of night. As you make your way to the tree where you left your coat, you think, It s so dark! I ll never be able to see! That s when you remember that you have your trusty flashlight. You pull it out, and turn it on. There I turned it on. Can you see it shining? No? But I turned the switch on you can t see the light? It has a bulb in it you can t see the light? It used to work Are you sure you can t see the light? Can anybody think of why you can t see the light? Oh yeah.it doesn t have any batteries in it. So even though this is a good flashlight, and even though it has a bulb, and even though I flicked the switch on if it doesn t have any batteries in it, the light won t shine. I have some batteries here. Let s try putting them in. There. Now let s see if it works. Oh yes, that s good. (Take a battery back out, or use an extra one). Well, now that the flashlight works, we can see our way through the darkness. Now that the flashlight works, we don t have to be scared anymore. And most important, now that the flashlight works, we can do the job that mom asked us to do. Can anybody remember what the job was? That s right, get your coat and bring it inside. Hey, there it is over there. Let s get it. Can anybody tell me what this battery has in it that makes the light shine? The best way to answer that is with the word, power. This battery has enough power to make this flashlight work for a long time. And when this battery runs out of power, you can buy another one that has new power in it. STORY: Now I m going to ask you a question, and you re going to have to think reaaaaaaally hard to remember the answer. The question is about last week s story. Last week I told you that after Jesus rose from the dead, He stayed with the disciples for forty days. At the end of those forty days, the disciples all got together on a high mountain. It was there that they watched Jesus ascend into heaven. Now here is the question: for those 40 days Jesus told the disciples again and again and again that they had a very important WHAT to do? That s right, a very important job. Now here s a bonus question: can anyone tell me what that very important job is? That s right, tell everybody in the whole world how to go to heaven. But wait just a minute. Jesus told them not to do this job right away. He told them to wait for something first. He said, Before you go and do this job, meet together until you receive something from God the Father. And the thing that they were going to receive from God the Father is the power of the Holy Spirit. Say that with me. Again. What is the power of the Holy Spirit? It is a lot like this battery. It is the power that helps you do the job that God commanded you to do. Just like you could not do the job of finding your jacket without the power of these batteries, you cannot do the job of telling everybody how to go to heaven without the power of the Holy Spirit. Let me tell you what happened to the disciples.

2 As soon as Jesus was gone, and the angels reminded them to get busy, the disciples met together in an upper room in the city of Jerusalem. There were 120 of them all together. At this meeting, they all agreed to obey Jesus command to do the job of telling everybody in the world how to go to heaven. Then they began to pray for God to send the power that Jesus had promised. They prayed the first day, and then they met again and prayed the second day. Then they met and prayed the third day, the fourth day, and the fifth day. They were going to meet every day until they received the power that God had promised. On the tenth day, there was a big celebration going on in the city of Jerusalem, a celebration called Pentecost. Thousands of people were there to visit the city, people who would not usually be there. It was on that tenth day, while the disciples were together praying in that upper room, that a big strong wind began to blow not outside, but inside! This rushing, mighty wind filled the whole room. And above each of their heads appeared a little flame of fire. No, their heads were not on fire. But above their heads these little flames burned. Now these men and women all spoke the same language, the language called Greek. But when those little flames of fire came, many of the people began to speak languages that they had never learned. Why? So that they could tell people who spoke those languages how to be saved. One man spoke in Italian, so he could tell Italian-speaking people how to be saved. Another man spoke Egyptian, so that he could tell Egyptian people how to be saved. Another man spoke English, so he could tell English-speaking people how to be saved. And the words they were speaking in these languages were the words that Jesus had commanded them to speak the words that would tell people how to go to heaven. You see, God wanted the Gospel taken to the whole world as quickly as possible, so He gave His people this gift called tongues, the ability to immediately speak a language they had never learned, so they could take the Gospel to all the people of the world. Right away they all knew that the power of the Holy Spirit had come down, that God had kept His promise, as He always does. They all went out into the streets and began to do the job that Jesus had commanded them to do. They began to tell everyone how to go to heaven. And since there were many people there visiting from foreign countries, they were able to explain the Gospel to people in the language that they spoke. People began to wonder how these people were so smart to know so many languages. Most people did not have that much education in those days, especially people that lived in the towns of Galilee where most of the disciples were from. Where did they learn this? people asked. So many people were asking that question that Peter knew it was time to stand up and explain. Peter preached to everyone, and not only did he tell them that this was the power of the Holy Spirit, but he did his job and told everyone how to go to heaven. When they were all finished preaching and soul winning that day, 3000 people got saved and baptized. Wow! What a great day! How did it happen? THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. Now let me remind you of some important truths. First, just like this flashlight, you can t see to do the job without the power. The Holy Spirit s power. You must have it to tell people how to go to heaven. If you don t people won t see what you are talking about. If the disciples had gone out to do the job before the power came, 3000 people would not have gotten saved and baptized. It was God s power that made it happen. Second, just like this flashlight, the power does not last forever. Oh, the Holy Spirit s power never runs out. But God only fills you with enough power to do the job right now. You have to come back every day, like Jesus did when He was on the earth, and be filled again. Otherwise, you cannot do the job you have been commanded to do. You ought to ask God every day to fill you with the power of the Holy Spirit, so that you can do the job of telling everybody how to be saved. You cannot do your job without His power. Finally, let us remember this. The job that God gave to the people who got saved back then is the same job that He gives to those of us who are saved today. What job is that? The job of telling everybody how to go to heaven. This job is my job and your job, too. Let s learn our memory verse: Acts 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

3 Teen and Adult Lesson Year Two, Quarter Four, Lesson One SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON The New Testament Church Teacher, choose one of the following truths to expand upon in teaching this portion of Scripture to your teen/adult class. Teach and apply the truth that you choose using statements and illustrations that are most helpful and applicable to your students. I. GOD BLESSED HIS DISCIPLES BECAUSE THEY HAD FOLLOWED HIS INSTRUCTIONS. Acts 1:4-8. Jesus had instructed His disciples to tarry in Jerusalem, though they did not live there, until they received the promise of the Father. Certainly they did not fully understand what they were looking for, but they definitely knew it when it came. And the reason it came is that the disciples did what Jesus had told them to do, they obeyed His Word by staying together and seeking God s face together until God sent His Holy Ghost power. II. GOD BLESSED HIS DISCIPLES BECAUSE THEY WERE UNIFIED IN THEIR OBEDIENCE. :1. The disciples were in one accord in one place. This is more than just unity; people can be unified for the wrong reasons. This was obedient unity, that is, the people were united in their desire to obey Christ s commands. When God s people unite in their effort to obey God s Word, God blesses in big ways. III. GOD GAVE HIS POWER FOR THE PURPOSE OF WINNING PEOPLE TO CHRIST. :2-7, The experience in the upper room was undoubtedly one that every believer would love to share; however, our focus must be the fulfilling of God s purpose, which is, winning the lost to Christ. God s power can and will fall upon His people when our heart s desire is the same as His, that is, the salvation of souls. IV. GOD GAVE SPIRITUAL GIFTS FOR THE PURPOSE OF WINNING PEOPLE TO CHRIST. God used the gift of tongues at Pentecost to get many people saved. The gift of tongues is the ability to instantly speak a human language that you were unable to speak before. It was a permanent gift once you knew a new language, you could speak it for the rest of your life. It enabled the disciples to take the Gospel to the nations to which God would send them. It was also a wake-up call to the Jews that God s grace was focusing on the Gentiles, as promised in the Old Testament. God is certainly able to use that gift in a Christian s life today, and we should not limit Him by saying He cannot. However, the gifts of God are never a shortcut around hard word, and since language schools are readily available in our day, the gift of tongues is not nearly as necessary to the work of the Gospel as it was in the first century. V. PENTECOST WAS GOD S INITIATION DAY, SENDING HIS DISCIPLES TO TAKE THE GOSPEL TO THE WORLD. During the three years of Jesus ministry, the Gospel was focused on the people who lived in the nation of Israel. Now, it was about to be taken to the entire world in less than a generation. Colossians 1:23. Pentecost was God s big sendoff day for the Gospel, when, beginning in Jerusalem, it would eventually be taken to the whole world.

4 The Day of Pentecost The Empowered Church I. ACTS 2:1-4 The Filling of the Holy Ghost The disciples obedience: they were assembled and united The Spirit s arrival: the sound of wind and the appearance of fire The Spirit s manifestation: the gift of tongues The disciples spoke in every known tongue vs. 5-6 II. ACTS 2:5-13 The Reaction of the People in Jerusalem 2:7 Amazement 2:12 Inquiry 2:13 Mockery III. ACTS 2:14-36 The Preaching of Peter He knew the Scriptures , 25-28, He exalted the Saviour , His message demanded decision. 36. IV. ACTS 2:37-41 The Salvation of 3000 People 2:37 The people were convicted. 2:38-40 The apostles dealt with the people. 2:41 New believers were baptized. V. ACTS 2:42-47 The Growth of the Church Characteristics of the thriving church: 1. Faithfulness they continued stedfastly 2. Doctrine in the apostles' doctrine 3. Time together fellowship 4. The Lord s Supper in breaking of bread 5. Prayer in prayers 6. Reverence fear came upon every soul 7. Works of God many wonders and signs were done by the apostles 8. Brotherly Love Joy Praise Praising God 11. A positive impact on the community having favour with all the people 12. New believers the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved Adult Bible Class

5 On the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit fell upon Jesus disciples, and as a result, by the end of the day three thousand people were saved and baptized. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. ACTS 1:8

6 Match the answer from the right column that best fits the clue in the left column. Write the LETTER of the correct answer in the SPACE beside the matching clue. Number of days Jesus was with His disciples after His Resurrection The disciples job was to tell everyone how to go here Before the disciples could do their job, they needed to receive this A RUSHING MIGHTY WIND B PETER Number of people in the upper room D 40 C PENTECOST The celebration that was going on in Jerusalem This began to blow inside the room F 3000 E POWER of the HOLY SPIRIT These appeared above the heads of the disciples G HEAVEN Each disciple began to speak with this H 120 The man who stood up and preached I A FOREIGN LANGUAGE The number of people who were saved and baptized J TONGUES OF FIRE But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. ACTS 1:8

7 The answers to this week s puzzle D G E H C A J I Number of days Jesus was with His disciples after His Resurrection The disciples job was to tell everyone how to go here Before the disciples could do their job, they needed to receive this A RUSHING MIGHTY WIND B PETER Number of people in the upper room D 40 The celebration that was going on in Jerusalem C PENTECOST This began to blow inside the room F 3000 These appeared above the heads of the disciples E POWER of the HOLY SPIRIT G HEAVEN Each disciple began to speak with this H 120 B F The man who stood up and preached I The number of people who were saved and baptized A FOREIGN LANGUAGE J TONGUES OF FIRE