COMMON GROUND WEEK 2: THE PASSION OF THE SPIRIT SEPTEMBER 23, At a Glance The Holy Spirit Will Help People Acts 2

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1 COMMON GROUND WEEK 2: THE PASSION OF THE SPIRIT SEPTEMBER 23, 2018 At a Glance The Holy Spirit Will Help People Acts 2 Main Idea: The Holy Spirit helps people tell others about God. Older Kids Memory Verse: The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit. John 3:8 Younger Kids Memory Verse: Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. - Galatians 5:25 Optional : The Holy Spirit helps people (paraphrased from Galatians 5:25). Teacher Devotional The arrival of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost initiated the church. Jesus had taught the disciples that it was better for Him to depart so that the Holy Spirit would come. There was a sound of a powerful wind a sound that others outside the house could hear. There were tongues like flames of fire resting on each believer. Now empowered, they began to witness about Jesus, miraculously in other languages. Their new abilities amazed their hearers. Truly, the Holy Spirit was taking the good news about Jesus to the next level in each believer. Peter was changed. Instead of the disciple who had denied Jesus, he now stood with confidence to speak. Peter told the truth about Jesus life, ministry, death, and resurrection. Peter boldly proclaimed the resurrection. The Holy Spirit, speaking through Peter, accused the people of crucifying the Son of God. The Holy Spirit convicted the people so that they cried out, asking what they should do. The Holy Spirit arrived, the church began, and the message of the church was clear. Three thousand people were baptized. That must have made an impression over all Jerusalem. The Holy Spirit united the new believers through study and fellowship, and through meals and prayer. The best part of this story is that the Holy Spirit was not finished. The same Holy Spirit empowers us today, and He wants us to share the good news of Jesus with our 1

2 families, friends, and people in the uttermost parts of the earth. o What is your favorite method for sharing your faith in Christ with someone who o needs to hear it? o What is the Holy Spirit s role in our practice of personal evangelism? Large Group Introduce the Story Option for PreK: Tell All About It Invite kids to sit in a circle. Explain that kids will go around the circle, saying only one word as they tell you about a certain topic. Lead kids to work together to create complete sentences. Use topics such as your town, the best place to get pizza, or a sport that most of them play. Begin each topic with a different child. Share that in today s Bible story, the disciples worked together to tell people about God. Option for Older Kids: Strike A Pose Supplies: Copy paper, writing utensil (one for each child) Option: Prewrite on all of the papers according to the directions below. Lead kids to find partners. Blindfold one partner in each group, or tell her to close her eyes. Strike a silly or complicated pose, such as cross right leg over left leg, put your right arm over the top of your head, and wink your left eye. If you have an odd number of kids, prompt the leftover person to strike the pose for you. Instruct Partner A in each pair to describe the silly pose to the blindfolded partner. The blindfolded partner must do the motions that Partner A is describing. The first pair to make exactly the same pose wins the round. Switch partners, choose a new leader, and play again. Commend kids for correctly instructing their teammates how to pose. Explain that in today s Bible story, the Holy Spirit helped believers correctly and powerfully tell others about Jesus. 2

3 Review the Main Idea with kids by asking them to repeat it after you: The Holy Spirit helps people tell others about God. Tell the Bible Story Supplies: Teaching Picture 2 One at a time, give clues to help kids identify each of the following professions: doctor, math teacher, coach, flight attendant, pastor. After kids guess a profession, guide them to name things that a person in that profession might tell other people: o Doctor (what medicine to take) o Math teacher (how to add and subtract) o Coach (how to play a sport) o Flight attendant (where to find the exits on a plane) o Pastor (how to trust Jesus as Savior) Show the Teachign Picture and explain that in today s Bible story, the disciples had many important things to say to the people. Encourage kids to listen for what the disciples said as you open the Bible to Acts 2 and share the Bible story. The Holy Spirit Empowers Witnesses On a special day called Pentecost, Jesus followers were together in one place. Suddenly, a sound like wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were staying. The Holy Spirit came to the believers like fiery flames and rested on them. When that happened, the believers were able to speak in different languages. Travelers from all over were in the city of Jerusalem. When they heard these sounds, a crowd gathered. The men were confused. They wondered, Aren t these people from Galilee? How is it that we can hear them in the languages of Asia, Libya, Egypt, and Rome? Some of the people made fun of the disciples and said, They are not in their right minds! Peter stood up and announced, Let me explain! Pay attention! God s Holy Spirit has made this possible so that we can tell you about Jesus. You allowed evil people to nail Jesus to a cross and kill Him, but God raised Him from the dead! We have seen Him! You need to know that God has made Jesus both Lord and Messiah! 3

4 When the people heard this, they became upset and filled with guilt. They asked Peter and the disciples, What must we do to be saved? Peter said, Confess your sins and turn away from them. Each of you must be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. God has made this promise to you and your family and to people far away. Those who believed Peter s message believed Jesus was the Savior and were baptized. That day, about 3,000 people were added to the believers and formed the first church. They listened and learned all that the disciples taught. They met with other believers to eat together and to pray. - Based on Acts 2 Option for Older Kids: Stationary Dodgeball Supplies: Soft foam ball Lead kids to form a circle for a game of stationary dodgeball. Choose a thrower and a catcher. The thrower will stand in the center of the circle and toss the ball at the other players shoulder to knee level only. Players in the circle may duck and dodge, but they must leave one foot planted in place at all times. The catcher will retrieve and toss the ball back to the thrower. Prompt tagged players to finish this sentence: Telling others about God is hard because. After responding, he will become the new catcher, and the catcher will become the new thrower. Repeat several times. Emphasize that Peter and the disciples did not speak on their own. The Holy Spirit gave them power and the words to say. Remind kids that even though they might feel inadequate to speak about Jesus, God will give them power, courage, and the words to say when they need them. 4

5 Small Group Time (Dismiss to Groups) Learn the Memory Verse Older Kids Memory Verse: The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit. John 3:8 Younger Kids Memory Verse: Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. - Galatians 5:25 Optional : The Holy Spirit helps people (paraphrased from Galatians 5:25). Younger Kids Supplies: Write the memory verse on a large sheet of construction paper. Adhere to wall. Display the Memory Verse for a few seconds and then cover it. Challenge kids to say the verse. Explain that one thing we can tell people is that Jesus is risen. Kids can also tell others Bible verses they know. Lead kids to find and read Galatians 5:25 in their Bibles. Explain that the Holy Spirit helps Christians understand God s instructions and obey them. Older Kids Supplies: Write the memory verse on a large sheet of construction paper. Lead kids to recall the memory verse or read it from the prepared paper. Guide kids to form groups of three. After reviewing the memory verse, lead each trio to say the verse from memory, one person and one word at a time, punctuating each word with a dramatic gesture. Allow each group to practice saying the verse several times with their dramatic gestures. 5

6 Apply the Bible Story Option for PreK and Younger Kids: Name 5 Emphasize that through the Holy Spirit, God gave Peter and the disciples power to preach the good news of Jesus. Share that people today need the Holy Spirit s power to tell people about God. Form three groups of kids. Lead groups to name the following: Group 1: Five people kids can tell about God. Group 2: Five places they can tell people about God. Group 3: Five things they can say about God. Help kids understand that they can talk to people about God and Jesus because the Holy Spirit helps them know who to tell, where to tell, and what to say. Lead the kids to pray and thank God for sending the Holy Spirit to help them. Apply the Main Idea Option for PreK and Younger Kids: Flip the Cups Supplies: Table, 16-ounce plastic cups (2 per child), permanent markers Give two cups to each child. Lead each child to write inside one cup a word that describes God. Offer suggestions such as loving, forgiving, Creator, mighty, wise, and powerful. Lead each child to write the name of a person inside the other cup. Suggest kids write the name of a friend, family member, neighbor, teacher, or coach. Lead kids to place all the cups with the descriptions of God upside down on one edge of a table and all the cups with names of people upside down on the opposite edge. Make sure that cups are spaced out and half of the rim of each cup extends over the edge of the table. Give each child a turn to flip over a cup that describes God and a cup that names a person. Kids will attempt to land the cups upright on the table. When a child succeeds, guide him to read aloud the words on both cups and lead all kids to share what they could say about God to the person. Give each child several turns to flip cups. Remind kids that the Holy Spirit helped Peter tell people about Jesus. Kids do not have to be afraid to tell others about Jesus. The Holy Spirit will give them power and help them. 6

7 Option for Older Kids: Beanbag Toss Supplies: Several baskets or containers, beanbags or paper balls, paper, marker Prep: Print point values on the paper, and put one in each basket. Set the containers in a line, with lowest point value closest to the toss line and highest point value furthest from the toss line. Group kids into teams. Players from each team will take turns tossing beanbags into the containers. If a player misses the containers on the first toss, he can have a second toss. If he misses the second toss, he moves back into his team s line. When a beanbag lands in a container, ask the team to name a way that the Holy Spirit helps people. If the team gives an acceptable answer, award the points for that container. If the team repeats an answer that has already been given, no points are awarded. Review Option for PreK and Younger Kids Supplies: Chairs, index cards with stars of different color ink on them, blank cards, tape, music CD and player Set chairs randomly around the room (one chair per kid). Tape a card underneath each chair. Play music and lead kids to walk around the chairs in the room. Stop the music; every kid should sit in a chair. Exclaim, Red star! All kids should look under their chairs. The kid(s) with the red star should stand. Ask a question about today s Bible story and those kids can answer. Play music and kids can move again. Continue stopping the music and calling out star color. After a few rounds, exclaim, No star! All kids with blank cards should stand. Lead these kids to say the Memory Verse. Option for Older Kids Supplies: Two beanbags, bell or tap light, music CD and player Set the bell or tap light on a table in the middle of the play area. Group the kids into two teams. Teams should move to opposite sides of the play area (opposite sides of the table). Each team should form a circle. Play music and each team passes a beanbag around the circle. Stop the music unexpectedly. The two kids holding the beanbags should come to the table. 7

8 Ask a question about the Bible story and the first kid to hit the bell or tap light gets an opportunity to answer. If the answer is correct, the team gets a point. If not, the other team may answer for a point. The two players move back to their circles; start the music again. Pray Pray. Ask God to help kids be aware of the Holy Spirit s promptings when they have opportunities to share about Jesus. Activity/Take Home Sheets Use the remaining group time to complete the activity sheets for this week s lesson ( 02_Sept23_Younger and 02_Sept23_Older ). If you run out of time, send the sheets home for kids to review during the week. 8

9 THE HOLY SPIRIT EMPOWERS WITNESSES ACTS 2:1-15,22-24,32-33,36-42 PICTURE 9 PRINTED IN THE USA Acts LifeWay

10 The Passion of the Holy Spirit Week 1: The Holy Spirit Empowers Witnesses September 23, 2018 At a Glance: The Holy Spirit will help people. Acts 2 The Holy Spirit Empowers Witnesses Main Idea: The Holy Spirit helps people tell others about God. Memory Verse: Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Galatians 5:25 On a special day called Pentecost, Jesus followers were together in one place. Suddenly, a sound like wind came from heaven and illed the whole house where they were staying. The Holy Spirit came to the believers like iery lames and rested on them. When that happened, the believers were able to speak in diferent languages. Travelers from all over were in the city of Jerusalem. They were faithful men from every nation under heaven. When they heard these sounds, a crowd gathered. The men were confused. They wondered, Aren t these people from Galilee? How is it that we can hear them in the languages of Asia, Libya, Egypt, and Rome? Some of the people made fun of the disciples and said, They are not in their right minds! Peter stood up and announced, Let me explain! Pay attention! God s Holy Spirit has made this possible so that we can tell you about Jesus. You allowed evil people to nail Jesus to a cross and kill Him, but God raised Him from the dead! We have seen Him! You need to know that God has made Jesus both Lord and Messiah! When the people heard this, they became upset and illed with guilt. They asked Peter and the disciples, What must we do to be saved? Peter said, Confess your sins and turn away from them. Each of you must be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. God has made this promise to you and your family and to people far away. Those who believed Peter s message believed Jesus was the Savior and were baptized. That day about 3,000 people were added to the believers and formed the irst church. They listened and learned all that the disciples taught. They met with other believers to eat together and to pray. ACTS 2:1-15,22-24,32-33,36-42 Review Questions? What special ability did the Holy Spirit give Jesus followers? (the ability to speak in different languages)? After the people heard Peter speak, what did they ask? ( What must we do to be saved? )? What did Peter tell the people that they needed to do to be saved? (Confess your sins and turn away from them; be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.)? How many people believed in Jesus after Peter preached? (3,000)? Name some activities the believers in the irst church did when they met together (listened and learned all that the disciples taught; ate together and prayed)? What is something you can tell a friend about Jesus? (Answers will vary.) 2017 LifeWay

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12 The HolY So\nt Emoowers Witnesses [I T e V\. evev\t fvom too< y t c; \3i\7\e c;tovy V\o( PIAt yo1.tvc;e\f iv\ tne pie-t1.tve. tjv w c;e\fie c; it wo1.t\o{ n ve \oo eo( OV\ tne o< y Petev pve e-neo( iv\ J"ev1.tc; \em. THE PASSION OF THE SPIRIT The Holy Spirit helps people tell others about God SEPTEMBER 23, (!) :;!, u u 0 a: u.j,, a: u.j 1rJJm[iJ!11mmmmt1[1] Tnvee wovo(c; iv\ tne \ic;t C, V\V\Ot \7e f OIAV\o( iv\ tnic; WOVo( "IAV\-c;e ve,n," evev\ w ev\ yo1.t \oo o(i 10V\ \\y V\o( \7 e, w vo(. Those words will complete this statement based on M ttnew,0,1.0. Those words also explain why you don 1 t have ' to be uneasy about sharing your faith. THE HOLY SPIRIT WILL BE G A V E N 0 G N I R p u R E A F J X N 0 s X z I ANYONE PE SON E,t\LllE R z J H T y N A F D K N I H T N D E R w L I z E z D y A p G R E p R J 0 L L D T s PEAl'-IN G T\ \IN \'-ING T\-\ OUG\-\ T AINING UN1)E you,

13 family devotionals Round#2: The Passion of the Spirit READING: Grab a Bible or your Bible App and head outside! Once settled on a porch or a blanket outside, Read Acts 2:2 and John 3:8. If you have a child who is of reading age allow them to read as this will help keep their attention and with reading comprehension. GAME ON: Take a minute to look around you. Maybe sit a second with your eyes closed. What do you see? What do you feel? Is it a windy day? Is there a slight breeze? Does the wind move the trees? Have you seen a strong storm with high winds that move the trees a lot? You can t see the actual wind but you can see what it does. You can feel it on your skin, you can see the leaves moving. In the same way, we cannot see the Holy Spirit but we can see and experience what He does in our life. Just like the leaves are moved by the wind, we can be moved by the Spirit to do something kind for someone else. BONUS ROUND: (Hands on activity to better understand the lesson.) Supplies Needed: Paper and some pencils/crayons. Have each family member draw a picture, or you can do one picture as an entire family. Draw a picture of wind. Hmm kind of hard, right? How do you represent wind in a drawing? Swishes that show the leaves moving or bent branches?? Now flip over your paper and draw the Holy Spirit. Also hard to draw, right? Think of ways the Spirit helps us and draw that. Examples: Comfort when we are sad. Helps us to pray. Courage when we are scared. LEVEL UP: (More In Depth. A good challenge for older students.) Read 1 Corinthians 2: What does the Spirit help us know and understand? (the thoughts of God) What does it mean, that we may understand what God has freely given us? (Romans 6:23 -the gift of God is eternal life (heaven) in Christ Jesus)