Bible Study – Pentecost: Gifts from the Spirit
Share: Your highs (something that made you happy) and lows (something that made you sad) this week with others around you or write them down.
Today, we celebrate Pentecost that comes 50 days after Easter. It is the day in which we celebrate the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and the followers of Jesus. Some call it the birthday of the church because it is the day that we are reminded again and again that the Holy Spirit moves in us and among us to help us do God’s work in the world.
As we celebrate the Holy Spirit’s descent upon the disciples and the gift of speaking in different tongues and being able to understand one another, we celebrate the diversity that God has given us. We celebrate all of the various ways in which God has gifted us with different skills, language, visions, and dreams. We are all made in God’s image AND we all bring varied gifts to the community.
This is a special day in the church. It is often known as the Church’s birthday because this is the day that the Holy Spirit came to the disciples.
Opening Prayer: Almighty and most merciful God, grant that by the indwelling of your Holy Spirit we may be enlightened and strengthened for your service; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Please open your Bibles to Acts 2:1-21 and John 20:19-23 and read or read the scriptures below.
Acts 2:1-21
The Holy Spirit Comes at Pentecost
2 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? 9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,[b] 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” 12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?”
3 Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.”
Peter Addresses the Crowd
14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. 15 These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! 16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
17 “‘In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.
18 Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
and they will prophesy.
19 I will show wonders in the heavens above
and signs on the earth below,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
20 The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
21 And everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved.’[c]
Reflection Questions:
- What do you think it was like to be a disciple that day?
- What do you think it would have been like to be able to speak another language all of the sudden?
- “I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams.” What do you think this means to for you?
- If this happened today, what do you think your reaction would be?
- How do we hear God speak to us today?
- How do we see God acting through the Holy Spirit today?
John 20:19-23
Jesus Appears to His Disciples
19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.
21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
Reflection Questions:
- What do you think it was like to be a disciple that day, to be locked in a room, and then to have Jesus come stand with you?
- Why do you think Jesus said, “Peace be with you?”
- What is this Pentecost Sunday calling us to do? Who is it calling us to be?
Memory Bible Verse: Acts 2:4 “All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.”
Click here for the young learner’s lesson.
Videos (Click on url)
Pentecost Scripture – Acts 2:1-21: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2i2Hf8CQCzI
What Happened at Pentecost and Why It is Important – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQhkWmFJKnA
Pentecost for Kids: The Holy Spirit Comes – Acts 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwJJJoSGw84
Book of Acts Summary: A Complete Animated Overview (Part 1): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGbNw855ksw
John 20:19-23: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUlTQyV-4nA
Book of John Summary: A Complete Animated Overview (Part 2): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUfh_wOsauk
Song: Spirit of the Living God - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccaFnRYLTok
Activities:
Brainstorm: The Holy Spirit came to the disciples on Pentecost. The Holy Spirit is still here among us. The Holy Spirit gives us gifts and abilities to help do God’s work here on earth.
What gifts and abilities do you have that might have been given to us by the Holy Spirit? (Think about gifts, by using the gifts of the spirit found in 1 Corinthians 12: wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, speaking about God to others, speaking a different language, teaching, taking care of others, prayer, etc.)
Now create a Holy Spirit Mural. Using the roll of paper, magazines, markers, and any other craft supplies you have, create a mural for people to see the gifts that the Holy Spirit has given you.
Drama Option: Rewrite the story as if it were happening today. How might it be the same? How might it be different?
Wind Banner: Take a thin piece of rectangular material. Magic markers can be used to write the Bible lesson today on that material. Then take ribbon or yarn to hang the banner outside your house to blow in the wind.
Poster Power: Cut out large letters of HOLY SPIRIT and tape the letters on a poster in up and down position for a more interesting poster. Then write or decorate the poster with words from the story and add pictures or stickers for a more exciting poster to be remembered.
Stained Glass Craft: click on the following url and make the Dove or Pentecost Stain Glass. Follow the instructions on the url. https://www.dltk-kids.com/bible/crafts/m-stainedglass.htm
Day of Pentecost - Crossword: https://sermons4kids.com/activities/the-day-of-pentecost
Day of Pentecost - Word Search: https://sermons4kids.com/activities/pentecost-1
Day of Pentecost – Decoder: https://sermons4kids.com/activities/the-day-of-pentecost-1
Day of Pentecost – Multiple Choice: https://sermons4kids.com/activities/pentecost-6
Pentecost – Jumble: https://sermons4kids.com/activities/pentecost-3
Prayer: Almighty God, on this day you opened the way of eternal life to every race and nation by the promised gift of your Holy Spirit: Shed abroad this gift throughout the world by the preaching of the Gospel, that it may reach to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
