Dear Parents, We hope the following summary of the Sunday School lesson will help you in discussing the lesson with your children and in working through this booklet together.
The Holy Spirit God’s Power in My Life
SCRIPTURE PASSAGES: Acts 1:1-14; John 14:25-27, 16:5-16; Matthew 28:16-20 BIBLE STORY SUMMARY: Jesus came to be the Savior of the world. He gave His disciples the work of being His witnesses and He sent them out into the world. Jesus promised to give them His power to do the work and then He returned to heaven in a cloud. The disciples spent the next several days in prayer, waiting for the Holy Spirit. LESSON FOCUS: To understand that Jesus has given me His work of being His witness, and He will give me His power to do His work. To understand that Jesus is coming back again, and I must be ready for Him to come. WHAT WE LEARNED ABOUT GOD: Jesus has made me His witness. LET’S TALK ABOUT WHAT WE’VE LEARNED: When Jesus was in Jerusalem with His disciples, what did He tell them to do? Stay in Jerusalem and wait for God’s gift of the Holy Spirit. What would the Holy Spirit do when He came? Be a counselor to teach and remind, to give power to do the work God had for them to do, to help people see and repent of sin. The Holy Spirit would come and live in the hearts of those who follow Jesus. What was the work God had for them to do? To be His witnesses – tell others that Jesus, God’s Son, came to die for their sins. Whom were they supposed to tell about Jesus? How would they ever be able to do this work? They were to tell people in Jerusalem, and go out from there even to the ends of the earth. Jesus would give them His power through the Holy Spirit to do this work. Jesus went up to heaven, but He is coming again. How are we to go about being ready for Him? Be busy with the work He has given – being His witnesses.
Jesus Has Work for Me to Do
Jesus Returns to Heaven – He Promises Power This Week’s Memory Verse: I am going to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me, that you also may be where I am.
Are you willing to tell others that Jesus is the one who takes away sin and gives eternal life? When Jesus returns again, will He find you busy with His work?
See you on Sunday!
John 14:2, 3
Copyright 2004 Berean Baptist Church 309 E. Co. Rd. 42 Burnsville, MN 55306 952-432-7168
March 24, 2013
MONDAY – WAIT FOR THE GIFT Read Acts 1:3 to 5. In the days after He rose from the dead, Jesus spent lots of time with His disciples, telling them about God’s plan. They must have felt so sad to think of when Jesus would leave them! Jesus reminded them that He would send the Holy Spirit to help and comfort them, and so they did not need to be afraid or sad.
SATURDAY – THIS WEEK’S PUZZLE The seven words in our word-find are taken from our memory verse in John 14:1 to 3. Find the words below, and then say the memory lines to someone in your family.
HEARTS HOUSE PLACE PREPARE ROOMS TRUST TROUBLED
After He arose, how many days did Jesus spend with His disciples? (Verse 3) 7 12 40 50 What did Jesus tell His disciples to do? (Verse 4) “Do not leave Jerusalem, but _______________ for the _________________ My Father promised, which you have heard Me speak about.” What gift did God the Father promise to send? (Verse 5)
The H ___ ___ ___ S ___ ___ ___ ___ ___.
God would not leave them all alone — Jesus told them they did not have to be sad or afraid because God would send the gift of the Holy Spirit to comfort and help them (John 14:25 to 27). There are many ways that the Holy Spirit helps Jesus’ followers. Mark the ones that bring you joy. The Holy Spirit helps me know when I have sinned. The Holy Spirit gives me power to obey Jesus. The Holy Spirit helps me understand the Bible. The Holy Spirit gives me the power to tell others about Jesus. Will you tell God, “Thank You” for sending His Holy Spirit to help you? Read this week’s memory lines out loud at least two times.
T U H P Z H R W T P H
Y R M H E A E A R O N
E K O A O C T Y U M F
N V R U A U B D S U Q
A T O L B M S Y T E R
S A P F W L K E F G R
M D O Q T U E B V A T
P R E P A R E D K K C
N N J U Z U S D X D J
S N W D G J C W M E V
G A E S M O O R L A D
FRIDAY – BEING READY FOR JESUS
TUESDAY – YOU WILL BE MY WITNESSES
Read 2 Peter 3:3 to 4 and 8 to 9. Why is Jesus taking so long to come back? “He is patient with you, not wanting ________________________ to _______________________, but ____________________________ to come to _________________________. (2 Peter 3:9) God’s love is so big, He wants everyone to know Him! How do you want to get ready for Jesus when He comes again? Pray for others so they will come to know Jesus. Make sure I always have the best toys. Tell others about Jesus’ forgiveness and how they can go to heaven. Pray for missionaries and give some of my money so that they can tell others.
Read Acts 1:6 to 8. What did the disciples ask Jesus? “Lord, are You going to be Israel’s King now?” “When will You take us to heaven?” “What job do You have for us on earth?” The disciples still did not understand that God had a big plan and a big job for them to do before Jesus would be king. Jesus told them that only the Father knows when that will be. Jesus said that in the meantime, He has work for His followers to do. What is that work? Jesus said, “You will be My ________________________ in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ______________ of the _______________________.” (Acts 1:8) WOW! Do you think this sounded like a big job? _________________________
Other _________________________________ Other _________________________________ Is there anything that you would feel bad about if Jesus found you doing it when He returns? _____________________________________________________________________ Will you ask Jesus to help you want to be busy with the work He has given you to do?
Yes
WITNESS
Someone who tells what they know because of what they have seen or heard.
How would you have felt if Jesus had told you that your job was to be His witness to the whole earth?
Jesus did not expect His followers to do the work all by themselves. He promised that His Spirit would be with them, helping them do what He told them to do!
No
Whom can you tell about Jesus this week? __________________________________ Can you say this week’s memory verses along with the lines that come before?
Where did Jesus say the power to do God’s work comes from? (Acts 1:8) The H___ ___ ___ S___ ___ ___ ___ ___, God’s gift to those who follow Jesus!
WEDNESDAY – JESUS RETURNS TO HEAVEN Read Acts 1:9 to 11. What happened right after Jesus gave His last teaching to His disciples? (Mark all that are true.) They had their last supper together. Jesus was taken up to heaven. A cloud hid Jesus from their eyes. Two men dressed in white (angels) suddenly stood by them. What did the two men dressed in white say to the disciples?
THURSDAY – PRAYING FOR POWER Read Acts 1:12 to 14. Where did the disciples go right after Jesus went up into the clouds? To the ends of the earth to be Jesus’ witnesses. To Jerusalem to wait for the Holy Spirit promised by Jesus. What did they do while they were in Jerusalem? (Verse 14) “They all joined together ______________________ in ___________________.”
“This same Jesus who has been taken from you into heaven,
W___________
C__________________
B_________________.”
This was good news for the disciples – and for us! How will Jesus come back? “In the S_____________ W_____________ you have seen Him go into heaven.” Did the angels tell the disciples when Jesus would come back in a cloud?
Yes
No
Read Matthew 24:42 and 44. Do we know exactly when Jesus will return to earth? __________________________ When should followers of Jesus get ready for Him to come back? We should wait until we are grown-ups. We can’t get ready because it’s too hard. We should always be ready because He could return at any time!
Jesus was taken up to heaven 40 days after He rose from the dead. He sent the Holy Spirit to His followers 50 days after He rose from the dead. How many days were there in between? (You may want to ask your mom or dad to help with this one)
50 - 40 Days
This means that His followers kept praying in that upper room for 10 days! They knew that prayer was the way to have the power to tell others about Jesus! What do you think it would be like to pray for 10 days? ______________________________________
Jesus is coming again! He tells us to “keep watch” and “be ready.”
Is it easy for you to tell others about Jesus? Do you need the Holy Spirit’s power to help you? Will you ask Jesus to give you His power to do His work?
Will you ask God to help you keep learning and telling others about Him?
Can you say this week’s memory lines by heart yet?