Power to Work for Jesus

TEXT: Acts 1:4,8; 2:1-6, 14-18

Have you ever wanted to have great power? Well, let me tell you about the most wonderful power of all - the baptism of the Holy Spirit! It gives power to work for Jesus.

This is a very important gift. Some people say that little children won't understand what it means. But Jesus loves the children. And He wants them to know about this wonderful power.

The Bible tells about the very first baptism of the Holy Spirit. Just before Jesus went to Heaven, He told His disciples to go to the city of Jerusalem. He told them to wait there to receive the promised Holy Spirit.

God had known that when Jesus went back to Heaven all His friends would be very sad. Whenever they had needed help they had always gone to Jesus. So God had promised to send the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit would help them. Let's see what happened on that special day.

There were about 120 people in an upper room of one of the houses in Jerusalem. That's a lot of people in one room! They had been there for many days. But they were all happy. They didn't argue and they didn't complain about anything. God had given them a special love for each other. They all loved Jesus and wanted to obey Him.

They had been praying for many days. But on that special day, as they were all together, they suddenly heard a sound! It was like a great and mighty wind swooshing through the house! And the Holy Spirit filled each of them! They felt so wonderful. All of a sudden they began to speak in different languages! It was a special sign to let them know that God had given them the gift of Power He had promised.

There were many people in the city of Jerusalem. Some of them were visiting from faraway countries. When they heard the people in the house speaking in some of their languages they were very confused. They didn't understand what was happening. So Peter spoke to them and said, "Listen to me. This is the special gift that God promised." He spoke to them for a long time and told them many things about God's promise.

One of the things that Peter told the people is still very important to us today. He told them that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is for all those who love God. That means it is for you and me too! It is a wonderful gift. It helps us to understand God's Word. And it makes it easier to tell others about Jesus. God can work wonderful miracles through His helpers who have been filled with the Holy Spirit.

PARENT'S CORNER

The power of the Holy Spirit is the subject of this lesson. Explain to your child that many things need power to make them work. A simple way to show him this is to have him go around your house counting the many things he can find that have cords on them. Describe how the plug connects the object to a power source and makes it able to work properly.

Use this to illustrate that God has a special power for each one of us - a power that will help us really "work" as Christians.