Scripture: Acts 2:1-47
Learning Objectives:
- Students will learn the Church began on Pentecost, the holiday that had become a time to celebrate when God gave Moses the Old Law.
- Students will learn the Holy Spirit gave the Apostles the ability to speak in languages they had not studied, so everyone could understand the important message they had to share.
- Students will learn God wants us to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of our sins and to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit,
- Students will learn how Pentecost led to the sharing of faith.
Guiding Question: How can students learn how to share their faith from learning o the Pentecost?
Materials: Pencils, paper
Procedure: Teach the story of Pentecost. Explain that the story is about how the Apostles received the Holy Spirit so that they could go and spread God and his message of salvation. The Apostles now also had the ability to speak in different languages in order to share the message with those that spoke different languages. Tell the students that in order to receive the Holy Spirit, we must be baptized for the forgiveness of our sins. Then we receive the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit gives us guidance and direction in our lives.
Pentecost was originally called Shavuot or the Feast of Weeks or the Feast of the Harvest (details in Exodus 23 and 24). It celebrated the early weeks of the spring harvest of wheat. By the time of Jesus it also celebrated Moses receiving the Law on Mt Sinai – how fitting that God chose Pentecost as the beginning of the Church, celebrating the harvest of souls instead of wheat. Pentecost was one of the three feasts that every jewish male was required to go to Jerusalem to sacrifice at the Temple – this meant every Jewish man was also there to witness what happened on the Pentecost – giving them an equal opportunity to obey God and become Christians by repenting and being baptized. Although 3000 people are a lot of people to be baptized on one day, it was only a fraction of the people in Jerusalem who probably witnessed what happened that day.
Take a look at the basics of Peter’s sermon on Pentecost. How can students use some of those same elements in their own words to teach others the Gospel message? Have them work on the specifics of what they can say to others when they are sharing their faith. If time allows, let them take turns practicing beginning faith sharing conversations.
Additional Questions: How can students use God’s faithfulness in their lives to share their faith?
Supplemental Activity: Have the students create a list of ways that God has been faithful to them and create a plan of using those examples to help them share their faith with others. For example, if someone is going through something that the student went through, the student could share how God was faithful for them in that situation.