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13 May

Posted at 23:59h in Uncategorized

Memory Verse

“SO WE SAY WITH CONFIDENCE, ‘THE LORD IS MY HELPER; I WILL NOT BE AFRAID.’” HEBREWS 13:6A, NIV

Bible Story

The Holy Spirit Comes At Pentecost

God sent the Holy Spirit to help you.

Acts 2:1-41

1 The day of Pentecost came. The believers all gathered in one place.
2 Suddenly a sound came from heaven. It was like a strong wind blowing. It filled the whole house where they were sitting.
3 They saw something that looked like tongues of fire. The flames separated and settled on each of them.
4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit. They began to speak in languages they had not known before. The Spirit gave them the ability to do this.
5 Godly Jews from every country in the world were staying in Jerusalem.
6 A crowd came together when they heard the sound. They were bewildered because they each heard the believers speaking in their own language.
7 The crowd was really amazed. They asked, “Aren’t all these people from Galilee?
8 Why, then, do we each hear them speaking in our own native language?
9 We are Parthians, Medes and Elamites. We live in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia. We are from Pontus, Asia,
10 Phrygia and Pamphylia. Others of us are from Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene. Still others are visitors from Rome.
11 Some of the visitors are Jews. Others have accepted the Jewish faith. Also, Cretans and Arabs are here. We hear all these people speaking about God’s wonders in our own languages!”
12 They were amazed and bewildered. They asked one another, “What does this mean?”
13 But some people in the crowd made fun of the believers. “They’ve had too much wine!” they said.

Peter Speaks to the Crowd

14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven. In a loud voice he spoke to the crowd. “My Jewish friends,” he said, “let me explain this to you. All of you who live in Jerusalem, listen carefully to what I say.
15 You think these people are drunk. But they aren’t. It’s only nine o’clock in the morning!
16 No, here is what the prophet Joel meant.
17 He said, ” ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Holy Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions. Your old men will have dreams.
18 In those days I will pour out my Spirit even on those who serve me, both men and women. When I do, they will prophesy.
19 I will show wonders in the heavens above. I will show miraculous signs on the earth below. There will be blood and fire and clouds of smoke.
20 The sun will become dark. The moon will turn red like blood. This will happen before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
21 Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ (Joel 2:28-32)
22 “Men of Israel, listen to this! Jesus of Nazareth was a man who had God’s approval. God did miracles, wonders and signs among you through Jesus. You yourselves know this.
23 Long ago God planned that Jesus would be handed over to you. With the help of evil people, you put Jesus to death. You nailed him to the cross.
24 But God raised him from the dead. He set him free from the suffering of death. It wasn’t possible for death to keep its hold on Jesus.
25 David spoke about him. He said, ” ‘I know that the Lord is always with me. He is at my right hand. I will always be secure.
26 So my heart is glad. Joy is on my tongue. My body also will be full of hope.
27 You will not leave me in the grave. You will not let your Holy One rot away.
28 You always show me the path that leads to life. You will fill me with joy when I am with you.’ (Psalm 16:8-11)
29 “Brothers, you can be sure that King David died. He was buried. His tomb is still here today.
30 But David was a prophet. He knew that God had made a promise to him. He had taken an oath that someone in David’s family line would be king after him.
31 David saw what was ahead. So he spoke about the Christ rising from the dead. He said that the Christ would not be left in the grave. His body wouldn’t rot in the ground.
32 God has raised this same Jesus back to life. We are all witnesses of this.
33 Jesus has been given a place of honor at the right hand of God. He has received the Holy Spirit from the Father. This is what God had promised. It is Jesus who has poured out what you now see and hear.
34 David did not go up to heaven. But he said, ” ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand.
35 I will put your enemies under your control.” ‘ (Psalm 110:1)
36 “So be sure of this, all you people of Israel. You nailed Jesus to the cross. But God has made him both Lord and Christ.”
37 When the people heard this, their hearts were filled with shame. They said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?”
38 Peter replied, “All of you must turn away from your sins and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then your sins will be forgiven. You will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
39 The promise is for you and your children. It is also for all who are far away. It is for all whom the Lord our God will choose.”
40 Peter said many other things to warn them. He begged them, “Save yourselves from these evil people.”
41 Those who accepted his message were baptized. About 3,000 people joined the believers that day.

Daily Devotionals

Read Acts 2:1-4

Have you ever seen a storm with winds that shook the trees or rattled the windows?

When the disciples gathered for Pentecost, they heard a sound like the blowing of a mighty wind from heaven. God sent the Holy Spirit to them. The Holy Spirit gave them the power to share the love of Jesus with people from different parts of the world.

We can have confidence because God sent the Holy Spirit to help us too!

Make a Windsock
Heavy paper
Markers/ crayons
Glue
Streamers – in 3 foot lengths
Hole punch

On the center of the page, write “God sent the Holy Spirit to help you” and decorate. Flip over and glue the streamers along the bottom edge. Once dry, roll the paper together like a tube and tape to secure. Punch two holes across from each other on the top, thread the string through both holes and tie the ends together. Hang the windsock from a hook outside on a windy day or inside near a fan to see it in action!

Read John 14:16

When was the last time you had a big job to do? Did you have to do it all by yourself?

Jesus came to earth for one specific purpose: to make a way for everyone to have a relationship with God. As followers of Jesus, we are promised the gift of the Holy Spirit, a helper to be with us forever.

The Holy Spirit can help us do things that don’t come naturally, like loving our enemies, telling the truth even when it’s hard, or doing the right thing when we don’t feel like it. We have the Holy Spirit to help us follow Jesus and live like He did. The Holy Spirit is with you and will help you to love God and love others every day.

Read Romans 5:5

Pour It Out
Grab a pitcher and fill it up with water. Now find an empty water bottle and some tape. On one piece of tape write “God’s Love” and on another write your name. Stick the “God’s Love” label on the pitcher and the name label on the water bottle and head outside. Set the bottle on the ground and carefully pour the water into the bottle until it overflows and floods out onto the ground.

This is a picture of God’s love for you. God’s love can fill you up with confidence. God loves you and is with you no matter what. The Holy Spirit will help you and remind you that God’s love for you will never run out.

Read Galatians 5:22-23

Can you show love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control ALL the time?

Back up and repeat the first few words of this verse: “But the fruit the Holy Spirit produces is…” (NIrV) With the help of the Holy Spirit working in us, we can have the strength to be loving, joyful, peaceful, kind, good, faithful, gentle and filled with self-control.

Fruit Basket Take Over
Grab the fruit bowl from the kitchen. (Ask first if it’s okay!) Write out the following statements on separate pieces of paper. Then wrap each piece of fruit with the paper, making sure the statement is on the inside. Place the wrapped fruit back in the bowl for your family to enjoy this week as a reminder that God has sent His Spirit to help you.

The fruit of the Holy Spirit is love.
The fruit of the Holy Spirit is joy.
The fruit of the Holy Spirit is peace.
The fruit of the Holy Spirit is patience.
The fruit of the Holy Spirit is kindness.
The fruit of the Holy Spirit is goodness.
The fruit of the Holy Spirit is faithfulness.
The fruit of the Holy Spirit is gentleness.
The fruit of the Holy Spirit is self-control.

As your kid starts their day, tell them about a way they helped you recently and let them know how much you appreciate it.

At a meal, have everyone at the table answer this question: “Has God ever helped you with something? If so, how?” (wisdom, helpers, etc.)

While on the go, ask your kid: “Who are some people who have helped you lately?”

Pray for each other: “God, thank You for sending the Holy Spirit to help us. May we remember that help is always available for us no matter what we’re facing.”

26 Apr

Posted at 18:00h in Uncategorized

Main Idea

God accepts us no matter what. It doesn’t matter what we look like, where we came from, or what we’ve done. God still accepts us despite all of these things, even when we think we aren’t worthy. We might see someone else and judge them based on their appearance. But lucky for us, God doesn’t care what we look like on the outside. He only cares about what’s on the inside. In The Princess and the Frog, Naveen gets mixed up with the shadow man and turns into a frog. At first, Tiana sees Naveen as surface-level, lazy, and greedy. Throughout the movie, she gets to know him better and realizes that he’s genuine, hard-working, and loving. Also, the shadow man’s charming appearance deceives Lawrence and Naveen in a different way. He claims to make their dreams come true, when he’s actually using and manipulating them to gain wealth. God can see past all of these appearances. He looks into our heart to see our true selves. And even if we’ve done bad things, he is here for us, waiting for us to repent and turn to him.

Scripture

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things that people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 

1 Samuel 16:7 (NIV) 

 

Discussion Questions

  1. Have you seen The Princess & The Frog? What did you think about it?
  2. Where can we see God in this movie?
  3. Have you ever wrongly judged someone by their appearance?
  4. How can I avoid judging someone based on what they look like?

 

26 Apr

Posted at 18:00h in Uncategorized

Main Idea

God can use all our gifts, even in unexpected ways.

Scripture

1 Corinthians 12:4-11
4 There are different kinds of gifts. But they are all given by the same Spirit.
5 There are different ways to serve. But they all come from the same Lord.
6 There are different ways to work. But the same God makes it possible for all of us to have all those different things.
7 The Holy Spirit is given to each of us in a special way. That is for the good of all.
8 To some people the Spirit gives the message of wisdom. To others the same Spirit gives the message of knowledge.
9 To others the same Spirit gives faith. To others that one Spirit gives gifts of healing.
10 To others he gives the power to do miracles. To others he gives the ability to prophesy. To others he gives the ability to tell the spirits apart. To others he gives the ability to speak in different kinds of languages they had not known before. And to still others he gives the ability to explain what was said in those languages.
11 All of the gifts are produced by one and the same Spirit. He gives them to each person, just as he decides.

 

Discussion Questions

1. What are some unexpected ways God can use our gifts?

2. Where are some other places we can show God’s love other than church?

 

19 Apr

Posted at 18:00h in Uncategorized

The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse: The Brave Little Squire (see episode on disney+)

Main Idea

In parallel to the story of David and Goliath, good things often come from unexpected heroes. Additionally, there’s more to being a hero than just how you look. In the episode, Mortimer acts like he is the knight, but in reality he’s mean and a bit of a wuss. However, Mickey is brave and chivalrous, even though he’s not what a typical knight looks like. Similarly, Goliath is everything that a warrior should be – big and strong; however, he’s nastily mean! David, on the other hand, trusts God and in doing so is revealed to be not just a warrior for God, but a true king!

Scripture

“Goliath stood and shouted to the Israelite soldiers, “Why have you taken positions for battle? I am a Philistine, and you are Saul’s servants! Choose a man and send him to fight me. If he can fight and kill me, we will become your servants. But if I defeat and kill him, you will become our servants.” Then he said, “Today I stand and dare the army of Israel! Send one of your men to fight me!” When Saul and the Israelites heard the Philistine’s words, they were very afraid.”

‭‭1 Samuel 17: 8-11

“David asked the men who stood near him, “What will be done to reward the man who kills this Philistine? What will be done for whoever takes away the shame from Israel? Goliath is a Philistine. He is not circumcised. Why does he think he can speak against the armies of the living God?” David’s oldest brother Eliab heard David talking with the soldiers. He became angry with David. He asked David, “Why did you come here? Who’s taking care of those few sheep of yours in the desert? I know you are proud. Your attitude is very bad. You came down here just to watch the battle!” David asked, “Now what have I done wrong? Can’t I even talk?” He then turned to other people and asked the same questions. And they gave him the same answer as before. Some men heard what David said and told Saul. Then Saul ordered David to be sent to him. David said to Saul, “Don’t let anyone be discouraged. I, your servant, will go and fight this Philistine!” Saul answered, “You can’t go out against this Philistine and fight him. You’re only a boy. Goliath has been a warrior since he was a young man.” But David said to Saul, “I, your servant, have been keeping my father’s sheep. When a lion or bear came and took a sheep from the flock, I would chase it. I would attack it and save the sheep from its mouth. When it attacked me, I caught it by its fur. I would hit it and kill it. I, your servant, have killed both a lion and a bear! Goliath, the Philistine who is not circumcised, will be like the lion or bear I killed. He will die because he has stood against the armies of the living God. The Lord saved me from a lion and a bear. He will also save me from this Philistine.” Saul said to David, “Go, and may the Lord be with you.””

‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭17‬:‭26‬, ‭28‬-‭37

Discussion Questions

  1. What do you know about the story of David and Goliath?
  2. When was there a time when you had to be brave? What happened?
  3. How can faith in God help us be brave?