Pentecost - The Holy Spirit Comes

About 120 of Jesus' followers gathered together in a large upstairs room in Jerusalem. They met together every day to pray and worship God. They remembered all the amazing things Jesus had taught them. They had seen Him alive after the resurrection! They had watched Him go up into the clouds! Now they were waiting for the special gift Jesus had promised.

Ten days passed. Then came a Jewish holiday called Pentecost - a special festival when Jewish people from all around the world traveled to Jerusalem to worship God. The city was packed with visitors from many different countries. People were speaking different languages everywhere you went - Greek, Latin, Arabic, and many others!

On the morning of Pentecost, Jesus' followers were all together in that upstairs room, praying as usual. Suddenly, something AMAZING happened! They heard a sound from heaven - like a powerful, rushing wind! It filled the whole house! But this wasn't a normal wind - there was no breeze, nothing was blowing around. It was the sound of God's presence coming down!

Then they saw something incredible! What looked like small flames of fire appeared and separated, resting on each person's head! But the fire didn't burn them - it was a sign that the Holy Spirit had come! Each person was filled with the Holy Spirit, just as Jesus had promised!

Immediately, the disciples began to speak in different languages - languages they had never learned! God was giving them supernatural power to speak so they could tell people everywhere about Jesus! Peter, who used to be afraid and had even denied knowing Jesus, was now filled with boldness and courage!

The sound of the rushing wind was so loud that people all over the city heard it! Crowds of people came running to see what was happening. When they arrived, they heard Jesus' followers speaking, and they were amazed! "Aren't these people all from Galilee?" they asked. "How can they speak OUR languages?"

There were people from Parthia, Media, Elam, Mesopotamia, Egypt, Libya, Rome, Crete, and Arabia - all hearing the wonderful news about God in their own languages! "What does this mean?" they wondered. Some people made fun of the disciples, saying, "They must be drunk on wine!"

But Peter stood up with the other eleven disciples. His voice was strong and confident. "These people are not drunk!" he said. "It's only nine o'clock in the morning! No, this is what the prophet Joel spoke about long ago: 'In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people!'"

Then Peter preached the most important sermon ever preached! He told the huge crowd all about Jesus - how Jesus had performed miracles and wonders, how He had been crucified, and how God had raised Him from the dead! "We are all witnesses!" Peter said. "Jesus is alive! God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah!"

When the people heard this, their hearts were deeply touched. They felt sorry for their sins. "What should we do?" they cried out.

Peter answered, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit! This promise is for you and your children and for all who are far away - for everyone the Lord our God will call!"

Guess how many people believed in Jesus that day? About 3,000 people! Can you imagine? These people were baptized and became part of God's family! They devoted themselves to learning from the apostles, sharing meals together, praying, and helping each other.

The new believers shared everything they had. If someone needed food or clothes or a place to stay, others would sell their possessions to help them! They met together every day in the temple courts and in homes, praising God with glad and sincere hearts. Everyone in Jerusalem could see how much they loved each other!

This was the birthday of the Church - the day when Jesus' followers became empowered by the Holy Spirit to spread the good news about Jesus to the whole world! And guess what? Every day, more and more people believed in Jesus and joined them!

The same Holy Spirit who came on that day at Pentecost is still with us today! When you believe in Jesus, the Holy Spirit comes to live inside you, too! He gives you power to tell others about Jesus, to understand the Bible, to pray, and to live in a way that pleases God. Just like He changed those scared disciples into bold witnesses, He can work in your life in amazing ways! The story that began at Pentecost is still going on today, and YOU can be part of it!

Big idea: God is always with us and loves us very much!