“The Promised Gift”
Click below to download the Cornerstone Connections leader’s guide and student lesson. This week’s resources also include two lesson plans and a discussion starter video which offer different ways of looking at the topic. Each lesson plan includes opening activities, scripture passages, discussion questions, and real-life applications.
The Holy Spirit is one of the greatest gifts that God offers us. But do we see Him as a gift worth receiving?
What would it have been like to have been in the upper room during Pentecost? Everyone was gathered and they were in “one accord.” They knew something was going to happen, but what? The waiting must have been intense! Do you ever stop to think that this event could happen again? Do you ever pray for it? In today’s lesson, we will explore these questions further.
Give each student a list of signatures you want them to get. Give them a time limit and turn them loose to get the signatures.
Get the signature of someone who . . .
1. Teaches Sabbath School _______________________
2. Has preached in church _______________________
3. Has been to an International Camporee _______________________
4. Has gone overseas _______________________
5. Has parents who are missionaries _______________________
6. Has hazel eyes _______________________
7. Was born overseas _______________________
8. Has helped a person to come to Christ _______________________
9. Can speak three languages _______________________
10. Has been given a present this week _______________________
What does it take to surprise someone today? Many people today are jaded and may not grasp the significance of what is happening in this story. It might have been like a flash mob for Jesus in the temple. If it happened today, what do you think people’s reactions would be? Let’s look at the story.
Read Acts 2:1-4.
1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
Read Genesis 11:1-9.
1 Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. 2 As people moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there.
3 They said to each other, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. 4 Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.”
5 But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower the people were building. 6 The Lord said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. 7 Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.”
8 So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city.
9 That is why it was called Babel—because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world. From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth.
Read Acts 2:5-13.
5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven.
6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language?
9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” 12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?”
13 Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.”
Read Acts 2:14-21.
14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. 15 These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! 16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
17 “ ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. 18 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. 19 I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. 20 The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. 21 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’
Read Acts 2:29-32.
29 “Fellow Israelites, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. 30 But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. 31 Seeing what was to come, he spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that he was not abandoned to the realm of the dead, nor did his body see decay. 32 God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it.
Read Acts 2:36-39.
36 “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”
37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”
38 Peter replied, “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. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”
Read Acts 2:44-47.
44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
Do you ever wish that everyone would just get along? That’s exactly what our scripture passage today suggests that the disciples were attempting to make happen. It seems somewhat impossible that everyone in the world would be able to get along before Jesus comes, but what about His church? Don’t you think that followers of Jesus should be able to get along? However, if you study history, some of the greatest wars happened because Christians couldn’t see eye to eye. Even though it seems unlikely, our job is to follow the example of the disciples to speak with clarity and conviction about Jesus and to live with those around us in a way that will allow others to see Jesus so that they too will fall in love with Him. And then, many will be added daily to His church.
Try two of the following during the next week:
1. Share Jesus with a stranger.
2. Call someone with whom you have a conflict and attempt to make peace.
3. Share a meal with someone who doesn’t have enough food of their own.
4. Do random acts of kindness.
5. Text your pastor and let him/her know how much you appreciate them.
6. Buy flowers for someone in a skilled care facility.
7. Fix breakfast for one of your parents/guardians.
8. Post an inspiring passage from scripture on social media.
LEADER’S NOTE
For a Relational Bible Study (RBS) you’ll want to get into the Scripture passage and encourage the youth to imagine participating in the story while it’s happening. Then you will be able to better apply it to your own situation today.
You will need to ask God for the Holy Spirit to be present as your small group discusses the questions (no more than 3-6 people in a group is recommended). Start with the opening question. It is a personal question and the answer is unique for each individual. There is no right answer and nobody is an expert here, so don’t be surprised when you hear different responses. You are depending on the Holy Spirit to be present and to speak through your group. Say what God prompts you to say, and listen to what others share.
Take turns reading the chapter out loud. Follow that with giving the students some time to individually mark their responses to the questions (a PDF version of the handout is available as a download). This gives each person a starting point for responding when you start to share as a group. Next, begin the discussion by asking the students to share what they marked and why on each question as you work your way through. Feel free to take more time on some questions than others as discussion warrants.
Encourage each person in the group to apply what is discussed to their personal lives and to share with the group what they believe God wants them to do. Then ask them to pray that God will help each of them to follow through in doing so. Remind them to expect that God will show them ways to live out the message of this passage in the coming week, and that they are free to ask others in the group to help hold them accountable.
In Acts 1 the resurrected Jesus appeared to His disciples multiple times and then told them, “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you what He promised (the Holy Spirit). Remember, I have told you about this before (see John 14-16). John baptized with water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 1:4-5 NLT).
How long would you wait for the Holy Spirit? Five minutes? Five hours? Five days? How long is “a few days”? It turned out to be 10 days for the disciples. When have you waited 10 days for something you wanted right now?
What about the watch part of Acts 2? What do you look for when you’re watching for the Holy Spirit? Do you expect hurricane-like winds, fire, explosions? Do you anticipate miracles, a “still, small voice,” or a Christlike character? Do you need affirmation from others with a comment like, “You remind me so much of Jesus”? Would you misunderstand what you see—like so many people misunderstood Christ when He came the first time, and like some misunderstood the Holy Spirit when He came powerfully on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:13)?
Most of us would immediately welcome the “wow” component of the Holy Spirit. That’s the power that does miracles. But it’s also the power that calls people to come to Christ. That power knocks people off the fence—either into a new relationship with Jesus and the rest of Christ’s followers, or a hardening and resistance to Jesus and those with Him. It calls for speaking the truth and, we’ll discover in the coming weeks, a very radical lifestyle instead of what most people consider “normal.” Wow!
The implication of the Holy Spirit coming on all of Christ’s believers had profound ramifications. With a bunch of uneducated, local Galileans speaking the languages of the known world, anything could now happen. And with people from all over the world being wowed by this, Christ was now showing Himself through anyone and everyone who receives the Holy Spirit.
When have you waited for something and it turned out to be super special?
Read Acts 2:1-39.
1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language?
9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” 12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?”
13 Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.”
14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. 15 These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! 16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
17 “ ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. 18 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.
19 I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. 20 The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. 21 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’
22 “Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. 23 This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. 24 But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. 25 David said about him:
“ ‘I saw the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. 26 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest in hope,
27 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, you will not let your holy one see decay. 28 You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.’
29 “Fellow Israelites, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. 30 But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. 31 Seeing what was to come, he spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that he was not abandoned to the realm of the dead, nor did his body see decay. 32 God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it. 33 Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. 34 For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said,
“ ‘The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand 35 until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.” ’
36 “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”
37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”
38 Peter replied, “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. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”
1. What did the disciples do while they waited for the Holy Spirit?
2. What did people watch when the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost?
3. What made people say “Wow!” on the Day of Pentecost?
4. What part of Joel’s prophecy came true at Pentecost?
5. How would you convince others that Jesus was the Messiah—God?
6. What were those convicted supposed to do in response?
7. When it comes to the Holy Spirit, are you more like “Wait” or “Watch” or “Wow”?
8. Have you received the Holy Spirit? How do you know?
Jesus promised that God the Father would send the Holy Spirit when Christ returned to heaven (see John 14-16 and Revelation 5:6). Based on Peter’s quotation from Joel 2, we can expect the Holy Spirit to be poured out in our day as well. Has that happened? Is it happening? Will it happen in the future? Will it be on a grand scale like on the Day of Pentecost, or just an individual thing? Have you received the Holy Spirit? How do you know if you have, or if you haven’t? Must you speak in tongues or will it be obvious in other ways? As we continue our study of Acts we will find more indicators of how people knew when the Holy Spirit was present, and what it did. And that will be true today as well.
Here are three potential applications for you for the coming week, based on the “Wait” and “Watch” and “Wow!” from Acts 2:1-39. Choose one or more of these, or adapt them to your specific situation, starting today.
The disciples waited for the Holy Spirit to come. While Jesus said to wait a few days, they didn’t know how many days it would be. So they waited.
The Holy Spirit sometimes comes in obviously supernatural ways, and sometimes in ways that aren’t perceived immediately. Some are more outward and others are more inward.
The supernatural is, well, more than what’s natural! The “tongues of fire” in Acts 2 seem quite spectacular. Speaking in unknown languages would certainly grab attention. The message Peter spoke also grabbed attention. Two ways you can expect the “Wow factor” from the Holy Spirit include:
