Bible Stories for Adults

Pentecost

John 14:23-31; Acts 2

Next Week - The Ten Bridesmaids (Matthew 25:1-13)
Bible Words to Remember:
If you ... know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him! Luke 11:13

What responsibility did Jesus leave with His disciples before He left to be with His Father?
Matthew 28:19-20 = Go, Make disciples of all nations, Baptize, Teach
Were the apostles to immediately begin witnessing on their own?
Acts 1:4 = No, they should wait in Jerusalem for the Spirit
What gift had the Father promised?
Acts 1:5 = Baptized with the Holy Spirit
How effective would the Spirit make these witnesses? = Spirit witnesses thru us
Acts 1:8 = Able to take the gospel to Jerusalem, Judea & Samaria, ends of the earth

What proof do we have that Christians could not even begin this task without the Spirit?
Acts 1:6 = Even after 3 years with Jesus, apostles didn't understand who He was
How would this be changed by the coming of the Spirit?
John 14:26 = The Holy Spirit would bring them to full understanding
Would the Spirit bring a different message than what Jesus brought?
John 16:13-15 = No, both bring the same message - the Father's message
What is this message?
Ephesians 3:4-6 = The mystery now revealed that Gentiles & Jews are fellow heirs
Did the early Christians immediately understand this message?
Acts 11:1-4, 18 = No, it was great news when they realized salvation was for all

If the message is for the whole world, how would the world accept this Spirit?
John 14:16-17 = The evil world wouldn't even see or know the Spirit, Will live in you
How would the Spirit deal with this evil world when He came?
John 16:7-8 = He'll reprove & convince the world of sin, righteousness & judgment

What news would the Spirit reveal to the world in regard to sin?
John 16:9 = The sin of not believing in, or having faith in, Jesus Christ
Why is it important for the world to recognize this sin? = No saving faith without the Spirit
Mark 3:22-23, 28-29 = Shutting off the work of the Spirit is the unforgivable sin

What news would the Spirit reveal to the world in regard to righteousness?
John 16:10 = Jesus has gone to the Father to bring us righteousness
How does Jesus being with the Father bring us righteousness? = atoning sacrifice
1 John 2:1-2 = Being righteous Himself, Jesus speaks to the Father in our defense
How is this righteousness news to the world?
Romans 10:1-4 = Righteousness is through faith, not something we do on our own

What news would the Spirit reveal to the world in regard to judgment?
John 16:11 = The evil prince of the world has been condemned
Why should this be important to individuals in the world?
Revelation 20:10, 15 = Those belonging to the evil prince will be destroyed with him

If the Spirit will reveal all of these things to the world, what is the role of the apostles?
John 15:26-27 = They must also testify as witnesses
Would they be working alongside the Spirit or in different areas?
Luke 24:49 = Neither, they would be clothed with the power of the Spirit
Was the sending of the Spirit a new concept introduced by Jesus?
Joel 2:28-32 (Is 44:3, Ez 36:25-27, etc) = No, God promised His Spirit thru history

What did the apostles do while they were waiting for the promised Spirit?
Acts 1:12, 14 = They stayed in Jerusalem and prayed constantly
How many Christians were there at this time?
Acts 1:15 = About 120
Did they take care of any business during this time?
Acts 1:23-26 = They replaced Judas with Matthias
How could a newcomer like Matthias be a chosen witness of Jesus?
Acts 1:21-22 = He wasn't a newcomer, was a disciple since Jesus' ministry began

What major festival did the Jews celebrate besides Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles?
Deuteronomy 16:9-10 = The Feast of Weeks, Seven weeks after beginning of harvest
To make the festival date more universal & predictable, the Jews set it 50 days after Passover
Commonly referred to as Fiftieth (Greek word meaning Fiftieth is Pentecost)
Where would the Jews try to be to celebrate this harvest festival?
Acts 20:16 = In Jerusalem
Where were the waiting apostles when this day came?
Acts 2:1 = Together in one place - in the rented room on Jerusalem

What did it sound like when the promised Spirit came on Pentecost?
Acts 2:2 = Sounded like a violent wind, but there was no wind
What did it look like when the promised Spirit came on Pentecost?
Acts 2:3 = Tongues of fire separated & rested of each of the disciples
How were Jesus' chosen witnesses affected by this Spirit?
Acts 2:4 = They were all filled with the Spirit, began to speak in tongues

Could these sounds be heard by others or just the affected believers?
Acts 2:5-6 = Pentecost visitors from all over heard and came to see
Did they think anything of hearing these Galileans speak in their languages?
Acts 2:7-12 = They were amazed that uneducated Galileans knew other languages
How did some try to explain some of the strange languages they heard?
Acts 2:13 = They're drunk

Who understood what was happening and explained it to the crowd?
Acts 2:14 = Peter
How did he respond to the accusation that they were drunk?
Acts 2:15 = It's too early - drunks have heavy tongues & can't speak clearly
So what were the people seeing and hearing?
Acts 2:16-21 = The fulfillment of Joel's prophesy of the coming of the Spirit

What did Peter say with this opportunity to speak to people from all around the world?
Acts 2:22-24 = He witnessed to Jesus life, death and resurrection
Why was it important for Peter to point out Jesus' miracles, wonders and signs?
John 3:2 = They proved that God had sent Him
What did Peter mean by God's set purpose and foreknowledge?
Luke 24:25-27 = Jesus' sufferings had been planned & foretold by God from eternity

How did Peter begin his explanation of Jesus resurrection?
Acts 2:25-28 = Quoted Psalm 16 - David said You will not abandon me to the grave
Was David referring to himself?
Acts 2:29 = No, he died and knew he would
Who was David talking about?
Acts 2:30-31 = The resurrection of the Messiah promised to descend from him

Who is this Messiah that David spoke of and how does Peter know?
Acts 2:32 = Jesus, The apostles are witnesses
What proof does Peter have?
Acts 2:33 = Jesus is with the Father & sent the Holy Spirit as you can see & hear
What other proof does Peter give?
Acts 2:34-36 = David spoke of the ascended Jesus at the right hand of the Father

How did the people respond when the Spirit convinced them of their sin?
Acts 2:37 = They were cut to the heart and asked what they should do
How did the Spirit then convince them of their righteousness?
Acts 2:38-39 = Peter offered forgiveness & HS through repentance & baptism
How did the Spirit convince them of the coming judgment?
Acts 2:40 = He warned them through Peter to get away from the corrupt generation
How did the people respond to this work of the Spirit?
Acts 2:41 = About 3000 accepted the Spirit and were baptized

Should we expect the Spirit to come to us like He came to the early Christians on Pentecost?
Luke 11:13 = The Father will give the Spirit to His children who ask
How do we ask for the Spirit?
Acts 8:14-17 = Pray for it, Open our hearts for it
Why should we want the Spirit to live in us?
Romans 8:9-11 = We won't be controlled by sin, we'll receive life
How do we know if we have the Spirit in us?
Galatians 5:16-25 = If we bear the fruit of the Spirit rather than acts of sinful nature