Week: Holy Spirit Adventures
Each day we will simply pray (P.R.A.Y.) together.
P: PAUSING to be still.
R: REJOICING with a Memory Verse and REFLECTING on some verses from the Bible.
A: ASKING God to help us and others.
Y: saying YES to God’s ways.
We start by pausing and taking a deep breath:
In and out.
In and out.
We remember that God is here, and so together we prepare ourselves to be with God.
Pause
Holy Spirit, like the disciples in the upper room on the day of Pentecost, we’re patiently waiting for You to fill us with Your power and with Your presence. We’re ready for You to send us on new adventures.
We REJOICE and celebrate God’s goodness with this week’s memory verse:
Read by Jackson J
Romans 15:13
I pray that… your hope will overflow by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:13 (NCV)
God, help us to remember Your Word.
Paul and Barnabas had visited lots of towns and cities to talk about Jesus, and hundreds of people had become Christians, including some who didn’t know anything about the Jewish laws and traditions. When Paul and Barnabas told the church in Jerusalem what God had been doing, some of the other believers started arguing about it. Today, we’re REFLECTING on what the church leaders did to fix this.
Read by Jackson J
Acts 15:5-6,7,8-9,11
Some of the believers who belonged to the Pharisee group came forward and said, ‘The non-Jewish believers must be… told to obey the law of Moses.’ The apostles and the elders gathered to consider this problem. After a long debate, Peter stood up and said… ‘God, who knows the thoughts of everyone, accepted them. He showed this to us by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us. To God, these people are not different from us. When they believed, he made their hearts pure. We believe that we and they too will be saved by the grace of the Lord Jesus.’
Acts 15:5-6,7,8-9,11 (NCV)
Some of the Jewish Christians were still following ‘the law of Moses’, which included lots of laws and traditions. And these Jewish Christians felt that they were right, and that all Christians should do things like them, which is why an argument broke out.
Christians still disagree about things today; about styles of worship, about what certain Bible verses mean, even about what God is like. It’s OK to disagree sometimes, and it’s always good to ask questions when we don’t understand things.
What today’s Bible verses show us is how to disagree well. First the believers took time to talk openly together, then they looked carefully at what the Holy Spirit was doing, and finally they remembered the most important thing of all – we’re all saved by Jesus, not because we get everything right, but because he loves us!
Let’s press pause and talk about today’s question, which is: When was the last time we disagreed with someone about something? How did we sort it out?
Let’s ASK God to help us when we disagree with others.
Lord Jesus, when we disagree with people, help us to act kindly and humbly. We ASK you to help us to listen to the Holy Spirit and help us to love one another better.
As we said earlier, Christians still disagree about things.
Lord Jesus, please help the Christians who are arguing to listen to one another. Help them to listen to what the Holy Spirit is saying. And remind them that none of us are saved by getting everything right, but because You love us.
As we read the Bible again, let’s listen for a word or a phrase that the Holy Spirit might want to say to us from today’s verses.
Acts 15:5-6,7,8-9,11
Some of the believers who belonged to the Pharisee group came forward and said, ‘The non-Jewish believers must be… told to obey the law of Moses.’ The apostles and the elders gathered to consider this problem. After a long debate, Peter stood up and said… ‘God, who knows the thoughts of everyone, accepted them. He showed this to us by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us. To God, these people are not different from us. When they believed, he made their hearts pure. We believe that we and they too will be saved by the grace of the Lord Jesus.’
Acts 15:5-6,7,8-9,11 (NCV)
What word or phrase stood out from today’s Bible verses?
And now, let’s say YES to God together.
Holy Spirit, we say YES to going on adventures with You. When we disagree with other Christians, we say YES to listening, talking and praying together. Speak to us by the Holy Spirit so that we can all follow You more closely.
After enjoying this time with God and each other, let’s say our memory verse together:
Romans 15:13
I pray that… your hope will overflow by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:13 (NCV)
Let’s put a hand on our heart.
Father God, fill us with Your love. Help us to love You, and everything that You’ve made.
Let’s point to our eyes.
Lord Jesus, help us to see You, and to see others the way that You see them too.
Let’s point to our ears.
Holy Spirit, help us to hear You, and give us courage to do what You say.
Unathi lives in Johannesburg, South Africa, with her husband and 5 kids; and has a passion for seeing families thriving.
You’ll most likely find her homeschooling the tribe, reading, writing, or dreaming about the next DIY project.
She also loves good coffee, dark chocolate and hiking.
Jackson is 11 and he lives in Chichester, on the south coast of England, with his parents and his sister. He loves Pokemon (who doesn’t?), music and having fun with his friends.
