Week: Holy Spirit Adventures - the Book of Acts
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 Elanor
1 Corinthians 3:16
Surely you know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you!
1 Corinthians 3:16 (GNT)
God, help us to remember Your Word.
Today, we’re REFLECTING on a journey that the Holy Spirit took Philip on, where he met a man from Ethiopia.
Read by Elanor
Acts 8:29-31
The Spirit said to Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.”
So when Philip ran toward the chariot, he heard the man reading from Isaiah the prophet. Philip asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?”
He answered, “How can I understand unless someone explains it to me?” Then he invited Philip to climb in and sit with him.
Acts 8:29-31 (NCV)
The Holy Spirit told Philip to go and walk alongside a chariot. In the chariot, Philip finds a man from a totally different country and culture, sitting, reading the Bible. The man wanted to understand what he was reading, so Philip sat with him and told him all about Jesus. And then Philip told the man that he didn’t need to just read about Jesus, but he could know Jesus for himself.
Let’s press pause and talk about today’s question, which is: When we need someone to explain things to us, who do we ask? Can we think of some examples?
Philip listened to the Holy Spirit telling him to go to the chariot and stay near it. Because he listened, he got the opportunity to tell the man about Jesus.
Let’s ask the Holy Spirit to speak to us about who we can talk with about Jesus this week.
Philip and the Ethiopian man were from different places, they looked different to one another, and they lived different lives. But Philip knew that the good news of Jesus was not just for one group of people, but for everyone.
Loving God, we thank you that Your love and mercy is for everyone. Forgive us when we’ve forgotten this and show us how to offer Your love to everyone we meet, even those who are very different to 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 8:29-31
The Spirit said to Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.”
So when Philip ran toward the chariot, he heard the man reading from Isaiah the prophet. Philip asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?”
He answered, “How can I understand unless someone explains it to me?” Then he invited Philip to climb in and sit with him.
Acts 8:29-31 (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. We say YES to listening to You and following You.
After enjoying this time with God and each other, let’s say our memory verse together:
1 Corinthians 3:16
Surely you know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you!
1 Corinthians 3:16 (GNT)
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.
Phil lives close to a beach in the north of England with his wife, his daughters and his dogs. Phil works for 24-7 Prayer, mostly doing Lectio stuff, and helping to run Prayer Spaces in Schools. He runs a lot, usually for long distances. He likes curry, mountains, reading books and he still plays Pokemon Go.
Elanor is 12 years old and lives in East London with her parents and younger brother. She enjoys going on adventures with her friends, reading lots of books, horse riding, acting, singing, dancing and finding different ways to pray to God.
