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 Jackson J
Acts 1:8
But when the Holy Spirit comes to you, you will receive power. You will be my witnesses – in Jerusalem, in all of Judea, in Samaria, and in every part of the world.
Acts 1:8 (NCV)
God, help us to remember Your Word.
Today we’re REFLECTING on the story of Stephen, who was one of the seven people we heard about yesterday, chosen by God to organise the serving of food. The religious leaders didn’t mind Stephen serving food, but they really didn’t like him telling people about Jesus.
Read by Jackson J
Acts 6:8-10
Stephen was richly blessed by God who gave him the power to do great miracles and signs among the people. But some people were against him… They all came and argued with Stephen. But the Spirit was helping him to speak with wisdom, and his words were so strong that they could not argue with him.
Acts 6:8-10 (NCV)
Like so many of the early Christians, Stephen was full of the Holy Spirit, and it was flowing out to those around him. The Holy Spirit did miracles and healings through Stephen. This was something that some religious leaders hadn’t seen before, it made them nervous, suspicious even, that something strange was going on! But God gave Stephen wisdom and the words to speak and explain that it was God who was at work.
In today’s Bible passage it says that Stephen’s words were wise and strong. Let’s press pause and talk about today’s question, which is: Can we think of something wise that someone has said to us? Maybe it was a really good piece of advice.
And now, let’s ASK God to help us and others.
Lord God, we know that we don’t always understand everything about you or how you work but we know that your Spirit does amazing things, like we’ve read about in Acts. We ASK You to give us wisdom and words, like you did to Stephen, to help us talk about you.
Let’s think of someone we know who might be unsure about whether they believe in God or not. Maybe they feel nervous for some reason, or maybe they have questions.
Let’s quietly pray a prayer for them now – asking the Holy Spirit to help them understand more about God and to feel safe and secure in His presence.
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 6:8-10
Stephen was richly blessed by God who gave him the power to do great miracles and signs among the people. But some people were against him… They all came and argued with Stephen. But the Spirit was helping him to speak with wisdom, and his words were so strong that they could not argue with him.
Acts 6:8-10 (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 choose to believe that You can do more than we could ever imagine or think through our lives.
After enjoying this time with God and each other, let’s say our memory verse together:
Acts 1:8
But when the Holy Spirit comes to you, you will receive power. You will be my witnesses – in Jerusalem, in all of Judea, in Samaria, and in every part of the world.
Acts 1:8 (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.
