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Free Bible lesson for kids · The Church Begins

The Day of Pentecost

The disciples were together when a sound like a rushing mighty wind filled the house and tongues like fire sat on each of them. They were filled with the Holy Ghost, Peter preached, and about three thousand believed.

Bible passage
Acts 2:1–41
Big idea
God gives His Spirit to help us tell about Jesus.
Memory verse
And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Acts 2:21 (KJV)
Ages
Preschool to preteen (3 to 12), with tips for each age
Time
About 45 minutes
Included, free
Animated story film, coloring page, class sheet, teacher guide, questions and answers, a game

The story

On the day of Pentecost, the believers were together in one place (Acts 2:1). Suddenly a sound from heaven like “a rushing mighty wind” filled the house, and tongues like fire sat on each of them (Acts 2:2–3). They were filled with the Holy Ghost and spoke in other languages (Acts 2:4). People from many nations heard the wonderful works of God in their own languages (Acts 2:5–6, 11).

Some mocked, but Peter stood up and preached (Acts 2:13–14). He said Jesus had been crucified, but “This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses” (Acts 2:23, 32). The people were cut to the heart and asked, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” (Acts 2:37). Peter told them to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 2:38). That day about three thousand who gladly received his word were baptized (Acts 2:41).

Read it in the Bible: Acts 2:1–41 (KJV)

1And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 3And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. 4And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. 5And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. 6Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. 7And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans? 8And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born? 9Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, 10Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, 11Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God. 12And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this? 13Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine. 14But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: 15For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day. 16But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; 17And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: 18And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: 19And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: 20The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come: 21And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. 22Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: 23Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: 24Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it. 25For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved: 26Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope: 27Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. 28Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance. 29Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. 30Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; 31He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. 32This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. 33Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. 34For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, 35Until I make thy foes thy footstool. 36Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. 37Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? 38Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. 39For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. 40And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. 41Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.

Questions to ask

  1. What did they hear from heaven?

    A sound as of a rushing mighty wind.

  2. What appeared on each of them?

    Cloven tongues like as of fire.

  3. About how many people were added that day?

    About three thousand souls.

What this story teaches

  • God keeps His promise to send the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:33).
  • The Holy Spirit gives believers boldness to tell about Jesus (Acts 2:4, 14).
  • God raised Jesus from the dead and made Him Lord (Acts 2:32, 36).
  • Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved (Acts 2:21).
  • God calls everyone to repent and turn to Jesus (Acts 2:38).

Jesus Sends His Spirit

Jesus, raised to the right hand of God, received the promised Holy Spirit from the Father and poured Him out on His people.

Acts 2:33

A 45-minute lesson plan

5 minWelcome and pray. Greet each child by name and pray: Ask God’s Spirit to help us be bold for Jesus.
10 minThe story. Play the story film: each verse appears on screen in the King James Version while the scene plays. Pause to ask what happens next.
10 minTalk about it. Ask the three questions below. Then ask: “God gives His Spirit to help us tell about Jesus.” What does that mean for us?
5 minMemory verse. Say Acts 2:21 together, covering one word at a time until the children can say it alone.
10 minActivity. Younger children color the coloring page while you retell the story; older children do the class sheet (memory-verse fill-in, word search and questions).
5 minPray and send home. Pray together and send the sheet home so families can talk about the first question this week.
  • Preschool: keep it short and physical. Act out the story, use a simple prop, and repeat the big idea in one sentence.
  • Elementary: let children find the passage in their own Bibles. Ask “who, what, where” questions first, then “why.”
  • Preteens: read the verses before and after the passage, and ask how this story fits the whole story of the Bible.

Game time

For kids · game · indoors · about 10 minutes

Rushing Wind Race

You need: A straw for each child, cotton balls or ping-pong balls, tape lanes on a table or floor

  1. Each child blows their cotton ball through a straw down their lane.
  2. No hands! Only “wind” can move it.
  3. Race in heats, then talk about the sound of the rushing mighty wind.

On the day of Pentecost, a sound came from heaven like a rushing mighty wind, and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost.

For youth group · game · indoors · about 15 minutes

Language Challenge

You need: Cards with simple phrases in other languages (written the way they sound), answer key

  1. Teams get phrase cards in languages like Spanish, Swahili, Korean and Portuguese.
  2. They race to match each phrase to its English meaning.
  3. Bonus: learn to say “God loves you” in three languages.

At Pentecost, every person heard the good news in their own language. God wants everyone to hear.

Pray

Ask God’s Spirit to help us be bold for Jesus.

Questions people ask

What did they hear from heaven?

A sound as of a rushing mighty wind.

What appeared on each of them?

Cloven tongues like as of fire.

About how many people were added that day?

About three thousand souls.