The Coming of the Holy Spirit: The Pentecost Acts 2:1 – 39 – JSS3 Christian Religious Studies Lesson Note (First Term)

The coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost is the event in Acts 2:1-39 when the Holy Spirit filled the disciples in Jerusalem, as Jesus had promised.

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. state what Jesus told his disciples at the Passover feast;
2. explain Jesus’ promise to send the Holy Spirit;
3. say what the Holy Spirit would do for the disciples;
4. describe what happened on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-13);
5. state the main points of Peter’s sermon (Acts 2:14-39);
6. list moral lessons from the lesson.

What did Jesus tell his disciples at the Passover feast?

At the Passover feast, Jesus told his disciples about his coming death and comforted them because they were afraid.

• Betrayal: he told them who would betray him.
• Denial: he predicted that Peter would deny him.
• Death: he told them he was going away.
• Comfort: he noticed their fear and told them to trust in God and in him.

How did Jesus prepare a place for the disciples?

• He said there are many rooms in his Father’s house.
• He was going to prepare a place for them and would come back to take them.
• He said they knew where he was going.
• Thomas said they did not know where he was going.
• Jesus answered, “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me you would know my Father as well.”

What did Jesus say about the Father?

• Philip asked Jesus to show them the Father.
• Jesus asked Philip if he did not know him after all this while.
• He told them that anyone who has seen him has seen the Father.
• He said anyone who has faith in him will do what he has been doing, and even greater things.
• He said anyone who asks for anything in his name will receive it.

What did Jesus promise about the Holy Spirit?

Jesus promised that the Father would send the Holy Spirit, another counsellor, in his name.

• Love and obedience: anyone who loves Jesus will obey his commandments.
• Another counsellor: Jesus would ask the Father to give them one to be with them for ever.
• No orphans: he promised not to leave them as orphans.
• Seeing him: before long the world would not see him, but the disciples would.
• Unity: when the Holy Spirit comes, they would know that Jesus is in his Father, and they in him and he in them.

Judas (not Iscariot) asked why Jesus would show himself to the disciples and not to the world. Jesus answered:

“Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.” (John 14:23-24)

What would the Holy Spirit do for the disciples?

• Stay with them: he would be with them for ever.
• Teach: he would teach them all things.
• Remind: he would remind them of everything Jesus had said.

What peace and encouragement did Jesus give?

• He told them he had said these things while still with them.
• He gave them peace.
• He told them not to be afraid or troubled.
• He said they should be happy that he was going to the Father, if they loved him.
• He told them these things beforehand so that they would believe when it happened.

What is Pentecost?

Pentecost is the Jewish feast held fifty days after the Passover, and the day the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples.

• Place: Jerusalem.
• People: the disciples were all together in one place.
• Visitors: devout Jews from many nations were in Jerusalem for the feast.

What happened on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-13)?

On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit filled the disciples and they began to speak in other languages.

1. The disciples were all together in one place.
2. A sound like a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house.
3. They saw what looked like tongues of fire, which separated and came to rest on each of them.
4. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit.
5. They began to speak in other languages as the Spirit gave them ability.
6. A crowd gathered and was amazed, because each person heard them in his own language.
7. Some people mocked and said the disciples had had too much wine.

What were the signs at Pentecost?

What did Peter say on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:14-39)?

Peter stood with the eleven apostles and explained the event to the crowd.

• Not drunk: he said the disciples were not drunk, since it was only nine in the morning.
• Prophecy of Joel: he said this was what the prophet Joel foretold, that God would pour out his Spirit on all people.
• Jesus of Nazareth: he said Jesus was crucified, but God raised him from the dead.
• Exalted Jesus: he said Jesus is at God’s right hand and has poured out the Holy Spirit, as the crowd could see and hear.
• Call to repent: he told them, “Repent and be baptised, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.”
• Gift of the Spirit: he said they would then receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
• For all: he said the promise is for them, their children and all who are far off.

What are the moral lessons?

1. Jesus told his disciples to believe and trust in God. As Christians, we are also required to believe in God. In the Apostles’ Creed, the first important thing is belief in God.
2. As followers of Christ, we should learn to love God, our neighbours and our enemies as well.
3. We should learn to pray for others as Christ prayed for his disciples.
4. As Jesus assured the disciples of peace, we should be advocates of peace in our homes, communities and nations at large.
5. As Christians, we must obey the commandments of God if we want God to love us.
6. Jesus knew the needs of his disciples. We should endeavour to learn the needs of others and reach out to them.
7. God keeps his promises. Jesus promised the Holy Spirit and the promise came true at Pentecost.
8. We should wait on God together in unity, as the disciples did.
9. We should not mock what we do not understand, as some did at Pentecost.
10. We should repent of our sins and share the good news of Jesus with others.

Evaluation

1. What did Jesus say to Thomas when Thomas said they did not know where he was going?
2. What did Jesus tell Philip about seeing the Father?
3. State two things the Holy Spirit would do for the disciples.
4. Describe two signs that happened when the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost.
5. What did Peter tell the crowd to do in Acts 2:38?

Assignment

Write out John 14:23-24 in your own words. Then state two ways you can show love for Jesus by obeying his teaching.