Activities (choose one or two)
As you do these, talk about the power of wind ,water, or fire with your children. Get their ideas. Let their imaginations work. Visit a wooded area where you can observe wind in the trees. Visit a dam, wind mill, water mill or waterfall. Fly a kite. (Supervise the following activities for safety) Turn on an electric fan and put streamers in front of it. Make a campfire and cook over it. Observe storm damage on television news and weather reports. Projects (choose one or more)
God's Spirit is not part of a human being, it is separate and God adds it to us. Make a pin wheel (Demonstrate that the wheel will not turn without the power of wind). Start two seedling plants - water one and withhold water from the other. (God's Spirit is necessary to give us life. Without it we will wither and die). Story Discussion Note: Parents, when you read this, pause, ask questions and get a response, especially when there are questions in the text, or where you see an ( * ). Morph into Real Power We all love super heroes. The action figures of today are no longer confined to comic books or to even TV. Superhero logos are abundantly found everywhere we turn, from Power Ranger tee-shirts to X-Men pajamas. We can't even escape them in the grocery store! There we find Spiderman cereal and even Ninja Turtle pasta!! It goes on and on. *Have you seen any Super Heroes lately?*
*Did you know that Super Heroes were even popular in your parent's day?* Back in those days there was Batman, Spiderman and Wonder-Woman!! Superman was even popular way back in your grandparent's day!! He has continued to be a favorite for three generations. *Why do you think Super Heroes have been loved for so long?*
*Do you think they have been so popular because of their POWERS?* Of course, they only use their powers for good, and never for selfish reasons. On TV, they usually save the world, or at least a portion of it, in every episode. Sometimes their super power is used to save only one human being or a helpless animal, but other times it saves the whole planet from evil forces, toxic pollutants, or horrible aliens. With Super Heroes we can see good triumph over evil. We also see an unselfish and right use of power, and we can imagine ourselves with super power bringing about the triumph of good over evil. *Wouldn't it be fun to have super powers?* When we know God's Truth and His promises to us, it is not so crazy to think of ourselves having superpowers, doing superhuman feats and saving the world. There are examples of the "Spirit of God" coming on regular people who have then performed spectacular feats, such as the super strength of Samson when he pushed down the pillars of the Philistine temple, or when he carried the giant gates of their city 40 miles on his shoulders!! (Read more about Samson in Judges 13-16) The Spirit of God is not a separate person, but it is the POWER of God. And we can have that power if we are seeking to obey God. (Acts 5:32) Those who have the spirit of God will be resurrected after their weak physical body dies and then they will have a spiritual body that has power. (1Corinthians 15:43-44; Read all of 1Corinthians 15 to find out more about being resurrected.) When Christ was resurrected He had a spirit body and He could materialize wherever He wanted (He appeared behind locked doors, and He traveled through time and space to God's Throne in an instant. Read John 20 for these accounts). Through God's Holy Spirit many miracles were performed, such as feeding multitudes of people, healing the sick and even raising the dead....REAL SUPER POWER....used for good and never selfishly. Christ died for us so that He could send His Spirit to us (John 14:15- 17). Just before Jesus went back to His Father, He told the disciples to stay in Jerusalem and wait for a Helper that his Father had promised to send to them (Lu.24:49). That helper was the POWER of God in the Holy Spirit The disciples stayed in Jerusalem and on Pentecost God gave the Holy Spirit in POWER!! It came on like the sound of a strong wind. *Have you ever heard a tornado or a hurricane, or even the wind during a heavy storm?* It must have sounded like a storm on the day of Pentecost. The sound filled the whole house and something like fire separated and stood over each person and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different languages!! (Acts 2:1-4) God compares his Holy Spirit to fire, wind, and water, the common physical elements of power. We can see fire and water and the power they can wield, but we cannot see the wind, however, we can see it's power. Whether it is a gentle breeze, lightly lifting the leaves of trees or a violent storm, uprooting trees and tearing down buildings, there is no denying the power of wind! Neither is there any denying the power of God's Spirit. But we can deny ourselves the very power that God wants to give us, the power to SAVE THE WORLD!! By refusing to obey God we are refusing God's gift of the Holy Spirit. Think about how the Power Rangers change. They "morph" into power beings and do good for the world. The only "Morphin" that is really important is the "morphin" that changes us from physical beings to spiritual beings and, makes us part of the Family of God. So here is the plan.... obey God....."Morph" into power.... the REAL POWER OF GOD. Without that power and strength we will wither and die even as a little plant will die without water. But with that power we can save the world, we can be REAL super-heroes!!!!! Demonstrate what you have learned (This gives a fair assessment of what the child has or has not learned.) After activities, story & projects have the child demonstrate to another family member one or more of the following: Tell a grown-up how we can get REAL "super" power from God and what that "super" power allows us to do. Draw a picture of what you think the "Tongues of Fire", displayed on Pentecost, may have looked like. Make up a story about how God's Spirit made a hero of a little boy or girl when they chose to do something good for other people. Explain the power of wind, water, or fire and why they are compared to the Spirit of God. | 