Day Five: The Greatest Mission

Peter, Paul, and All of Us!
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Let’s Start with a Few Questions

We’ve been looking at heroes of the faith this week and talking about the biggest problem the world ever had.

Q: What is the big problem we’ve been talking about?

Q: Who remembers all of the heroes we’ve learned about this week?

Q: Did any of them solve the biggest problem on earth?

Q: Yes! Jesus did! How did Jesus do that?

Q: Who can say one of the verses we learned this week?

Another Hero!

After the Savior—Christ Jesus—defeated sin and death, you might think that we have no need for any other heroes. There is still a lot more to this story, though.

Jesus came to earth as a human baby. He grew up, taught people about God, gave himself as the ultimate sacrifice to remove sin from all who put their faith in him, and rose from the dead to prove that he has power over death and that once we are in him, our future is with God, not the grave.

Jesus isn’t still walking around on earth telling people the Good News that sin has been defeated, though. After his death, burial, and resurrection, Jesus appeared to his followers many times. He pointed out the scriptures in the Bible—going back to the very beginning—that told of his coming, and how he would defeat sin and death. He appeared to more than 500 people over several weeks. He proved that no matter what the Roman authorities or anyone else might say, he really did rise from the dead.

He told his friends that he wouldn’t stay with them on earth, though. He told them that he would return to the Father to prepare a place for believers in heaven.

Jesus' disciples were sad to hear that he had to leave them again, but Jesus promised that things would be better for them after he was gone, because a new Helper would come to them:

But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.
John 16:6-7 ESV

Again and again, both before Jesus died and after he rose from the dead, he reminded them of the coming Spirit. He even reminded them again in the very last thing he said to them before ascending into heaven:

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.
Acts 1:8-9 ESV

The Holy Spirit did come upon them, Just as Jesus had promised!

When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Acts 2:1-4 ESV

The Spirit told them what to say so they could teach people about Jesus, even they didn’t speak their language! The Holy Spirit was a new kind of hero to help Jesus’ followers spread the Good News over the whole earth.

Even More Heroes!

Before the Spirit came to them, Jesus' followers were called his ‘disciples’. Do you know what the word ‘disciple’ means? It means ‘student’ or ‘pupil’. They were called this because they walked with Jesus to learn things about God and about God’s plan to solve the problem of sin.

After the Spirit came to them, Jesus' followers were called ‘apostles’. Do you know what the word ‘apostle’ means? It means ‘messenger’ or ‘one who is sent forth’. With the Holy Spirit guiding them, they could follow Jesus' instructions and go out into the whole world, telling everyone how they could be set free from the problem of sin.

With the Holy Spirit to help them, the apostles could do much more than just speak languages they didn’t know. The Spirit helped them know where to go (or where not to go) as they shared the Good News, and the Spirit gave them power to endure all kinds of troubles.

Remember how the Spirit of God spoke to Moses out of a bush that looked like it was burning but it never burned up? Having the Holy Spirit with them at all times was like if Moses had been able to have the bush go with him on all of his journeys.

Jesus had told his friends that they would do more than he had done, once the Spirit came to them, and of course Jesus was right. Now they could go into many parts of the world and have the same Spirit of God with them no matter where they went. This was much better than trying to accomplish their mission with just one Jesus to walk around with them preaching and teaching.

The Good News began to spread all over the world, and wherever the apostles and the Holy Spirit went, amazing things happened.

Peter and John visited the Temple one day and met a man who had been lame (unable to walk) from birth. The man asked them if he could have some money.

But Peter said, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. And leaping up, he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God.
Acts 3:6-8 ESV

Many of the people there recognized the man and knew that he had never walked since birth. They were so surprised to see him leaping with joy and praising God! Peter preached the Good News to a lot of people that day, and about five thousand people became followers of Jesus!

God called another man named Saul to become an apostle, and changed his name to Paul. He traveled to many countries bringing the Good News to people everywhere. Paul wrote most of the books in the Bible that make up what we call the New Testament. He wrote them as letters to churches he helped start—but he knew that they were much more important than ordinary letters. He wrote them to be shared among the churches for years and years to come, knowing that the Holy Spirit had inspired him to write important truths about God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.

Peter and Paul were just two of the people the Holy Spirit helped bring the Good News to people all around the world. As those people devoted themselves to learning, teaching, and sharing the Good News, the work of the Holy Spirit spread faster and faster.

So Many Heroes!

One of the best things about the Holy Spirit is that he never changes. In all of the years from Peter and Paul and the other apostles until today, the same Holy Spirit has been helping people spread the Good News that the problem of sin and death was solved by Jesus!

We are still sharing that news two thousand years later because there are still many people who have never heard about Jesus. There are new people being born all the time who need to hear about Jesus and about God’s love for them.

There are countries where the people in charge don’t want people to learn about Jesus, and brave people have to try to find ways to get the Good News to people there, even if it’s dangerous. They trust the Holy Spirit to guide them and protect them as they do their work.

There was a limit to the number of people Jesus could talk to at one time, but there’s no limit to the work the Spirit can do. When someone trusts God with their life, the Holy Spirit will prompt them to do whatever mission God has planned for them. People can share the Good News in so many ways! What are some that you can think of?

With the Holy Spirit in our lives, the number of heroes is endless—because we aren’t the heroes at all. Like Noah, Moses, and Esther, we can let God use our lives to accomplish His will, even when we don’t understand all the details.

It’s the greatest mission that the world has ever known, made possible by the greatest hero the world has ever known, who solved the biggest problem that the world has ever known!

And we can be a part of letting people know about it!

Share the Good News!

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:23 ESV

Pray, Listen, Say, Memorize

Prayer
Thank You God for helping us learn about heroes this week who obeyed You and helped with Your plan to save us from sin. Thank You for the Holy Spirit, who You sent to be with us to encourage us and help us while we share the Good News of Jesus with everyone on earth!

Watch or listen to ‘God So Loved’ by We the Kingdom. What parts of this song invite people to come and accept God’s gift of eternal life through Jesus?

Today’s Truth
God sent the Holy Spirit to help us share Jesus with the world.

Memory Verse
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:23