The Coming of the Holy Spirit

Title ideas:God sent his Holy Spirit [to be with those who believed in Jesus].Pentecost. God’s Spirit arrives.The Church begins.

After Jesus rose [resurrected / returned] back to life, he appeared many times, during 40 days, to the men he had appointed [designated / named] as “apostles” [whom he would send out.] He proved that he was alive again and he explained to them what God’s Kingdom is [how God is (the greatest) King everywhere].

One day, While Jesus was with his apostles, he said to them, “Stay in Jerusalem until God gives to you his Holy Spirit as he promised.

The men asked Jesus, “Lord [Sir], will you soon become King over our nation [tribes]?” Jesus replied, “God has not revealed [told] the time or year [in which] I will become your King.

“After God sends his Holy Spirit to you, he will give you power [ability / strength]. You must go tell about me in this city, in near-by places, in far-away places, and in places everywhere [in every country / in every land].”

When Jesus finished talking, the apostles saw Jesus rise up from the ground into the sky. They watched him rise [go up] until he went into clouds.

While the men were watching Jesus go up, two other men [angels] suddenly appeared [came from heaven / God] to them. These two men asked, “Why are you looking into the sky? Jesus has gone into Heaven [to be with God]. One day, men [all people in the world] will see Jesus come back from heaven.”

The apostles went back into Jerusalem where they gathered [met] every day with both men and women disciples [those who believed in Jesus]. They were praying [talking to God] together.

The apostle named Judas was not with the others, because he was dead. After betraying Jesus, Judas went and killed himself in a field.

Peter said to the others, “God will now choose another man to join with us apostles [to replace Judas]. This man [whom God will choose] must have been with Jesus and must have seen Jesus after he rose [returned] from death to life.”

The disciples [all the believers] put forward [recommended / named] two men.

Then the group prayed, “Lord [God], you know every man’s heart [thoughts]. Please, choose one of these two men. He will become an apostle with the other apostles.”

The two men chose lots [straws or stones]. The winner was a man named Matthias [Matias]. The group appointed [named] Matthias apostle to replace Judas.

Ten days later, many men [Jews and other men] came to Jerusalem, for a feast [called Pentecost]. The apostles were already there together in a [big] house.

Suddenly, they heard the sound of a strong wind that filled the house where they were gathered. They saw lights [flames] that looked like fire resting on each one of them. Then God’s power [the Holy Spirit] enabled all the believers there to begin speaking in other languages.

There were in Jerusalem many Jews and other men [converts to the Jewish religion] who had come there for the big feast [called Pentecost]. When they heard the wind’s sound, many of them gathered [near the house where the apostles were].

All the people who had gathered near the house heard the apostles speak about God in each person’s own language. This was a miracle [powerful work] from [God’s] Holy Spirit.

Some people asked each other, “How can these men speak our languages? These are uneducated people come from the county side [in Galilee region].” Other men scoffed [at the apostles] saying, “They are talking like this because they are drunk from drinking too much wine [alcohol/beer].”

Then Peter began to speak to everybody there, “No, we are not drunk. This is what Joel [one of the prophets] wrote about [in our holy books]: God says that in the last days [final time] he will give freely his own Spirit to his servants so they can tell other people God’s messages.”

Peter continued [speaking]: “Listen to me! God gave to Jesus power [ability] to work miracles [powerfully]. Even though many of you knew this, you allowed evil [bad] men to kill Jesus by nailing him onto [against] a wooden cross. However, God raised Jesus back to life, and so Jesus is [now / again] alive!

“All of us [apostles /disciples] saw Jesus after he came back from death to life. And Jesus is now seated [on a king’s chair] beside God in Heaven [at the place for highest honor] [as the Most High King]. God gave to Jesus his Holy Spirit so that Jesus may give to us the Holy Spirit. This is what you see and hear, today.

“Although you caused men to kill Jesus on a wooden cross, God has declared that Jesus is now our Lord and the Messiah by raising him [from death].”

When the people heard Peter’s words, they felt very sad. So they asked Peter and the other apostles, “What should [must] we do?”

Peter replied, “You must each admit [accept/say] that you have done wrong [sin]. Each of you must believe in Jesus and we will baptize you [pass you under the water]. God will forgive your sins and he [God] will also give to you his Holy Spirit.”

That day, the apostles [the believers] baptized about 3000 people who believed Peter’s message.

The apostles kept on teaching all the believers. They all shared with one another whatever they needed. They met often [every day] in believers’ houses to remember Jesus’ death by breaking [eating] bread. They prayed for one another. And God gave them much joy [gladness].