Leader Guide

Teaching

Have a child select the first Signpost card from the pile and read it aloud. Tape the card to the wall or prop it up against the wall so children can see it. Lead a discussion with the information below. Repeat this for the two remaining Signpost cards. Additional material is included for Grades 4–6 to look up and discuss.

Let’s discuss the Signposts video about the Tower of Babel and the day of Pentecost.

Signpost 1 Before the World

In the Superbook adventure, we watched as the Holy Spirit was poured out on Jesus’ followers as they waited in the upstairs room. Did the Holy Spirit come into existence on the day of Pentecost?

The answer is no. The Holy Spirit was alive and active even before the creation of the world!

At creation, the Bible tells us that the Spirit of God hovered over the face of the waters and God said, “Let there be light!” And so we know that the Holy Spirit existed with God from the very beginning.

When Jesus was about to be crucified, He prayed that God would return Him to the glory that He shared with the Father in heaven before the world began. God exists in three persons; the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This is another example revealing to us that the Holy Spirit and Jesus existed before the world.

OPTIONAL VERSES FOR GRADES 4–6

John 17:5:

“Now, Father, bring Me into the glory we shared before the world began.”

Genesis 1:1–3:

¹ In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. ² The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. ³ Then God said, Let there be light,” and there was light.

Signpost 2 Holy Spirit in the Old Testament

Yes, the Holy Spirit has been with God since the beginning. The Old Testament gives us many examples of how He was with people at special time.

• Joseph was able to interpret Pharaoh’s dream in Egypt by God’s Spirit, when Pharaoh’s wise men and advisors could not!
• The Holy Spirit was with Moses as he led the people out of Egypt and into the Promised Land. After Moses’ death, the Spirit of God came upon Joshua to lead God’s people into battle against the city of Jericho and other enemies.
• The Spirit came upon Gideon to lead only 300 Israelites into battle and win a great victory!
• Samuel anointed the young shepherd boy, David, who grew to be a mighty warrior, poet and king.
• The Spirit moved among the prophets and gave them God’s words to speak.
• Elijah boldly spoke judgement upon wicked King Ahab and moved in the power of God’s Spirit.
• The Holy Spirit filled Daniel and his three friends with wisdom and knowledge. He gave Daniel the gift to interpret dreams. The Spirit also gave Daniel the courage to face the lions’ den!

The Holy Spirit was present and active in Old Testament times. He gave strength, wisdom and power to specific leaders, priests and prophets.

OPTIONAL VERSES FOR GRADES 4–6

Genesis 41:38 Joseph:

So Pharaoh asked his officials, “Can we find anyone else like this man so obviously filled with the spirit of God?”

Numbers 11:25:

And the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to Moses. Then He gave the seventy elders the same Spirit that was upon Moses. And when the Spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. But this never happened again.

Numbers 27:18:

The Lord replied, “Take Joshua son of Nun, who has the Spirit in him, and lay your hands on him.”

Judges 6:34:

Then the Spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon with power. He blew a ram's horn as a call to arms, and the men of the clan of Abiezer came to him.

1 Samuel 16:13:

So as David stood there among his brothers, Samuel took the flask of olive oil he had brought and anointed David with the oil. And the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David from that day on. Then Samuel returned to Ramah.

1 Kings 17:1

Now Elijah, who was from Tishbe in Gilead, told King Ahab, “As surely as the Lord, the God of Israel, lives—the God I serve—there will be no dew or rain during the next few years until I give the word!”

Daniel 5:11:

There is a man in your kingdom who has within him the spirit of the holy gods. During Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, this man was found to have insight, understanding, and wisdom like that of the gods.

Signpost 3 Holy Spirit in the New Testament and Today

The Old Testament prophet Isaiah predicted that the Spirit of the Lord would rest upon Jesus. This was fulfilled in the New Testament when Jesus was baptized and the Spirit came down upon Him like a dove. Jesus was filled with the Spirit and was anointed to do great and powerful things on Earth. After He died, rose again, then went up to heaven, Jesus sent the gift of the Holy Spirit to His followers. That included the believers in Jerusalem long ago, and also us today!

Jesus said that we will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon us. This power will give us the boldness to share the Good News of Jesus with others! The Holy Spirit lives in us and enables us to pray and do mighty things for the glory of God—just like the believers in the book of Acts!

OPTIONAL VERSES FOR GRADES 4–6

Isaiah 11:2:

And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him—the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.

Luke 4:1:

Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River. He was led by the Spirit in the wilderness.

Acts 10:38:

And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.

Acts 1:8:

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be My witnesses, telling people about Me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

2 Timothy 1:7:

For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.

Discipleship Challenge/Practical Application

Give a Unity Chain Pattern to children who were not present for the previous lessons and tell them to follow the instructions to make it at home. Display the model you made. Hold up the sample of the Unity Chain.

Let’s discuss the Discipleship Challenge from Lesson 2. What was our challenge? To look up Matthew 18:19, then agree with someone in prayer for something.

Who would like to share your experience of agreeing in prayer with someone?

Hold up the model chain. Our third challenge for this course is found on Links 6 and 7. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you live in unity with others and to forgive those who have offended you. That’s a good habit to get into, not just for the next few days, but for the rest of our lives!