Wrote a book yesterday for children, using illustrations found on line. Title “The Story of Pentecost.” Here’s the text: “Many followers of Jesus were gathered in a room, praying. This was soon after Jesus was crucified.They were amazed that He had risen from the dead. They knew it was true. They had seen him and eaten with him, and he had taught them many things. They were missing him. But they had a job to do. He told them to go into all the world and preach the gospel and tell everyone about him. He told them he would be going back to heaven to sit at the right hand of God, the Father. And it happened just as he said. From Joel 2:28-29 we read: ‘And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.’ They were very puzzled, but they prayed believing that what Jesus said was true. He told them they would receive the Holy Spirit to hep them, but until the day of Pentecost, they didn’t know what that meant. All of a sudden, there was a great wind. Every one in Jerusalem noticed it. Storms like this didn’t happen very often. God got everyone’s attention!
As they were praying in that room, something else really strange started to happen.It seemed like there were tongues of flames over people’s heads. But no one was burning. They just felt like a presence was with them. Something they had never felt before.
All of a sudden, these people started talking in strange languages. They could not understand each other. The Bible said this had happened once before, a very long time ago when they had tried to build a tower of Babel. This was very strange. But God knew what he was doing. He told the message of Jesus in languages from all over the world.
Now Jerusalem was a big city. People lived there and visited from many places. When the followers of Jesus talked to them, they understood what they were saying. That was strange. Some people thought they were drunk, but it was only nine o’clock in the morning. They were not having a party. This was very different.
Peter began to explain the story of Jesus to a big crowd. There were more than three thousand people who were baptized that day because they believed his message.
The Holy Spirit which had come that morning to the believers made this happen. Now the disciples knew that the Holy Spirit would help them begin the work of building the church so people from every nation every tribe, every tongue, and every place throughout the ages would become believers.
And the story of Pentecost is with us every day because new believers come to Jesus every day.”
The book ends with the Name of Jesus in twenty-four languages from around the world.
You are invited to an Ascension-Pentecost art display at Covenant Church, Palm Bay, Florida the first two Sundays in May. The book will be displayed there.
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