Let the older children and teens take part in teaching the younger ones by allowing them to help the younger ones choose and do an activity or project. Explain to an older child what you want the younger ones to learn from the activity and let them have a part in sharing the Gospel with the little ones. The older ones will feel a sense of responsibility and ownership as they learn and share a ministry with others.
If we seek to obey God in our hearts He will give us His Holy Spirit. It is His power. On Pentecost He gave His Spirit.
Activities
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. 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
God's Spirit is not part of a human being, it is separate and He 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 (our heavenly Father's Spirit is necessary to give us life. Without it we will wither and die).
Story Discussion
Parents, when you read this, pause, ask questions and get a response, especially when there are questions in the text, or where there are questions in the middle of the page.
Morph into Real Power!
We all love superheroes. The action figures of today are no longer confined to comic books or to even TV. Superhero logos are abundantly found everywhere we turn. 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.
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.
Of course, they only used 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 the truth overcoming lies. 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.
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 Holy Spirit is not a separate person (see our article on the Trinity), but it is the power of God. And we can have that power if we are seeking to obey him (Acts 5:32). Those who have His spirit will be resurrected after their weak physical body dies and then they will have a spiritual body that has power (1Corinthians 15:43 - 44).
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 the throne in Heaven 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 he 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 (Luke 24:49). That helper was the power of God in the Holy Spirit. The disciples stayed in Jerusalem and on Pentecost they received this power! It came on like the sound of a strong wind.
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. We can also see the power of the wind yet not see the wind itself.
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 his Spirit. But we can deny ourselves the very power that he wants to give us, the power to save the world! By refusing to obey him we are refusing the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Demonstrate what you have learned
After all the activities, story and projects have been completed by the child, have him or her demonstrate to another family member one or more of the following.
1) Tell a grown-up how we can get real "super" power from God and what that "super" power allows us to do.
2) Draw a picture of what you think the "tongues of fire", displayed on Pentecost, may have looked like.
3) Make up a story about how the Holy Spirit made a hero of a little boy or girl when they chose to do something good for other people.
4) Explain the power of wind, water, or fire to the child and why they are compared to the Spirit of God.