Week 12 – Prophets: God’s Messengers (Part 2 – Pentecost)

Summary
Verse
Movement
Lesson
Small Groups
Closer Game

Summary

Kids connect Old Testament prophets as God’s messengers with Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit comes and helps Jesus’ followers speak God’s message to the world. They see that now ordinary believers can share God’s good news because the same Spirit lives in them.

Verse

Acts 2:17 – “In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy…”

Action idea:
  • “Pour out my Spirit” – pretend to pour water from a pitcher over the group.
  • “All people” – sweep arms wide.
  • “Prophesy” – point up (God) then out (to people).

Movement: “Wind and Fire Corners”

  1. Label two corners “WIND” and “FIRE.”
  2. Tell the Pentecost story in very short beats (Acts 2:1–4), emphasizing “sound like a mighty wind” and “tongues of fire.”
  3. When you say “wind,” kids move quickly to the WIND corner and sway like they’re in a strong breeze.
  4. When you say “fire,” they move to the FIRE corner and reach arms up like flames.
  5. Add “bold message!” moments when everyone points outward and says, “Jesus is Lord!”

Tie-in:
  • The Holy Spirit gave Jesus’ followers courage and words, just like He helped the prophets speak for God.

Lesson: “From Prophets to Pentecost” (Large group)

Quick review of Part 1:
  • A prophet is God’s messenger who speaks His words.
  • In the Old Testament, God chose special people (like Isaiah, Jeremiah) and put His Spirit on them to speak.

Connect to Pentecost (Acts 2):
  • Jesus told His friends to wait for the Holy Spirit.
  • On Pentecost, the Spirit came like wind and fire and filled them.
  • Peter stood up and preached about Jesus to a huge crowd; many believed and were baptized.

Key link:
  • Peter explains, “This is what the prophet Joel said—God will pour out His Spirit and sons and daughters will prophesy.”
  • That means God is now making a whole new people of messengers, not just a few special prophets.

Kid-level takeaway:
  • “God’s Spirit helps us speak God’s truth with love—at home, at school, with our friends.”

Small Groups: “Two Messengers”

Goal: 
  • Connect one Old Testament prophet with Peter at Pentecost.

1.  Group leaders briefly retell one OT prophet moment (e.g., Isaiah saying “Here am I, send me,” or Jonah’s message “Go and tell Nineveh”).
2.  Then they retell Peter at Pentecost sharing about Jesus.
3.  On a simple foldable or paper, kids draw:
  • Left side: “Prophet – God’s messenger before Jesus came.”
  • Right side: “Peter – God’s messenger after Jesus rose and sent the Spirit.”
4. Add one simple sentence under each: “God helped them speak His message.”

If you want to use Bibles: 
  • Older kids can look up one short verse from a prophet and one from Acts 2 and underline “said” or “spoke” words.

Closer Game: “Messenger Relay – Old and New”

1.  Form two or more teams in lines.
2.  At the far end of the room, place two baskets:
  • One labeled “Before Jesus (Prophets)”
  • One labeled “After Jesus (Pentecost/Church)”
3.   Prepare simple “message cards” with lines like:
  • “Turn back to God.” (Prophets)
  • “Jesus is alive!” (Pentecost)
  • “Love the Lord your God with all your heart.” (Could fit both)
4.  One child at a time runs, chooses a card, decides which basket it belongs in, drops it, and runs back to tag the next runner.

At the end, quickly review: 
  • All true God-messages, but before and after Jesus shows how God’s plan moved from a few prophets to a whole Spirit-filled people.