Acts 2:1-47

Good News for Everyone

Acts

Marion Adams

Chapter 2

The *Holy Spirit comes at *Pentecost, 2:1-4

v1 On the day called *Pentecost, the *disciples were all together, in one place. v2 Immediately, there was a sound from heaven. It seemed as if a very strong wind was blowing. It filled all the house where they were sitting. v3 They saw tongues that seemed like fire. These tongues separated and they came to each *disciple. And the tongues stayed on them. v4 The *Holy Spirit filled all the *disciples. Then, as the Spirit gave them power, they began to speak in different languages.

Verse 1 The day called *Pentecost was an important day for the *Jews. It came 50 days after the *Passover. Many *Jews had grown plants for food. Then on *Pentecost day, they gave the best ones to God. They also remembered how God had given the *Law to them. On this special *Pentecost, God gave the *Holy Spirit. Now, the *Holy Spirit lives in every *Christian. The *Holy Spirit helps us to obey God’s rules. The *Holy Spirit helps us to do the things that God wants.

Verse 2 Everyone knew when the *Holy Spirit came. Luke says that it was ‘as if a very strong wind was blowing’. In the Bible, writers often use the word ‘wind’ to describe the Spirit’s power. (Look at Ezekiel 37:9-14, for example.)

Verse 3 First, they heard the *Holy Spirit. Next, they saw something. It was ‘tongues that seemed like fire’. In the book called Exodus, we read that Moses saw a very special bush. We know that God was in the bush. We know it because the bush was burning all the time (Exodus 3:2-5). We can see that God was here in Acts too, because of the fire.

Verse 4 The words ‘different languages’ here can also be ‘other tongues’. People do not always agree about what this means. The *disciples spoke in foreign languages. This was so that all the foreign visitors in *Jerusalem could understand them.

Some people think that Luke is describing the gift called ‘tongues’ (special languages). (We will explain this below.) Other people disagree. They think that the *disciples spoke in foreign languages because this was a special day. There were many foreign visitors in *Jerusalem on that day. So, by means of those foreign languages, these visitors could understand the *disciples when they spoke about God.

Paul writes about the gift called ‘tongues’ in 1 Corinthians Chapter s 12 and 14. Many Christians believe that the *Holy Spirit still gives this gift to *Christians today. With it, people can speak in special languages. These are languages that they have not learnt. These languages may be human languages or *angels’ languages (1 Corinthians 13:1). This gift is for prayer and it is for *prophecy. Usually, when people speak in ‘tongues’, they cannot understand that language. They cannot understand what they are saying. But sometimes the *Holy Spirit tells another person what the translation is.

*Jews from many nations hear about God, 2:5-13

v5 There were some *Jews who were staying in *Jerusalem. They were *holy men from every nation in the world. v6 When they heard this noise, a large crowd gathered. They did not know what was happening. When each person heard the *believers, the *believers were speaking in his own language. v7 They were very surprised. They tried to understand what was happening. They said, ‘These men who are speaking like this are from *Galilee! v8 So, when we all hear them, how can they be speaking in our own languages? v9 We are from Parthia, Media and Elam. Other people are from Mesopotamia, *Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, v10 Phrygia, Pamphylia and *Egypt. Some people are from areas in Libya. These areas are near Cyrene. Some people among us are from *Rome. These include *Jews. And they also include *Gentiles that have become *Jews. v11 Some people among us are from Crete and Arabia. But we all hear the *disciples and they are speaking in our own languages. They are talking about the great things that God has done!’ v12 The visitors did not know what to think about it. They did not understand it. They were saying to each other, ‘What does this mean?’ v13 But some other people laughed at the *believers. They said, ‘These people (the *believers) have drunk too much sweet wine.’

Verse 5 ‘Every nation in the world’ means every nation where there were *Jews. These *Jews had travelled to *Jerusalem because it was *Pentecost.

Verse 6 A large crowd came together because of the noise. The *believers came out into the street. Perhaps they were going to the *Temple.

Verses 7-8 People from *Galilee spoke in an unusual way. People from other places could not always understand them. But now, these *disciples from *Galilee were speaking in different languages. Everyone could understand what the *disciples were saying.

Verses 9-11 More *Jews lived in other countries than in *Judea. Their enemies had taken them there more than 500 years earlier. This list shows that many *Jews from many different nations were in *Jerusalem. They all heard about the wonderful things that God had done on this special *Pentecost day. They would go back to their countries and they would tell other people. The other people in the world were beginning to hear the good news about Jesus.

Verses 12-13 Luke says that they could not explain what was happening. He says it several times. But some people tried to explain things in their own way. They said that the *disciples had drunk too much wine. It is the same nowadays, too. When the *Holy Spirit comes with power, people do not always understand this event. They do not always understand what is happening.

God’s day has come, 2:14-21

v14 Then Peter stood up with the other 11 *apostles. He began to speak loudly to the crowd. ‘Listen to me, men from *Judea. Listen, all you who are staying in *Jerusalem. Let me tell you what this means. v15 These people have not drunk too much wine, as you think. It is only 9 o’clock in the morning. v16 Instead, this is what the *prophet Joel spoke about.’

Verse 14-16 Here Peter was full of the *Holy Spirit and he showed his authority. He denied that the *believers had drunk wine. It was too early in the day. He explained that the *prophet Joel had spoken about these events.

v17 ‘God says, “In the last period I will send out my Spirit onto everyone. Your sons and daughters will speak God’s message. Your young men will see pictures that I give to them. Your old men will have dreams. v18 Yes, I will send out my Spirit onto my servants, onto both men and women. And they will *prophesy. v19 I will show *miracles in the sky above. And I will show wonderful things on the earth below. There will be blood, fire and thick smoke. v20 Before the great and wonderful Day of the *Lord comes, the sun will become dark. The moon will become red like blood. v21 Then, the *Lord will *save whoever calls to him for help.” ’

Verses 17-18 Peter spoke verses from the book called Joel (Joel 2:28-32). They describe the Day of the *Lord. For *Jews, this meant the day when God would change the world. They believed that God would give power to *Israel then. (Look at the note about Acts 1:6.) It would also be a day when God would bring terrible judgement. The *Jews divided time into two ages. ‘The Present Age’ was completely evil. There was also the ‘Age that would Come’. This was the time when God would rule over all. The Day of the *Lord separated the two ages. These strange events at *Pentecost happened because God was sending his *Holy Spirit to people. The *Greek word for ‘send out’ here also means ‘pour out’. This was the beginning of the ‘last period’ before Jesus returns. ‘Last period’ can also mean ‘last days’ in *Greek.

Verses 19-20 A few weeks earlier, people in *Jerusalem had seen that the sun became dark. This had happened in the afternoon when Jesus died on the *cross. Maybe the moon had also appeared to be red in the dark sky. Or perhaps these events may still happen in the future.

Verse 21 People cannot save themselves from God’s judgement. But God will *save anyone who calls to him. But the person must really want God to help him or her.

Jesus is *Lord and *Christ, 2:22-36

v22 ‘Listen, men in *Israel. I am speaking about Jesus, who was from *Nazareth. This man proved that his authority came from God. The proof was this. It was the fact that God did all those *miracles and wonderful things by means of him. You know this. This happened while he was here with you. v23 You had this man in your power. But this was only because God had already decided this. It was in his plan. You killed this man, and bad men helped you to do it. They put him on a *cross. v24 But God freed him from death’s power. It was impossible for him to remain dead.’

Verses 22-23 Even today, many people think that Jesus should not have died on the *cross. They think that it was not in God’s plan. But Peter said here that Jesus’ death on the *cross was not a mistake. It was the most important part in God’s plan! Jesus died to save us. He wanted to save us from the results that come from our *sin. However, the people who killed Jesus were guilty. They did not have to kill him. They chose to kill him. They had proof that God had sent him. But although this was true, they still killed him.

Verse 24 People decided that Jesus must die. That was their judgement about him. But God’s judgement was that he should not remain in death’s power. Jesus’ death was in God’s plan. But his *resurrection was also in God’s plan.

v25 ‘David said about him, “Always, I saw the *Lord in front of me. He is next to me, so I will not be anxious. v26 Therefore I feel happy and I speak happy words. I shall live with hope, v27 because you will not leave me in the grave. You will not let death destroy your *Holy One’s body in the grave. v28 You have shown to me the paths that lead to life. I am full of joy when I am with you.” v29 Brothers, I tell you this with confidence. David was the head of a famous family. He died and they buried him. His grave is still here. v30 He was a *prophet. He knew what God had promised to him. God had made a serious promise about what he would do in the future. God would make someone from David’s family into a king. v31 David saw what God would do. So, David was speaking about *Christ’s *resurrection. God did not leave Jesus in the grave and death did not destroy his body. v32 Jesus is the person whom God has raised up from death. We are all witnesses to this fact.’

Verses 25-28 These words are from Psalms 16:8-11. Peter wanted the people to understand that this *prophecy is about Jesus.

Verse 29 The *prophecy cannot be about David, because David died. His grave was in a famous place near *Jerusalem.

Verse 30 *Jews knew that the *Messiah would be a ‘son of David’. This did not mean that David would be his father. David had lived many hundreds (100s) of years earlier. But it meant that David would be his *ancestor. God had told this to David.

Verse 31 David was a *prophet. In his psalm, he was talking about *Christ’s *resurrection. He saw that Jesus did not remain dead. Nor did Jesus’ body go bad.

Verse 32 ‘We are all witnesses to this fact.’ Many people saw Jesus after his *resurrection. Peter wanted everyone to know this.

v33 ‘God has raised Jesus, so that Jesus is sitting at God’s right side. Jesus has received the *Holy Spirit from the Father, as the Father had promised. That is what you are now seeing. And you are now hearing it! v34 David did not go up to heaven. But certainly he said, “The *Lord said to my *Lord, sit at my right side. v35 Sit there until I put your enemies under your feet.” v36 All the people in *Israel can be sure about this: You killed this Jesus on a *cross. But God has made him both *Lord and *Christ.’

Verse 33 Forty (40) days after Jesus became alive again, he went to heaven. He is sitting at God’s right side.

Verses 34-35 Peter used another proof from the *scriptures. This showed that Peter was speaking the truth. The proof is Psalms 110:1. Jesus had already said that this verse was about himself (Mark 12:35-37; Luke 20:41-44). Jesus had said that this would happen. He had said, “Now the Son of Man will sit down and he will continue to sit. He will sit at the right side of the great and powerful God” (Luke 22:69). *Jews believed that the word ‘*Lord’ here meant God and ‘my *Lord’ referred to the *Messiah. Certainly, it did not mean David. David did not go straight up to heaven to sit next to God. Jesus is the *Messiah. He rules over everything in heaven and on earth.

Verse 36 Here, Peter did not call Jesus ‘*Lord’ to be polite. In the *Greek Bible, ‘*Lord’ is the name that *Israel’s people gave to their God. This was the most important part in Peter’s message. Jesus is *Lord. He rules over all things.

3000 new *believers! 2:37-41

v37 The people were very worried when they heard this. ‘Brothers, what shall we do?’ they asked Peter and the other *apostles. v38 Peter answered, ‘You must be sorry for the wrong things that you have done. Choose to do good things instead of evil things. You must each receive *baptism in the name of Jesus *Christ. This is so that God will forgive your *sins. Then you will receive God’s gift. This gift is the *Holy Spirit. v39 This promise is for you and it is for your children. It is also for all those who are far away. It is for everyone whom the *Lord our God will call to come to him.’

v40 Peter said much more. He warned them. And he tried very hard to persuade them. He said, ‘Save yourselves from the punishment that is coming to these wicked people!’ v41 Many people believed his message and they received *baptism. About 3000 people came to be with them on that day.

Verse 37 The people knew that they had killed Jesus. So, they were very sad. He was their *Messiah. He was the only person who could save them. Only he could save them from the results that came from their *sins. They felt very guilty. And they wanted to know what they should do.

Verse 38 Peter told them that they must recognise Jesus as the *Messiah. *Baptism would be difficult for them. But it would show that now they had genuine *faith in Jesus.

‘In the name of Jesus *Christ’ meant that they believed in his authority. They trusted him to *save them. And they accepted him as their *Lord. If they did this, they would receive two gifts. God would forgive them for the things that they had done wrong. This was the first gift. The *Holy Spirit would come and he would live in them. The Spirit would make them into new people. This was the second gift.

Verse 39 ‘This promise’ means the gift that God has promised. This gift is the *Holy Spirit. It is for everyone. It was not just for the *disciples at *Pentecost.

‘All those who are far away’ means *Jews in different countries and *Gentiles also.

‘Everyone whom the *Lord our God will call to come to him’ actually meant everyone. It included people who were not born yet. Of course, this includes people who are living now. When God calls us, he wants to give us these gifts too.

Verse 40 A person can begin to believe in Jesus. And he or she can begin to trust in him. When a person does this, it must not be a secret. Some groups of people do wicked things. So, the person must not belong to such a group. To show that the person has changed, he or she must come to be with other *believers.

Verse 41 The group of *believers in *Jerusalem increased. They increased from 120 people to over 3000 people. They became the first *Christian *church.

The first *church, 2:42-47

v42 The *believers learnt from the *apostles all the time. They met together with other *believers. They broke up bread together and they prayed together.

v43 The *apostles did many *miracles and they did wonderful things. Everyone felt both excitement and fear. v44 All the *believers were together. And they shared all that they had. v45 They sold the things that belonged to them. And they shared the money. They shared everything when they sold things. So, everyone had what they needed. v46 Every day, they met as a group in the *Temple. They broke up bread. (Look at the note.) And they shared it together in their homes. When they ate together, they were happy and generous. v47 They *praised God always. Everyone liked them. And every day, the *Lord added people to their group. Those people were people who had found *salvation.

In verses 42-47, Luke describes the people in the first *church. He describes what their daily life was like. *Christians today can learn much from what he writes.

Verse 42 The *apostles continued to teach the new *believers. As *Christians, we must continue to learn about our *faith always. We have the *Holy Spirit to teach us. But we must also listen to wise human teachers. It is also very important to have regular meetings with other *Christians.

‘They broke up bread’. *Jews did this before they ate a meal. *Jewish people did not cut their bread. They broke it into pieces and then they shared it. On the night before Jesus died, he ate a meal with his *disciples. He broke up the bread and he gave it to them. He said, ‘Take this and eat it. This is my body.’ Then he gave to them a cup of wine. He said, ‘This is my blood in the new *covenant. It is poured out for many people.’ So, to break up bread has a special meaning for *Christians.

‘And they prayed together.’ The first *Christians always prayed before they did anything. They spoke to God about everything. They asked him to help them. And they asked him to guide them.

Verse 43 *Miracles happened in the first *church. *Miracles still happen now. When people expect God to do wonderful things, he will do wonderful things.

‘Everyone felt both excitement and fear.’ In the *Old Testament, writers often used the words ‘the fear of the *Lord’. This does not mean that people were afraid of God. (The reason for such fear would be because he might hurt them.) ‘The fear of the *Lord’ meant that people respected God. They respected him because he is good, powerful and *holy.

Verses 44-45 ‘They sold the things that belonged to them.’ These things were land and possessions. The *Christians showed that they were taking care of each other. So, no *Christian was rich and no *Christian was poor. Each person had what he or she needed.

Verse 46 The first *Christians met together every day. It is very important for us now to meet often with other *believers. They met in a public place to *worship God. They also met in their homes as friends. The people who were richer provided a meal for the poorer people. They ate together. They broke up the bread and they *worshipped God.

Verse 47 The first *Christians were kind and generous. They were happy and they showed God’s love in their daily lives. People wanted to come to be with them.

holy ~ very, very good; separate from sin. Only God is really holy.
sin ~ to sin is to do wrong, bad or evil things; not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things that we do. We do them against God or against other people.
Pentecost ~ a special day that comes 50 days after Passover or Easter.
Passover ~ an important holy day for the Jews; a special meal that they ate on this day every year. At the time when Moses was alive, their people had been slaves in Egypt. Then God had freed them from Egypt. This special meal helped them to remember that. They came to Jerusalem, to meet in the Temple. And then they ate the same food together.
holy ~ very, very good; separate from sin. Only God is really holy.
Jew ~ a person that is a member of Abraham’s, Isaac’s and Jacob’s big family; a person that believes the Jews’ religion, which is called Judaism.
Egypt ~ a country in North Africa. The Israelites were slaves in Egypt for several hundred years. God told Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. And finally they went to the Promised Land. The escape from Egypt was a very important event in Jewish history.
Jerusalem ~ the capital city in Israel.
temple ~ a building where people worship God (or a false god).
Temple ~ the Temple was the special building in Jerusalem where the Jews worshipped God.
sin ~ to sin is to do wrong, bad or evil things; not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things that we do. We do them against God or against other people.
Judaism ~ the Jews’ religion.
Israelites ~ another name for the Jews. They are the people from Israel.

Promised Land ~ the country that God promised to give to Abraham and his family.
Jewish ~ a word that describes a Jew; or it describes anything that belongs to a Jew.
Israel ~ the country that is the Jews’ home.
worship ~ to give honour to God with praise and thanks.
praise ~ to tell God how great he is. We can do this when we are praying to him. Or we can do it when we are singing to him.
disciple ~ someone who follows another person and he or she learns from that person; someone whom Jesus taught. It also means someone who believes in Jesus. This person also does the things that Jesus teaches.
Jew ~ a person that is a member of Abraham’s, Isaac’s and Jacob’s big family; a person that believes the Jews’ religion, which is called Judaism.
Judaism ~ the Jews’ religion.
Passover ~ an important holy day for the Jews; a special meal that they ate on this day every year. At the time when Moses was alive, their people had been slaves in Egypt. Then God had freed them from Egypt. This special meal helped them to remember that. They came to Jerusalem, to meet in the Temple. And then they ate the same food together.
holy ~ very, very good; separate from sin. Only God is really holy.
Jew ~ a person that is a member of Abraham’s, Isaac’s and Jacob’s big family; a person that believes the Jews’ religion, which is called Judaism.
Egypt ~ a country in North Africa. The Israelites were slaves in Egypt for several hundred years. God told Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. And finally they went to the Promised Land. The escape from Egypt was a very important event in Jewish history.
Jerusalem ~ the capital city in Israel.
temple ~ a building where people worship God (or a false god).
Temple ~ the Temple was the special building in Jerusalem where the Jews worshipped God.
sin ~ to sin is to do wrong, bad or evil things; not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things that we do. We do them against God or against other people.
Judaism ~ the Jews’ religion.
Israelites ~ another name for the Jews. They are the people from Israel.

Promised Land ~ the country that God promised to give to Abraham and his family.
Jewish ~ a word that describes a Jew; or it describes anything that belongs to a Jew.
Israel ~ the country that is the Jews’ home.
worship ~ to give honour to God with praise and thanks.
praise ~ to tell God how great he is. We can do this when we are praying to him. Or we can do it when we are singing to him.
Law ~ the rules that God gave to Moses for the Jews.
Jew ~ a person that is a member of Abraham’s, Isaac’s and Jacob’s big family; a person that believes the Jews’ religion, which is called Judaism.
Judaism ~ the Jews’ religion.
Christian ~ a person who obeys Jesus *Christ; a person who believes in him.
Jerusalem ~ the capital city in Israel.
Israel ~ the country that is the Jews’ home.
Jew ~ a person that is a member of Abraham’s, Isaac’s and Jacob’s big family; a person that believes the Jews’ religion, which is called Judaism.
Judaism ~ the Jews’ religion.
angel ~ a servant of God. He brings messages from God to people that live on earth.
prophecy ~ special messages and stories that God gives to a person; messages about things that will happen in the future; the words that a prophet speaks or writes.
prophet ~ someone who tells God’s messages; a person that God sends to speak for him.
holy ~ very, very good; separate from sin. Only God is really holy.
sin ~ to sin is to do wrong, bad or evil things; not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things that we do. We do them against God or against other people.
believer ~ a person who knows *Christ and accepts him.
Galilee ~ a region in northern Israel, where Jesus and some disciples lived; a lake in that region.
Israel ~ the country that is the Jews’ home.
disciple ~ someone who follows another person and he or she learns from that person; someone whom Jesus taught. It also means someone who believes in Jesus. This person also does the things that Jesus teaches.
Jew ~ a person that is a member of Abraham’s, Isaac’s and Jacob’s big family; a person that believes the Jews’ religion, which is called Judaism.
Judaism ~ the Jews’ religion.
Judea ~ a region in the country where the Jews lived.
Jew ~ a person that is a member of Abraham’s, Isaac’s and Jacob’s big family; a person that believes the Jews’ religion, which is called Judaism.
Judaism ~ the Jews’ religion.
Egypt ~ a country in North Africa. The Israelites were slaves in Egypt for several hundred years. God told Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. And finally they went to the Promised Land. The escape from Egypt was a very important event in Jewish history.
Israelites ~ another name for the Jews. They are the people from Israel.

Promised Land ~ the country that God promised to give to Abraham and his family.
Jewish ~ a word that describes a Jew; or it describes anything that belongs to a Jew.
Jew ~ a person that is a member of Abraham’s, Isaac’s and Jacob’s big family; a person that believes the Jews’ religion, which is called Judaism.
Israel ~ the country that is the Jews’ home.
Judaism ~ the Jews’ religion.
Rome ~ the most famous city in the world when Jesus lived on earth.
Gentile ~ not Jewish; a person that is not a Jew; a person who does not know God. ‘Gentiles’ can mean people from all countries (but it does not include Jews).
Jewish ~ a word that describes a Jew; or it describes anything that belongs to a Jew.
Jew ~ a person that is a member of Abraham’s, Isaac’s and Jacob’s big family; a person that believes the Jews’ religion, which is called Judaism.
Judaism ~ the Jews’ religion.
temple ~ a building where people worship God (or a false god).
Temple ~ the Temple was the special building in Jerusalem where the Jews worshipped God.
worship ~ to give honour to God with praise and thanks.
Jerusalem ~ the capital city in Israel.
Jew ~ a person that is a member of Abraham’s, Isaac’s and Jacob’s big family; a person that believes the Jews’ religion, which is called Judaism.
praise ~ to tell God how great he is. We can do this when we are praying to him. Or we can do it when we are singing to him.
Israel ~ the country that is the Jews’ home.
Judaism ~ the Jews’ religion.
apostle ~ a man that God chose to lead other Christians; a man that God chose to teach about Jesus; one of the 12 men that Jesus chose to be his helpers.
Christian ~ a person who obeys Jesus *Christ; a person who believes in him.
prophet ~ someone who tells God’s messages; a person that God sends to speak for him.
prophesy ~ to tell about things that will happen in the future; to speak a special message with God’s help and authority (or to speak a false message from a false god).
miracle ~ a wonderful thing that God does by his power; a wonderful thing that happens.
Lord ~ the name for God or Jesus in the Bible; the name means that he is above all other things; a name that we use for Jesus when we obey him; someone with authority.
save ~ to rescue from sin’s result.
sin ~ to sin is to do wrong, bad or evil things; not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things that we do. We do them against God or against other people.
Israel ~ the country that is the Jews’ home.
Jew ~ a person that is a member of Abraham’s, Isaac’s and Jacob’s big family; a person that believes the Jews’ religion, which is called Judaism.
Judaism ~ the Jews’ religion.
Greek ~ the language that the people from Greece spoke; the language in which authors wrote the New Testament; a person from Greece.

New Testament ~ the Bible’s last part, which the writers wrote after Jesus lived on earth. It is about the things that Jesus did. And it is about the things that he taught. It is also about the church. It is about what Christians believe. And it is about what they do.
church ~ a group of Christians that meet together. (A church is not just the building that they meet in.) It can also mean all the Christians in the world.
Christian ~ a person who obeys Jesus *Christ; a person who believes in him.
cross ~ two pieces of wood that someone has fixed together. They fix one piece across the other piece. The Romans fixed people to a cross to kill them. Jesus died on a cross.
Roman ~ a person from Rome; a word that describes someone from Rome; or it describes something from Rome. The Roman soldiers fought against people in many countries. And they defeated them. They made the people obey the rules that officials in Rome made. They made the people pay taxes to Rome.
Rome ~ the most famous city in the world when Jesus lived on earth.
Nazareth ~ the town where Jesus lived when he was young.
sin ~ to sin is to do wrong, bad or evil things; not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things that we do. We do them against God or against other people.
resurrection ~ when someone comes back to life after death; when someone rises from death to life.
Messiah ~ in the Old Testament, the anointed king; in the New Testament, Jesus. It means the same as *Christ.

Old Testament ~ the Bible’s first part, which the writers wrote before Jesus lived on earth; the holy things that the writers wrote before *Christ’s birth.
anoint ~ to mark a person with oil. This shows that God has chosen him or her.

New Testament ~ the Bible’s last part, which the writers wrote after Jesus lived on earth. It is about the things that Jesus did. And it is about the things that he taught. It is also about the church. It is about what Christians believe. And it is about what they do.
holy ~ very, very good; separate from sin. Only God is really holy.
church ~ a group of Christians that meet together. (A church is not just the building that they meet in.) It can also mean all the Christians in the world.
Christian ~ a person who obeys Jesus *Christ; a person who believes in him.
sin ~ to sin is to do wrong, bad or evil things; not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things that we do. We do them against God or against other people.
ancestors ~ a person’s relatives that lived a long time ago.
scripture ~ the Bible, the book that contains God’s holy messages; the Old Testament.
holy ~ very, very good; separate from sin. Only God is really holy.

Old Testament ~ the Bible’s first part, which the writers wrote before Jesus lived on earth; the holy things that the writers wrote before *Christ’s birth.
sin ~ to sin is to do wrong, bad or evil things; not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things that we do. We do them against God or against other people.
baptism ~ when someone baptises someone; when the Holy Spirit comes into a person when they know *Christ.
baptise ~ to put a person into water, or to put water on a person; how we show that *Christ has made a person clean; to send the Holy Spirit into someone, which God does; to show to everyone that a person belongs to *Christ together with other people; to show to everyone that a person is in the church.
holy ~ very, very good; separate from sin. Only God is really holy.
church ~ a group of Christians that meet together. (A church is not just the building that they meet in.) It can also mean all the Christians in the world.
sin ~ to sin is to do wrong, bad or evil things; not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things that we do. We do them against God or against other people.
Christian ~ a person who obeys Jesus *Christ; a person who believes in him.
baptism ~ when someone baptises someone; when the Holy Spirit comes into a person when they know *Christ.
baptise ~ to put a person into water, or to put water on a person; how we show that *Christ has made a person clean; to send the Holy Spirit into someone, which God does; to show to everyone that a person belongs to *Christ together with other people; to show to everyone that a person is in the church.
holy ~ very, very good; separate from sin. Only God is really holy.
church ~ a group of Christians that meet together. (A church is not just the building that they meet in.) It can also mean all the Christians in the world.
sin ~ to sin is to do wrong, bad or evil things; not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things that we do. We do them against God or against other people.
Christian ~ a person who obeys Jesus *Christ; a person who believes in him.
faith ~ when someone believes in someone or something; when someone is really sure about God and Jesus his Son; ‘the faith’ means the things that Christians say are true about Jesus.
Christian ~ a person who obeys Jesus *Christ; a person who believes in him.
church ~ a group of Christians that meet together. (A church is not just the building that they meet in.) It can also mean all the Christians in the world.
Christian ~ a person who obeys Jesus *Christ; a person who believes in him.
praise ~ to tell God how great he is. We can do this when we are praying to him. Or we can do it when we are singing to him.
salvation ~ when God saves us from sin’s results and he saves us from its power; when a person is sorry for his or her wrong behaviour and God forgives the person. And then that person obeys Jesus.
sin ~ to sin is to do wrong, bad or evil things; not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things that we do. We do them against God or against other people.
Jewish ~ a word that describes a Jew; or it describes anything that belongs to a Jew.
Jew ~ a person that is a member of Abraham’s, Isaac’s and Jacob’s big family; a person that believes the Jews’ religion, which is called Judaism.
Judaism ~ the Jews’ religion.
covenant ~ a promise that people (or God) must obey; an agreement between God and a person or people.
miracle ~ a wonderful thing that God does by his power; a wonderful thing that happens.'Old Testament ~ the Bible’s first part, which the writers wrote before Jesus lived on earth; the holy things that the writers wrote before *Christ’s birth.
holy ~ very, very good; separate from sin. Only God is really holy.
sin ~ to sin is to do wrong, bad or evil things; not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things that we do. We do them against God or against other people.
worship ~ to give honour to God with praise and thanks.
praise ~ to tell God how great he is. We can do this when we are praying to him. Or we can do it when we are singing to him.