JOIN THE JOURNEY JR.
Families Abiding in Jesus together
With shorter reading assignments and kid-specific focus areas, Join The Journey Jr. is designed to help parents disciple their kids and engage with Scripture in the best ways for their age.
This month's memory verse
I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
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“And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me;”
Acts of the Apostles 1
The Promise of the Holy Spirit
1In my first book* I told you, Theophilus, about everything Jesus began to do and teach 2until the day he was taken up to heaven after giving his chosen apostles further instructions through the Holy Spirit. 3During the forty days after he suffered and died, he appeared to the apostles from time to time, and he proved to them in many ways that he was actually alive. And he talked to them about the Kingdom of God.
4Once when he was eating with them, he commanded them, “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift he promised, as I told you before. 5John baptized with*1:5 Or in; also in 1:5b. water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
The Ascension of Jesus
6So when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, “Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?”
7He replied, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know. 8But 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.”
9After saying this, he was taken up into a cloud while they were watching, and they could no longer see him. 10As they strained to see him rising into heaven, two white-robed men suddenly stood among them. 11“Men of Galilee,” they said, “why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday he will return from heaven in the same way you saw him go!”
Have you ever been on a treasure hunt? Have you ever pretended to be a pirate seeking out buried treasure? Today, we’re going to pretend we are pirates hunting for treasure in God’s Word! Just like pirates search carefully for gold and hidden treasures, we will use our “observation spy-glass” to look for important details in the Bible. Observing means looking closely at what the Bible says. When we read a few verses, we ask the questions that start with “who, what, where, when, and why.” Observation helps us discover what God wants to teach us. Let’s grab our imaginary spyglasses and find some treasures!
Search for the answers to these questions in Acts 1:1-11:
If you have older kids, ask them to share the verse number that pairs with each answer. (A.K.A. Ask them to show their work.)