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 Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
22People of Israel, listen! God publicly endorsed Jesus the Nazarene* by doing powerful miracles, wonders, and signs through him, as you well know. 23But God knew what would happen, and his prearranged plan was carried out when Jesus was betrayed. With the help of lawless Gentiles, you nailed him to a cross and killed him. 24But God released him from the horrors of death and raised him back to life, for death could not keep him in its grip. 25King David said this about him:
I see that the Lord is always with me.
I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.
26No wonder my heart is glad,
and my tongue shouts his praises!
My body rests in hope.
27For you will not leave my soul among the dead*
or allow your Holy One to rot in the grave.
28You have shown me the way of life,
and you will fill me with the joy of your presence.*
29Dear brothers, think about this! You can be sure that the patriarch David wasnt referring to himself, for he died and was buried, and his tomb is still here among us. 30But he was a prophet, and he knew God had promised with an oath that one of Davids own descendants would sit on his throne. 31David was looking into the future and speaking of the Messiahs resurrection. He was saying that God would not leave him among the dead or allow his body to rot in the grave.
32God raised Jesus from the dead, and we are all witnesses of this. 33Now he is exalted to the place of highest honor in heaven, at Gods right hand. And the Father, as he had promised, gave him the Holy Spirit to pour out upon us, just as you see and hear today. 34For David himself never ascended into heaven, yet he said,
The Lord said to my Lord,
Sit in the place of honor at my right hand
35until I humble your enemies,
making them a footstool under your feet.*
36So let everyone in Israel know for certain that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, to be both Lord and Messiah!
37Peters words pierced their hearts, and they said to him and to the other apostles, Brothers, what should we do?
38Peter replied, Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39This promise is to you, to your children, and to those far away*all who have been called by the Lord our God. 40Then Peter continued preaching for a long time, strongly urging all his listeners, Save yourselves from this crooked generation!
41Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that dayabout 3,000 in all.
Who is your best friend? Take a moment to describe your best friend to your family. Think about what they enjoy, what they do, and how they behave. What words did you use to describe them? What memories with them did you share? You see, the disciples were Jesus’s friends, and they knew him well, the same way you know your best friend.
After Pentecost, Peter continues speaking to the people in Jerusalem and describes his friend, Jesus, to the people listening. Today, as you read through Acts 2:22-41, underline words that describe Jesus and use those observations to answer the questions.
Challenge: For older children, circle words or phrases you notice are part of the Gospel story.
Use the prayer prompts to spend time talking with God in response to our reading today.