Telling Everyone the Good News
Month 4: Walking in the Spirit · Loving Others
Today's Scripture
Read together: Acts 2:8–11, 21
8 How is it then that each of us hears them in his own native language? 9 Parthians, Medes, and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome, 11 both Jews and converts to Judaism; Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” … 21 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’
Memory Verse
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.””— Acts 1:8 (BSB)
📖 Bible-in-a-Year (optional)
Today's reading: 1 Samuel 18–20; Psalm 11; Psalm 59
Reading the whole Bible in a year — do this when you have extra time. (Around Day 103 of 365 — David hides from Saul and pours out his trust in God.)The Heart of It
When the Spirit came, the very first thing He did was push the good news outward toward people who were different. The crowd in Jerusalem was made up of visitors from all over the world. There were "Parthians and Medes and Elamites," and people from Egypt, Rome, Crete, and Arabia (). And every one of them heard the believers "speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God." Think about that. The Spirit's power didn't make the disciples shout over the crowd. It helped them speak so each person could understand in their own heart-language. God's love reaches across every border and language. He wanted every person there to hear it clearly: He loves them.
That's why Peter could announce, "Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved" (). Whoever. Not just one kind of person. Not just one nation. Anyone. Everyone. This is the heart of loving others. The good news is for everybody. So we don't get to keep it to ourselves. We don't save it only for people who are like us. The Spirit who fills us is a sending Spirit. He gives us courage to cross the room, cross the street, even cross the world to tell someone that Jesus loves them. Loving people well always includes wanting them to know the One who loves them most.
Around the Table
God's Spirit helped Jesus' friends tell people from everywhere that He loves them. Jesus' love is for everyone!
Let's do it: Point in four directions and say, "Jesus loves the people over there, and there, and there, and there!"
The Spirit helped each person hear in their own language. Why do you think God wanted everyone to understand clearly?
Let's talk: Who is someone different from us — a new neighbor or kid at school — who needs to know Jesus loves them?
Peter said, "Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." The gospel crosses every culture and language.
Let's go deeper: How does being filled with the Spirit move us toward people who are different, instead of away from them?
💬 Conversation Starter
If you could instantly speak any language in the world, who would you talk to first? And what would you say?— At Pentecost, God gave that gift so everyone could hear about Jesus.
🛡️ Defending the Faith
How do we know the gospel was always meant for every nation, not just one? Pentecost itself shows it. God deliberately gathered people from across the known world. He helped each one hear in their own tongue (). From day one, the message was "whoever" (v. 21).
For Dad · Go Deeper
It's striking that the Spirit's first public act was a reversal of Babel. At Babel, God scattered humanity by confusing their language (). At Pentecost, He gathers humanity by being understood in every language. The Spirit is, by nature, a missionary. He fills us not to huddle but to go. This reframes "loving others" for your kids. Love isn't only kindness inside our walls. It's a holy restlessness that wants the neighbor, the foreigner, and the unreached to hear the wonderful works of God. Ask yourself where your own comfort has quietly become a border you won't cross. Then let your children watch you cross it. A warm word to someone unlike you is one of the loudest sermons they'll ever hear.
Draws on: Tony Evans, The Power of the Holy Spirit's Names.
Let's Pray Together
"Father, thank You that the good news is for everyone. It's for every language and every land. Fill us with Your Spirit. Give us courage to tell people who are different from us that Jesus loves them. In Jesus' name, amen."
The Spirit doesn't fill me to keep the good news in. He fills me to carry Jesus' love out to everyone.