Two Kinds of Baptism (Luke 3:15-17, 21-22) Sunday School Lesson

This free Bible lesson is based on Luke 3:15-17, 21-22, which tells of Jesus’ baptism, and Acts 8:14-17, which tells of baptism of the Spirit.  It is designed for children’s church or Sunday School. Please modify as best fits your ministry.
If your church follows the Revised Common Lectionary, this teaching plan would correspond to Year C – Baptism of the Lord, Gospel Reading – Luke 3:15-17, 21-22, and New Testament Reading – Acts 8:14-17.
Opening Activity – Two Kinds of Baptism – What is Baptism to You?
supplies – white paper, coloring/drawing utensils
Ask the kids to draw a picture of what they think Baptism is.  Once everyone is done, have them share their pictures and see what they did the same a different.
Bible Lesson – Two Kinds of Baptism
Have you ever heard of Baptism?
The cooling water kind?
But did you know that there’s another?
One that God perfectly designed.
You may have been baptized by water,
By dunk, or sprinkle, or cup.
Some are baptized as babies,
And some are all grown up.
It’s how we tell friends and family,
That we’ve begun a life set apart.
We are cleansed by that cool water,
Just as Jesus cleansed our heart.
There is still another Baptism,
One that you can’t see.
The Baptism of the Holy Spirit,
When He lives in you and me.
When Jesus went back to heaven,
The Holy Spirit came to be our guide.
He lives inside you always,
To help you leave sin behind.
Both Baptisms are important,
One on the outside and one within.
But they mean you love Jesus,
And will be with Him in the end.
Activity A – Two Kinds of Baptism – Bible Verse Challenge
Supplies – Bibles
Verse – Luke 3:16
Pass out Bibles to students. Bibles should be closed and sitting on the table face up in front of each child. When you say go, have the kids look up this week’s Bible verse. As each child finds the verse, have them stick one finger on the verse and quietly raise their other hand. The first one to find the verse gets to read it to the rest of the class.
Help younger kids and new kids find the verse by following these steps.
Look in the Table of Contents for the book you are looking for. Make an effort to show them if it is found in the Old Testament or New Testament to help them in the future. Then open the Bible to the page number listed in the Table of Contents.
Show them the large numbers in the text, known as the chapters. Flip through pages until you find the large chapter number you are looking for.
Then scan through the text with them pointing out the smaller verse numbers until the correct number is found.
Activity B – Two Kinds of Baptism – Baptism Q & A
Depending on the age of your kids, they may not know a whole lot about either kind of Baptism.  Encourage them to ask questions and share their experiences.
Activity C – Two Kinds of Baptism – Coloring Page
John Baptizes Jesus coloring page.
Closing Prayer – Two Kinds of Baptism
Ask for a volunteer to pray for the class before leaving, and encourage them to thank God for sending the Holy Spirit to help us.