Scripture: for teacher background: John 14:16-26; 15:26; 16:7-15 Acts 2:1-12; 8:15-17; Acts 19:1-7 Eph 5:18
Making contact:
If you look outside and you want to know if
the wind is blowing, can you see the actual wind?
No -What do you look at? The
trees. If their branches are waving then you know that the wind is blowing.
Exploration:
Can you look outside and see God?
Can you
look around this room and see Him?
No, with these eyes we cannot see God. Could
the people see Jesus when He was a baby and when He grew up to be a man? Yes.
They also could see how He died. They even saw Him after He rose again.
He even
ate some fish with them.
They could see Him and touch Him.
Then before He went
away, He told them that He was sending them His Holy Spirit to be with them
forever.
This would be Someone they would have inside and around them always.
He would be Someone with power and someone who would guide him or her.
He would
be a Counsellor to them and strengthen them and help them.
What an exciting
promise! Another Jesus is here – the Spirit of Jesus, the Holy Spirit of God.
Lots of people believe in God and many
believe in Jesus, but this Holy Spirit – no – they aren’t too sure.
I am sure you have seen movies and read
books about people that have a secret invisible friend.
Now some of this is
make-believe and sometimes it is a demon, so don’t have anything to do with
that.
What we want and need is to be filled with
God’s Holy Spirit.
In some places in the Bible it speaks about
the Spirit as Living Water.
When He is in your life, you need never have that
deep thirst in your heart again.
Having the Spirit over you is like sitting
under a waterfall on a hot day.
He is also warm like a fire on a cold day. He
fills you with such love and warmth
He is also like the wind and moves across
the earth and over people and churches.
Who is He? He is the Spirit of Jesus.
He is Jesus without a body.
He can be everywhere at once and He can live inside
you and listen to your thoughts and speaks into your mind If you learn to
listen to Him you will know which are your thoughts and which are His.
Application
The Holy Spirit is a
person – the Spirit of Jesus, so don’t say “it” when you speak about Him as
many people do.
When you believe that Jesus is the Son of
God and died and rose again, the Holy Spirit comes into your life.
You need to
be filled with Him and it is helpful if someone lays hands and prays
for the wonderful blessing on your life, just like they did in the New
Testament.
You need to be thirsty for God to fill you with His Spirit.
You need
His power released in you so that you can serve Him better.
Maybe you will be
given a new prayer language and be able to praise God in a heavenly tongue.
Maybe you will be given some other gift like preaching or healing or prophecy
and be able to speak God’s words to people.
Challenge to Mission
Let’s not ignore the Holy Spirit. Let’s
tell other people about the close presence of Jesus inside us when we are
filled with the Holy Spirit.
Consolidation
There is the
memory verse and extra Scriptures.
Belief Statement: We believe in
the Holy Spirit
Memory Verse
“Do not get drunk with wine which will only
ruin you but be filled with the Holy Spirit.”
Eph 5:18
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