Seek. The Holy Spirit & You. pray give go pray give go pray give go pray give go pray give. Show Share Invite Invest

Transcription

1 Date Used Seek Show Share Invite Invest The Holy Spirit & You Being a BGMC kid is part of learning more about how to pray, how to give, and how to go. To help you be your best at being a BGMC kid, this lesson is designed to teach about the Holy Spirit, who is the Helper and One who can give you a prayer language and a boldness to witness. Note: We recommend that you get a parent or children s pastor to help you with this lesson, so you can have time for questions and answers. A great booklet that provides an easy way to understand more about the Holy Spirit is called Kid Power. See the end note for further details. Object Lesson Items Needed q 1 16-oz. plastic bottle (A plastic bottle of spring water makes a perfect container for this object lesson. Remove all fluid from the bottle and all wrappers from the outside of the container.) q 1 balloon, round-shaped q Vinegar, white q Baking soda, 2 teaspoons Directions Pour 8 ounces of white vinegar into a 16-ounce plastic water bottle. Then pour the two tablespoons of baking soda into the water bottle. Quickly place the opening lip of the balloon over the top of the plastic water bottle and hold it onto the water bottle firmly with your thumb and forefinger. Shake the contents until the balloon begins to swell. Spiritual Application Is it hard to believe in the Holy Spirit just because you can t understand Him? Is it difficult for you to believe in Him because you can t see Him? Do you believe there is air that you breathe, even though you can t see it? Likewise, the Holy Spirit is a vital part of the Trinity Father God, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit. When you combine vinegar with baking soda, it begins to produce energy, causing the balloon to fill as it did in the exercise pray give go pray give go pray give go pray give go pray give

2 explained above. Likewise, when you get Jesus in your heart and invite the Holy Spirit to infill you with His power and spiritual gifts, your spirit begins to grow and energize, and you become full of God. Who is the Holy Spirit? First, understand that the Holy Spirit is not an It. He is a person the third person of the Trinity. He is the Spirit of God and has a personality as well as a distinct ministry to God s children. The Holy Spirit knows the thoughts of God, and one of His jobs is to share the heart and thoughts of God with God s children. Just as you are aware of what you think and nobody else knows what you are thinking, only the Spirit knows God s thoughts. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man s spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. (1 Corinthians 2:11). What Does the Holy Spirit Do for You? The Holy Spirit s job is so varied and complex that it would be almost impossible to tell you everything He can and will do for you. But here are some Scripture verses that will get you started: The Holy Spirit convicts of sin. He is the one who made you feel you needed to be forgiven when you were told about Jesus. When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin (John 16:8). The Holy Spirit will teach you. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth (John 16:13). This does not mean you will not need a pastor or Sunday school teacher, but that the Spirit will reveal or make real the things you are being taught. The Holy Spirit will remind you of what you ve learned. As you are witnessing, or if you need a special truth for someone else, the Holy Spirit will remind you of what you ve learned, and it will be just the right thing to say. Often times, when you are going trough a problem, the Holy Spirit will remind you of what God s Word says. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said (John 14:26). The Holy Spirit will pray through you. In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weaknesses. We do not know what we ought to pray, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God s will (Romans 8:26,27). Many times as you are praying, you will not be sure of how God would have you pray. It s at these times the Holy Spirit, who knows the deep thoughts of God, takes over and begins to pray

3 exactly the way God wants. (Make sure the children know that the word intercede means to plead on behalf of another.) The Holy Spirit will give power to witness. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on 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). The power that the Holy Spirit gives creates such a desire to share Jesus that you will want to be a witness for Him to your family, friends, and neighbors. The Holy Spirit will bring you fullness of life. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-22). Is The Holy Spirit for Everyone? Yes, this gift from God is for all of His children who choose to accept it. And afterward, I will pour out my spirit on all people (Joel 2:28). Some people will say that this experience is only a New Testament phenomenon. But the Spirit provides power to witness and live a victorious life in Christ today. How Did Jesus Send the Holy Spirit? Jesus promised His disciples that they would receive the infilling of the Holy Spirit. Likewise, He wants you to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Why? Because He wants to give you power to be His witnesses. He wants to provide you comfort through the Comforter (another description of the Holy Spirit). And He wants you know Him fully. Read these Scripture passages to see how Jesus offered the Holy Spirit: This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms. Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high (Luke 24:45-49). And with that he breathed on them and said, Receive the Holy Spirit (John 20:22). On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4,5). When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them (Acts 2:1-4).

4 How Old Should You be to Receive the Holy Spirit? There is no age limit put on spiritual growth within God s kingdom. Obviously, salvation and a basic understanding of God and His love are first required to receiving the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:17-18: In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men [generic term for people of young ages] will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. Can Kids Earn the Holy Spirit? Just as there is no age limit in receiving the Holy Spirit, there are no deeds that earn the right to have the Holy Spirit. God is not as interested in what we do as much as in what we are and what our relationship is with Him. Often people equate getting the baptism of the Holy Spirit with some display of emotions. But keep this in mind: It doesn t matter how long or how loud you pray or that you feel certain emotions. What is important, though, is that the Holy Spirit is a gift from the Father. When you receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit, He becomes a helper to assist you in living out your Christian life. Here s something else to consider: Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved and will receive in his spirit the Father, the Son (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit. But to receive the infilling of the Holy Spirit and to speak in unknown tongues as He speaks through you, you must also ask for this special gift. Why Should You Receive the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit s indwelling means that God can work from the inside out. John 14:17 says, But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. Through His Spirit, God can guide our thoughts, which in turn will control our actions. If our actions are to be Christ-like, the source for all of our actions and our thoughts need to be Christ-like and Christ controlled. The primary reason to receive the Holy Spirit is for power to witness to others. What Happens When I Receive the Holy Spirit? Due to the examples you may have seen, you may be scared and hesitant to display emotions when you respond to God s presence. You may even recall seeing people pray in the Spirit and crying. But rest assured of this: the Holy Spirit will not embarrass you. All you need to do is trust Him and allow Him to move in and through you. The first outward sign or initial physical evidence of the baptism (or infilling) of the Holy Spirit will be that of speaking in tongues. To understand more about this physical sign of receiving the Holy Spirit, read Acts 2:4, 10:44 46, 19:6,7. Speaking in tongues is a result of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (that is, the Spirit coming to live in you). You will not understand what you are saying when you receive the infilling of the Holy Spirit, because only He can translate what you are saying. The words one speaks when being filled with the Holy Spirit are from the Holy Spirit, which help you speak to the Father. You can choose not to speak in tongues, but you cannot choose to understand what you are saying when speaking in tongues.

5 Is There More Than Speaking In Tongues When You Receive The Holy Spirit? Speaking in tongues is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what the Holy Spirit has for you. He gives the various gifts listed read 1 Corinthians 12:7 11; Ephesians 4:11,12; and Romans 12:6-8 (below). The fruit of the Spirit will also come as a result of the indwelling of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22,23 read below). As you read these Scriptures, continue to be open to the Spirit and to constantly seek after Jesus. It is also important not to limit what the Spirit can do for you! Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines (1 Corinthians 12:7). It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ (Ephesians 4:11-13). We have different gifts, according to the grace given us (Romans 12:6). But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). What s the Bottom Line? The bottom line is that God wants you to experience Him to the fullest. To receive more and more of Him means to seek the spiritual gifts He has for you. You can never receive all that God has for you, but your journey will never be the same as you seek what He has in store for you throughout your lifetime. Now that you ve asked Jesus into your heart and you are a child of God through Christ Jesus, take the next step to fullness in Him by seeking the fullness of the Holy Spirit! And in doing so, your prayer life, your giving, and your going as a missionary to your world will excel more than you could ever imagine! Kid Power! The Holy Spirit s Super Power for Kids, by Tim and Rochelle Enloe. (Used by permission.) Ask your parent or children s pastor to order. (Item number , price: $5.99) Kid Power is a 58-page booklet that presents the baptism in the Holy Spirit to elementary school aged kids in a biblically clear and easy way. An adult can order by contacting Gospel Publishing House at or online at This Pray, Give, Go! activity was created by the national BGMC office, 2009 Gospel Publishing House. All rights reserved. Permission to duplicate for local church use only. Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. NIV. COPYRIGHT 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc. TM. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.