The Holy Spirit
Our Helper, Counselor, Keeper
           
By S. A. Keith

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Objective:
To understand how the third person of the Trinity--the Holy Spirit--helps us and what Jesus had to say concerning him and our lives. 

Begin the lesson by telling the following scenario:

"There once were two children, a boy and a girl, whose parents were going out to dinner without them. They were new to the town, so the parents didn't want to leave them alone with a stranger, but thankfully the grandparents lived nearby, so they asked them to care for the children while they were away. Before the parents left for dinner, they told their children to be good, obey their rules and make sure they cleaned their rooms before they returned home.

Well, as soon as the parents left, the children wanted to go outside and play. But the grandparents reminded them that they weren't allowed to play outside at night, so they played indoors instead. After awhile, the kids asked for a snack, which the grandparents readily made for them. And just as they were ready to take a bite, the grandparents reminded them to first  thank God for the food, which they did, and then they settled down to watch some cartoons.

It was now getting late and the children were sleepy and wanted to go to bed. But the grandparents reminded them that they were told to clean their rooms before their parents returned home. 

"Oh, we're too tired! We'll do it in the morning." they said. 

But the grandparents said, "Nope! You must obey your parents. But don't worry, we'll help you clean up!" 

In no time at all--with the grandparents help--the rooms were cleaned and the children were tucked in for the night. Before the children fell asleep, they asked their grandparents if their mom and dad would be proud of their work. The grandparents hugged them, assuring them of their parents love and said they would let them know how well they had behaved. Then they prayed for them, asking God to give them a goodnights rest, and kissed them goodnight. 

The children were just about asleep, when all of a sudden there was a loud crashing sound. And as you can imagine it scared them half to death! The grandparents rushed into their rooms, telling them not to be afraid, it was only the neighbors cat getting into the garbage; so they kissed the children and tucked them in again. And soon the children were dreaming of tomorrow." The End.



This story helps us understand how the Holy Spirit--the third person of the Trinity--helps us.  Before Jesus returned to heaven, he promised his followers that they would not be left alone to care for themselves. Like the parents in our story who sent the grandparents to care for their children while they were away, Jesus told his followers that he would send a Counselor to watch over them, to help them obey God and do his will while he was away. 

Read John 14:15-16, 23, 25-27 and John 16:7-8,13 from a child-friendly Bible.

Discuss:

1) How are the Grandparents in our story similar to how the Holy Spirit works in our lives? (helps us obey God's rules, reminds us to do the right thing, helps us to do our work, calms our fears, speaks to God for us, prays for us)

2) What does the word Counselor mean? (sometimes the word counselor means someone who helps you with your problems. But in this case it has to do with someone who defends you, like a lawyer in a court of law. The Holy Spirit is our Counselor, our defender. He helps us when we're in trouble (1 John 2:1). We are all guilty of breaking God's law, but when we're in Christ, having asked Jesus to be our Savior and Forever Friend, only then does the Counselor defend us, pray for us and keep us.)

Our Pentecost Rusher  activity is a perfect craft to accompany this lesson.

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