The Holy Spirit guides us
key words
biblical reference
John 16:12-14; Acts 15:1-31.
lesson objective
To understand that it is important to allow the Holy Spirit to guide our life.
memory verse
“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, NIV*).
prepare yourself to teach
It is common for some of the students in the class to show an attitude of self-sufficiency. However, they really need other people to guide them in the important decisions of their life. When they are alone, they act on impulse and without taking external factors into account.
The role models they decide to follow will be crucial for their training.
You will have noticed that at this stage, your students want to enjoy their freedom; they do not want to hear comments or suggestions from anyone, especially if it is from their parents and teachers. Therefore, they need to discover in the Word of God that the Holy Spirit is the best guide. He is reliable and will help them in their spiritual development.
In this stage of emotional and spiritual immaturity of young people, the guidance of the Holy Spirit will be decisive.
biblical commentary
Read John 16:12-14. In these verses, Jesus emphasizes the function of the Holy Spirit as a guide. Jesus said that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth and that, through him; Christians can continue to learn biblical truths.
Jesus continues his teaching ministry through the work of the Holy Spirit in believers. Many claim to live under the leadership of the Holy Spirit, but continue to live in direct contradiction to what Jesus taught.
Later, this passage shows us that God did not stop guiding people when Jesus left this earth, or when the last book of the Bible was written. God continues to speak to believers through the Holy Spirit.
Read Acts 15:1-31. As the church grew, the Gentiles also heard the gospel message. The term “Gentiles” included everyone who was not Jewish by birth. When these people began to convert to the gospel, many Jews opposed because of their ingrained customs, to the point that many Gentiles had to convert to Judaism to become Christians.
Should a Gentile submit to circumcision and all Jewish laws and rituals in order to be a member of the church? Should a gentile become a Jew to be a Christian? Could a Gentile be part of the Church simply because of their faith in Jesus Christ?
These were not the only questions that the first believers were asking. Orthodox Jews were forbidden to interact with Gentiles. If they became part of the Church, could the Jews interact with them?
To answer these questions, Paul and Barnabas appealed to the apostles and elders of Jerusalem. That decision depended on whether they opened the doors of the gospel to non-Jews, or whether they would convert Christianity into a small Jewish sect.
The solution was not easy. Was the grace of God only for certain people, or for all? The Holy Spirit led the apostles to solve this problem.
The Jerusalem Council decided that there would be no difference between Jews and Gentiles. Likewise, we can trust in the guidance and direction of the Holy Spirit, who is the best Counselor.
introduce the lesson
Can you follow these instructions?
Open Student Activity Sheet #347, the handout for this section. Ask a volunteer to read the instructions aloud, while others try to follow the instructions to perform the action.
Answers:
Breathe through your mouth.
Wink with your right eye.
Bend over and using your smallest finger of your dominant hand, point at your left big toe.
Bend your knees repeatedly while holding your arms out in front of you.
After trying to do all four activities, explain that it is often difficult to follow directions when they are very complicated.
For that, we need a guide to help us. In today’s class, we will learn who is the guide that God sent to help us overcome the trials of life.
teach the lesson
Before this session study John 16:12-14; Acts 15:1-31 and be ready to guide the discussion. In the group, ask someone to read the Bible passage in Acts 15:1-31 while everyone else follows along. Then talk about the problem for which the first council of the Christian church in Jerusalem met.
Discuss the two arguments:
The Jews
The Gentiles
If you have a blackboard divide the board into two columns: in one column write the key words for arguments of the Jews and in the other the arguments of the Gentiles.
Next, discuss the agreements of the council and how the Holy Spirit intervened.
connect the lesson
Holy Spirit, guide me!
After learning how the Holy Spirit intervenes in the lives of believers to guide them, it is time to reflect on their personal experience. Give them time to individually answer the questions and ponder whether their life is being led by the Holy Spirit or by their own desires.
Note: “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth.” (John 16:13a)
Mention specific areas in which you would like the Holy Spirit to guide you this week.
Choose one of the areas you mentioned in the previous point and explain what you want the Holy Spirit to do.
What advice would you recognize, without a doubt, as something that does not come from the Holy Spirit?
How do you think the Holy Spirit will guide you to do?
What is your responsibility when the guidance of the Holy Spirit is clear?
Then ask some to tell the group what their responses. End by repeating John 16:13.
practice the memory verse
If you have a chalkboard or white board available, write the verse out on the board. Have the class read the verse five times together. Erase one word and have them read it again. Keep erasing words or phrases until they can recite the verse.
wrap-up
Pray
Conclude with a prayer of thanksgiving to God for sending us his Holy Spirit, who teaches and guides us.
Encourage
Encourage the students to remember that in order to know what God’s will is for their life, they should read the Bible and pray every day. Dismiss everyone by singing some praise songs to God.
Invite
Invite the children to worship God for the Gift of his Holy Spirit and encourage them to bring a friend to join the group.
* Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™