Who Is the Holy Spirit?

1. Who is the Holy Spirit?

1. When Jesus knew He was going to die, and that He could no longer be with his beloved disciples in Person, then He sent them the Comforter, which is another name for the Holy Spirit (also called the Holy Ghost.)The Holy Spirit does not have a physical body, like Jesus. But the Holy Spirit is a person only with a spirit body, so you can't see him. And the Holy Spirit is a God, like Jesus and His Father. Jesus cannot be with you physically right now, but the Holy Spirit can. So when you have the Holy Spirit with you, then God is with you! Object lesson: Jesus is like the sun, and the Holy Spirit is like the warmth and light that comes from the sun. The influence of the Holy Spirit can be felt at any time and in many places.

2. It is important to understand the Holy Spirit is truly God because of the fact that if we are born again He lives in us. What we allow ourselves to be part of we are inviting God to be part of.

a. 1 Corinthians 6:19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own, you were bought at a price.

b. John 14:16-17 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever-- the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.

3. The Holy Spirit is the Comforter. (Object lesson: blanket) John 14:16 I will ask the Father and he will give another Comforter, to be with your forever, the Spirit of Truth. Kids, when Jesus was going away, his friends were very sad. They wanted him to stay and nobody wanted him to leave. Jesus told them about this special Comforter that would take his place when he was gone. He's called the Holy Spirit. When we we miss Jesus, he comes and comforts us. When sad things happen to us he comes and comforts us, kind of like this blanket. You can wrap this blanket around you and feel snug. Do any of you have a favorite blanket? Doesn't it make you feel snug and safe? (or give eg's of things that children take to bed with them to feel safe; night light needs to be on, etc) That's one of the things the Spirit does for us. He comforts us. Makes us feel safe. He lets us know everything is going to be all right.

4. The Holy Spirit has knowledge. 1 Corinthians 2:11 The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 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.

2. What does the Holy Spirit do?

1. The Holy Spirit will comfort you. (share briefly, as this has been touched on above) Jesus often called the Holy Spirit the Comforter..

2. He illuminates God's word: He speaks to us about sin and helps us see traps. Object lesson: 3 candles on tray: Light the first candle and say "God is in the world. He speaks to all men and women calling them to him. Many people hear about His Son, Jesus. (Light the second candle) When they do they are forgiven of their sins and made a brand new person. Also, the Holy Spirit comes and lives in them marking them for God's service. But as a Christian they discover that they can still sin and make mistakes. Some Christians read the Bible but have a hard time understanding it. Some things are just difficult. Then that person seeks the free gift of the Holy Spirit and get a big dose of him! (Light the third candle) With that third candle lit can you see how much brighter this room is? Think about how much brighter your spirit and your life would be with that third candle lit? The Holy Spirit is the light of truth.

3. He Teaches. Object lesson: magnifying glass and Bible. John 14:26 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 to you. Sometimes it's hard to know what the truth is. We want to do right but we aren't sure what doing right is. Jesus promised us that the Holy Spirit would be our teacher. As you read the Bible, the Spirit will make some words stand out to you. He'll teach you about different subjects. (Use the magnifying glass to show kids how the letters of the Bible seem larger when when you use it.) See how much larger these are? The Holy Spirit makes things larger to us. He helps us and teaches us about the things Jesus said. It doesn't matter how old you are because the Holy Spirit teaches everyone the same!

4. The Holy Spirit gives joy: (Testimony: singing praise, warm feeling of joy etc) Luke 10: 21 At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure." 1 Thessalonians 1:6 You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit.

5. The Holy Spirit gives gifts for use in ministry and empowers effective ministry. 1 Corinthians 12:7

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