YOUTH GROUP LESSON ON HOLY SPIRIT

Here’s a free youth group Bible lesson on the Holy Spirit.

Bible Passages: Acts 2, John 14 and more.

Bottom Line: The Holy Spirit came to be our helper.

What’s That to Me? The Holy Spirit lives in me and helps me when I ask Him to.

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YOUTH GROUP LESSON ON THE HOLY SPIRIT

Teaching Supplies:

• Glass of water
• Ice tray
• Kettle

Say: I have six true/false questions for you. If you think the answer is true, keep your eyes uncovered. If you think the answer is false, cover your eyes. Let’s get started.

1. The Holy Spirit is God.
   (True: We serve a God who is three unique persons at the same time: God the Father, God the Son Jesus, and God the Holy Spirit. The word we use to describe this is the “Trinity.”)
   
2. The Holy Spirit appeared in a Star Wars movie.
   (False: The Holy Spirit is not the “force.” He is God in every way.)
   
3. The Holy Spirit only shows up in the New Testament.
   (False: The Holy Spirit shows up in events all through the Old Testament.)
   
4. The Holy Spirit is called the Holy Ghost sometimes.
   (True: This is because older Bible translations used the word ghost to refer to something they could not see. It didn’t mean a scary ghost the way we understand it today. Both Holy Spirit and Holy Ghost mean the same thing.) 
   
5. When Jesus was baptized, the Holy Spirit came down from heaven in the form of an eagle.
   (False: The Holy Spirit came in the form of a dove.)
   
6. The Holy Spirit was the promise the disciples were told to wait for.
   (True: In fact, that’s where we ended our lesson last week. The disciples were waiting for God’s promise to be fulfilled.) 

Today, we’re going to learn about the Holy Spirit.

Read Acts 2:1-3 and Acts 2:36-40

Say: What an experience! The disciples waited for God’s promise and they weren’t disappointed. The Holy Spirit had come, fulfilling God’s promise.

Ask: 

• Explain who you think the Holy Spirit is. 
• What can you tell me about the Holy Spirit? 

Say: These are great answers. Here’s what the Bible teaches us about the Holy Spirit.

First of all, the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Holy Trinity. The word trinity means “being three.” God is three persons. He is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. He isn’t three gods, but one God with three distinct persons. This can be hard to understand, so one way we can explain it is by using water. 

I have up here three forms of water with me. Please name them for me. 

(Hold up the glass with water.) The first one in this glass is called (allow for responses). That’s right—water. (Hold up the ice cute tray.) The second in this tray is called (allow for responses). That’s right—ice. (Hold up the kettle.) The last one is in my kettle. If the water gets very, very hot, it comes out the spout here. We call it (allow for responses). That’s right—steam. All three of these are water but they’re different forms and they have different purposes. The same is true of God.

The Holy Spirit is God in every way, and the Holy Spirit has a distinct purpose.

The Holy Spirit isn’t an “it.” He isn’t a “force,” like in Star Wars. He isn’t a ghost, though He’s sometimes referred to as the Holy Ghost because we can’t see Him. He is God.

Let’s look at what God sent the Holy Spirit to do. The Bible tells us:

• The Holy Spirit will lead us in all truth. The Holy Spirit show us right from wrong so we walk in God’s truth. He’s that voice inside you, when you’re tempted to do something wrong, like cheat or lie to your parents, that will tell you it isn’t right. (John 14:16)
  
• The Holy Spirit will live in us. The Holy Spirit is God in us. From the moment we ask Jesus into our hearts, the Holy Spirit comes, too. (John 14:17)
  
• The Holy Spirit will be our advocate. He recommends us, he speaks to God on our behalf, and helps us. It’s like if you were having trouble in school and someone said maybe you shouldn’t pass. But then your teacher says “No, I’ll help you and work with you so you do pass.” That teacher is advocating for you or helping you. (John 14:26)
  
• The Holy Spirit will be our teacher. He reminds us of everything that Jesus has taught us through His Word. He will help us understand our Bibles as we read them and help us to hear what our pastors are saying when they preach. (John 14:26)
  
• The Holy Spirit gives us power and boldness to be His witnesses. (I remember praying as a teenager for power and boldness from the Holy Spirit. I went from being a shy, quiet person who was afraid to tell people anything about me to someone who wanted to share Jesus with everyone. Use my experience or insert your own example here.) (Acts 1:8) 
  
• The Holy Spirit will convict the world of sin. This means that when you share the good news about Jesus with someone and that person decides to follow Jesus, the Holy Spirit has been at work in his or her heart. The Holy Spirit opens people’s eyes to their need for Jesus. That’s why when we share our faith, we can trust the Holy Spirit will help people decide to follow Jesus at exactly the right time. (John 16:8)

The Holy Spirit is very active. And He does all these things and even more. He gives us gifts and talents. He plants the Fruit of the Spirit in our lives as we spend time with God. He teaches us, helps us, and gives us power and boldness. 

Bottom Line: The Holy Spirit came to be our helper. He lives in us. We can ask for His help anytime we need it and trust that He’ll answer. 

Discussion Questions:

1. Who is the Holy Spirit?
2. Do your best to explain the trinity to us.
3. What are some ways the Holy Spirit helps us?
4. Explain whether you think the disciples in the upper room were pleased when God fulfilled his promise. Why or why not?
5. What do you think might be different about the way a person with the Holy Spirit inside looks, thinks, or acts?

(End Lesson)

Looking for youth ministry curriculum? Check out the…

1 TIMOTHY 4:12 – New 4-week youth group series about how God uses teenagers and those who do not feel like they measure up to do amazing things!

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