Christian Religious Studies - Junior Secondary 3 - The promise of the Holy Spirit

TERM: 1^ST TERM

WEEK: 1

CLASS: Junior Secondary School 3

AGE: 14 years

DURATION: 40 minutes

DATE:

SUBJECT: Christian Religious Knowledge

TOPIC: The Promise of the Holy Spirit

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES: At the end of the lesson, the learners should be able to

1.) Give an account of the promise of the Holy Spirit

2.) Give an account of the coming of the Holy Spirit

3.) State the importance of the Holy Spirit

INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNIQUES: Identification, explanation, questions and answers, demonstration, story-telling, videos from source

INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS: Recommended Christian Religious Knowledge textbooks for Junior Secondary School 3

INSTRUCTIONAL PROCEDURES:

NOTE

THE PROMISE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

(a) The Promise

1. John 14:16 – Jesus promises to ask the Father to send "another Comforter" (the Holy Spirit) who will be with the disciples forever. This Comforter is described as the Spirit of truth who will guide and support the believers, helping them continue in faith even after Jesus departs.
2. John 16:5-16 – Jesus explains to His disciples that although He is going away, it is to their advantage. If He does not go, the Comforter will not come, but if He goes, He will send the Holy Spirit. This Spirit will convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment and will guide the disciples into all truth, declaring to them things to come and glorifying Jesus through them.
3. Acts 1:3-5, 8 – After His resurrection, Jesus spends forty days with His disciples, teaching them about the Kingdom of God. He instructs them to wait in Jerusalem for the "promise of the Father" – the Holy Spirit, who would soon baptize them. In verse 8, He promises that they will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon them, enabling them to be His witnesses "in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

(b) The Coming of the Holy Spirit Acts 2:1-13 –

On the day of Pentecost, the disciples were gathered together when suddenly a sound like a rushing wind filled the room, and what appeared to be "tongues of fire" rested on each of them. They were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different languages as the Spirit enabled them. This event drew a large crowd, as people from various regions who spoke different languages were able to understand the disciples in their native tongues. This amazed and confused the onlookers, some of whom wondered what it meant, while others mockingly suggested the disciples were drunk.

This outpouring of the Holy Spirit fulfilled Jesus' promise and marked the beginning of the Church's mission to spread the gospel worldwide.

EVALUATION:

1. What role does Jesus say the Holy Spirit, or "Comforter," will play in the lives of the disciples according to John 14:16 and John 16:5-16?
2. How did Jesus describe the purpose of His departure in relation to the coming of the Holy Spirit, and why was it considered beneficial for the disciples?
3. In Acts 1:3-5,8, what specific instructions did Jesus give to the disciples regarding the Holy Spirit, and what impact did He say the Spirit would have on them?
4. Describe the events of Pentecost in Acts 2:1-4. How did the experience demonstrate the fulfillment of Jesus' promise?
5. How did the crowd respond to the disciples’ behavior during the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and what does this indicate about the significance of the event?

CLASSWORK: As in evaluation

CONCLUSION: The teacher marks their books and commends them positively