LESSON 5 :THE CHURCH IS THE TEMPLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

Lesson 5: The Church is the Temple of the Holy Spirit

Date        : 15-02-15

Time       : 8.15- 9.30

OPENING PRAYER :  

MEMORY VERSE :

 Luke 6 :31 Do to others as you would have them do unto you.

Recap of previous lesson -  The Church as Body of Christ

1. Church is the Body of Christ and Christ as Head of the Church

2. Did learners do any good deeds during the week?

Group Discussion and Task   (Time: 8.30 am - 9.15am)

Set Induction: Learners asked to form groups and discuss the photograph of mother Theresa and reflect on the quote in text book page 28. Representatives of the group come forward and relate the points discussed. 

Explanation : The Church is the Temple of the Holy Spirit

1.  In the two previous chapters learners learnt about two important images used to describe the church in the bible that is Church as People of God and Body of Christ. These two images show the relationship between the church and the first two persons of the Holy Trinity: God the Father and Christ the Son. In this lesson learners will be learning about another image that is Church as the Temple of the Holy Spirit. This lesson highlights the relationship between the Church and the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Trinity.

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2. Bible Reading : 1 Corinthians 6 19:20. A learner reads aloud. Whole class reads silently and reflects.

 Paul states that God sacrificed His Son, Jesus to save all of humanity from sin. This was the price that God paid because of his love for his people. Through baptism we belong to God and through baptism we received the Holy Spirit who is present in us. In this way the Holy Spirit makes us holy and we become temples of the Holy Spirit since the Holy Spirit dwells in our bodies.

3.  Learners asked about what comes to mind when they hear the term “temple”. Learners asked to share their responses. What significance does the word have for us as Christians?  Ask learners why Paul uses the term ‘temple’? 

In the Old Testament, God made a covenant with the Israelites. As part of the Covenant, God gave them the Ten Commandments – which were written on two stone tablets. These stone tablets were later kept in   

the  ‘Ark of the Covenant’ together with a golden pot of manna and Aaron’s rod which blossomed overnight.    

Before the Israelites entered the Promised Land, the priests carried the Ark of the Covenant from place to place. The Ark signified God presence among His people. After the Israelites settled in the Promised Land the Ark was placed in a special tent. Then after the temple was built in Jerusalem the Ark was placed I the “‘Holy of Holies” the most sacred part of the Temple. Because of that the Israelites showed great reverence for the temple because it signified the place where God was present with His people.

Hence when Paul says that Christians are temples of the Holy Spirit – he means that God is present in us through the Holy Spirit. Therefore God’s presence cannot be confined to a church or any building as God is present within us – in our bodies. Great respect must be shown for our bodies as the body is the ‘Temple of the Holy Spirit’. As such we should not sin against our bodies or defile them.

Closing Prayer

 Amen 

ARK IMAGES