Aim to learn about the three stages of growth

Aim
* To learn about the three stages of growth
* To learn about God’s responsibility and man’s responsibility during the growing period

Materials
* Divine Principle chapter one
* Story – “God sends a lifeboat”
* Visual Aids
– baby, daughter, mother
– children standing in a line with different heights
– life cycle of the frog
– life cycle of the monarch butterfly
– eggs, chicks, hen and rooster
– 3 layers of the earth
– 3 states of water
– a tripod with 3 points for stability
– 3 primary colours
* Children’s worksheet

Lesson Outline
1. The Three Stages of Growth
2. Direct and Indirect Dominion
3. The Indirect Dominion of God
4. The Direct Dominion of God
5. Story – God Sends a Lifeboat
6. Activities – worksheet, act out the story
7. Conclusion
8. Prayer

1) The Three Stages of Growth
The Bible says it took God 6 days to create, but these are not literal 24 hour days. What it means is that the universe was created through six time periods. The main point is that God didn’t create
instantaneously, but it took time. Everything takes time to fully grow.

There are always 3 stages – formation, growth and completion

3) Completion Stage
2)Growth Stage
1)Formation Stage

Examples of three stages of growth:
Show pictures. Can the children name the stages?
* baby, child, adult There are alternative ways of seeing this – child, teenager, adult, 0-7, 8-14, 15-21
* caterpillar, chrysalis, butterfly
* frogspawn, tadpole, frog
* egg, chick, hen/rooster
* bud, blossom, fruit

Examples of number three in nature
* 3 primary colours – red, yellow, blue
* 3 layers of the earth – crust, mantle, core
* 3 states of matter – solid, liquid, gas
* 3 parts – root, stem. leaves
* 3 parts of animals – head, body, limbs
* 3 kingdoms – animal, plant, mineral

Other examples
* 3 legs of a tripod,
* 3 levels of school

2) Direct and Indirect Dominion
Everything takes time to grow and passes through the three stages. All beings grow automatically
according to natural laws. Our body also grows automatically, but our spirit grows through fulfilling
our responsibility to follow God’s word. During the growing period we are in the indirect dominion
of God. When we complete the 3 stages we enter the direct dominion of God

3) The Indirect Dominion of God
Our purpose in life is to grow in heart and perfect our character. This means to unite our mind and body centred on God’s love. On the way to perfecting our character, we have an indirect relationship with God. We cannot fully understand God’s heart, but we need to trust God and follow God’s words. That is why you must also trust and follow your parents. You cannot fully
understand your parents heart, so you should trust them and follow what they teach you, because they love you and know what is best for you.

The indirect dominion is a time to learn God’s words and it is our responsibility to put it into practise. God is responsible for 95% by giving His word. He gives everything we need to grow. We are responsible for 5% by learning and practising God’s word. Even though our responsibility is very small, it is still very important. Without our effort it is impossible to perfect our character and
develop our relationship to God

Examples of God’s 95% Responsibility
1) God has given us the sun to keep us warm, air to breathe, water to drink and food to eat
2) God has given us 5 senses to give us joy
3) God has given us a mind to think, a heart to feel and a body to do things with
4) God gave us all the natural resources to make our lives comfortable – oil, stone, metal, wood
5) God has given us rules to live by

God told Adam & Eve “Don’t eat the fruit”
God gave Moses the 10 commandments
Do not worship any other Gods (Put God first)
Do not make any idols (Worship only God)
Do Not Misuse the name of God (Use God’s name with respect)
Keep Holy the Lord’s Day (Remember God’s sabbath)
Honor your Father and Mother (Respect your parents)
Do Not Kill (Do not hurt others)
Do Not Commit Adultery (be faithful in marriage)
Do Not Steal
Do Not Lie
Do not covet (Don’t be envious of others)

Jesus gave two commandments

Love God with all your heart
Love your neighbour as yourself (Love others as much as you love yourself

Father teaches us the way of true love – to live for others
Examples of man’s 5% responsibility

Eat healthy food
Exercise our body
Be a good student at school
Develop a skill (music, art, writing, sport)
Take care of the things we own
Have good habits
Learn from our parents
Have faith in God
The correct order of growth

Because there are three stages of growth, we cannot skip the growth stage and go straight to the completion stage. We cannot do certain things until we are ready. In the family our heart grows
through the different stages of love, starting with the children’s, then siblings, then conjugal and finally parental. If we haven’t learned to respect our parents, how can we respect our brothers and
sisters?

* You can’t jump in deep water if you haven’t learnt to swim
* Footballers can’t play if they haven’t trained
* You can’t learn to drive until you are 18
* You can’t go to university until you have finished school
* Actors can’t perform in a theatre if they haven’t learned their lines
* You can’t see a movie for over 18 if you are too young

4) The Direct Dominion of God
When we pass through the growing period, we reach a direct relationship with God. Then we become one in heart with God, We feel and think the way God feels and thinks. Our mind and body
are one. We are ruled by God’s love. This is the stage when we fulfill the three Blessings – ideal individual, ideal family and ideal world. At this stage we can’t do things that would make God sad,
because we would know how God feels and we would feel the same sadness.

5) Story
Read “God sends a Lifeboat”. After reading discuss what God’s responsibility was and what was the man’s responsibility.
God sent a motorboat, a life preserver, and a helicopter. The man prayed and had faith that God would save him, but he didn’t recognize that God worked through people. He made no effort to save his own life. This story illustrates the point that we must be responsible for our lives. God shows us the right way, but we have to go that way through our own efforts

6) Activities
* Act out the story
* Complete the worksheet

7) Conclusion
Review the aims of the lesson
* What are the three stages of growth?
* What is God’s responsibility during the growth period?
* What is man’s responsibility?
* What does the story teach us?

8) End with a Prayer