Aim to learn about the three stages of life
Aim
* To learn about
a) the three stages of life
b) the physical and spiritual worlds
c) man’s position in the two worlds
Lesson Outline
1. The Three Stages of Life
2. The Physical and Spiritual Worlds
3. Man’s Position in the Two Worlds
4. A Story
5. Activities – worksheet, draw pictures of the two worlds
6. Conclusion
7. Prayer
1) Three Stages of Life
Remind the children about the three stages of growth: formation, growth, completion
Examples:
* baby, child, adult
* caterpillar, chrysalis, butterfly
* frogspawn, tadpole, frog
* child’s love, sibling & conjugal, parental
The are also three stages of life – in the womb, on earth, in the spirit world
Inside the womb it is a water world. The baby gets all it needs through the mother’s umbilical cord. but the baby is developing lungs in preparation for the next stage of life, The world of air in the physical world. During life on earth we need to prepare for the third and final stage, the world of love in the spirit world. To do this we need to develop our heart and learn to give and receive love.
2) The Physical and Spiritual Worlds
To learn about the two worlds we can compare our mind and body.
1) The body is limited by space. It can only be in one place at a time. That’s how the physical world is. No matter how fast the fastest car, train or plane is it takes time to get there
2) The body is limited by time. It can only exist in the present. It cannot exist in the past or future.
In fantasy stories there are time machines, but this is not possible in the physical world. Also the body does not last forever. It eventually dies. That’s how it is in the physical world. Everything is
born, grows and eventually dies. That’s how God made things.
3) The mind is not limited by space. It can be in more than one place at a time. You can imagine being anywhere in the world. You can think of someone living miles away. You can think of any
place you want to be with your mind and you are there the moment you think about it. You can fly like as bird if you wish. That’s how it is in the spirit world. Once you decide where you want
to be, you are already there. If you want to meet a famous person he will appear instantly.
4) The mind is not limited by time. It can be in the past, present or future. The spirit world is not limited by time. There is no time. There is no night time, unless you want it. It can be daytime
the whole time. You don’t have winter, unless you want it. It can always be summer. In our mind we think “I want to live forever”. We are like that because we have an eternal spirit that lives in
an eternal spirit world. Nothing dies in the spirit world. Nothing grows old.
* Spirit world looks like this world with trees, streams and mountains, but they are even more beautiful than our physical world.
* How are we to get into the spirit world? We go there in our spirit body. Each person has two bodies—a physical body and a spirit body. We have 5 physical senses, but we also have 5 spiritual
senses. Because Adam and Eve fell our spiritual senses became dulled. Some people, however, called mediums can communicate with the spirit world with their spiritual eyes and ears
* All the people who ever lived are in the spirit world, plus angels.
* We don’t need to eat or sleep, but we can if we wish
* What do we do in spirit world? We spend time giving and receiving love with each other.
* We grow in knowledge and our lives increase in excitement. Heaven is not a boring place. It is an exciting place. Spirit world is infinite, and we have eternity to explore it.
3) Man’s Position in the Two Worlds
1. Ruler – God gave us five physical senses to rule the physical world and five spiritual senses to rule the spiritual world
2. Microcosm – all the elements of the physical world are in our physical body and all the elements of the spirit world are in our spiritual body
3. Mediator – The spirit world and physical world cannot communicate directly with each other. Only man can communicate with each world
4) A Story
The author Raymond Moody has researched thousands of cases of people who had near death experiences. On a talk show he told of an experience in a hospital of a woman who had been in an accident and taken to an emergency room. Doctors and nurses worked frantically to save her and finally brought her back from near death. When she awoke she explained how she had an out- of-the-body experience. She said she saw them working to make her breathe again. Then she flew up to the roof of the hospital and saw a single red shoe. Then she came back and reentered her body.
A surgeon happened to be in the room when she told this story.
He was intrigued and had a maintenance man take him up to the roof. He went to the exact place she said the shoe was and sure enough there was the one, red shoe. This woman had traveled with her spirit body.
5) Activities
Worksheets
* The physical world is limited by time and space. The spirit world is not limited by time and space. You can be at a place instantly. You don’t need to sleep or eat. You can fly. You don’t die. Angels live there
* Three Stages of Life – in the womb – water, 2) on earth – air, 3) In the spirit world – love
* Man’s position – ruler, microcosm, mediator. 5 spiritual senses, 5 physical senses
* Draw a picture of each world
6) Conclusion
* To learn about
a) the three stages of life
b) the physical and spiritual worlds
c) man’s position in the two worlds
7) Prayer
