Faith to Follow Instructions

We walk by faith, not by sight.  2 Corinthians 5:7

Props: bag of unpopped popcorn and bag of popped popcorn

*If possible, bring a microwave or popcorn maker into class to demonstrate as you speak.

All of you know what it’s like to be hungry for a snack.  It’s no fun to be hungry and have nothing to snack on.  But let’s see…I think I might have something here to eat…(take out bag of unpopped popcorn, from the microwave if you have one).  Oh, no.  All I have here is this bag of popcorn kernels.  I can’t eat popcorn kernels.  I guess I’ll just have to sit here and think about popcorn, because I’m certainly not going to fill up on kernels.  (Continue talking along the same lines until the kids suggest that you pop the popcorn).  Wait a second.  Are you trying to suggest that I can put the kernels into a microwave and they will turn into popcorn?  (Allow for response).  Let me see about this: (look on the bag) it says here to place in the microwave and I will have a bag of popcorn in just a few minutes.  I can’t believe that!  (Allow kids to respond).  Based on what this bag says and what you’re saying, I just need to put the bag in the microwave, turn on the microwave and in a few minutes I’ll have fresh popcorn.  Are you sure it will work?  (Allow for response).  Okay, I’ll give it a try.  

Because I have faith in the popcorn company, the kernels, the microwave and you, I’m going to follow the directions on the bag.  (Place bag in the microwave if you are using one.  While popcorn in popping, continue the lesson.  If you do not have a microwave, adapt the lesson accordingly.) 

My faith caused me to take action.  Sure enough, it looks like it’s working.  If I didn’t have faith in you and in the microwave and popcorn kernels, I wouldn’t have done anything. 

Your faith in God will cause you to take action.  When you truly trust Him and are really convinced that God is real and that everything He says is true, you will obey and worship Him.  You will do what His Word says.  You will follow Him.     

            Our popcorn is looking and smelling pretty good now.  We couldn’t see it before, and it didn’t make sense.  By by faith we took action and now we can see the results.  Faith means taking action.

Don’t Give up the Good Stuff

Do what is good and run from evil so that you may live!  Amos 5:14

 Props: a variety of junk food and healthful foods

(Read Amos 5:14).  The first half of this verse says, “Do what is good…”  Doing what is good brings life; but doing evil will bring death unless you receive God’s forgiveness and turn away from your sin.

            So when I was thinking about today’s lesson, I thought about food—of course!  Doing what is good reminds me of eating what is good.  It brings life!  (Show healthful foods).  If you eat wholesome foods like this, your body will remain strong and healthy.  If you do good things, like love God, read and obey the Bible and love others, your soul and spirit will remain strong and healthy. 

            (Show junk food). Now we all know that if you only eat junk food like this all the time, your body will get sick and—if you ate only this stuff—you could even die.

            So let’s say you get tired of eating healthy, but you know you shouldn’t eat junk food.  What if you said, “Okay, I just won’t eat anything at all”?  Would that work?  Of course not!  You have to eat to live, and if you want to live healthy, you have to eat healthful foods.

            I gave that silly example because some people treat their spirit like that.  They think, “Well, I know I can’t go around hurting people and being a bad person, but I don’t want to serve God either.  So I just won’t do anything at all, good or bad.”
          

             It doesn’t work like that.  You must serve God if you want to have a full life on earth and eternal life in Heaven.  This verse says “Do what is good and run from evil so that you may live!”  You have to do good by serving God and run away from evil, just like you must eat healthful foods and stay away from junk food if you want to be healthy.  You can’t skip out on eating altogether and you can’t skip out on God.  Do what is good by serving Him and keep running in the right direction.

Don’t Get Tangled!

We should remove from our lives anything that would get in the way and the sin that so easily holds us back. Hebrews 12:1 (NCV)

Props: cast net, zip ties or rope that could be used to tie the net to helper’s ankles and wrists,

cross (Optional: picture of family, 2 add’l helpers, DVDs and CDs, handful of cash)

            Have the cast net positioned on one side of the stage and a cross positioned on the opposite side.  Have helper act out the parts as you teach. 

            Many people meet Jesus and begin following Him, just like the disciples did.  But then things come along to distract them and cause them to turn away.  I want you to understand that lots of people start out following Jesus, but many of them don’t make it all the way.  If you are going to follow Jesus full speed ahead, you need to focus on Him and not get tangled and trapped by other things.

            The Bible says there are many who get tangled up in worries (Luke 8:14, 21:34).  They are following Jesus and then…WHAM!  Something goes wrong.  (Helper displays picture of family).  Maybe their family gets broken apart.  It could be problems at school or with kids in the neighborhood.  They get hurt, worried and depressed and instead of running to Jesus, they turn away from Him and focus on their problems.  (Tie section of net to helper’s ankle).    Don’t get tangled in problems!  See what it’s doing.  It’s holding him back from following Jesus. 

            Other people get tangled in people (Matthew 10:37-38).  Jesus said if you don’t love Him more than your family and friends, you can’t be his disciple (follower).  People want to please their friends, but you can’t always do that when you’re following Jesus.  (Additional helpers distract the boy and turn him away from the cross).  Some friends will try to turn you away from Jesus, even if they don’t mean to.  They want your attention, but you have to remember that Jesus comes first.  (Have helpers tie net to the boy’s other ankle).  Now look: do you think this boy can go full speed ahead with Jesus?  Of course not.  Don’t get tangled in people.  Put Jesus first. 

            For some, the past becomes a trap (2 Corinthians 5:17, 7:1, Colossians 3:5-8).  They either don’t believe God can forgive their sins, so they turn away from Him, or they don’t want to give up their past sins.  (Boy leans back over net to reach for DVDs and CDs).  This guy can’t give up his bad movies and music.  He says he wants to follow Jesus but he’s not willing to let go of the things that are wrong.  (Tie section of net to helper’s wrist).  Those things are getting him all tangled up, and sins can tangle you up and keep you from following Jesus, too.  But don’t get tangled in the past!  Let go of the junk and follow Jesus.

            And then there are many, many people who get caught up in their possessions (Luke 14:33, 1 Timothy 6:9, 10).  That is, they love their money and their things more than they love Jesus.  (Boy takes money out of his pocket.  He counts it, looks at the cross and looks back at the money.)  Money and things can quickly become a trap.  God wants us to be followers who give to Him and who give to people in need.  That means putting money in the offering—sometimes a lot—and it could mean giving away something that belongs to you if someone else needs it.  Or it could mean selling something so you can have more to give away.  But many people want to keep everything that belongs to them, so they get tangled up in it.  (Tie section of net to helper’s other wrist).  Don’t get tangled in possessions!

            Now look at our friend.  He can’t follow Jesus full speed ahead.  He’s so tangled in all these things he can’t go anywhere!  The only way for him to follow Jesus is to let go of these things.  (Helper gets on his knees and prays).  So he prays, “Lord, I’m sorry for getting tangled in all these things.  I know you can help me with my problems.  Please help my family.  I trust you.  I’m sorry for putting my friends before you.  I want to put you number one, even if it means not hanging out with those people anymore.  Forgive me for doing wrong things.  Help me to do what is right.  And I’m sorry I cared more about my money and things than I cared about you.  I will give to you and others everything you ask me to.  I want to follow you with all my heart.  Amen.”  (Cut off rope from helper’s ankles and wrists.  He goes to the cross.) 

Boys and girls, don’t let these things tangle you up!  Follow Jesus, full speed ahead!

Don’t Get Bound by Sin

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.  Matthew 5:8

Props: rope (several feet long) with a large loop that can be tightened

 Place rope on the floor and stand inside the loop as you begin the lesson.  Arrange ahead of time for a helper to stand beside you.  Step outside the loop and gradually lure him in (corresponding with the lesson), then lift the loop up around his waist, tightening it more and more as you teach.  

             One of the reasons people get trapped in sin is that it usually doesn’t start out looking so bad.  The devil will try to get you to start small.  (Begin luring helper inside the loop).  He’ll say something like, “Oh, come on.  You can watch this show.  It only has a few bad words in it.”  So let’s see what happens to our friend here.  He starts out by watching a show on TV that he knows isn’t “really bad.”  It’s only got a few bad words.  (Lift loop around helper’s waist).  Then a while later, one of his friends invites him over.  Everyone’s watching this great new movie.  This one has even more bad language, and all the guys in the movie are beating each other up and shooting at each other.  He doesn’t think he should watch it, but everyone else is, and he doesn’t think it’ll hurt to do it just one time. 

            Remember!  God wants you to live a life of purity, free from sin.  It’s the only way you can fulfill your destiny for Him.  God has great plans for you; you must learn to run from temptation if you’re going to see your dreams come true. 

            A few more weeks go by, and this time he stays up late on a Friday night.  His parents told him he wasn’t allowed to watch TV after they go to bed, but he’s bored and he doesn’t see how watching TV late at night can hurt anything.  He starts flipping through the channels and sees and hears all kinds of bad things.  But no one else is awake to see him watching.  He decides to just keep watching for a little while.  (Tighten loop around his waist).   Soon he finds himself watching late-night TV and bad movies constantly.  (Continue tightening loop as far as you can, then wind the remainder of rope around his arms).  This is exactly the way the devil likes to trap people.  He always starts out with the “little” things until he has control.  He robs people of their destiny by trapping them in sin. 

            Don’t let the devil trap you.  Run away from temptation.

Don’t Budge

Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong.  1 Corinthians 16:13 (NLT)

Props: tug-of-war rope

Presentation: “Interrupt” the lesson and announce that it’s time for games.  Call forward the same number of boys and girls (4 or 5 per team) to compete in a game of tug-of-war.  When the game is finished, continue with the lesson:

            What did the winning team do to help them win?  (Allow for response).  The key to winning tug-of-war is simple: stand your ground and don’t get pulled to the other side.  Instead, try to tug the other team over to your side.

            During your life, people will try to pull you into doing wrong things.  They may try to pull you into lying, stealing, cheating, doing drugs, disobeying your parents or having a bad attitude.  There are many things they may try to get you to do.  If you stand for what is right, they won’t be able to change your mind.  But if you start to give in, they will pull you over and talk you into things you never thought you’d do. 

            Did you notice that the teams were standing strong and firm even before we said “go”?  You have to do the same thing.  You have to make up your mind no that you are not going to join in the sin of others, no matter what.  You must decide that you will stand strong when the pressure comes.  Stand for what is right, even if you stand alone. 

            Finally, understand that you may be the only person in a group standing for what is right, but there are millions more on earth that join with you.  And most importantly, God will stand with you.  He will give you the strength to do what is right.  He will fight for you and keep you strong, you just need to keep standing.  Stand for what is right, even if you stand alone.

Deeper!

Here is what it means to love God. It means that we obey his commands.  1 John 5:3 (NIrV)

Props: picture of ocean and a kiddie pool or bucket of water

             I’m sure most of you have been to the beach, so let me ask you a question.  Why do people like to go to the beach?  (Allow for response).  I’m sure there are a number of reasons, but the number one reason is the ocean.  There’s something so amazing and wonderful about the ocean.  Did you know that there are places so deep in the ocean that no one has ever been able to reach them?  That’s amazing.

            Who has been swimming in the ocean?  It’s a really cool feeling.  [Have a helper interrupt you and claim he’s been swimming in the ocean.  When you ask him to describe it, he talks about how he arrived at the beach, ran excitedly across the sand, anxiously approached the water, and put his big toe in.  (At which point he puts his big toe in the kiddie pool or bucket of water).  When you ask him what happened then, he looks confused and says, “That’s it.  That was my experience swimming in the ocean.”]

            Boys and girls, did he really go swimming in the ocean?  No!  There is more to the ocean than getting your big toe wet!  You can go in to your waist, to your neck, even over your head (provided it’s safe!).  And like I said a moment ago, there are depths of the ocean that haven’t even been explored. 

            Some people think that “getting saved” is the end.  They think if they say a prayer then they are done.  But there is so much more!  There is more of God to experience.  There is more of Him that you can know.  Saying a prayer and beginning your relationship with God is like sticking your toe in the ocean; it’s just the start.  You can go deeper with Jesus.  You can go deeper by talking to God in prayer, by reading His Word, the Bible, by going to church where you will learn about Him and by getting baptized, letting everyone know you are His follower. 

            In all these things just remember, go deeper with Jesus!

Cut Out the Noise

He who belongs to God hears what God says.  John 8:47 (NIV)

Props: cell phone, ipod (or mp3 player), TV

Preparation: Prepare a volunteer to come out listening to an ipod in one ear, talking on the phone in the other ear and watching TV.  Try to talk to her throughout the lesson. 

            The Bible says, “He who belongs to God hears what God says” (John 8:47 NIV).  That means God has some very important things to say to you!  He speaks to you when you pray, when you worship and when you read the Bible.  However, there is a problem that keeps some people from hearing God when He tries to speak to them: too much other noise. 

Oh look, there’s (call volunteer’s name).  I’ve needed to talk to her.  (Call volunteer’s name.  Have her ignore you, pretending not to hear you because of all the noise).  That’s funny.  I can’t get her attention.  Oh, I see.  She’s on the phone…and listening to music…and watching TV.  No wonder she doesn’t hear me.  (Stand in front of the volunteer and wave your arms to try to get her attention.  She turns off the TV, takes out her earphones and hangs up the phone).  Finally I have her attention.  What did she have to do before she could hear me?  (Allow for response).  Right…get rid of all the distracting noise.  And we need to do the same if we are going to hear God’s voice.   

            Talking on the phone isn’t wrong.  Listening to good music and watching good television programs is not a sin.  But when we listen to music and watch TV and talk to our friends all day, from the minute we get up until we go to sleep, we’ll never have time to stop and listen to God.  You have to learn to get quiet before the Lord so you can hear what He wants to say to you.  When I am praying, I don’t talk to my friends at the same time.  And when I am trying to hear what God wants to say to me, I don’t watch the television.  I have a special time that belongs just to God.  It is important for you to take time and let God talk to you.  Talk to Him and then get quiet and let Him talk to you.  Learn to listen to God’s voice.  Take time for Him to talk to you.

Clown-In-Training (skit)

Pay attention and listen to the sayings of the wise… Proverbs 22:17

            A circus clown enters, ready to create balloon animals.  She begins by reading the instructions, then puts them aside after a twist or two and tries to finish on her own.  She does not successfully complete the animal, but gets frustrated and starts over.  This time she reads the instructions until she is almost finished, then tries once again to finish without them.  She again becomes frustrated, tosses the balloon aside, picks up another one and begins again.  This time she follows the instructions through until the end and successfully completes the balloon animal.  She gives it to a child in the audience, bows and exits.   

Teacher follow-up:  Attentiveness to instructions is important because it will keep you from having to do things over and over.  If you don’t pay attention to instructions, you will make unnecessary mistakes and you’ll have to start all over.  It’s the same with God’s instructions.  In His Word, the Bible, He gives us all the instructions we need for this life.  If you follow the instructions, you will succeed.  But if you don’t, you’ll make mistakes and things will go wrong when they shouldn’t.  Keep paying close attention to God and His instructions for your life.

Clean Out Your Ears!

He who belongs to God hears what God says.  John 8:47 (NIV)

Props: Picture of a giant ear, giant cotton swab, sticky tack

*You can make a giant cotton swab by attaching polyester filling to a wooden or plastic rod.

            Did you know that God wants to talk to you?  He has some very important things to teach you and share with you!  Today we’re going to talk about learning to listen to God and hearing His voice.  It is important to understand that there are things that can deep you from hearing God’s voice.  In our body we hear with our ears.  Raise your hand if you can think of one thing that might keep you from hearing with your ears.  (Allow for response).  There is one really gross thing that can keep you from hearing: ear wax.  Ear wax is that thick, gooey yellow stuff that builds up inside your ear.  Most of you clean out your ears once in a while…I hope.  So your ear wax never gets so bad that it makes you deaf.  But if you didn’t clean out your ears for a while, it could build up so bad that you wouldn’t be able to hear anything!

            This lesson isn’t about the ears on your head, so I’ll stop talking about ear wax now.  Today’s lesson is about hearing God.  And just as things can build up in your ears to keep you from hearing sounds, things can build up in your spiritual ears to keep you from hearing God.  (Place pieces of sticky tack on the picture of the giant ear to represent things that can block spiritual hearing).  Your spiritual ears can be filled with the opinions of other people.  When other people don’t agree with God and keep telling you what they think, it might keep you from hearing God’s voice.  Your spiritual ears can also be clogged with lies that the devil will try to tell you.  If God tells you to do something, the devil will tell you not to.  Even your own thoughts can keep you from hearing God’s voice.

            The only thing to do when your spiritual ears get clogged is to clean them out.  (Begin to “clean” giant ear with giant cotton swab).  Clean them out by asking God to help you hear His voice and to block any other voices that do not agree with His.  Clean them out by refusing to listen to people who try to tell you something that is not God’s truth.  Clean them out by getting rid of all the lies of the devil and filling your ears with God’s Word and His truth.

            Learn to listen to God’s voice.  Learn to listen to His voice by cleaning out your spiritual ears so you can hear what He is saying to you.

Changing Plays

We know that we have come to know God if we obey his commands. 1 John 2:3 (NIrV)

Props: Football “playbook,” diagramming different formations and plays used in the game

If you know much about football, you should know what this is.  (Flip through the playbook, showing the class the different pages).  This is a playbook.  Each of these symbols represents different players on the team.  The book shows the different ways the players can line up to make a play, or who is going to throw the ball, who will catch it and what each player will be doing.  Some players have to block the other team, while others have to distract them and still others have to protect the one running with the ball. 

            The plays change throughout the game.  The players have to listen very carefully to the coach or they will miss the play and run the wrong way.  A player who isn’t paying attention could mess up the game for the entire team. 

            God gave some very unusual instructions to Joshua and the Israelites.  He wanted them to shout to knock down the city walls!  I have never seen a wall come down by yelling at it, but that was the command from God and that is what worked!  God may also give you some different instructions sometimes.  You have to always be listening for God’s voice and paying attention so He can tell you what is going to work for you. For example, you may be praying for three of your friends to come to know God.  He may tell you to pray for the first friend.  God may tell you to invite the second friend to church.  And He may tell you to offer to be partners with the third friend in a class project.  You may wonder how that could bring him or her to know the Lord, but God knows.  You just have to listen to God’s voice and follow His commands.  What worked before may not work this time.  God knows what will work and what won’t.  Like the football players, pay close attention to your “coach,” God, and live in obedience to Him.  You’ll win every time!

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