Central Teaching Truth
God is generous and treats us all alike
Bible Text
Story of the Workers in the Vineyard (Matthew 20:1-15)
Resources
Obtain M&M (snack) rewards or other rewards like bookmarks etc. for everyone
What to do/ say
Begin by asking the children if they like to play ‘Let’s pretend’. Who do they like to pretend to be? Ask children what they would like to be when they grow up?
Do any of them ever pretend to be servants? Would they like to be servants when they grow up? Probably not!
Announce that you are going to have a pretend game now and give out some jobs that some volunteers can pretend to do for you. Perhaps someone could pretend to clean your car. Someone else could pretend to cook your dinner. Others could make your bed, tidy your bookshelves, iron your clothes or whatever. Come prepared with a list relevant to your situation. Finally, ask the rest to pretend to hang up your coat. Then call a halt to the proceedings, and announce that it is time for the payments to be made for the work done. Everybody receives one snack.
Debrief
Talk about what has taken place and ask whether the children think it is fair that everybody received the same reward. Sometimes life doesn’t seem fair…. but God is always fair. But I never told you i was going to give anyone a gift. A gave you a gift for helping me because I am a generous person. I didn’t give it to you because you were good, but because I am good. God gives us gifts, not because we are good, but because HE is good.
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Central Teaching Truth
When life is unfair, God will help us through.
Bible Text
My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never die, and no one can steal them out of my hand (John 10:27-28).
Resources
You’ll need three or four blindfolds and several objects to set up a small obstacle course. Ask one or two adult assistants to help you set up the course. Alternatively, blindfold everyone and lead them about the church.
What to do/ say
As you begin your message, have your assistants set up an obstacle course in front of the area where the children sit.
“Has anyone here ever gone through an obstacle course?” Let children respond.
“Obstacle courses are used to train soldiers to run fast and to be quick and alert when they’re on the battlefield. We’ve set up a little obstacle course here today.” Describe the course you’ve set up.
“Could I have three or four volunteers to try my obstacle course?” Choose three or four children. Let them begin the course and then stop them.
“Oh, I forgot to tell you. You have to do this obstacle course blindfolded. But don’t worry, I’ll lead you.” Have the volunteers hold hands. Then lead them through the obstacle course. Other children may call out directions or encouragement.
When children have completed the course, remove their blindfolds and have them sit down. “There, we made it! Congratulations!” Lead children in applause for volunteers.
Debrief
“What would have happened if the blindfolded volunteers had to go through the obstacle course without a leader?” Let children respond.
“Without a leader, they might have stumbled and fallen. The Bible says Jesus leads us like a shepherd leads sheep. Listen.” Read the scripture text from John 10:27-28.
“When we’re following Jesus, we can’t always see what’s up ahead. Sometimes things may seem difficult and even unfair, but Jesus will always lead us, just like I led our brave volunteers.”
“Of course, what happens in real life is a bit different from our obstacle course. When we’re following Jesus, we don’t reach the end of the obstacle course until we get to heaven. Yet, no matter how many obstacles are in our way, Jesus will always lead us through.”
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“In the rarefied atmosphere of Tibet, at fifteen thousand feet, you see things differently. It seems that you can see forever. The water looks different. The sky looks different. Everything looks different. When we are standing on the mount of God, everything looks different…
God must lift us into the glory realm so that we can see the earth from heaven’s perspective. We have lived on this earthly level so long that we see things totally out of perspective…
When Jim Irwin went to the moon, the thing that amazed him was that the earth appeared to be the size of a golf ball. It was life-changing for him. He determined that if God could love this small earth so much that He was willing to send His Son, then he would go back to earth and dedicate his life to the ministry. He took a golf ball with him wherever he went as a reminder of that perspective…”
Source: Ruth Ward Heflin “Glory-Experiencing the Atmosphere of Heaven”
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Description
Faith and trust are much the same thing in the Christian Experience. We trust in God and have faith that he will guide us and protect us in our walk with Him.
Materials
a blindfold
Preparation
Scatter chairs and obstacles around the room.
What to Do
Ask for a volunteer.
Explain that the volunteer will be blind-folded and then receive directions from you to walk from predetermined points A to B in the room.
The goal is to get the volunteer to the predetermined destination without bumping into things.
Before blindfolding the volunteer ask, “Do you trust me to guide you? “Do you have faith in yourself and in me to get from here to there without being able to see where you’re going? I will be with you for the journey and guide you along the way. Are you ready?”
Take It to the Next Level
You can use this to illustrate faith, trust, and also raise awareness of visual impairment and other physical challenges.
How is this similar to following God?
How is this like our spiritual walk in faith?
Why do you think the Bible calls our spiritual life a “walk”?
In what ways does God guide us?
What is the destination that God has planned in advance for us?
Is everyone’s journey the same?
What lessons can you learn from this to help you in your own spiritual walk?
What is ONE step you will take this week in your spiritual walk?
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Using Ephesians 6:13-18 give youth a few minutes to list the “six” pieces of spiritual equipment and then rewrite the analogy from a new perspective as below:
Getting Started
List the six pieces of equipment in the passage
Write a short one sentence description for the purpose or use of each item listed.
Rewrite Ephesians 6 using the new analogy provided: (Give each group a different analogy to use) They will need to identify each new piece of equipment and how it relates to the Christian walk.
Here are some possibilities for fresh analogies:
Firefighter
Astronaut
Football player
Tennis player
Blacksmith
Cook/ Chef
Orchestra Conductor
Race Car Driver
Policeman
Baseball Player
Fighter Pilot
Tank Driver
Construction Worker
Doctor
Dentist
There are lots of options…. and looking at the equipment from a fresh perspective often brings out some really nice insights.
Here are the original 6 pieces of equipment for the passage:
Belt – Truth
Breastplate – Righteousness
Shoes – Gospel of Peace
Shield – Faith
Helmet – Salvation
Sword – Word of God
Example of using a new analogy – Fire Fighter
Infrared goggles – Allow the firefighter to see the heat spots and know truth of the situation
Oxygen Mask – protects his breathing – Like the holy spirit in us
Boots – Gives him good footing and allows him to rescue others
Fireproof suit – shields him from the fire
Helmet – protects head
Fire hose – helps him to put out fires of deception so that he can get to the truth
Axe – helps him to cut away barriers and blockages so he can rescue others
Ladder – helps him to reach places normally out of reach
Addition Questions for discussion:
Why are only 6 pieces of equipment listed?
Is there something you feel is missing from this list?
Are all these pieces of equipment necessary?
Which piece of equipment is most useful in your own Christian walk?
Which piece of equipment do you most often neglect?
How can having these 6 pieces of equipment help you to live a more victorious Christian life?
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There are many reasons why God shouldn’t have called you. But don’t worry. You’re in good company.
Moses stuttered.
David’s armor didn’t fit.
John Mark was rejected by Paul.
Hosea’s wife was a prostitute.
Amos’ only training was in the school of fig-tree pruning.
Jacob was a liar.
David had an affair.
Solomon was too rich.
Jesus was too poor.
Abraham was too old.
David was too young.
Peter was afraid of death.
Lazarus was dead.
Naomi was a widow.
Paul was a murderer.
So was Moses.
Jonah ran from God.
Miriam was a gossip.
Gideon and Thomas both doubted.
Jeremiah was depressed and suicidal.
Elijah was burned out.
John the Baptist was a loudmouth.
Martha was a worry-wart.
Samson had long hair.
Noah got drunk.
Did I mention that Moses had a short fuse?
So did Peter, Paul–well, lots of folks did.
But God doesn’t require a job interview. He doesn’t hire and fire like most bosses, because He’s more our Dad than our Boss. He doesn’t look at financial gain or loss. He’s not prejudiced or partial, not judging, grudging, sassy, or brassy, not deaf to our cry, not blind to our need.
Satan says, “You’re not worthy.”
Jesus says, “So what? I AM.”
Satan looks back and sees our mistakes.
God looks back and sees the cross.
He doesn’t calculate what you did in ‘ 78.
It’s not even on the record.
Sure. There are lots of reasons why God shouldn’t have called us. But if we are magically in love with Him, if we hunger for Him more than our next breath, He’ll use us in spite of who we are, where we’ve been, or what we look like. I pray that as Christians, we will step out of our limitations into the illimitable nature of who God is. Then our passion for God and our passion to communicate Him will make mince-meat of our limitations.
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200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.
A fisherman sat on a dock with a ruler and a basket beside him. He caught a fish and measured it. The fish was six inches long. He threw the fish in the basket. He got another bite and pulled in a nine inch fish. In the basket it went.
A little later he felt a violent jerk on the line. He pulled in a twenty inch fish. That fish he threw back in the water!
A little girl had been watching this procedure. She asked him, “Why did you throw back the big fish and keep the little ones?” The fisherman replied, “Because my frying pan is only ten inches across!”
Too often, we receive tiny yields from our efforts because our expectations were too small! There is something to be said for the ‘power of positive thinking’; if we do not expect God to fill our cups as we surrender ourselves to Him, then we should not be surprised when we receive less-than-spectacular returns on our spiritual investments.
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200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.
“Champions are not those who never fail, they are those who never quit…Men love winners. They want to be identified with winners. Men open a newspaper and turn directly to the sports page because it features winners, while the front page usually features losers…Champions are the right man, in the right place, at the right time. Timing is all important.
God has an eternal clock which was started from the beginning of time to make you become a champion for Him. To become a champion, you must see yourself as a champion. Hanging on to the fear of failure, the sins of others and past mistakes will keep you from becoming a champion. Champions are made, not born. Many champions start with severe handicaps in life, but in making the effort to overcome, they find the ability to continue until they have excelled beyond those even without handicaps…The athlete, the farmer and the soldier all have different ways of winning. Each of them does his training, plowing or exercising in private, and they show their abilities in public…The fainthearted never win, they wilt. They start well, but fade before they finish…
Joshua was a member of the championship team. He could hardly stand to see other men who didn’t feel the way he did, and finally issued the challenge that lives on forever:
‘Choose this day whom you will serve,
but as for me and my house,
we will serve the Lord’
I’m proud to be on Joshua’s team!”
Source: Edwin Louis Cole in “Courage – Winning Life’s Toughest Battles” (ISBN 0-89274-873-7)
MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”
200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.
At the Seattle Special Olympics, nine contestants, all physically or mentally disabled, assembled at the starting line for the 100-yard dash.
At the gun, they all started out, not exactly in a dash, but with a relish to run the race to the finish and win.
All, that is, except one little boy who stumbled on the asphalt, tumbled over a couple of times, and began to cry. The other eight heard the boy cry.
They slowed down and looked back. Then they all turned around and went back……every one of them. One girl with Down’s Syndrome bent down and kissed him and said, “This will make it better.” Then all nine linked arms and walked together to the finish line.
Everyone in the stadium stood, the cheering went on for several minutes.
People who were there are still telling the story… Why? Because deep down we know this one thing: What matters in this life is more than winning for ourselves. What matters in this life is helping others win, even if it means slowing down and changing our course.
Go for the Gold Need an evangelistic Youth Camp/ Bible Study Series with an Olympic Theme?
What is salvation all about? What does it mean to be saved? This sports themed Bible Study / Camp Curriculum uses the Olympic Flag to introduce the concepts of sin (black circle), forgiveness (red circle), purity (white background), spiritual growth (green circle), heaven (Yellow Circle) and (Baptism) blue circle. -> Tell me about “Go for the Gold”
Destined to Win Need a Youth Camp/ Bible Study Series on “Running the Christian Race”?
The race as a metaphor for the Christian life is used in several places in the Bible. This series is a great follow up for new Christians or to re-emphasize the basics of our spiritual Journey in the Faith. This Bible Study / Camp Curriculum has a sports theme and is great for athletes as well as a tie in to the youth Olympic Games. ->Tell me about “Destined to Win”
Michael Phelps won 8 Gold Medals in the Beijing Olympics
The world watched with amazement as 22-year-old Michael Phelps seized 8 Olympic Gold Medals in the Olympics in Beijing. Amazingly this was in addition to another 6 Gold medals in the previous Olympic games. And the 8 Gold medal victories were not in solely personal events but also team efforts. Victory could only be achieved together. He carried his segment of the race, and could only watch as his team members each carried their own segments. – spurring one another on to ultimate victory!
Most amazing was the 200-meter butterfly where, after diving into the pool, his goggles began to fill up with water so that by the last 50 meters he could not even see his goal. After the race he tossed his goggles aside in frustration and stared at the official results. He had still won, even breaking his own world record in the process.
“I couldn’t see the wall. I was just hoping I was winning,” he later told reporters. He had simply relied on his training and counted his strokes to his goal. In one of the many news stories on this amazing swimmer, it was mentioned that he trained EVERY day for 4 ½ hours a day. This included his birthday and even Christmas. 4 ½ hours a day, 365 days a year, for four years since the last Olympics. He credited his coach with giving him benchmarks and smaller goals along the way to his Ultimate Goal of eight Gold Medals at the Olympics. For many of the Gold Medals, he was not only victorious, but broke world records by a fairly big margin in a sport often measured by hundredths of a second.
More than one swimmer had set Phelp’s defeat as their goal. “Before the 200 meter Free style, South Korea’s Park Taehwan said, “I will defeat Phelps tomorrow.” “Everyone on the planet is trying to make him work, giving him obstacles,” said Milorad Cavic, the Serbian Swimmer who was closest to defeating him and lost by only one hundredth of a second. The world deemed 8 Olympic goals as impossible. But Phelps, through daily discipline and training, found victory in every test!
I believe the same is often true in our spiritual lives. How often do we set goals yet fail to measure up? So often we are overwhelmed with the voices of discouragement. Principalities and forces in the heavenly realms are focused on our defeat. (Ephesians 6:12)
We fix our eyes on the goal, on Jesus, the Author and Perfector of our Faith. (Hebrews 12:1-3) But then when we finally stretch out and reach for our goal, our vision is hampered, and we can no longer see the goal ahead. It is at these times that the daily discipline and training carries us through. (1 Corinthians 9:25 – 27, 2 Timothy 3:16-17)
Like Phelps, if we are to achieve that ultimate goal for which God has called every one of us, we have to have incremental goals and daily disciplines. Luckily, God doesn’t come into our lives and demand that everything change immediately. His Spirit works with us in small ways, slowly transforming us to experience personal victories as well as corporate victories in the body of Christ. Many of those victories are personal, but many are also achieved only through the combined efforts of the Body of Christ as we spur one another on and exercise the individual gifts he has given us for the common good. (Hebrews 10:24, 1 Corinthians 12:7, Ephesians 4:11-12, Hebrews 3:13, Galatians 6:9)
Are there areas of your life where victory seems impossible? Are the voices of discouragement overwhelming? Do the circumstances of life seem set on your defeat? Does God’s purpose in your life seem out of focus or completely obscured? Then focus daily on your spiritual disciplines, on the Spirit’s moment-by-moment promptings and you will one day see clearly and realize fully God’s victories through your life! Present yourself daily as a living sacrifice. Keep yourself on the altar! The biggest problem with Living sacrifices is we keep crawling off the altar! (Romans 12:1-2)
Whenever you feel like giving up, read 2 Corinthians 4:7-16. As Christians, even when we cannot see the goal, we don’t have to simply “hope” we are winning. Victory is assured in Christ! Even when the world seems against us, Christ is working in us and through us! Don’t lose heart! (2 Cor. 4:16)
Don’t give up! With God, ALL things are possible. (Luke 1:37)
Go for the Gold Need an evangelistic Youth Camp/ Bible Study Series with an Olympic Theme?
What is salvation all about? What does it mean to be saved? This sports themed Bible Study / Camp Curriculum uses the Olympic Flag to introduce the concepts of sin (black circle), forgiveness (red circle), purity (white background), spiritual growth (green circle), heaven (Yellow Circle) and (Baptism) blue circle. -> Tell me about “Go for the Gold”
Destined to Win Need a Youth Camp/ Bible Study Series on “Running the Christian Race”?
The race as a metaphor for the Christian life is used in several places in the Bible. This series is a great follow up for new Christians or to re-emphasize the basics of our spiritual Journey in the Faith. This Bible Study / Camp Curriculum has a sports theme and is great for athletes as well as a tie in to the youth Olympic Games. ->Tell me about “Destined to Win”
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