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Object Lessons

Popcorn Christians

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Popcorn Christians
Popcorn is a seed that is hard and tasteless, until placed in the fire. And then the white goodness on the inside comes out for us to not only smell the aroma, but also to taste. It’s a powerful object lesson and metaphor for Christ working in us and drawing others to himself through as as Christians.

What You Need

  • Lots of popped Popcorn
  • Some unpopped popcorn
  • There are several games below that may require additional materials such as drinking straws, cups, blindfolds, and a spoon.

Preparation

Pop some popcorn, preferably in the room in which you have the meeting, so the smell of popcorn permeates the room before the youth arrive.

Popcorn Games

  • Popcorn Race: Using a drinking straw, the youth must blow a popped kernel of popcorn across a table. First to blow it from one end to the other wins.
  • Popcorn Catcher: You must stand on a chair and dropped popped kernels of popcorn into a cup. The person with the most kernels in the cup when time is up wins.
  • Popcorn Toss: Each youth tries to throw a piece of popcorn as far as possible. The farthest throw wins.
  • Popcorn Collector: Each youth is blindfolded, given a metal spoon, and placed in from of a large bowl of popcorn. They must also hold a bowl or cup on top of their head. In the time given they youth compete by using the spoon to scoop popcorn into the cups on their heads while everyone else watches. Many times, they will deliver empty spoons to their heads and many times they will miss the cup. When time is up, the youth with the most kernels of popcorn in the cup wins.
  • Popcorn on the fire: Play a game in which two teams simulate being popcorn in a pan. Explain that in the activity, everyone on a team sits on the floor and each is a piece of popcorn. The floor is a big pan on the fire. As the pan begins to heat, some kernels of corn begin to pop. A youth pops by jumping up, clapping their hands together, and saying “Pop”. Usually popcorn begins to gradually pop and builds up to become very active and loud and then eventually stops. The team that best demonstrates the making of popcorn gets a prize.

Enjoy some Popcorn

Finish off by sharing popcorn for all the youth to enjoy. First offer the un-popped kernels and then when the youth refuse, pass around the popped popcorn.

TAKE IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL

DEBRIEF

  • Ask the youth to tell you everything they know about popcorn.
  • Ask the youth to tell you the way they have experienced popcorn in the meeting

MAKE IT SPIRITUAL

  • How is a kernel of popcorn similar to a person’s heart?
  • What are some lessons and truths we can learn from a kernel of popcorn?
  • What are some of the things that heat up our situations and cause us to respond?

Touch Points

  • The seeds start as hard and tasteless, can’t be digested
  • When heated, some respond, but some do not.
  • At some point, a change occurs, and all the potential inside the kernel is released.
    • Some remain hard and tasteless and may even burn
    • Others, the sweet inside is exposed and can be enjoyed
    • We not only taste it, but there is also a pleasant aroma that attracts people
  • Everything comes from inside the kernel
  • Most people love the smell of popcorn. One small bag fills the room. with the smell. Another word for smell is aroma. God compares us to an aroma. We experience it from a distance. It attracts us. We want it. We want to taste it for ourselves. In the same way, We must live our lives in such a way that Christ in us, is noticed by others, and they want to experience Christ for themselves.
  • Human hearts can either be like a hard kernel or the soft, fluffy, fragrant popcorn.
  • God places us in the heat – circumstances so our hearts can open up (Visually express this by changing a clenched fist to an open hand)

MAKE IT PRACTICAL

  • How do circumstances change us? Why does God allow difficult circumstances? See James 1:2-4 and Romans 5:3-5
  • In what ways are Christians an aroma of Christ?
  • What are some actions, attitudes, mindsets, and other characteristics of Christians and their relationship with Christ that are attractive to the lost?

MAKE IT PERSONAL

  • Would you consider your heart hard and tightly closed up, or soft and open?
  • What are some of the circumstances God has used in your own life to bring about a pleasant change in your life?
  • If you were to do a self test on your life as a Christian, what would it reveal? Does your life express an aroma of Christ?
  • What can you personally do this week that will serve like a pleasant aroma to draw others to Christ and want to experience Christ for themselves?

Scriptures

  • Matthew 12:35 – “A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.”
  • Luke 6:45 – “A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.”
  • Matthew 15:11 – “What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.”
  • Matthew 15:16-20 – “Are you still so dull?” Jesus asked them. “Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.”
  • James 1:2-4 – “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
  • Romans 5:3-5 – “Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”
  • Romans 8:18 – “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”
  • 2 Corinthians 2:14-16 – “But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life. And who is equal to such a task?”

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.

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Creative Teaching Ideas

A New Year: New Priorities

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A New Year - New Priorities
With the New Year we typically evaluate the past year and set new priorities for the upcoming year. Sometimes we call these new priorities or renewed priorities New Year’s Resolutions. New Year’s Resolutions may be focused around family, personal goals, money, jobs, and many other things. While these things are not necessarily wrong, when they take precedence over our relationship with God they become a problem.

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What You Need

  1. Large sheets of paper or newsprint
  2. Whiteboard markers (that will not bleed through the paper)

Preparation

  1. Put a Poster or large sheet of paper in each corner of the room for each of the following labels:
    • Possessions or Provision
    • Power or Position
    • Popularity
    • Others
  2. Place a chair in the exact center of the room as a marker.

What to Do

  1. Explain:
    • Possessions refer to the material things we seek in life.
    • Power refers to positions we want to obtain in life.
    • Popularity refers to social recognition and fame that people seek in life.
    • Explain that the center of the room represents living for God.
  2. Allow youth to brainstorm about the things that people have as priorities in their lives. Examples might be good grades, a good job, a marriage partner, a house, to serve God, to have lots of money, etc.
  3. Then have youth write the priority on the poster that represents that priority. Some items might fit into more than one category (i.e. good grades might be a priority but the reason could be for popularity or for the purpose of getting a job with more money and a higher position – power.)
  4. After the posters have been filled with examples of each priority, have youth stand somewhere in the room that reflects their most important priorities in life. (For example, if someones priority is to make lots of money they might stand in the possessions corner.)

TAKE IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL

MAKE IT SPIRITUAL

Read Matthew 4:1-10

  • How does this passage relate to the posters in the corners of the room?
  • Which poster represents each of the temptations?
  • How did Christs understanding of his purpose in life reflect his priorities?

Jesus was tempted with popularity, power, and possessions (material needs). But because Jesus understood his purpose in the world he did not give into temptation. There is nothing wrong with material possessions, power or popularity. But when they replace God as a priority in our lives they become a problem. In fact, later in Jesus ministry we would see him providing for the physical needs of people, he would demonstrate the power of God, and he would be popular. Yet his priority was to do the will of God, to accomplish the purpose for which he had been sent into the world. God has brought each of us into the world for a purpose. The better we understand our purpose, the better we will be able to balance our priorities to fulfill that purpose in the new year.

MAKE IT PRACTICAL

  • What are some things that are part of Gods plan for every persons life?
  • How can a person discover and trust Gods plan for his or her life? (See Proverbs 3:5-6; Philippians 4:6; Romans 8:28)

MAKE IT PERSONAL

  • What do you believe is part of Gods purpose for bringing YOU into the world? (You may not know all the details yet, but you might have some ideas.)
  • Each of you has positioned yourself in a specific corner of the room based on your own priorities. How can someone in your position move closer to Gods Purpose for your life and away from the wrong priorities?
  • What are some of the practical steps you can take this year that would move you closer to Gods ideal plan for your life?
  • Commit to one of the steps you can start this week!

————————————————–
ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURES
————————————————–

Proverbs 3:5-6
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will direct your paths.”

Philippians 4:6
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

Romans 8:28
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

1 Thessalonians 5:18
“in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 3:8
“What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ.”

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Object Lessons

Marble Madness

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Marbles have been around since ancient times. Whether made from glass, stone, or even clay, they have been used in games and as tokens. While not specifically mentioned in the Bible, our modern games of marbles most likely came from the ancient Romans. The oldest known marbles date back to about 3000 B.C. They can be found in many cultures around the world. Many of the games involve taking risks in order to win. In this idea of the week, we use glass marbles not only for games, but also as an object lesson on how we can see differently as Christians and to learn to take risks for God.

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What You Need

* Lots of marbles

A Few Games Using Marbles

  • Barefoot Marble Race – The youth must remove their socks and shoes. Divide them into teams and place two marbles on the starting line in front of each team. On your signal, the first player must pick up a a marble with the toes of each foot and walk to a finish line. They the player can pick up the marbles and race back to the next player in line you repeats the process. First team to finish wins.
  • Chopsticks and Marbles – Using a pair of chopsticks and a couple shallow bowls or saucers, each youth is given one minute to move marbles from bowl to the other using only the chopsticks. Only one hand can be used to hold the chopsticks. The youth to transfer the most marbles wins.
  • Drop the Marble – Line two teams up facing each other. Each youth is given 5 marbles. One youth stands with his or her heels together and toes spread apart in a V shape while the other player stands about 5 feet away and tries to toss a marble so it stays between the feet of the other player. If he fails he loses the marble. If he is successful, the play with his feet in a V shape drops one of his marbles from waist height and tries to hit the marble between his feet. If he hits it, he takes the marble, but if not he loses the marble. They swap for the next round. Continue for a set period of time and then each team adds up their marbles. Team with the most marbles wins.
  • Marble and Straws Relay – Divide the youth into teams and give every person on a team a plastic straw and a paper cup. Place a marble in the first team member’s cup. The youth must create a vacuum in the straw to pick up the marble and place it into the next persons cup. First team to get the marble into the last person’s cup wins. If the marble is dropped on the floor, the team must start completely over at the beginning.
  • Marble Roll – Draw a circle using chalk (about 1 metre in diameter) at one end of the room and a line several meters away for everyone to stand behind. Indoors you can some masking tape. Give each team an equal number of marbles. Each team can play in turn, or if they all play at the same time you will need different coloured marbles for each team. Within a given time teams compete to see who can gets the most marbles in the circle. One person one each team is allowed to return any marbles that miss or get knocked out of the circle back to his or her team.
  • Marble Search – Put some marbles and lots of ice into a roasting pan, tub or wading pool. Divide the youth into teams and have one person from each team must fish out a marble with their toes before the next person on the team can go. The first team to all fish out a marble wins. If it is cold outside, instead of ice, use warm oatmeal, warm pudding or even warm spaghetti noodles. Provide plenty towels for cleanup. Add a few golf balls just for fun. Variation: Team to fish out the most marbles with their toes in a given time limit wins. Variation: Assign each team a given colour of marbles and only those marbles of their given colour count.
  • Marbles and Spoons – Divide into teams, have each team to line up single file, and have a cup with one or more marbles for each team. Give each player a spoon. The first player on each team picks up a marble with the spoon, spins around in place 3 times, then passes the marble to the next person on the team. Marbles can only be touched with the spoon. If a marble is dropped the team must start over again from the beginning. First team to get all the marbles down the line wins.
  • No Know’s – Give everyone a set number of marbles and ask the group to mingle and talk to each other. Choose one or more icebreaker questions that they must ask each other. Whenever a youth says “no” or “know” that youth must give one of his marbles to the person he is talk to. The person who collects the most marbles during a given time period wins.
  • Odds or Evens? – Every youth starts out with the same number of marbles. They pair off with someone then one player hides at least one marble in his hand. The other youth must guess if the number of marbles is odd or even. If he guesses correctly he can add the marbles to his collection. The role of the hider and guesser is then switched. After each youth in a pair guesses, those without any marbles remaining must sit down and the remaining youth pair up with someone new. Continue until one player has all the marbles or a set time limit is reached and then the person with the most marbles wins.
  • Trade off – Using marbles of various colours, give each youth a marble of each colour. Ask the youth to mingle around the room ask each other to makes trades of one colour for another in order to get all their marbles to a single color. They can trade only one marble with each person in the room. First to finish wins.

TAKE IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL

DEBRIEF

  • What were some of the strategies used in these games?
  • In some of the games, you lost or gained marbles. How did you feel when you lost all your marbles? When you gained marbles?
  • Were your decisions in these games based upon logic or by how you were feeling?
  • How could you have gotten better results?
  • Do you prefer to take risks or play it safe?
  • Would your strategy change if you were using 1 dollar tokens? 5$? 10$
  • What risks are you willing to take in regards to your future? your career? Your family? in relationships? in other areas of life?
  • How do you balance the risks with the opportunities in life?
  • Choose an area of your spiritual life where, to see any results, you are going to have to take a risk? What can you do to moderate the risks? What will the payoff be if you do this? How important is this result for you? Is it worth the risk? If so, are you willing to take the risks in order to see the potential results?

MAKE IT SPIRITUAL

  • Do you prefer to play it safe or take risks in your spiritual walk?
  • Name some Bible characters that were risk takers? Why do you consider them risk takers?
  • Do you think Peter was a risk taker or played it safe? Explain. (See Peter Walking on Water – Matthew 14:22-33; Mark 6:47-52, John 6:16-21)
  • Did the disciples take a risk in following Christ? (See Matthew 4)

Sometimes what might at first look risky, when see through God’s perspective is really no risk at all. We have everything to gain. Give a clear marble to each student and ask them to look through it. The image of whatever they are looking at will be upside down. Our faith can cause us to turn the things of the world upside-down and the world can turn our faith upside-down too.

  • What are some ways that Christ turns our world upside down?
  • What are some events that cause people’s faith to be turned upside down?
  • Describe a time when your faith was turned upside down?
  • Many of Christ’s teachings were opposite of what people expected. What were some things that Christ taught that turned the world upside down for the early believers?
  • How is looking through the marble similar to looking at things through spiritual eyes?
  • What things affect the way we view life? Has your view on anything changed since you became a Christian? What things have changed?
  • How does seeing things through God’s perspective change things so that what seemed like risks, no longer seem to be risky?

MAKE IT PRACTICAL

  • What risks are worth the reward of knowing Jesus as Lord and living for him?
  • “Some want to live within the sound of church or chapel bell; I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of hell.” – C. T. Studd
  • Missionary William Carey said, “Expect great things of God, and attempt great things for God.”
  • Jim Eliot said “He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.”
  • Is Christianity a risk? Why or why not?
  • How does seeing things through Christ’s eyes change the risks?

MAKE IT PERSONAL

  • Has God called you to do something out of the ordinary?
  • To what has God called you?
  • Choose an area of your spiritual life where, to see any results, you are going to have to take a risk? What will the payoff be if you do this? How important is this result for you? Is it worth the risk? If so, are you willing to take the risks in order to see the potential results in your relationship with God and others?

CLOSING

  • Challenge the young people to carry a marble in their pockets or purses to remind them of one area of their spiritual lives where they need to learn to trust God and take risks to see Him work through them.

KEY SCRIPTURE VERSE

Romans 12:2 – “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”

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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.

Learn More…

Object Lessons

Autumn Leaves

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In the autumn season, the leaves on the trees start changing colors. Depending on where you live you can see vibrant red, orange, yellow and brown leaves. And there still might be some green ones around as well. Soon they will detach themselves from the tree and fall to the ground. So we also call this season the Fall. But the leaves also serve as a spiritual object lesson.

What You Need

  • Collect a variety of autumn leaves, at least one for each youth, of different sizes, shapes, colors.

What to do

  1. Display the leaves.
  2. Have each youth select a leaf that represents him or herself in some way.
  3. Ask the youth to describe every detail about their leaves to a partner. Have a couple of volunteers share the description with the group as a whole. You could aso have them tell the life story of the leaf in a creative way. What things has it endured? What things did it get to see / enjoy from its perch on the tree, how it lived through the seasons, and finally how it fell and ended up here.
  4. Ask each youth to display the leaf and share one thing about the leaf that is also true of them.

Observations for discussion

Every leaf has a life story. Leaves are temporary, different shapes, scarred, different colors, alive, dead, attached, detached, dry, moist, light, heavy, different sizes, different leaf patterns and veins, different ages, they change, some are blown away, others cling to the tree, some are brittle, others are flexible, rough, smooth, piled up, alone, they bring shade, reach for the sun, draw from the root, etc.

TAKE IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL

MAKE IT SPIRITUAL

Psalm 1 teaches us some lessons about trees, and says we are like trees. Read Psalm 1 from the Bible.

  • How does God describe the wicked in Psalm 1 and how is similar to the Autumn leaves? (Like debris blown away by the wind, unable to stand, they will die.)
  • How does God describe the Righteous in Psalm 1 and how is this similar to a tree planted by the water? (Blessed, happy, delighted, like leaves that do not doesn’t wither)
  • What truths can we learn from Psalm 1?
  • What is the difference between them that leads to the different outcome?

MAKE IT PRACTICAL

  • What are the ways that youth draw closer to God, to be refreshed and strengthened by Him, to grow strong and fruitful, to not whither, but be full of life? Why is it important?

MAKE IT PERSONAL

  • What will you do this week to draw closer to God, to be refreshed and strengthened by Him, to grow strong and fruitful, to not whither, but be full of life?

SCRIPTURE

“Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.” – Psalm 1

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Evangelism Ideas

Buzz Who?

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Description

We all have our stock of quick, fun, easy no setup, no materials games we can pull out at a drop of a hat. How about taking another take at these games? Let’s take this classic youth game, known as “Buzz”, and see what we can do to take it to the next level.

When a person meets Christ a change occurs. Their identity, their actions, and even their thoughts will change over time. Some changes may be immediate such as they are now called “Christians,” and “children of God” etc. Other changes may take a lifetime. A classic youth game, known as “Buzz”, is used along with famous Bible Characters to illustrate some of the changes that occur when someone puts their faith in Christ or God.

How to Play

  1. Seat the youth in a circle.
  2. In a clock-wise direction, youth count up from 1. When they get to the number 7, any numbers that contain 7, AND any multiples of 7 the youth must instead say the word “Buzz.” For example: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, Buzz, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, Buzz, 15, 16, Buzz, 18…
  3. A player who hesitates or makes a mistake is eliminated from the game.
  4. After a mistake, start over at 1 with the next teen in line.
  5. Eliminate youth that make mistakes until only the champion is left.
  6. Try for a group record or reaching 100.

You may wish to add the following to increase the complexity of the game:

  1. Once the game is going well and the youth group has reached 50 or so, stop them and add “Fizz” to the game. Now, substitute “Fizz” for 5. For example: 1, 2, 3, 4, Fizz, 6, Buzz, 8, 9, Fizz, 11, 12, 13, Buzz, Fizz, 16, Buzz, 18, 19, Fizz, Buzz, 22…
  2. If the number is a multiple of 5 and 7, or has 5 and 7 in it, like 35 or 57 or 70 or 75, say ‘Fuzz’!

Take it to the Next Level

Make it Spiritual

Counting up to a 100 seems like something easy to do. We can practically do it in our sleep, without even thinking. But add just one change like in the game we just played, and suddenly we all need to focus. Things that should come naturally to us make us pause or hesitate. All it takes is one change.

The same is true of changes we make in our lives. Before we met Christ, we did things the way we liked. We played according to our own rules. But now, we understand some of our old habits have to change. And that doesn’t happen naturally. Some changes take time. Some changes require us to exercise a lot of discipline.

Look at Abram. When he was first called by God, his name changed. He was now called Abraham. Did his past behaviour of not having faith in God’s protection persist? Sure! He still continued to lie about Sarah being his sister because he feared men more than God. It wasn’t until God asked him to sacrifice Isaac many years later that we see the true father of faith emerge.

What about Simon? When Jesus first called him Peter – the rock, his insecurity at Jesus’ trial caused him to deny Christ 3 times! Only later do we see the strength of his character in the book of Acts.

Sometimes, it’s the people around us who will be skeptical about the changes we’ve decided to make. When Saul was called by Jesus Himself, was now called Paul, even though he made a full 180 degree reversal, people viewed him with suspicion. Was he really changed? Or was he still an “undercover Pharisee”? It took him many more years of preparation before he was fully accepted by the brethren.

Make it Practical

When a person meets Christ we can’t help but change. Our identity, actions, and even our thoughts will continue to change over time. Some changes may be immediate such as we are now called “Christians,” and “children of God.” Other changes may take a lifetime.

When we commit to changes in our lives, we need God’s help to keep the change. It takes time for us to get used to the change. To adapt to a new way of living. Just like in the game, once we get the hang of it, we can move faster, go higher, and add more changes to our lives along the way.

Whatever happens, we have to trust God through the process of change. Don’t expect everything to come immediately or transition smoothly. We will fall along the way, just don’t beat yourself up for it. Pick yourself up and move on.

Make it Personal

Have you tried and failed and given up on changes you committed to? Maybe it’s time to think about these areas in our lives and ask God for His supernatural ability to maintain those changes. It won’t be easy, but we have to continue trusting in Him that He who began a good work in us will be faithful to complete it.

Scripture References

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”
– 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
– Romans 12:2 (NIV)

“In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
– Philippians 1:4-6 (NIV)

Other Famous Bible Personalities and how they changed after an encounter with God:

Nicodemus

  • Before God : Pharisee, ruler of Jews
  • Met God : Met Christ by night, honest seeker
  • Response : Annointed Christ’s Body with Joseph of Arimathea

Noah

  • Before God : Not known – Father was Lemech
  • Met God : Lived a righteous life that set him apart from others
  • Response : Called to build an ark and obeyed

Abraham

  • Before God : lived with his father in Haran
  • Met God : Recieved a call to leave Haran and go to a new country
  • Response : Blessed by God and his descendents became like the sands of the earth

Simon Peter

  • Before God : Fisherman, Son of John
  • Met God : Called to Follow Christ and become a fisher of men
  • Response : Became a disciple, denied Christ three times but became a great evangelist after Christ’s death.

Zacheus

  • Before God : Tax collector
  • Met God : watched from a tree to see over the crowd
  • Response : Invited Christ to his home & paid debts/ became honest

Matthew (Levi)

  • Before God : Tax collector
  • Met God : Asked to follow Christ as a disciple
  • Response : Became a disciple and wrote one of the gospels

Joseph

  • Before God : Favored Son of Jacob and Rachel
  • Met God : Dreams
  • Response : Rose to a powerful position in Egypot in which he was able to help his family in a time of famine.

Saul

  • Before God : Pharisee, tentmaker, persecuted Christains
  • Met God : Vision on the road to Damascus
  • Response : followed Christ and became one of the most prolific writers of the New Testament

Samuel

  • Before God : Mother took him to live with the priest (Eli)
  • Met God : God spoke to him at night
  • Response : Became a great spritual leader and the last of the judges

Gideon

  • Before God : Son of Joash, Israel has forsaken God
  • Met God : An angel appeared to him, summoned him to leadership
  • Response : Might Warrior, against the Medianites

Nathanael

  • Before God : Religious, seen by Christ beneath a fig tree
  • Met God : Philip introduced him to Christ
  • Response : Followed Christ, became one of the disciples

Mary

  • Before God : devout religious life
  • Met God : appearance of an angel saying she was most blessed of women
  • Response : Became the mother of Christ

David

  • Before God : Played the harp for the King (Saul)
  • Met God : Was upset that a giant ridiculed the God of Israel
  • Response : Defeated Goliath and became one of the greatest king’s of Israel, even though he made many serious mistakes

You can probably think of other characters as well.

Icebreakers

Buzz

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numbers7.jpg

Materials
Optional: Enough chairs for all participants to sit in a circle

Icebreaker Description
In this icebreaker, youth must avoid saying the number seven as part of any number or any multiple of the number 7

Preparation
Seat everyone in a circle- either on the ground or in chairs.

Icebreaker Activity
1. Begin counting. When the number seven or any multiple of seven appears, instead of saying the number, the one whose turn has come is to say, “Buzz.” For example, one, two, three, four, five, six, buzz, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, buzz, fifteen, sixteen, buzz and so forth.
2. Try to have the guests count as rapidly as possible and eliminate from the ring all those who make a mistake.

Debrief

  • What makes this game difficult?
  • In this game you had to replace a number with the word “buzz.” What are some of the things that we must replace when we become Christians? How can we replace them?
  • Why is forming new habits so difficult?

Conclusion
This game is difficult because it deviates from what is normal for us. We are accustomed to using the number 7, and to replace it with the word “buzz” is awkward for us. It requires extra concentration and is against what is natural for us. Many things in the Christian walk are also awkward at first. We have to develop new habits that go against the natural man. At first it requires considerable concentration, but as we grow in Christ and allow the power of Christ to work in our lives, we will become accustomed to new habits and new ways of thinking. Forming new ways of thinking is the key to forming new actions and habits. We must set our minds on the things above.

Scripture
Colossians 3:1-15

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