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Game Ideas, Object Lessons

Spiritually Measuring Up

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Spiritually_Measuring_Up

It’s back to school time. Time to get all your school supplies and meet new friends. These games all have a ruler as the central prop and serve as a discussion start for measuring up to God’s standards. I remember the days of using a ruler to create a growth chart on the door frame. But how do we measure our growth as Christians?

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Games using a Ruler

  • Back Flip Rulers – Back flip rulers is a variation of the minute-to-win-it game “Back Flip” The objective is simple – palms down, rest several rulers on the back of your hand. Now flip them up and catch them all in the same hand. Person who can catch the most rulers at once wins.
  • Dice it Up – Another Minute-to-win-it game, youth must place a ruler into their mouth and stack a die on the end of the ruler. The die is not allowed to touch a youth’s nose or face. If the die falls off, the youth must choose another die to put on the ruler. Once the first die is in place, the player can pick up another die and put it on top of the first die. He has to continue adding a die until he’s stacked six die on top of one another. The dice have to be balanced for 3 seconds at least. First youth to be successful wins.
  • Feather Relay – Give individuals or teams a ruler with a feather, leaf or some other light object on it. The idea is to see who can go across the room and back again, keeping the elusive object on his or her ruler. If the object blows off, it must be replaced before the contestant can continue.
  • Herding Cats – Ever tried to herd a cat? They have a mind of their own. Give each team of youth one ruler and a cat (a lemon or raw egg.) Teams line up at the starting line, than at the signal, the first player pushes the cat to the goal and back using only the ruler. That player passes the ruler to the teammate who is next in line, and so on until all youth on a team have run. The team that finishes first wins. Other variations are to set up an obstacle course.
  • Longest Line – Give each group a ruler and a few school supplies if you have some. Then give the following instructions – “Using what you have, create the longest line possible.” The key to this game is they have more than the objects you have given to them. They can use a belt, a shoe lace, keys, coins, paper money, etc to create a long line of objects. We often look to God to give us resources to get things done, but we often have more than we realise if we expand our thinking.
  • Peas on a Ruler – Place a pile of peas (equal number of peas in each) for each team at one end of the room and an empty bowl for each at the opposite end. Give the first person in each line a ruler. Youth must run to their pea pile and scoop up as many peas on the ruler as they can, and bring them back and dump them into the empty bowl. They then give the rulers to the next person in line, who repeat the process. The first team to transfer its peas from the pile to the bowl is the winner. Any peas which fall along the way must also he picked up on the ruler and brought to the bowl. Players may have more than one run until all the peas are transfered, but must continue in the same order as they inititially began. They may not put the experts at the beginning of the line the second time through.
  • Ruler Catapult – Take a ruler and a square rubber pencil eraser. Place the ruler on the edge of a book or table. Place the eraser at one of the ruler and slam the other end of the ruler towards the floor. HARD. Whoever can get the eraser to fly the furthest wins!
  • Ruler Delivery – Choose a collection of objects of increasing size to be passed from the front of the line to the back of the line for each team using a ruler in each person’s mouth. First team to pass all the objects to the end of the line wins. Here are some ideas for objects: Cotton Balls, Ping Pong Balls, an egg (raw or hard boiled), marbles, lemon, apple, inflated balloon, ice cube.
  • Ruler Fencing – Players hold a ruler with a square rubber eraser on it in one hand. In the other hand the players hold an empty ruler. Then they try to knock the opponents’ eraser off the ruler without losing their own eraser.
  • Ruler of the world – roll a marble down a ruler and into a bowl. First team to do it successfully wins. Make it more difficult by using a yardstick or meter ruler.
  • Rulers – This is the game of spoons but played with rulers. Depending on the number of players, you need at least one deck of cards, and one ruler less than the number of players. Players sit in a circle with the rulers in the middle of the circle with their ends touching. To begin, each player is dealt 4 cards. The first player picks up a card from the top of the pile, and can choose to keep it, or pass it to the person on his or her left. Players can only hold a maximum of four cards. When someone gets four of a kind, he grabs a ruler. Once one person grabs a ruler, everyone else also grabs one until all the rulers are gone and 1 person is left without a ruler. Play resumes with one less player and one less ruler. Play continues until there is only one player left, the winner.
  • Standing Broad Grin – Measure everyone’s grin with a ruler to see who has the widest smile. Offer first, second, and third place prizes to the biggest smiles.
  • Tallest Tower – Bring in a variety of school supplies, including a ruler. Each team of students must create the tallest tower using the supplies you have provided. Then bring the school supplies back together and command the them to create the tallest tower. Of course the tools will simply lie where they are put. NOTE: These tools are very useful, but only when they are in someone’s hands. The same thing is true of us. We can be useful to God, and be used to teach others life changing truths, but only when we place ourselves in God’s hands.

Main Lesson Idea – Measuring Up

Measuring Up – Participants must scour the room and use a ruler find objects that match the measurements they are given… first to get them all correct gets a prize. You must first of course, make a list of measurements of various items found in the youth room or throughout the church.

Rules

  1. Teams must stay together as a group. You may not split up.
  2. Stay within the designated game area. Any group found outside the game area or in banned areas will be disqualified.
  3. No communicating or collaborating with other teams.
  4. Be respectful and courteous in everything you do. Crude language, inappropriate behavior, and offensive actions are not allowed. Respect other people’s property. Do not destroy things. When the hunt is over, there should be no sign that it took place.
  5. Respect each other. Do not cheat. Do not hinder other teams.

Scoring

  1. Only one submission for each item on the list. Multiple submissions are not allowed. Label submissions with corresponding numbers so the judges know which items are intended for which things on the list. You are not required to complete every item on the list.
  2. Teams can only qualify once for each item on the list.
  3. Stick to the Time Limit. A penalty will be imposed for each minute after the deadline that you are late. In case of a tie, the first team to finish wins.
  4. How to Win? Points will be assigned to these based on the difficulty to accomplish each, creativity and the fun factor. The team with the most points wins!

TAKE IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL

MAKE IT SPIRITUAL

  • What are some things people use to measure or evaluate living a good life?
  • What are some things people use to measure other people?
  • What are some things people use to measure themselves?
  • How do we measure a person as a success or failure?
  • What are some of the standards of measurement from God’s Word?

You might give them some helpful scriptures to write on their rulers:

  • Love – I Corinthians 13:4-7
  • Holiness – Hebrews 12.14; Revelation 21.27
  • Righteousness – 2 Corinthians 5:21, Romans 3:23
  • Christian Living – Romans 12:10-21
  • Maturity – Ephesians 4:1-13

Discussion: If your ruler had been marked wrongly, you would have found it difficult to find any of the objects. When our measurements of obedience, ourselves (pride), expectations (jealousy), comparisons with others, and timing (patience) are wrong it messes up our results. Our standards for measurement must be exact and based on God’s Word or every measurement we make will be wrong. God’s Word is to be the ruler for our life. When we use other things as rulers our measurements come out wrong.

MAKE IT PRACTICAL

In the Old Testament, the focus on godliness was living by God’s Laws and commandments. But as a Christian, the focus of the life is no longer the laws and standards, but instesd focused on a person – Christ. It’s not a set of rules but a relationship. We are to follow Christ and live for Him.

  • Romans 6:14 “For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.”
  • Romans 8:1-17
  • What difference does it make in the way you live your life to know that you are no longer under the law, but under grace?
  • Under the law you are fearful of making a mistake, but under grace you are focused on pleasing God and acting out of gratitude. How does this make a difference in how you live life?

MAKE IT PERSONAL

  • How do you measure your life? How do you measure up?
  • What are some of the things you use to measure your spiritual growth? Your spiritual journey?
  • In what way does Grace give you freedom to live more effectively for Christ?

SCRIPTURE

Romans 3:23 – “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” – We don’t measure up to God’s standard.

Ephesians 2:8-10 – “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” – Because we don’t measure up, we cannot boast. This free us to advance in good works, not out of striving to be worthy.

Ephesians 4:11-12 – “So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” – our goal is to measure up to the life of Christ.

Galatians 2:16 – “know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.”

Hebrews 12:1 – “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race MARKED OUT for us.” God still marks out a direction for us to strive toward as Christians.

2 Corinthians 5:21 – “God made him who had no sin to be sin[a] for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” – We don’t have to measure up to righteousness because we wear Christ’s righteousness.

Colossians 2:13-14 – “When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.” – God wiped away the shortcoming so that before him we measure up in Christ.

2 Peter 1:3-9 – “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.” – Now we are measure by growth in the our journey to becoming more and more Christlike.

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Creative Teaching Ideas, Game Ideas, Object Lessons

Watermelon Seed Christians

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Watermelon Seed Christians

Watermelons are almost synonymous with summer – cool, refreshing, and great on a hot summer day. Watermelons can also be used for a variety of fun, and sometimes messy games, though the cost could be a bit prohibitive for some youth groups. Here are a variety of games using watermelons as well as some ideas for spiritual lessons using this popular summer treat.

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Games Using Watermelons

  • Greased Watermelon – Grease two watermelons down with butter and jelly, then divide the youth into two teams and have them line up across from each other. Ask players to wear disposable gloves to make the game more challenging. The youth must pass the watermelon to each other in the lineup without dropping it. If dropped, it must begin again at the beginning. The team that passes the watermelon all the way to the end of the line first wins.
  • Seed Teams – To split into team, set aside an equal number of watermelon seeds and pumpkin seeds and pass them out, 1 seed per person. Everyone with a pumpkin seed forms team one. Everyone with a watermelon seed forms another team. Add more types of seeds for more teams.
  • Steal the Watermelon – (like Steal the Bacon) Grease a watermelon an place it in the center of a tarp. Each team lines up facing each other while you number them off on each team. When you call a number and that person has to grab the watermelon and get it back to their side of the tarp.
  • Ultimate Watermelon – This is just like Ultimate Frisbee . . . but with a small watermelon. Each team tries to get to the opposite end zone. Instead of a kick-off, just have one team start on their side of the field. When a player catches the Watermelon, they can take only 3 steps. Then they must throw/toss it. Each team works their way down the field, passing to each other until a team scores. If the team’s melon hits the ground, it’s the other teams turn. If one team busts the watermelon, the other team automatically scores. (Have extra watermelons available or seal the watermelon in a heavy duty plastic bag first.) The watermelon goes to the opposite team of the last person to touch it before it hits the ground. Defensive players must give any person already holding a watermelon at least 3 feet clearance.
  • Watermelon Artists – Cut watermelons into slices and give each youth a slice. Slices can be small or large, depending upon the object you plan to carve. If you want many objects carved, you may want to make them all small, such as turtles, suns or birds. Write down the object each youth will carve on separate slips of paper and give each player their slip to read silently. Instruct each youth to begin carving, but not to reveal the object. Non-carvers can guess what each object is to earn prizes for themselves and the carver.
  • Watermelon Carving Contest – Carve funny faces in the watermelons as you would a pumpkin and award prizes for the funniest face, best carving, most creative, met unusual, etc. You might want to have some plastic utensils rather than knives or assign an adult to handle the knives under the directions of the youth.
  • Watermelon Eating Contest – Ask the youth from each team to hold their hands behind their backs, using only their mouths to eat a large piece of watermelon. First to do so wins points for their team.
  • Watermelon Head – Youth must roll a watermelon down a plastic tarp with their heads. First team that has each member complete the task wins. To make it more fun coat it in shaving cream or whipped cream.
  • Watermelon Horseshoes Contest – For this contest you need watermelon rind cut across the width of the watermelon to form rings. These rinds can be made from wounded watermelons, injured in earlier games. All you need are rind rings, not the fruit. The object of the game is to toss watermelon rind rings onto a stationary post. Score the game as you would score horseshoes.
  • Watermelon Jigsaw Puzzle – Cut several watermelons into slices and pieces and mix them up in a bowl. Have one watermelon for each team. The objective of this game is for youth to eat the watermelon (red part), then using toothpicks, be the first team to correctly piece the watermelon back together again into a whole watermelon. To put it back correctly, youth will need to pay attention to the pattern on the outside. Variation: Instead of toothpicks, you can also use duct tape.
  • Watermelon Pass – The first youth in line takes the watermelon and passes it between their legs to the person behind them. The next youth then takes the melon and lifts it backwards, over their head to the next person. It is really a game of over/under, over/under. This is repeated until the watermelon reaches the end. At this point, the watermelon is then passed back up to the front in like fashion (with everyone continuing to face forward). The first team to return the melon to the front with their team sitting down in single file fashion is the winner!
  • Watermelon Race – Set a Start Line and a half way point where each team must roll their watermelon, circle and then turn around and roll the watermelon back to the starting point. Once the youth rolling the watermelon returns to the starting Line, they tag the next youth in line and they take their turn roll the watermelon. The first team to have all players rolls their watermelons around the course is the Winner.
  • Watermelon Rolling Contest – Players must roll small watermelons toward specific soft objects. Once the object is touched by a watermelon, players can roll watermelons toward the next soft object, until the last goal is reached. First one to the end with a watermelon that still rolls, wins. Some youth would rather take out another player, than hit the soft object next in line.
  • Watermelon Seed Flinging Contest – The youth must snap the seeds off the finger, using only one hand. This is done much like you were playing marbles. The nail of the thumb flips the seed off the back of a curled index finger.
  • Watermelon Seed Spitting Contest – In this contest, you draw your line and give game players their slice of watermelon. They will eat their way to the seeds they spit. Spitting needs to happen over an area where you will be able to see where the seeds fall. The player who spits the farthest seed within certain amount of time is the winner.
  • Watermelon Seed Spitting Target Competition – Players focus on hitting a target rather than going for distance. Use a cup, bucket or create a bullseye target, then as the youth find seeds in their watermelon they can step to the start line, aim and try to spit the watermelon seed into or onto the target. They receive 1 point for each time they land on or in the target. Add up the scores and the youth with the most points is the winner. If there is a tie, do a sudden death round until someone hits the target and can be declared the winner.
  • Watermelon Smash (Suikawari) – This is a party game often played on beaches in Japan where someone is blindfolded, given a large stick, spun around to disorient them and then directed to smash/crack a watermelon. While the aim is for the blindfolded participant to find and crack the watermelon on their own, spectators may shout advice or distractions.
  • Watermelon Water Polo – This is played in a swimming pool which is not too deep, but a watermelon is used instead of a ball. It can also be coated in Vaseline to make it more difficult.

WaterMelon Games with a Message

  • Watermelon Puzzle Relay – Cut off the end of some watermelons and remove the seeds and flesh so that they have been cleaned out. (Be sure to set it aside for eating later.) Cut a different face in each watermelon, but save the pieces that you remove and set them aside. Collect all the pieces you removed from the watermelons and mix them up and place them on a trap or trash bag on the ground at one end of a field. At the other end of the field place the watermelon for each team. Youth from each team must run across the field grab one piece that looks like it might fit the holes in that team’s watermelon and return to his team with the piece. If the piece fits in the watermelon, the next person can run to get a new piece. If the piece doesn’t fit, the next person on the team must return it to the table at the end of the room and collect another piece to try. First team to complete it’s watermelon wins the relay! Variation: Play the game with the relay runners blind-folded and the team shouting directions.

Teaching Point: Talk about how we all have holes in our our lives (an emptiness) we are trying to fill. Some people may try to fill it with money, with relationships, with various types of pleasures, etc. But the only thing that can fill the emptiness we have in our lives is a relationship with God. Blaise Pascal says we were all created with a God-shaped vacuum that only he can fill. Just as you had to align the pieces with the various holes in the watermelon, we have to align the various areas of our lives with the will of God. Only those things of God which are aligned with his plan for our individual lives, will fit correctly and make us whole.

  • Watermelon Seed Targets – Cut different size holes in the top of a watermelon and place it on the ground at some distance from the youth. Youth must toss watermelon seeds into the holes in the top of the watermelon for points depending on the hole they get it in. You’ll want to cut the holes deep enough to catch a seed, but not deep enough to expose the inner red flesh of the watermelon so that you can cut it open and eat it later.
    • Why did you choose your target?
    • Some people chose the smaller holes because they were worth more. Others chose the larger holes because they were an easier target.
    • When it comes down to real life, do you choose your targets based on value or upon which is easier?
    • What are your targets in the Christian life? Are they easy? Why do you value these targets?

TAKE IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL

MAKE IT SPIRITUAL

The Bible says in Galatians 6:7-9 that we will reap what we sow. So if we plant good things then that is what we will reap. But if we plant bad things then that is what we will reap. What things are you planting in your life? Those are the things that you will reap. I hope that you all reap many good things in your life because you choose to plant the right things. Inside a single watermelon are hundreds of seeds, each with the potential to grow a watermelon plant which can produce several more watermelons each containing hundreds of seeds.

MAKE IT PRACTICAL

Read Matthew 13:3-23

  • What are the four types of soil mentioned and the results of seeds sown?
  • Again list the four types of soil, but this time explain what each represents.
  • Why do some people choose not to listen?
  • Why do some people not want to see?
  • What is the main problem with the rocky soil?
  • What happens when trouble or persecution comes? What are some of the troubles and persecutions that youth may face?
  • Of the troubles and persecutions you listed, which ones do you have the most difficult time dealing with?
  • In what ways can a person sink roots deeper in order to be better able to withstand trouble and persecutions?
  • What are some of the worries of life?
  • How can worries and the pursuit of wealth and materialism choke out the spiritual life?
  • Of the worries listed, which ones cause you to lose focus in your relationship with God?
  • What are the priorities in your life at the moment?
  • Are you prepared to hear what God wants to teach you? What are some things he might want you to hear during these studies?
  • Are you really trying to understand what God’s Word is saying and how it affects your daily life? What are some things God might want you to understand this week?
  • Are you willing to act, to make changes, to live a life of obedience to God’s Word that will be fruitful? In what areas of your life might God be calling you to obedience? In what areas are you not living as a Christian should?
  • What can be done to make the first three soils good soil?

MAKE IT PERSONAL

  • What soil are you and what do you need to do to become good soil?
  • What heart changes do you need to make to allow God to plant his Word in your life?
  • Are there some areas of your life that have become hardened like the path soil? Ask God to help you break through that hardness and to soften your heart.
  • Are your spiritual roots too shallow to withstand the persecutions and troubles? Make a commitment to sink your roots deeper by spending time with God.
  • Are the worries and daily activities of your life taking away from God as your first priority? Ask God to give you the faith and commitment to keep him first.
  • Ask God to make you good soil. If you’ve never accepted Christ, ask him into your heart. He wants you to have a life that is vibrant and fruitful. If God is already in your heart, ask him to make you more fruitful. Pray for a specific area of your life where you would like to be more fruitful, more obedient.

SCRIPTURE

  • Matthew 13:3-8 – “Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop•a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”
  • Matthew 3:18-23 – “Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”
  • Matthew 9:36-37 – “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.’ “

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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…

Creative Teaching Ideas, Game Ideas

God Says

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This learning game is a great way to introduce the concept of obedience to God. It can also be used for famous Biblical personalities (See the list at the end) that practiced hearing God and obedience to Him.

What to Do

  1. Tell the youth that they must only obey you if you first say the words “Simon says.”
  2. If they follow an order that doesn’t begin with “Simon says,” or if they fail to do what Simon SAYS to do they will be eliminated from the game. Remember, they have to do what “Simon” says, NOT what “Simon” does.
  3. Start with something simple like, “Simon says, put your hands on your head.” Put your hands on your head to demonstrate what you are asking them to do. Once you have given the instruction, take note of those who who did not follow the instruction and eliminate them from the game.
  4. Continue to give instructions, prefacing them with “Simon says” and eliminating those who fail to follow the instructions. “Thumbs Up” “Thumbs down” Shout out a phrase. Be sure to include a lot of funny and silly things to get everyone laughing.
  5. Mix things up by also saying things like, “Raise your right hand,” without the preface “Simon says.” Eliminate the youth who raise their hands.
  6. Continue to play, randomly choosing to give instructions with and without prefacing them with “Simon Says” and eliminating players until only one person is left. This is the winner.

You can play a second, more challenging round by:

  1. Giving the instructions quickly and keep the pace moving fast.
  2. Giving instructions in a quick series.
  3. Use phrases like “Do this” while making the motions you want copied. Other examples include “And This”, “Put it down”, “Put it back”, etc. Many of the youth will simply copy your gestures and be eliminated from the game.
  4. Relax and give simple instructions once in a while that seem as if they are not commands but instructions for how to play the game: “Relax”, “Straighten up your line”, “If you are having fun in this game, raise your hand”, etc. Some of the youth will let down their guard and be eliminated from the game.
  5. You can also call players by name and ask them to do simple tasks like “Move back a step”, “Get me a pencil” etc. You can point to a youth and tell them to tell you their name again, and other similar phrases.
  6. Or, you can simply follow this script:
    • “Ok everyone stand up. I thought you said you knew how to play Simon Says! I thought you were ready! Ok I’ll give you one more chance.
    • Simon says Stand up. That was slow! Sit back down.
    • Simon says touch your nose. Simon says rub your belly.
    • Simon says spin around in a circle. Ok you can stop.
    • Simon says stop.
    • Simon says touch your head, Simon says touch your mouth, Simon says touch your shoulders, Simon says touch your ears, Simon says touch your hips, touch your knees.
    • Simon says touch your knees (while touching head), Simon says touch your hips (while touching ears), Simon says touch your nose (while touching knees), Simon says touch your ears (while touching shoulders), Simon says touch your hips, touch your head.
    • Ok all those who are still in the game, give yourselves a big hand!”

Take It to the Next Level

Discussion

How many of you found this simple game to be an unexpected challenge?
What was it that made it hard to follow instructions?
To those who were eliminated early:

  • Was the game as easy as you thought it would be?
  • Did you have trouble understanding the rules?
  • Did you think the game was fair?

To the last remaining few:

  • Did all of you get so far by REALLY following the instructions? (Some may have actually been eliminated but didn’t own up to their mistakes)
  • Were you called out by others on the mistakes you made but didn’t own up to?
  • How did it feel to be so close to winning, but failing in the end?

To the winner:

  • What did you do to stay on till the end?
  • What was your winning strategy?
  • What’s your advice to everyone else?

Make it Spiritual

Many times, we find it a struggle to listen to instructions. Or we misunderstand what instructions are given to us. There are times when we’re distracted by things going on around us, we see what other people around us are doing and blindly followed along. Some times we don’t follow the instructions exactly but pretend to. We think no one’s going to notice.

Ultimately, when instructions aren’t followed exactly, we end up getting eliminated. To follow instructions only once or at the beginning is not enough. You have to keep following the instructions. To not follow God’s instructions can also eliminate us from Him being able to use us. To obey Him only once is not enough. We must be in a constant state of obedience. We can fool everyone around us, but we can’t fool God.

In the New Testament, obedience is not used with commands, laws, or decrees, but in reference to a person. Obedience is to God, to Moses, to prophets, to Paul, to parents, etc.

Make it Practical

  • What areas do youth find it most difficult to obey?
  • What areas of obedience do youth question most often?
  • Why is obedience often difficult?
  • Why are some things easy to obey yet others are so difficult?
  • What can a person do if they have disobeyed to make things right?

Make it Personal

  • What are some areas where you find it easy to obey God? Difficult?
  • What types of commands do you tend to question?
  • What things do you hesitate to obey?
  • What areas of disobedience do you often make excuses for?
  • What is one area of your life you can submit to God and live in greater obedience to Him? The solution is not to focus on the law, the rule, the commandment, but to focus on the person. Obedience is always to a person. What truths do you know about God that will make it easier for you to obey him in the area of your life you have chosen to submit to him?

Scripture References

  • Deuteronomy 11:13 – “if you listen obediently to MY commandments”
  • I Samuel 15:22 – “to obey is better than sacrifice”
  • Hebrews 5:9 – “He became to all who obey Him the source of salvation”
  • I Peter 1:2 – “that you may obey Jesus Christ”
  • I Peter 1:14 – “As obedient children…be holy”
  • I Peter 1:22 – “you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls”

Other references to obedience:

  • Acts 5:29
  • 1 Samuel 15:22
  • Romans 6:16
  • 2 Corinthians 10:5

Biblical Personalities who were are known for their obedience

  • Abraham – Genesis 12:4 22:2,3
  • Abram (Abraham)- Genesis 12:1-4; Hebrews 11:8; Genesis 22:3,12
  • Asa – 1 Kings 15:11
  • Bezaleel – Exodus 36:1; Numbers 9:23
  • Caleb – Numbers 32:12
  • Christ – Hebrews 5:8, 10:9; Philippians 2:8, Romans 5:19, John 14:31; 15:10; 15:20; Matthew 3:15
  • Daniel – Daniel 1-6
  • David – Psalm 119:106, 1 Samuel 17
  • Elijah – 1 Kings 17:5
  • Hezekiah – 2 Kings 18:6; Ezra 7:23; Psalm 27:8
  • Israelites – Exodus 12:28; 24:7
  • Joseph and Mary – Luke 1:26-38; 2:39; Acts 16:10; Matthew 1:24
  • Joshua – A man known for his military strategy was asked by God to to march around Jericho for seven days beating on pots and blowing horns rather that use his miliatry might. – Joshua 11:15
  • Josiah – 2 Kings 22:2
  • Moses – A desert nomad who could not speak was asked by God to appear before Pharaoh, a leader of powerful civilization and to demand that the Israelites be set free.
  • Naaman – 2 Kings 5
  • Nehemiah – Was sked by God to supplies to rebuild Jerusalem from a pagan Babylonian king.
  • Noah – Asked by God to build a huge boat and was ridiculed by men for doing so. – Genesis 6:22
  • Paul – Acts 26:19; Romans 16:19
  • Saints of Rome – Romans 16:19
  • Wise men – Matthew 2:12
  • Zacharias – Luke 1:6
  • Zerubbabel – Haggai 1:12

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