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Game Ideas, Object Lessons

Paper Airplane Christians

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Paper Airplane Christians
It is impossible to know where and in what form the first paper airplanes were folded and flown. There is evidence to suggest it was Ancient China, or Japan. Paper was certainly available and common. Da Vinci, the Wright brothers and many others are known to have used them to understand the mysteries of flight. In this youth Bible Study, Paper airplanes are used to remind us that we also do not have to be weighed down, but can fly to great heights in our relationship with God.

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What You Need

Rubber bands, paper clips, paper, masking tape, a measuring tape

Games using Paper Airplanes

  • Air Show – Award prizes for the following: longest flight, shortest flight, smoothest takeoff, roughest landing, highest altitude, bumpiest route, biggest loop-the-loop, widest zigzag, and most creative flight pattern, most creative design. Encourage a lot of “oohs” and “aahs” during the performances. You may wish to allow two throws or best of three, depending on time constraints.
  • Target Practice – Set up a series of rings hanging from a strong as targets. Have youth take turns trying to launch their planes so that they pass through the various size rings or hoops for points. The smaller the target the higher the points.
  • Air Race – Stretch several strings across the room, making sure that each of them is tight and will not come loose. Make several small, light airplanes, one for each string and hang each by its nose or tail by means of a hole threaded through the string. The hole should be the size of a paper punch, so that the airplane will move easily along the string (race course) Line up your contestants and at the signal “Go,” each proceeds to blow his airplane across the string and see who can reach the goal line first. Anyone who touches his airplane or the string is automatically disqualified.
  • Pass The Plane – Just like hot potato, you sit the youth in a cirle and give them a paper plane and start the music. When the music stops who ever is holding the plane is out and the game will continue til there is only one youth left.
  • Flight Plan – Create an obstacle course in the room. Obstacles can be a small table that the plane must land on, a door or window it must fly through, chairs and obstacles it must fly around, targets it must hit, things it must fly over, under, or through. Fastest time in the obstacle race wins.
  • Airplane Blitz – Bring a stack of paper and have the youth write their names, and something significant on the paper, like a favorite verse, prayer request, or something they learned at a recent youth event. They can write another one on another piece of paper (or several). Then let them make paper airplanes out of these. Then you need some way to clearly divide the room in half. (The taller the divider the better.) Put half the youth on each side of the divider. Put half the paper airplanes on each side of the divider. Explain that they can only throw ONE plane at a time and they must stop when the leader says “Stop”. On “Go”, they throw the airplanes over the divider as fast as they can. Planes are flying in both directions. When you say “stop”, count the airplanes on each side of the divider. The team with the least number of planes wins. THEN: Have each person pick up an airplane and read the fun fact on each plane while everyone else tries to guess the identity of the person.
  • Largest Paper Airplane contest – Provide butcher paper or newsprint, scissors and masking tape, and one Bible per student. Have the group design a gigantic paper airplane. sharing their paper airplane construction techniques. Have them test out some of their ideas with a normal sheet paper. When the group has decided how to design the giant airplane. have youth fold their huge piece of paper accordingly. Award prizes for the best in various categories.
  • Fewest Throws – Count how many throws it takes to get their paper airplanes across a room and land on a table. Reward the youth with the least amount of throws their airplanes took.
  • Paper Airplane Dodgeball – Play a game of dodgeball using paper airplanes. If a player is hit with a plane, he hands over his plane and is out of the game. Here are some more rules: Airplanes must be thrown. Simply touching your opponent with your airplane is considered a self-destruct and you are out of the game, forfeiting your planes to your opponent. Airplanes cannot be picked up until they stop moving. (They can’t be stopped with your foot, either.)

TAKE IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL

  • Were you focused on trying to achieve a specific award or did you just create a general purpose plane? Why?
  • What were the key characteristics of your design? Why?
  • What were the keys to success for each award category?

MAKE IT SPIRITUAL

  • In what ways are the paper airplanes similar to people? Similar to Christians?

MAKE IT PRACTICAL

  • The Scriptures in Isaiah 40:31 promise us eagle wings as we wait on God. What does that mean?
  • What things keep us spiritually grounded / prevent us from soaring as high as we can as a Christian?
  • What things weigh us down spiritually?
  • How can we lighten our load?
  • What purpose do goals serve in helping us to reach a higher calling in the Christian life?
  • What goals did Paul have in life, what did he aspire to reach in life?
  • What were Christ’s goals?
  • What factors / keys to success make someone a winner in the Christian life?
  • What things can we people to be more successful?
  • When it comes to accuracy, the word “sin” means “to miss the mark” as we all have done. Romans 3:23 says “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” Every one of us has sinned against God and missed the mark of God’s perfection. What are some things that cause us to miss our goal as Christians? How do we recover?

MAKE IT PERSONAL

  • What are your goals in life? As a Christian?
  • Do you have just one goal or many goals? Why?
  • Which goal is most important to you? Why?
  • How are you similar / different in your goals as compared to Paul / Christ?
  • What do you need to change to be more successful as a Christian?

SCRIPTURE

  • Exodus 19:4 – “Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself.”
  • Isaiah 40:31 (NIV) – “but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
  • 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 (NIV) – “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.”
  • Matthew 11:30 – “For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
  • John 8:31-36 (NIV) – “To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?” Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”
  • Ephesians 4:11-14 (NIV) – “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. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.”

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MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

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Game Ideas, Object Lessons

Spiritual Tag

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Spiritual Tag

Our spiritual walk is in many ways like a game of tag. There are three key components to any game of tag: 1) You chase or pursue 2) You flee or run away 3) People get tagged. Spiritually, because of our disobedience to God we are tagged as sinners. And like those in the game we are stuck in our current position and unable to break ourselves free. Only when Jesus frees us are we able to be truly free. Unfortunately, sin often touches our lives again and we find ourselves back in the same condition. Because of this the Bible gives us a number of things we should flee. But at the same time it gives us things we should chase after, things we must pursue. So are you ready for a game of tag?

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Games of Tag

  • Amoeba Tag – Begin with two youth who hold hands and chase the rest of the participants. Any person they catch joins the chain by linking hands to form a bigger circle. When another person is caught the whole group can stay together as one or split into two circles with 2 youth in each circle. Amoeba’s can only split on on even numbers and can link together back together any time. Play the game until no one is left or award the last person as the greatest survivor!
  • Back to Back Tag – Two youth hold join one set of hands and then try to tag any other player using only their free hands. When they tag someone, that person joins onto them by holding hands. You’ll eventually have a long line of youth holding hands with a person on each end with a free hand. Remember, they can only tag someone with the free hands on each end. Players can make themselves safe from being tagged by finding another youth and standing back to back with them. The maximum time they can stand back to back is 10 seconds and then they can be tagged again. The game continues until everyone is tagged.
  • Bandage Tag – When tagged you must cover your “wound” with one of your hands. When you get tagged a second time, you must cover your “wound with your remaining hand. The third time you are tagged, you are out. In another variation, whatever limb is tagged becomes numb and you cannot use it and must keep it straight. If you ran out of forearms, shoulders, and legs, you have to lie there, until someone tags you and then you are completely out of the game. Variation: Two other people come over to a person who is injured and “operate.” The two other people need to tag the frozen person at the same time and count to five and the other person is fully healed.
  • Bump Tag – Have each youth buddy up with a partner and spread out in pairs. One person is it and another is the runner. While being chased, the runner can go up to another pair of buddies, and “bump” one person by grabbing an arm on either side of the pair who is holding hands. The other buddy then is released from that pair, and becomes the new person being chased. If the person who is IT tags the RUNNER, they immediately switch roles, and the original runner now tries to catch the original “it.”
  • Bumper Tag – You can play any variation of tag, but instead of tagging other youth with your hands, you must tag with your hips. Only a small bump is allowed to avoid injuries.
  • Cooperation Tag – In this variation of tag, whoever is it, chases people and tries to tag them. But a person is safe from being tagged if they are holding a special object (one or more rubber chickens or some other unusual object works great!) if anyone is tagged and is not holding the special object they become it and the game continues.
  • Cyclops tag – Everyone has to play tag with one hand covering an eye.
  • Dead Ant – When someone is tagged, that youth must lay down with both hands and feet sticking straight up, like a dead ant. But the youth can bring a dead ant back to life by have four people each taggin one of the outstretched limbs. Once someone has been a dead ant 3 times they become “it”. It is possible to have multiple people become “it” which adds another dimension to the game because it becomes confusing who you need to run from.
  • Dragons Tail – Split the youth into teams of six to eight persons who will form a dragon by hanging on to the waist of the person in front of them. The object of the game is for the head on one dragon who has his.her hands free to tag the tail of another dragon. The rest of the people in the team try to protect the tail without letting go of the person’s waist in front of them. If a dragon breaks they are out. if a tail is tagged that team is out.
  • Everybody’s it – Proclaim, “everybody’s it!” in an open space and the participants begin trying to tag others, while avoiding getting tagged. If someone is tagged they must sit down where they are. Once sitting down, they can extend their arms and try to tag those left running around. If they manage to do so they can join back in the game. If two person’s tag another person at the same time, they both must sit down.
  • Freeze Tag – This common game of tag, forces a person to freeze in place, when tagged. Other people who are not frozen can unfreeze a person by tagging them.
  • Giants, Wizards and Elves – Split the youth group up into 2 teams. You will also need a safe area for each team with a no man’s zone in the middle. Each team huddles up and picks what they want to be as a team, a giant, a wizard or an elf. Giants put their hands up over their heads making them taller, wizards put their hands our straight in front of them wiggling their fingers, and elves make pointy ears on their head with their pointer fingers. One a team has decided, they line up face to face with the other team in the middle area, then on a count of 3, everyone does whatever action their team picked. Giants beat elves, elves beat wizards and wizards beat giants. The winning team chases the other and tries to tag as many members on the other team as possible before they reach the safety zone. Anyone who is tagged becomes a part of the other team until everyone is on one team.
  • Heads and Tails – Make a Giant coin from a frisbee, paper plane or garbage can lid. mark it so that it is clear which side is heads and which side is tails. This is played like Giants Wizards and Elves but one team is heads and the other is tails. Whoever wins the toss chases the other team to tag them.
  • Hug Tag – This is your classic tag game with one exception, people are only safe if they are hugging someone else. You can only remain in a hugged position for 5 seconds.
  • Loose Caboose – Split the class into teams of 3 or 4 youth. Select 1-3 players to each be a “Loose Caboose.” (these players will be playing as individuals and do not have a team at the start of the game). The teams of four form a train by placing their hands on the hips of the player in front of them. On the signal, each “Loose Caboose” will attempt to run and latch on the back of another train (the trains are trying to keep this from happening). If a “Loose Caboose” is successful in latching on to a train, the engine (front person) must leave the train and become the new “Loose Caboose” and attempt to join onto a new train. You can play this game for a given time period and not worry about winners.
  • Meltdown Tag – Whenever a youth is tagged, they must begin to “melt down” by slowly lowering themselves to the ground over the time period of ten seconds. If they are touched by another player before they reach the ground they are free. If they melt all the way to the ground then they become another “it”. Play continues until only one person is left.
  • Secret Tag – Call three youth to the front and whisper a position in the ear of each person. One person is “It”, another is “normal”, and another person is “the doctor” who can rescue those who are tagged to put them back into the game.
  • Slow Motion Tag – Ask each player in the group to find their own personal space within the boundary area. Make sure there is enough room so no one is able to take one step towards someone and tag them. Every time you call out “step” every player moves ONE of their feet in any direction they want. The objective here is to tag other players any where below the neck. When tagged, you must sit down right where you are to become an “ankle biter.” Ankle biters can only tag others below the knee. Play down to the last two players.
  • Toilet Tag – When someone is tagged, they must squat down to form the “toilet” and hold one hand out to the side, like the “handle”. To get back into the game, someone must “flush” the frozen person and make a loud “Woooooosh” sound.
  • Triangle Tag – Begin with groups of four to five people in small groups and one person alone who is “it.” Within each group one person is chosen to be in the center and the others hold hands and form a circle around the chosen one. When play begins, the person who is “it” will try to identify and tag the person inside a circle. The other players will twist and turn to try to protect the person in the middle from being tagged. The circle must always remain intact. If the protected person gets tagged, everyone changes groups and the tagged person becomes it.
  • Tunnel Tag – Whenever someone gets tagged, they become frozen until someone, who has not been tagged, crawls through their legs.
  • Watch-Your-Back – The object of the game is to tag as many people as you can without getting tagged yourself. When tagged drop one knee and freeze. But if the youth who tagged you gets tagged you can get up and start tagging again.

TAKE IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL

There are three key components to any game of tag:

  1. You chase or pursue
  2. You flee or run away
  3. People get tagged

MAKE IT SPIRITUAL

In life, we may sometimes be pursued or chased and at other times we may be doing the pursuing.

  • What are some things that we pursue in life?
  • What are some things we flee?
  • What are some things that we get tagged with?

Verses

  • In 2 Timothy 2:22 we read “Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”
  • 1 Timothy 6:9-11 – “Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.”

Tagged – In many tag games, once you are tagged you are either out of the game or stuck until someone frees you. As God’s creation we’ve also been tagged – not by a person, but by our actions. Because of our disobedience to God we are tagged as sinners. And like those in the game we are stuck in our current position and unable to break ourselves free from the oppressions in our lives. Only when Jesus frees us are we able to be truly free. Unfortunately, sin often touches our lives again and we find ourselves back in the same condition. Jesus says, “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:31-36) True freedom comes from being set free by Jesus Christ. True freedom is freedom to be myself as God made me and meant me to be. This freedom comes only when we completely surrender ourselves to Jesus and invite Him to be our Lord and Master of our life.

  • I John 5:8 – “We know that no one who is born of God sins; but He who was born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him.”

Flee – In tag games, you must flee. In these games we flee from someone who is “it”. James 4:7 says “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” So when we pursue God and resist the devil we need not flee. In fact he will flee from us. But the scriptures are also full of things we should flee from so we are not touched again by sin.

Here are some of the things the Bible says we should flee

  • Fornication (1 Corinthians 6:18)
  • Idolatry (1 Corinthians 10:14)
  • Love of money (Mammon) (1 Timothy 6:11)
  • Youthful lusts (2 Timothy 2:22)
  • All appearances of evil (I Thessalonians 5:22 TLB)

Pursue – Another aspect of tag, is that when you are chosen to be it, you must chase after others. Scripture also gives us some things we should pursue.

Here are some of the things the Bible says we should pursue.

  • Love – 1 Corinthians 14:1
  • Peace – 1 Peter 3:11; Psalms 34:14
  • Righteousness, piety, faith, love, endurance, meekness – 1 Timothy 6:11
  • Righteousness, faith, love, and peace – 2 Timothy 2:22
  • Peace, Holiness – Hebrews 12:14
  • Prize – Philippians 3:12-14
  • Righteousness – Proverbs 15:9; Romans 9:30-32; Isaiah 51:1
  • Peace, Things that build others up – Romans 14:19
  • To Know God – Hosea 6:3

MAKE IT PRACTICAL

  • Which of those things we are told to pursue do people find difficult? Why?
  • What stops people from pursuing these things of God?
  • When you think about your relationship with God – faith, endurance, righteousness, piety and holiness, how do you think you measure up?

MAKE IT PERSONAL

  • What are you currently pursuing?
  • How can you direct that pursuit in a way that is honoring to God?
  • In what areas does your life – thoughts, attitudes, actions – need improvement?

SCRIPTURE

  • “Pursue love, yet desire earnestly spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy.” – 1 Corinthians 14:1 (NASB)
  • “They must turn from evil and do good; they must seek peace and pursue it.” – 1 Peter 3:11 (NIV)
  • “But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.” – 1 Timothy 6:11 (NIV)
  • “Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” – 2 Timothy 2:22
  • “Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord.” – Hebrews 12:14 (NASB)
  • “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 3:12-14 (NIV)
  • “What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; but the people of Israel, who pursued the law as the way of righteousness, have not attained their goal. Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone.” – Romans 9:30-32 (NIV)
  • “So then we pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another.” – Romans 14:19 (NASB)
  • “Let us know, Let us pursue the knowledge of the Lord. His going forth is established as the morning; He will come to us like the rain, Like the latter and former rain to the earth.” – Hosea 6:3 (NKJV)

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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.

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Creative Teaching Ideas, Game Ideas, Object Lessons

All Wrapped up? – Sin Easily Entangles

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This idea centers around toilet paper. All you need to do is show a few rolls to youth and the giggles will start. But sin is no laughing matter. While at first it seems innocent and not a threat, it quickly binds us and hinders us, preventing us from doing and being all that God has planned for us.

What You Need

  • Lots of toilet paper

Games using Toilet Paper

  • Diaper Derby – Divide the youth into guys vs girls and give each group 1-2 rolls of toilet paper. Each group must then use all the toilet paper to create a mock diaper on someone on their team. First team to finish wins.
  • Marble Run – Using the left over toilet paper tubes, teams must connect them together and let a marble roll through the entire length without dropping it. (You can add rolls from wrapping paper, paper towels, etc to make it even longer.
  • Mummy Wrap – Create groups with three youth each in each group. Give each group two rolls of toilet paper. Two people wrap up (like a mummy) the third person in the group. The object of the game is to see who can wrap up their “mummy” the quickest with the entire rolls of toilet paper.
  • Over and Under – Relay teams must pass the end of a toilet roll between the first person’s legs and then over the next person’s shoulder. When they get to the end of the line they reverse direction to the opposite end of the line again until the toilet paper gets to the front. If the toilet paper breaks they must start over again from the beginning.
  • Roll drop – Be the first to hold an empty toilet paper tube six inches above a table and drop it so it lands upright and remains standing on one end. The secret: Hold the tube horizontally before you drop it.
  • Stuffed – Each team receives the same number of rolls of toilet paper. At your signal, the teams must completely unroll the toilet paper and stuff it into the shirt of someone on their team. First team to completely unroll and stuff the toilet paper wins.
  • Take What You Need – As youth arrive, offer a roll of toilet paper and ask each to take as much as they think they will need. If they ask, just say you are running a bit low on toilet paper and want to make sure everyone has what they need. Once everyone has arrive, sit everyone in a circle and ask them to share one fun fact about themselves for each sheet of toilet paper. Variation: Each youth must says one positive thing about themselves for each sheet of paper.
  • Toilet Paper Blow – Teams of youth compete to see how long they can keep one square of toilet paper in the air by blowing it.
  • Toilet Paper Dodge Ball – Take the core out of several rolls of toilet paper and then use them to play a game of dodgeball. If you get hit you must sit down and are out of the game. But if a roll of toilet paper happens to roll within reach, you can pick it up and join the game again.
  • Toilet Paper Fight – The objective of this game is to have the least toilet paper on your side at the end of the game. Give each team several rolls of toilet paper, count down, and then let the toilet paper fly for 30-60 seconds. Part Two: First team to have their side entirely cleaned up wins.
  • Toilet Paper Rollers – You need two broom sticks and 4-6 rolls of toilet paper. You will need 3-4 people to hold the poles. Pick two teams of 2-3 kids, usually boys against girls. Place rolls of toilet paper (ready to unroll) on broomsticks, (one per player) and on the command “go” they begin to unroll the toilet paper. First team to have all rolls completely empty wins.
  • Toilet Paper Tag – Each youth sticks a length of toilet paper in a back pocket or the waste of their pants. It should hang down at least to the person’s knee. On go, players try to yank the toilet paper from each other’s waste. Last person to lose the toilet paper wins.
  • Toilet Paper wrapper – Each team of youth (4-8 persons) is given two rolls of toilet paper and must stand in a circle next to each other and facing outwards (i.e. their backs are to each other). The person with the paper has to wrap the first roll around his or her waist a couple of times so that it stays in place. Then, without breaking the paper it must be passed to the next person on the right in the circle who does the same thing. If the toilet paper breaks, the youth must hold the broken ends against themselves and wrap the paper around his or her waste so that it covers this break and holds the wrapping in place, and then continue. There’s a good chance that at least one player will accidentally drop the roll of paper. It’s up to them how they decide to recover it, but they have to ensure that the wrapping of the whole team doesn’t break. The winning team is the first to hold up the two empty rolls with the paper wrapped around themselves.
  • Toilet Tissue Measurements – Measure various items in the youth room using sheets of toilet paper (i.e. 6 1/2 squares). Make a list of items along with their measurements. Later, give the youth a list of the measurements along with a roll of toilet paper. The youth must then, in a given time, identify as many objects as possible by their measurements in sheets of toilet paper.
  • Unrolled – Each player needs two assistants and a pole or broom. Place two rolls of toilet paper on each poll. Have the assistants hold each end of of the limbo pole. Using just their hands the players must unroll both rolls of toilet paper. The first player that is finished with both rolls wins!
  • Unroll and Re-roll Race – Teams compete to unroll a roll of toilet paper and then re-roll it again. They must not break the roll of paper. If a roll does break, they must use masking tape to reattach it. Variation: They must use their nose to unroll and roll the toilet paper.

TAKE IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL

Take a roll of toilet paper and roll it around a person’s two outstretched fingers of one hand. Use the whole roll of toilet paper. Then ask them to separate their fingers and break the toilet paper roll. For most youth, if you have wrapped them good and tight, they will not be able to do so.

MAKE IT SPIRITUAL

Explain that this is similar to what happens when we get tempted and sin. At first it seems very light and easy to break free from so we don’t think we’re in danger. But as we get wrapped up in it deeper over time it becomes increasingly more difficult to break free and becomes more and more of a hindrance. Other sins, like a piece of rope can bind us and hinder us almost immediately which prevents us from doing what God wants us to do. In either case, we are soon caught and can’t free ourselves.

Read 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”

MAKE IT PRACTICAL

  • What are some of the sins that easily entangle us?
  • How can we break free from the various sins and temptations mentioned?

1 Corinthians 10:13 – “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”

Romans 10:9 – “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.””

1 Thessalonians 5:23 – “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.”

MAKE IT PERSONAL

  • What are the temptations and sins that easily entangle you?
  • How can you break free from them?
  • How could God use you more effectively this week if you were less hindered by sin and temptation?

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE VERSES

James 1: 13-15 – “When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.”

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…

Devotional

Bible Lessons from the Olympics: Blind Focus – Im Dong-Hyun

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The athletic feats of the Olympics continue to astound us. The excellent displays of speed, strength, agility, and determination continue to inspire us. But there are few who are as amazing and inspirational as the less-than-perfect Olympians. We thought we’ve seen it all. A leg-less runner pretty much topped the list. Until we heard of a blind archer. Read on…

Blind Focus

 

On 27 July 2012 at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London a new world record score of 699 in archery was set. World records are broken all the time at the Olympics. But what makes this world record unique is that it was set by someone who is legally blind – Im Dong-Hyun from South Korea.

He has only 10 percent of normal vision in his left eye and slightly more at 20 percent in his right which makes him legally blind. In competition, he refuses to wear corrective lenses while shooting, because they make him uncomfortable. Instead he relies on his muscle memory and a slight difference in color in his blurred vision. At 70 meters, he sees only a blurred yellow blob, but says he has grown used to seeing the target that way. Dong-Hyun describes what he sees as being similar to different colored paints being dropped in water. The colors are not very distinct and the boundaries between them are blurred.

In spite of his less than perfect vision, he more than proved his ability to hit his target. Dong-Hyun’s sight may be impaired, but his vision is crystal clear – to win the gold at the Olympics.

Take it to the Next Level

 

The great men of faith in the Bible didn’t have perfect vision either; far from it. They were blinded and misled by lust, fear, greed, pride and jealousy. They were murderers, thieves, liars, adulterers, vengeful and power-hungry. They were pretty much as bad as the next person. Interestingly, the word “Sin” is actually a term from archery. When it says in Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” it means to “miss the mark,” to miss the target. Like these great men of faith, we were given one shot and we all missed by a mile.

We fell short of God’s plan for our lives, we missed the target, we sinned. But can draw inspiration from Dong-Hyun who overcame his physical imperfection to win his prize. He was blind but he didn’t let his condition control his destiny. Though it certainly took courage and perseverance, what I believe are two keys to his success are:
1. Focus – He doesn’t focus on his limitations, but on his target.
2. Reliance – he relies on the feel of the bow, a steady hand, and past experience.

Focus

Like Dong-Hyun, we can choose to overcome our spiritual imperfection. As Paul said in Philippians 3:13-14, to forget what is behind and strain toward what is ahead. If we want to lay hold of all that God as in store for us, we need to shift our focus away from our sinful “disability” and focus on God’s supernatural ability.

But what made these men of faith great, what set them apart from the rest was their focus on God. Their sights were set on Him. Like them we must keep focused on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith and act, trusting that God will guide us to His intended target for our lives.

Reliance

In our attempt to live godly lives, we often depend on our own strength. We tend to rationalize, depend on conventional wisdom, try it on our own for a while and when everything falls apart, God becomes our “Plan B”. Dong-Hyun could have used corrective lenses. That would have been the logical, smart thing to do to overcome his “disability”. He might even have done better. But would his life have been as much of an inspiration if he did? We often wonder why God places limitations on us. Why do we still have to deal with sin even though Christ won us the ultimate victory, why do we still struggle with it?

God certainly isn’t a fan of doing things the conventional way. If He did, none of us would ever make the cut. We’re not perfect, we’re not the best of the best of the best. The irony is God very often chooses the weak, humble, and foolish things to show His glory through them. After all, if God always chose the “perfect people,” others would just as easily attribute their successes to their natural ability; nothing to do with what God has done.

So even though these men of faith led seriously messed up lives, once they trusted God enough to make Him the center, the bulls-eye of their lives, they accomplished amazing things. “However, as it is written: ‘No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him'” 1 Corinthians 2:9 (NIV)

Scriptures Verses for Youth Bible Study

1 Corinthians 2:9 (NIV)
“However, as it is written: ‘No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him'”

Phil 3:13-14 (NIV)
“Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

Romans 3:23 (NIV)
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

Questions for Youth Discussion

  • Have you ever seen those circus sideshows where they try to hit a target blindfolded? How do you believe they do it?
  • Have you ever tried shooting at targets yourself? Basketball? Golf? Soccer? Archery? The rubbish bin? How good are you at hitting the target?
  • Why is it that God allows us to struggle with sin?
  • What are some common struggles that youth face? Christians in general?
  • What famous personalities do you know about that have had some pretty serious struggles?What was their story? Was it a triumph or defeat? Who did they turn to for help? What are some things they learned through their experiences?
  • Who are some of the Bible personalities who had some serious struggles? What were their stories? Was it a triumph or defeat? Who did they turn to for help? What are some things they learned through their experiences?

Application to the Lives of Youth

  • What are some struggles you have faced personally?
  • Who did you depend on in the midst of your struggle?
  • Did you overcome your struggles? Or are you still working through them?
  • Will you do anything differently, knowing what you’ve learned today?

If we’re willing to say, “God I know I’m not perfect but here I am, with all my imperfections, ready and available to allow you to work through me;” if we’re willing to make God our focus and depend on Him, willing to see beyond our past and fix our eyes on Jesus, the arrow of our lives will fly surely enough to hit God’s intended target and destiny for us. And we’ll leave our mark and legacy on the pages of history.

Get "Go for the Gold" Youth Bible Study SeriesGo 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.
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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.
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Teaching Illustrations

The Cure

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The day is over, you are driving home. You tune in your radio. You hear a little blurb about a little village in India where some villagers have died suddenly, strangely, of a flu that has never been seen before. It's not influenza, but three or four fellows are dead, and it's kind of interesting, and they're sending some doctors over there to investigate it.

You don't think much about it, but on Sunday, coming home from church, you hear another radio spot. Only they say it's not three villagers, it's30,000 villagers in the back hills of this particular area of India, and it's on TV that night. CNN runs a little blurb; people are heading there from the disease center in Atlanta because this disease strain has never been seen before.

By Monday morning when you get up, it's the lead story. For it's not just India; it's Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, and before you know it, you're hearing this story everywhere and they have coined it now as "the mystery flu". The President has made some comment that he and everyone are praying and hoping that all will go well over there. But everyone is wondering, "How are we going to contain it?"

That's when the President of France makes an announcement that shocks Europe. He is closing their borders. No flights from India, Pakistan, or any of the countries where this thing has been seen.

And that's why that night you are watching a little bit of CNN before going to bed. Your jaw hits your chest when a weeping woman is translated from a French news program into English: "There's a man lying in a hospital in Paris dying of the mystery flu." It has come to Europe. Panic strikes. As best they can tell, once you get it, you have it for a week and you don't know it. Then you have four days of unbelievable symptoms. And then you die.

Britain closes it's borders, but it's too late. South Hampton, Liverpool, North Hampton, and it's Tuesday morning when the President of the United States makes the following announcement: "Due to a national security risk, all flights to and from Europe and Asia have been canceled. If your loved ones are overseas, I'm sorry. They cannot come back until we find a cure for this thing."

Within four days our nation has been plunged into an unbelievable fear. People are selling little masks for your face. People are talking about what if it comes to this country, and preachers on Tuesday are saying, "It's the scourge of God."

It's Wednesday night and you are at a church prayer meeting when somebody runs in from the parking lot and says, "Turn on a radio, turn on a radio." And while the church listens to a little transistor radio with a microphone placed close to it, the announcement is made. "Two women are lying in a Long Island hospital dying from the mystery flu." Within hours it seems, this thing just sweeps across the country. People are working around the clock trying to find an antidote. Nothing is working. California. Oregon. Arizona. Florida .Massachusetts. It's as though it's just sweeping in from the borders.

And then, all of a sudden the news comes out. The code has been broken. A cure can be found. A vaccine can be made. It's going to take the blood of somebody who hasn't been infected, and so, sure enough, all through the Midwest, through all those channels of emergency broadcasting, everyone is asked to do one simple thing: "Go to your downtown hospital and have your blood type taken. That's all we ask of you. And when you hear the sirens go off in your neighborhood, please make your way quickly, quietly, and safely to the hospitals."

Sure enough, when you and your family get down there late on that Friday night, there is a long line, and they've got nurses and doctors coming out and pricking fingers and taking blood and putting labels on it. Your wife and your kids are out there, and they take your blood type and they say, "Wait here in the parking lot and if we call your name, you can be dismissed and go home."

You stand around scared with your neighbors, wondering what in the world is going on, and that this is the end of the world. Suddenly a young man comes running out of the hospital screaming. He's yelling a name and waving a clipboard. What? He yells it again! And your son tugs on your jacket and says, "Daddy, that's me."

Before you know it, they have grabbed your boy. "Wait a minute, hold it!"

And they say, "It's okay, his blood is clean. His blood is pure. We want to make sure he doesn't have the disease. We think he has got the right type."

Five tense minutes later, out come the doctors and nurses, crying and hugging one another — some are even laughing. It's the first time you have seen anybody laugh in a week, and an old doctor walks up to you and says, "Thank you, sir. Your son's blood type is perfect. It's clean, it is pure, and we can make the vaccine." As the word begins to spread all across that parking lot full of folks, people are screaming and praying and laughing and crying.

But then the gray-haired doctor pulls you and you wife aside and says, "May we see you for a moment? We didn't realize that the donor would be a minor and we need … we need you to sign a consent form."

You begin to sign and then you see that the number of pints of blood to be taken is empty. "H-h-h-how many pints?"

And that is when the old doctor's smile fades and he says, " We had no idea it would be a little child. We weren't prepared. We need it all!"

"But … but …."

"You don't understand. We are talking about the world here. Please sign. We — we need it all — we need it all!"

"But can't you give him a transfusion?"

"If we had clean blood we would."

Can you sign? Would you sign? In numb silence you do. Then they say, "Would you like to have a moment with him before we begin?" Can you walk back? Can you walk back to that room where he sits on a table saying, "Daddy? Mommy? What's going on?"

Can you take his hands and say, "Son, your mommy and I love you, and we would never ever let anything happen to you that didn't just have to be. Do you understand that?"

And when that old doctor comes back in and says, "I'm sorry, we've — we've got to get started. People all over the world are dying."

Can you leave? Can you walk out while he is saying, "Dad? Mom? Dad? Why? Why have you forsaken me?"

And then next week, when they have the ceremony to honor your son, and some folks sleep through it, and some folks don't even come because they go to the lake, and some folks come with a pretentious smile and just pretend to care. Would you want to jump up and say, "MY SON DIED! DON'T YOU CARE?

Is that what God wants to say? "MY SON DIED. DON'T YOU KNOW HOW MUCHI CARE?"

"Father, seeing it from your eyes breaks our hearts. Maybe now we can begin to comprehend the great love you have for us. Amen."


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Icebreakers

I Never

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Materials
Enough sturdy chairs for all participants to sit in a circle

Icebreaker Description
In this high energy icebreaker, youth learn a lot of fun facts about each other pertaining to the things that they have never done.

Preparation
Place enough chairs in a circle to have one chair for each person then remove one chair.

Icebreaker Activity

  1. Choose one person to be “it” and stand in the center of the circle.
  2. The person in the middle of the circle names something they have never done. (e.g. “I have never… been water skiing.”)
  3. Then, anyone who has done the thing that was mentioned has to get out of his/her chair and find another empty chair to sit in. They may NOT sit in the same seat. Whoever is “It” tries to grab one of the empty chairs during the chaos.
  4. Whoever is left without a chair become “it” and must stand in the middle of the circle. They then state something they have never done and try to get a chair.
  5. If a person has been in the center of the circle at least 3 times and can’t think of anything they’ve never done, they can “holler train wreck.” EVERYONE has to move on this one. Don’t let them call this out too many times or you loose all the fun of it.

Variation
If a person ends up in the center of the circle three times, they must perform a forfeit for the group. This forfeit could be to dance, to sing, to tell a clean joke, etc.

Caution
Be careful to not allow youth to name things that might be an embarrassment to others.

Optional Debrief

  • What are some of the things that Christians should do, but most never do? Why?
  • What are some things that you fail to do in your own Christian walk even though you know you should do them?
  • Have you ever found yourself doing something that you promised yourself you would never do?

Conclusion
Traditionally there are two types of sin: Sins of Commission and Sins of Omission. Sins of commission are the things that we do that are wrong. Whenever we break one of the commandments or do anything that the Bible forbids it is a sin of commission. Sins of Omission are those things we know we should do, but fail to do. Scripture puts it this way: “Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins” (James 4:17).

Application Point
What is something you haven’t been doing in your Christian walk, that you will commit to start doing this week?

Scripture
James 4:17

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