Armor of TNT Curriculum Updated 9/2018 for 2018-2019 5 Lessons
Overview Title Main Point Passage Game Craft Intro and Belt of Truth We are in a battle, and the armor that we have been given all depends on God s truth Ephesians 6:10-14a Belt of Truth Breastplate and Shoes God s acceptance and love is what gives us stable footing and protection Ephesians 6:14b-15 Breastplate of Righteousness Shield Knowing and trusting God s promises protects us from Satan s lies Ephesians 6:16 Shield of Faith Helmet and Sword We can help others who believe Satan s lies because of the protection God has given us Ephesians 6:17 Sword of Truth Prayer and Relationships We need to rely on God through prayer and build strong relationship with other Christians Ephesians 6:18-20 Prayer Journal
Overview Page Remote Sphere Date Main Campus Date Teacher Snacks (No recipes provided in this series) 10 February 17, 2019 February 24, 2019 13 February 24, 2019 March 3, 2019 17 March 3, 2019 March 10, 2019 20 March 10, 2019 March 17, 2019 23 March 17, 2019 March 24, 2019
Series notes
Series Notes In this series the goal is to build upon each of the previous teachings, showing the students that we are all in this war together, fighting alongside one another. God has equipped us to fight, so we don t need to fear! Resources for this series Teachings Books Online Resources
Feedback We appreciate and take into consideration any feedback on the curriculum leaders are able to provide. Feedback can be given by writing it on a paper and sending it back in the folder or by emailing Caitlin at kleinpastec@xenos.org. When giving feedback, please consider the following items: Other activities, verses, games, crafts, small group questions that could be added to a lesson Other lessons that could be added to a series Things that detract from the quality of a lesson and how to make them better New series that your students would be interested in learning about Note that feedback on a particular teaching should go to the teacher, but feedback on the curriculum should go to Caitlin. Thank you! Discovery Bible Study Some small groups have found it helpful to build community in their classes by asking the following questions first in a small group. Often these will be all a small group gets through in a week. This is actually really good, as they give the kids a chance to build in healthy life-long patterns of fellowship and relating to God. What is one thing you are thankful for? Goal: Build gratitude What is one thing you are worried/concerned about? Goal: Go to God with the things that worry us What is one need in your community (any group of people you are a part of friends, TNT, school, neighborhood, etc.) Goal: Notice needs around us/ministry What is one way that we can help one another with these needs? (Pray, come over and visit, etc.) Goal: Help one another with needs/ministry Did you do the thing you committed to do last week? Goal: Accountability
Lesson
Remote Spheres: February 17, 2019 Lesson 1: Intro & Belt of Teaching Outline Passages Ephesians 6:10-14a 2 Corinthians 4:8-9, John 14:6, Colossians 1:5-6, Colossians 3:16, 1 Peter 5:8 Main Point We are in a spiritual battle, and the armor that we have been given all depends on God s truth Supporting Points God s enemy Satan wants us to doubt God s love and truth in this spiritual battle(1 Peter 5:8, 2 Corinthians 4:8-9) Satan will use: 1. Temptation: attracting us to sin/going against God 2. Accusation: accusing God s character to us i.e. God must be really angry with you 3. Distraction: distracting us from spiritual things and God s truth Satan does this to break down our trust of God God gives us armor to help us. Five are mentioned in this chapter, and two are inferred. Knowing that God has given us so many tools to help join the fight is really encouraging! The belt is what many pieces of armor are linked to. It is the first piece of armor that any Roman soldier would put on. The sword will be attached to the belt and the breastplate is held in place because of the belt. The belt of truth buckled around your waist God has shared His truth with us through Jesus and the Bible (John 4:6, Col. 1:5-6) Putting on the belt of truth means reading the Bible and choosing to listen to and focus on what the Bible tells us about Jesus and what Jesus has given us (Col 3:16) We become vulnerable to attack when we are not reminding ourselves of these things. Antithesis Ignoring that we are in a spiritual battle Looking to things other than God s truth to deal with temptation, accusation and distraction Discussion What types of things might distract us from focusing on God s truth? What kinds of experiences make us doubt God? What does it look like to remind ourselves of what is true? Examples Minecraft: It is super important it is to have armor in Minecraft when you are fighting the mobs (monsters). A good analogy could be for the teacher to compare spiritual warfare to fighting a skeleton, or a creeper with your fists and no armor. You also could try and play the game thinking that there are no monsters but that won t change the fact that they are there and trying to kill you. (Some kid will say, But what if I am playing in peaceful mode? : This life is not in peaceful mode!) Roman Soldier, or any soldier in general Application God s truth give us security and stability in spiritual war. We can choose to put this on. Background The several items of the soldier s armor appear in the order in which they would be put on. Together they comprise the panoplia worn before taking the field. First of all, the belt tied tightly around the waist indicated that the soldier was prepared for action. To slacken the belt was to go off duty. The belt was not an ornament but served an essential purpose. It gathered in the short tunic and helped keep the breastplate in place when the latter was fitted on. From it hung the scabbard in which the sword was sheathed (v. 17). (from NT expositors) In Isaiah 11:5 the Messiah is depicted as wearing the belt of righteousness around his waist and faithfulness as the sash around his body. Here truth (aletheia) is said to be the soldier s belt. It is to be interpreted objectively as the truth of the gospel (Eph 1:13; 4:15), or is it what the psalmist describes as truth in the inward being (Ps 51:6 RSV)? Something of both elements may be combined, if we regard it as the truth that is in Jesus (Eph 4:21) and the fruit of the light (5:9). Because the Christian has accepted the truth of revelation and is now indwelt by the risen Lord, who is himself the truth, his life has truth (or reality) as its basis and he displays the consistency of character that springs from it. Certainly aletheia in this verse is closely linked with 10
Remote Spheres: February 17, 2019 dikaiosyne (righteousness) as elsewhere in Ephesians (4:24; 5:9). (From NT expositors) Small Groups What s the coolest thing you have built or done in Minecraft recently? What is truth? How would you define Truth? Have you heard that we are in a spiritual battle? Why is the belt of truth important? What s it support or hold up? What is the truth in the belt of truth? What are some things that might distract us from remembering who Jesus is and what he did for us? How do you think that we can remind ourselves of to put on the belt of truth? 11
Remote Spheres: February 17, 2019 Belt of Truth Lesson 1: Introduction & Belt of Truth Supplies Sent Felt (6 strips/kid) Sharpies String Supplies in Classroom Stapler Tape Scissors CT # 4th St. 10am 15 Warehouse 10am 20 Warehouse 5:30pm 15 East Side 10:30am 15 West Side 10am 15 Main Campus 10am 45 Main Campus 5:30pm 15 Connection to teaching: We are making the pieces of armor! Instructions 1. Cut a piece of string that will fit around your waist comfortably 2. Cut out six long rectangles of felt 3. On one end of each strip of felt, cut the corners off to create a point at the end of each 4. Write truths of God that you know or have felt comforted by on the strips of felt 5. Staple/tape the strips of felt to the string 6. Put on your belt of truth! 12
Remote Spheres: February 24, 2019 Lesson 2: Breastplate & Teaching Outline Passages Ephesians 6:14b-15 Romans 8:35-39, Ephesians 3:17-19, Ephesians 5:9, Ephesians 2:17, 1 John 4:10 Main Point God s acceptance and love is what gives us stable footing and protection Supporting Points Last week: The belt of truth Breastplate connects to the belt and is held in place by it This week: Breastplate of Righteousness What is righteousness? Righteousness: right-standing; NOT guilty before God. What is putting on the breastplate of righteousness? Knowing and believing that we are accepted, loved, and delighted in by God not based off of what we do but based off of what Jesus has already done for us. Satan wants to convince us that our acceptance by God is based on our performance for him. Makes it easy for him to sever us from this key to our spiritual lives Easy for us to try to earn God s love but we never are told to do that. Shoes of gospel of peace: Trusting that Christ has saved us and forgiven us when we asked for his death to count for us (Eph 2:17) gives us a strong foothold for battle. Roman soldiers wore leather sandals that had cleated soles to help them keep their footing stable during battle, because if they were to fall it was usually a fatal error, costing them their lives. You can t fall down when you re in a fight because if you do you will not be able to defend yourself. Root ourselves in the word and truths about God: gives us stability to be effective in spiritual warfare We need our minds and hearts guarded by Gods peace (Phil 4:6-7): This kind of peace is only available through the good news that Jesus is with us. God is sovereign and faithful. We need to recognize Gods sovereign hand in our lives. Object Lesson Write a bunch of crazy things to do on a list (see examples below) and tell the kids that the only way they can play games after the teaching is if they do everything on the list in 1 minute. After the minute is up explain that they don t actually need to earn playing games, but that we play with they because we love them and want to give them good things. Compare that to how much more God loves us and how we don t need to do good things to earn his love and acceptance. Ideas: write your name on a piece of paper (no paper or pencils provided), do 10 push ups, do 10 jumping jacks, lick the bottom of your elbow, touch your tongue to your nose, high five the lead teacher, find 1 John 3:16 in a Bible and show a leader, make a paper airplane, flip a coin until you get tails 5 times in a row, sing love story by Taylor Swift. Tug of War: Have one team wear only socks, the other wear shoes. Who wins? The team with solid footwear! This is why God compares understanding that we are forgiven for everything we do wrong to shoes. When we forget about that, it becomes very easy for us to get knocked down by lies or guilt. Antithesis Working to prove ourselves to God, feeling like God must think I m pretty awesome because I If we don t have our breastplate of Christ s Righteousness equipped then we will be easily taken out by the lies that Satan tells us and by our own inner desires to try and earn love and acceptance from God and others. Application Choose daily to equip your breastplate and shoes by remembering, believing, and rejoicing that God accepts, loves, and delights in us as much as he does his son Jesus. Background The breastplate (thorax) covered the body from the neck to the thighs. Polybius tells us that it was known as a heartprotector. Usually it was made of bronze but the more affluent officers wore a coat of chain mail. The front piece was strictly the breastplate, but a back piece was commonly worn as well. In Isaiah 59:17 we are told that Yahweh himself put on righteousness like a breastplate (cf. Wisdom 5:18). In this context dikaiosyne ( righteousness ) stands for uprightness and integrity
Remote Spheres: February 24, 2019 of character. But this moral rectitude and reputation for fair dealing results directly from the appropriation of Christ s righteousness (see on Eph 5:9). The Christian s protection is not to be sought in any works of his own but only in what Christ has done for him and in him. (From NT expositors) Once the breastplate has been fitted into position, the soldier puts on his strong army boots or caligae. Josephus described them as shoes thickly studded with sharp nails (War VI.1.8) so as to ensure a good grip. The military successes both of Alexander the Great and of Julius Caesar were due in large measure to their armies being well shod and thus able to undertake long marches at incredible speed over rough terrain. (From NT expositors) The Breastplate was crucial because they protected all the vital organs. They were shirts of chainmail- that were light and flexible for combat, but effective in deflecting both long-distance arrows and close quarter blows with a sword or spear from close combat battles. (ask Gary Kleinpaste for some of his chainmail if you want to see some) Small Groups 1. Have you ever felt like God probably is angry with you or dislikes you? Why? What does the Bible say the truth is? 2. What are some things the Bible says are true about God? About you? What are some situations when these truths might be important to remember? 3. Compare and contrast doing good things to earn approval (God s, parents, teachers) vs. doing them because we know the people in charge care for us and the instructions they give us are for our own good
Remote Spheres: February 24, 2019 Supplies Sent Construction paper Foil/tissue paper String 1 Breastplate outline Stickers Supplies in Classroom Glue sticks Scissors Coloring utensils Hole punch Breastplate Lesson 2: Breastplate & Shoes CT # 4th St. 10am 15 Warehouse 10am 20 Warehouse 5:30pm 15 East Side 10:30am 15 West Side 10am 15 Main Campus 10am 45 Main Campus 5:30pm 15 Connection to teaching: We are making the pieces of armor! Instructions 1. Cut out your breastplate 2. Punch two holes at the top of the breastplate- in the shoulders 3. Cut a string long enough to go around the back of your neck to your chest comfortably 4. Lace your string through the two holes punched out at the top of your breastplate and tie them off. 5. Write Breastplate of Righteousness on the front Decorate it! Use coloring utensils, foil, tissue paper, etc.
Remote Spheres: February 24, 2019
Remote Spheres: March 3, 2019 Main Campus: March 10, 2019 Lesson 3: Shield Teaching Outline Passages Ephesians 6:16 James 4:7, 1 Peter 5:10 Rom 8:1-2, 1 Cor 1:30, 2 Cor 5:17, Gal 2:20, Eph 1:3, Phil 3:9, Col 3:3-4, 1 Cor 12:4-13, Phil 1:6 Main Point Knowing and trusting God s promises protects us from Satan s lies Supporting Points Previous armor pieces Belt: God s truth is what all of our protection hangs on Shoes: God s forgiveness gives us firm footing so we don t fall down Breastplate: Knowing we are accepted, loved, and delighted in by God Shield of faith is made of God s promises to us! (See 3rd list of passages) When we believe lies it s easy for them to obscure Gods love and plan for our lives. We can be confident that this fiery arrow assault won t last forever. It may pass quickly, it may go on for days, or maybe even weeks! But eventually it will pass if you hold up your shield of faith! (James 4:7, 1 Peter 5:10) We need to memorize scripture so that when hard times come we will be able to have our shields ready. (Colossians 3:16, 2 Tim 3:16, Job 23:12) Example Job was pretty good at this Come up with your own personal example from your own walk with God a lie you have fought off with your shield of faith; what scripture was useful and why? Antithesis Accepting every thought that comes into my head as true; believing there is nothing we can do when Satan is telling us lies and we can t have a good defense against them. Application Memorize Scripture Listen to teachings so that you can learn more about God and how much he loves and cares for us Don t be afraid or surprised when hard times come. We need to choose to rely on God and trust him. Background The Roman shield consisted of two layers of wood glued together, covered with linen and hide, and bound with iron. The Roman Shield was large enough (4 by 2 ) to shield the entire body from terrifying fiery arrow assaults. The leather on the shields were soaked in water to catch and extinguish these pitch-dipped flaming arrows. Buteven, a single-handed combatant, found himself sufficiently protected. After the siege of Dyrachium, Sceva counted no less than 220 darts sticking into his shield Only in this instance does Paul discuss the usefulness of a particular piece of armor. With which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one. (v. 16). Small Groups What is your favorite Bible verse? What verses do you have memorized? What was the shield that the Romans had made of? The shield that we have as believers in Christ is different than the Roman shield. What is our shield made of? What do we use the shield given to us for? Do you know any lies that you believe sometimes? Would you be willing to share them with us? (Common lies for 4 th /5 th graders: You don t matter. No one likes you. That particular person thinks you re dumb. What other people think of you matters more than anything else. You stink at and therefore you suck. You don t need non-christian friends. If you have non- Christian friends, they ll think you re crazy/dumb if you talk about God. Homework/practice/friends/family is more important
Remote Spheres: March 3, 2019 Main Campus: March 10, 2019 and easier than following God.* Easier is better. You shouldn t try because if you fail, it will destroy you.) (*Not that these things aren t important, but it is so easy to use them as an excuse never to read the Bible, pray, talk to people about God, etc.) What good things do we have to do to be loved by God? Talk about Job and how he used his shield of faith when he was going through very hard times.
Remote Spheres: March 3, 2019 Main Campus: March 10, 2019 Shield of Faith Lesson 3: Shield Supplies Sent: 1 Paper plate/kid OR cardboard boxes: 1 per 4 kids String Supplies in Classroom: Scissors Tape Stapler Coloring utensils Connection to teaching: We are making the pieces of armor! CT # 4th St. 10am 15 Warehouse 10am 20 Warehouse 5:30pm 15 East Side 10:30am 15 West Side 10am 15 Main Campus 10am 45 Main Campus 5:30pm 15 Instructions: 1. Cut out your shield 2. Write Shield of Faith and decorate it (cut out a cross and glue it on, color, etc.) 3. Punch 2 holes in the shield and run string through to make a handle to hold onto. 4. USE YOUR SHIELD IN SCATTERBALL :-)
Remote Spheres: March 10, 2019 Lesson 4: Helmet & Sword Teaching Outline Passages Ephesians 6:17 1 Thess 5:8, Heb 2:14-15, Rom 8:18, 2 Cor 5:16-18, Matthew 4 Main Point We can know that our salvation is secure and we can use an offensive (as opposed to defensive) spiritual weapon! Supporting Points Previous armor pieces Belt: God s truth is what all of our protection hangs on Shoes: God s forgiveness gives us firm footing so we don t fall down Breastplate: Knowing we are accepted, loved, and delighted in by God Shield: God s promises to us Helmet of Salvation: The absolute guarantee of our entrance into God s eternal kingdom Satan will try to intimidate us a lot of the time with the fear of physical death Jesus conquered death through his own death on the cross. His resurrection guarantees our own physical resurrection if we have asked for his death on the cross to pay for our sins. When we have confidence in what will happen after we die, it helps us see that other hardships are smaller and less important. (2 Cor 5:16-18, Rom. 8:18) Sword of the Spirit: The Christian s only weapon is the Word of God. Paul is calling attention to the spiritual power of God s Word. All of the other pieces of armor are for defense, but the Word of God is a weapon for us to use. We are to use this sword of truth to help others who are being deceived and attacked by Satan. This includes evangelism, encouragement, counseling, instruction or warning We can play a part in breaking Satan s deceptive lies to other people. We can show and tell people about God s truths, shining the light of hope that a relationship with Jesus provides. Example Jesus using scripture to refute Satan in Matthew 4 Antithesis No one knows what s going to happen when we die, and all we can do is take blows from the evil one. God never gave us a weapon to fight back with just armor. Application Our salvation is secure in Jesus Christ and we have a weapon to fight back with! Background The Roman helmet was made of bronze with leather attachments. In Isaiah 59:17 Yahweh wears the helmet of salvation along with the breastplate of righteousness. The Christian shares the divine equipment. Take is really receive or accept (dexasthe). The previous items were laid out for the soldier to pick up. The helmet and sword would be handed him by an attendant or by his armor bearer. The sword referenced here is the short sword called the machaira, which was holstered on the soldier s belt (week 1). It was a devastating weapon for close quarter combat, and soldiers were trained to use it in very specific ways to inflict the most damage to their enemies. Small Groups What is your favorite type of sword from a movie, TV show, or Video Game. Who knew that God gave us a weapon? What is that weapon and how do we use it? What can it be used for? Has anyone ever played this role for you? Using the word of truth to cut away Satan s lies? What are some truths that you know from the Bible?
Remote Spheres: March 10, 2019 When are some good times for you to remember these truths? (In what situations...) Have you ever been afraid of death? How does knowing that God has an amazing place saved for you in heaven help with that? What do you know about heaven? What is it going to be like?
Remote Spheres: March 10, 2019 Supplies Sent: 1 tongue depressor/kid 1 craft stick/kid Aluminum foil Silver duct tape String Gems Supplies in Classroom: None Sword of Truth Lesson 4: Helmet & Sword CT # 4th St. 10am 15 Warehouse 10am 20 Warehouse 5:30pm 15 East Side 10:30am 15 West Side 10am 15 Main Campus 10am 45 Main Campus 5:30pm 15 Connection to teaching: We are making the pieces of armor! Instructions: 1. Take two craft sticks and create a cross- then tape them together to hold the shape of the hilt of your sword 2. Take your foil and wrap it around the long portion of your sword to create the blade. Then tape the foil down. 3. Wrap string around the hilt of the sword creating and X (to make sure it stays together.)
Remote Spheres: March 17, 2019 Lesson 5: Prayer & Rela- Teaching Outline Passages Ephesians 6:18-20 1 Corinthians 12:12, Mark 14:34-38, Colossians 4:2, Romans 8:26 Main Point We need to rely on God through prayer and build strong relationship with other Christians Supporting Points Previous armor pieces Belt: God s truth is what all of our protection hangs on Shoes: God s forgiveness gives us firm footing so we don t fall down Breastplate: Knowing we are accepted, loved, and delighted in by God Shield: God s promises to us Helmet: The absolute guarantee of our entrance into God s eternal kingdom Sword: The Christian s only weapon is the Word of God. Prayer: Depending on God by talking to him Every part of armor that we ve talked about is interwoven with prayer Turning to God for help in prayer is crucial to spiritual warfare (1 Thess 5:17) This includes talking to God, asking Him for things, and thanking Him for what He has given We should be in constant prayer in preparation for our spiritual battles and as we engage our enemy (Mark 14:34-38; Col. 4:2). The Spirit prays for us (Rom. 8:26) and enables us to pray, as He enables us to do everything else. Relationships with others: Building friendships where we regularly talk about God, pray for one another, read the Bible together, and help each other to take up the pieces of armor that God has given us 1 Corinthians 12:12: Paul asks for prayer because he knows without prayer from his friends, Satan will defeat him. We need to be involved with Christian friends who we regularly talk to, pray with, and discuss the word with. You have the opportunity to do this every week in TNT! Cast a Vision God loves us and wants to have a personal relationship with each and everyone one of us. Once we have this relationship we can choose to arm ourselves with the armor of God mentioned in Ephesians 6 and take part in the battle against Satan! Antithesis We can handle things ourselves. We don t need to talk to God, or lean on other people. Application Start praying today. Have you prayed by yourself, with your parents, or in small groups before? Why not try it? Start building spiritual friendships today in small groups Small Groups What are all the pieces of armor mention in Ephesians 6? How does each piece of armor help defend us in this war? (Could be useful to have a piece of paper or white board to write on for this.) What role does prayer play in our lives? How do you feel about it? Who are your close friends? What makes them your friends? Do you want to be a soldier for Christ? Why or why not? Why would you want to play a part in this spiritual war? What are some things we can pray for other believers? What are some things you need prayer for? What can we be praying for you?
Remote Spheres: March 17, 2019 Supplies Sent: Colored construction paper White or lined paper Yarn needles (2-5/class) String Supplies in Classroom: Coloring utensils Hole punch Scissors Prayer Journal Lesson 5: Prayer & Relationships CT # 4th St. 10am 15 Warehouse 10am 20 Warehouse 5:30pm 15 East Side 10:30am 15 West Side 10am 15 Main Campus 10am 45 Main Campus 5:30pm 15 Connection to teaching: We are making the pieces of armor! Instructions: 1. See graphic below for making journal 2. Decorate your journal! Write down some friends prayer requests!