ELEMENTARY gskidz Curriculum MAY 27 ARMOR OF GOD 5 Week Series on Ephesians 6 AGENDA TIME AGENDA ITEM WHO MEDIA 35 Large Group 30 Active Labs 5 Large Group * OVERVIEW * God s Word makes it clear that there is a battle going on and we need to be ready. Who are we fighting? The Bible calls it a battle against the powers of this dark word. A soldier would never enter the battlefield without protection and neither do we. God has given us everything we need to protect ourselves and to attach our enemy, the devil. It s the Armor of God! You can read about it in Ephesians 6:10-17. We have victory through God! He has given us everything we need to face anything that comes our way, but we must put on the armor. SERIES VERSE: EPHESIANS 6:10-11 (NIV) Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil s schemes WEEKLY VALUES: Week 1 May 27 Victory comes when I speak the Belt of Truth & Breastplate Truth and do what s right of righteousness Week 2 June 3 Victory comes when I walk in peace Shoes of Peace Week 3 June 10 Victory comes when I live by faith Shield of faith Week 4 June 17 Victory comes when I think like Christ Helmet of Salvation Week 5 June 24 Victory comes when I read God s Word Sword of the Spirit THIS WEEK S SCRIPTURE MEMORY VERSE: EPHESIANS 6:10-11 (NIV) Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil s schemes
LARGE GROUP MAY 27 ARMOR OF GOD SERIES VERSE: Ephesians 6:10-11 WEEKLY VERSE: Ephesians 6:10-11 VALUE: Victory comes when I speak the Truth and do what s right ARMOR: Belt of Truth & Breastplate of Righteousness WEEKLY VERSE EPHESIANS 6:10-11 (NIV) Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil s schemes WEEK ONE: BELT OF TRUTH & BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS INTRO: LARGE GROUP GAME (DIVIDE INTO GRADES) Would you rather? (Game: Kids discuss in groups with their Active Lab leaders) At the end of game hand EVERY child a penny to give in the offering OFFERING VOTING BUCKETS WORSHIP BIBLE STORY VIDEO SKIT Belt & Breastplate LESSON Ephesians Overview Verse & Leaders Battle Armor Teaching Object Lesson Application Teaching Value (With motions)
The book of Ephesians was written by the Apostle Paul while he was a prisoner in Rome. Ephesians was written to the Christians who were living in Ephesus. Paul wrote to them to encourage them in their faith. Paul wrote about how blessed Christians are because of what Jesus did for them. In this letter, he warned that there is a fierce battle that Christians have to fight. This battle isn t like any other battle because this battle is not fought against people. Rather, this battle is against spiritual forces in this dark world DARK WORLD ILLUSTRATION WITH FLASHLIGHTS GOING OUT A belt is a pretty great invention. The belt was invented to do pretty important things keep your pants up, keep you looking fashionable, etc. Many, many years ago it was common for military men to wear wide belts for decoration as part of their uniform They would wear wide belts really tight so that it would keep all of their armor close to them. The belt would also help to hold and support their weapons. When Paul is writing about armor, he uses the belt to talk about TRUTH. He did this because the belt was used to wrap tightly around the soldier and keep his weapons and armor tied closely and securely around him. By wrapping yourself in truth, you are able to protect yourself from the lies and deceit of the enemy. You know what is good and true, and that is what you need to keep close to you. This is very important because the Bible tells us there is NO truth in the devil. He is full of lies (John 8:44). He will try to use these lies to trick and deceive you. This is what Paul is talking about when he says to put on God s Armor to protect yourself against the devil s schemes (Ephesians 6:11). By wearing the Belt of Truth, you are protected from his lies and instead know God s Truth. A breastplate is a crucial and important piece of armor for a soldier. The breastplate is worn over the chest and protects the heart. If a solider is hit or struck in the heart, many times he will die. The breastplate was one of the most important pieces in a soldier s armor because it protects the heart the life and heartbeat of the solider. In the Armor of God, it is very important to realize why the breastplate is called the BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS. It is because we need to live with a heart that wants to please God and do what is RIGHT. It is so important to keep our heart protected. There are many things in life that will try to get into your heart to trick you and cause you harm. The things you look at, listen to, and surround yourself with can be either positive or negative for your heart. By wearing God s Armor, He helps each of us to protect our heart so that we are only letting in what is good and pure
ACTIVE LABS MAY 27 ARMOR OF GOD SERIES VERSE: Ephesians 6:10-11 WEEKLY VERSE: Ephesians 6:10-11 VALUE: Victory comes when I speak the Truth and do what s right ARMOR: Belt of Truth & Breastplate of Righteousness WELCOME & PRAYER (2 min) (Have one child pray for the day/class) SMART STAMPS (3 min) - SCRIPTURE MEMORY (1 STAMP) - SMART JOURNAL (UP TO 5 STAMPS) WHILE YOU ARE WORKING ON SMART JOURNALS AND SCRIPTURE MEMORY - There will be an COLORING page the kids can occupy themselves with while you re giving out SMART STAMPS *NEW ACTIVE LAB STRUCTURE gskidz has adopted this NEW L.A.B.S. classroom structure. This structure will help with a consistent weekly experience, as well as, provide our kids with an hands out approach to learning LABS (ACRONYM) L. LEARN Learn God s Word A. APPLY Apply God s Word B. BREAK OUT Experience God s Word S. SPEAK Speak to God through Prayer
L. LEARN Learn God s Word (12 min) REPEAT AFTER ME OUR VALUE FOR THIS WEEK: VICTORY COMES WHEN I SPEAK THE TRUTH AND DO WHAT S RIGHT Say: In order to speak the truth you must know the truth Let s play a trivia game and see what TRUTH you know!! (You ll find your Trivia Game Questions on your leader s table) o Have the children line up single file or go from child to child asking questions the goal is for all the kids to answer the questions and participate Ask: Where are places that you can go to learn truth? - Library? - School? - College? - Church? Ask: What are some things you can read to learn truth? - Bible? - Text Books? - Internet/Google? - Encyclopedia? Say: The only place or thing you can find 100% truth is in the Bible - All other people, books, magazines, websites, will have some truth but not everything you read is true because MAN has wrote it or taught it. - The Bible is 100% true because God wrote the Words - God does not lie and God determined truth, right, and wrong to begin with Say: So in order to protect ourselves in this battle over darkness we must know the TRUTH which can only be found in the Bible - That s why it s so important to come to church - It s so important to memorize our weekly scripture versus - That s why it s so important to read the Bible at home or have mom or dad read it to you - Every time we read AND understand the Bible we tighten the belt of Truth around our waists by one notch at a time ILLUSTRATION: Use the cardboard belt as you say the below teaching every time you learn a truth you get to tighten your belt notch by notch - When you come to gskidz and watch a Bible Story Video you are learning God s TRUTH (Tighten the belt one notch) - When you listen to the Bible Stories or hear the scripture versus, you are learning God s TRUTH (Tighten the belt one more notch) - When you memorize scripture you learn God s TRUTH (Tighten belt another notch) - When you study the 10 commandments, you learn God s TRUTH (Tighten belt) - When you hear about Jesus life, you learn God s TRUTH (Tighten belt again) Say: With every TRUTH you learn the stronger your belt becomes to keep you safe in this Dark World
A. APPLY Apply God s Word (4 min) *Use the backside of the COLORING PAGE and have the children write down (or draw pictures of) things that the Breastplate protects us from - TEACH THE BELOW WHILE THEY WRITE/DRAW Say: The breastplate is called the BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS. - It is because we need to live with a heart that wants to please God and do what is RIGHT. - It is so important to keep our heart protected. - There are many things in life that will try to get into your heart to trick you and cause you harm. - The things you look at, listen to, and surround yourself with can be either positive or negative for your heart. - By wearing God s Armor, He helps each of us to protect our heart so that we are only letting in what is good and pure B. BREAK OUT Experience God s Word (6 min) (Divide the class into groups based on how many leaders you have discuss the below questions) 1. What does it mean to stand up for what is right? 2. Is it always easy to do what is right? Why or why not? 3. Have you ever had a time when you had to stand up for God s Truth? Tell us about it 4. Why is it important to put on the Belt of Truth AND the Breastplate of Righteousness? Why can t we just wear one piece of armor? S. SPEAK Speak to God through Prayer (3 min) Close with prayer request and group prayer