The Armor of God (33.4)

Kindergarten WEEK 1 (June 2-3rd) The Armor of God (33.4) Bible Passage: Ephesians 6:10-19 Main Point: God helps us love Him Key Passage : If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; the new has come (2 Corinthians 5:17) Big Picture Question: Who changes us? God changes us to be like Jesus. Leader Bible Study Paul knew that following Jesus is difficult. After Paul met Jesus on the road to Damascus, his life was turned upside down and he was never the same. Paul spent the rest of his life struggling and suffering to advance the very gospel that he had denied and fought against before his conversion. Paul was in prison when he wrote his letter to the believers at the church in Ephesus. Paul knew firsthand that the life of a believer is a battle an ongoing fight. But Paul didn t see life as a fight against the Romans, those who had thrown him in prison, or those who opposed the gospel. The battle is against evil. At the conclusion of his letter, Paul used a Roman soldier s armor as a picture of how we are to prepare ourselves to fight the battle against evil. Believers are to carry God s truth, righteousness, and peace wherever we go. Likewise, we are to hold fast to our faith, salvation, and the Word of God. When we are fully protected by this armor of God, we are ready for any battle. In addition to wearing the armor of God, Paul called on believers to pray at all times. Paul wanted to remind believers that even with the armor of God, we still need to rely on God to protect us and to win the fight against evil. This week, show your preschoolers all that God has given them to help them fight against evil. Emphasize that God never intends for us to fight in our own power. We are to rely on His power. Be sure to also explain that while life can be difficult and we are to be ready to fight against evil, we can have complete confidence that we will be victorious because, by His death and resurrection, Jesus has already won the war. BEFORE THE SERVICE: Be sure music is playing as kids arrive. Set out today s Activity Page and some crayons at the tables. Review the activities to make sure you re prepared for the day. 1

WELCOME Greet children by name as they arrive, use this time to collect the offering, fill out attendance sheets, and help new kids connect to your group. As kids arrive, ask them about activities they participate in that require protective gear. Say: If we want to ride a bike or a skateboard, it s important to wear pads and a helmet. If we plan to spend time in the sun, we use sunscreen to protect our skin from burning. Today we will learn about the special protective gear God gives us to fight against evil. At 5 minutes after the beginning of service, have them sit at the table to complete today s Activity Page. 1. ACTIVITY PAGE: Protective pairings Invite kids to complete the Protective Pairings activity page. Kids should mark which person needs which piece of protective gear. Say: A catcher without a mask could really get hurt by a baseball. A firefighter without their helmet could get hurt too. Today we will learn about a kind of armor God gives us to protect us from our spiritual enemies and help us fight back. 2. COLLECT THE OFFERING Pass around the offering bag or bucket to collect any offering for today. Say: Why do we collect offering? (Answer: To pass the blessings God has given us back to His church!) LARGE GROUP 1. MUSIC Invite kids to come stand on the carpet and get the worship DVD ready. Choose 3 or 4 songs to sing today. Say: It s time for large group, and first we re going to sing some fun songs together! Hand out instruments if you have them available or be prepared to lead hand motions. Right before you begin the songs, ask the children: Why do we sing to God? (Answer: To honor Him with our worship!) 2. LESSON When they are all seated, lead children to cross their legs and listen as you read the story or as they watch the bible story video. Say: Last week we talked about fruit that wasn t physical fruit that we eat. This week we are talking about armor but it doesn t look as though any of us are wearing armor. The armor of God is not physical armor that we must carry around or wear on our bodies. The armor Paul talks about was his way of communicating the protection God gives believers. Things like righteousness, truth, salvation, and God s peace protect us from the ways our enemies attack. God also gives us His Word, which Paul compares to a sword. The Bible is how we fight back against 2

temptation. In addition to the armor, we can always rely on prayer. Prayer is when we talk to God, and when it comes to fighting spiritual enemies, prayer is like radioing the commander-in-chief to get help. Our enemy is not physical, or made of flesh and blood. Our enemy is the Devil. He cannot take away our salvation, but he wants us to fail at obeying God and to keep us from telling other people about Jesus. Thankfully, God gives us what we need to stand strong against evil. The Armor of God Ephesians 6:10-19 Paul was sitting in prison. Being a Christian was not an easy life. Paul wrote a letter to the people in Ephesus who believed in Jesus because he wanted them to be strong. Paul said that following Jesus is like fighting a battle: good against evil. God gives people who believe in Jesus everything they need to fight against evil. Put on the armor of God, he said. Be ready. Paul said, Truth is like a belt. We know what is true because God tells us about Himself in His Word, the Bible. Paul also said, Righteousness is like armor on your chest. God gives us righteousness when we trust in Jesus. Then Paul said, Be ready with the gospel like sandals on your feet. We must always be ready to tell others the good news about Jesus. Paul said, Take faith with you everywhere you go. Faith is like a shield; it will protect you. The Devil wants us to doubt God or believe what is not true, but God gives us faith to help us trust in Him. Paul added, Salvation is like your helmet, and God s Word is like your sword. A helmet protects your head. We should remember that God has saved us! And God s Word tells us what is true. Finally Paul said, Pray. Pray for God s people, and pray for me. Pray that God will help me when I tell others about Jesus. Christ Connection: Jesus won the war against evil when He died on the cross and rose from the dead. God gives us what we need to be strong against evil. We fight against sin each day, but we know Jesus already won for us. 3. TALK ABOUT THE BIBLE STORY Say: Following Jesus is not easy. We have to fight against sin every day, but we do not fight with our own strength. God makes us strong against evil. God gives people who believe in Jesus everything they need to stand strong. Point to the Bible story picture as you ask the following review questions: From what book did our story come today? (Ephesians) Who wrote the Book of Ephesians? (the apostle Paul) Who is our battle against? (the powers of evil and the Devil) Does being a Christian make life easy? (no) What did Paul compare to a helmet? (salvation) What does the armor of God help us do? (resist evil) Why did Paul write to the believers in Ephesus? (He wanted them to be strong.) What does God give us so we know what is true? (the Bible, God s Word) 3

What should we always be ready to tell others? (the good news about Jesus) What does God give us to help us trust Him? (faith) Who defeated sin when He died on the cross for sinners and rose from the dead? (Jesus) Ask the children if they have any questions about the story or what was just reviewed. 4. KEY PASSAGE. Read the key passage aloud several times. Say: Along with becoming new creations, as our key passage says, we also get new enemies: the Devil and those who oppose God. However, God is much stronger than the Devil, and God gives us the armor and weapons we need to stand firm. If anyone (point to all the friends in the room) is in Christ, (point to the Heaven) he is a new creation (pump both arms up) The old has passed away; (motion your thumb behind your shoulder) the new has come (open arms big) 2 Corinthians 5:17 (open hands like a book) 5. PRAYER REQUEST Say: Why do we pray? (Answer: To open our hearts to God and talk to Him!) Split the children in two groups if more than six. Guide the kids to sit in a circle. Start by discussing what prayer is and why it is important. Say: Prayer just means talking with God. Any time we tell God what we think, feel, want, or are confused about, we are praying. We can ask God for things we want, knowing that He will always do what is right. He may not always give us what we want, but He will always answer our prayers. When we pray with one another and for one another, it helps us stay focused on God and show our friendship and love for one another. God wants us to show friendship and love to one another. Let the kids ask questions about prayer. Then, allow the kids to share prayer requests that they may have. Take time to pray with the kids, lifting up their requests to God. BIBLE STORY ACTIVITIES 1.Make picture prayer books Provide five sheets of paper for each preschooler. Invite preschoolers to draw a picture to complete each sentence below. Guide a preschooler to draw one picture per page. Thank You for... (picture of something you are thankful for). God, help me believe what is true. (picture of you reading the Bible) God, help me to tell others about Jesus. (picture of you telling someone about Jesus) 4

God, help Your people to be strong. (picture of other people) Thank You for Jesus. (picture of Jesus or a cross.) When preschoolers finish their prayer drawings, help them stack their pictures and place a blank sheet of paper on top to serve as a cover. Use a stapler to bind the pages together. Cover the staples with decorative tape. Invite preschoolers to decorate their covers. Say: Paul said, Pray. Pray for God s people, and pray for me. Pray that God will help me when I tell others about Jesus. God makes us strong against evil. We can pray for ourselves and others. We can ask God to help us stand strong, and He will! 2. Armor toss Print each picture of the armor of God using the Armor Toss printable. Place them on the floor as though building a suit of armor. Instruct the kids to line up and take turns tossing a beanbag onto the pieces of armor. Each time a kid lands the beanbag on a piece, say its name aloud. Encourage the kids to say it with you. Say: Today we will learn about these pieces of armor. They are a special kind of armor that God gives us to help us stand firm against anyone who is against God, and fight back against evil. SNACK & PLAYTIME Go around and give each child a little bit of hand sanitizer to clean their hands, then give them each a graham cracker and small cup of water. Once snack is done, have a teacher lead the kids in the game while the other(s) can begin cleaning up the room and set out any take-home papers in the hallway where you or parents can get them easily at pick-up (coloring page, any craft and Big Picture Cards). 1.Perform exercises Lead preschoolers in a simple workout routine. Include exercises such as squats, lunges, toe touches, sit-ups, jumping jacks, planks, and so forth. Assign a certain number of repetitions for each exercise and count for preschoolers as they perform the exercises. Comment on their strength. Say: Exercising helps make our bodies strong. In today s Bible story, Paul wrote a letter to the believers in Ephesus because he wanted them to be strong. But Paul was not talking about physical strength. He was talking about spiritual strength. Paul said that following Jesus is like fighting a battle: good against evil, and God makes us strong against evil. Listen to our Bible story to hear what God gives us for protection. DISMISSAL Greeter should stand just outside the classroom door with the attendance sheet, calling kids to come one at a time. Check that the parent and child tags match and collect them both at the door before allowing the child to leave. If parent lost their security tag, greeter should send parent to the check-in desk for approval (never allow a child to go to a parent unless they have the security tag). 5

As children leave with their parents, remember to say: It was wonderful having you join us today! See you next week! and distribute the preschool lesson cards for families. 6