Wise Man Foolish Man Demonstration Matthew 7:24-27

Before reading Matthew 7:24-27, let your children put 4 toothpicks in a mound of sand and 4 toothpicks in a mound of playdough.  Take take the cups to the sink and let them spray water on both.  What happens?

These were houses of toothpicks, but each of us are building houses of character.  Character is the good or bad qualities we have such as kindness or unkindness, self-control or impatience, etc.

ALL THE PARTS WORK TOGETHER -- The Body of Christ

Theme: God’s family; the body of Christ

Look at your feet. Would your feet totally by themselves be any good? No! They must be connected to the rest of your body to function properly.
Look at your hands. Would your hands be useful if they were all by themselves? No, they would not!
Is there any part of your body that would be good on its own? No body part would be good on its own, because each part needs all the other parts to form a complete body.
The eyes can blink, but they don’t think. The eyes can see, but they cannot hear. Have you ever stubbed your toe? Though it’s a small part of the body, when a toe hurts, the whole body hurts with it. The different parts work together and make up the whole body.
The family of God, the church, is like a body. Not all people do the same thing, but all are important. One person might be like a foot, taking the gospel to another country. Someone else might be like a hand, helping people in need. There are those who are mouths with the gift of singing. Everyone has different talents, abilities and gifts, but as the family of God works together in one unit, great things can be accomplished for Christ.

Discussion Questions:
1. Who at your church in the body of Christ uses hands to serve? (Greeters, people who prepare food, and teachers who create lessons.)
2. Who at your church in the body of Christ uses their feet to help and serve others? (People use their feet to visit sick people in the hospital; they also use their feet when they walk door-to-door handing out fliers about special events.)
3. Who at your church uses their mouth to serve? (The pastor, teachers, and those who offer words of encouragement to others use their mouths to serve.)

Action Step: Make a list of the talents and abilities you have. Make a plan for using at least one of them this week.

Bible Verse: “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it” (1 Corinthians 12:27).

Suggested Song: “Everybody Has a Body” (Lighthouse album) -- Click on song title to hear a clip.

KNOCK KNOCK Reveletion 3:20 Song

Great song based on Revelation 3:20.  

Click HERE to view.

Paul and Silas Praise God in a Difficult Situation

Acts 16:16-40

Cast:  1 judge, 2 soldiers, Paul, Silas, guard, narrator, person 1 from crowd, person 2 from crowd, crowd.

  

At Rise:  Paul and Silas are standing before the judge, with the crowd of people surrounding them.

Crowd:  Arrest these men!  Arrest these men!

Judge: Order!  Order!

Crowd:  Arrest these men!  Arrest these men!

Judge: What is the charge?

Crowd:  Arrest these men!  Arrest these men!

Judge:  What have they done?

Crowd:  Arrest these men!  Arrest these men!

Person 1 from Crowd:  They are telling people about Jesus.

Person 2 from Crowd:  And they are doing things that are against our Roman law.

Crowd:  Arrest these men!  Arrest these men!

Judge: Hummmmmmmm...

Crowd:  Arrest these men!  Arrest these men!

Judge:  Throw Paul and Silas in jail!

(Soldiers take Paul and Silas to jail.)

Guard:  Who do we have here?

Soldier 1:  Prisoners.

Soldier 2:  Lock them up and see they don't escape.  Do you understand?

Guard:  Yes, sir!  I'll keep them safe.

(Paul and Silas sit against a wall.)

Narrator:  The guard unlocked the big door of the jail, put Saul and Silas in the dark, smelly room with no windows.  Their arms were chained, and the guard put their feet in leg irons locked around their ankles so they couldn’t walk.  He checked the lock on the big door again and then left.  Paul and Silas were left alone completely in the dark.  It was cold and damp -- a horrible place.  Minutes went by.  Hours went by.  Then it was almost midnight.

Paul:  Silas, are you asleep?

Silas:  Are you kidding, Paul?  I’m too cold.

Paul:  I can't sleep either.

Silas:  Are you scared?

Paul:  No.  God never sleeps.  I know He's watching over us.  Let’s pray.  Dear God, we don’t know why we are in this difficult situation but we’re going to trust in You.  Thank you being with us even here in awful place. Amen.

Silas:  I know what else might help.

Paul:  What?

Silas:  Let's sing. 

Paul:  I don't sing very well.

Silas:  That's okay.  God doesn't care how it sounds.  He just likes us to sing praises to Him.

(Paul and Silas silently sing while the narrator speaks.  It is obvious from their expressions they are singing songs of joy and praise.)

Narrator:  So, Paul and Silas began to sing songs of praise to God.  They sang and sang and sang. 

Silas:  WHAT’S THAT?

Paul:  I don't know. 

Silas:  The ground is moving!

Paul:  And look at the prison walls!  They are shaking!

Silas:  It’s an earthquake!  This whole building is going to topple on and we’ll be buried under the rubble.

Paul (standing):  My leg irons just fell off!  I can walk now.

Silas (standing):  My chains are off, too! And our prison cell door is open!

Paul:  Look!  All the doors have opened and all the prisoners are loose!

Narrator:  Somehow the guard had slept through the entire ordeal!  When he awoke and saw the doors swinging on their hinges, he figured all the prisoners had escaped.  He was SO scared!

Paul:  Guard, don’t be afraid!  We’re all here.  No one tried to escape.

Narrator:  Still trembling, the guard ran over to Paul and Silas. 

Guard (with hands on hips):  How did this happen?

Paul:  We prayed and sang praises to our God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.  He caused the earthquake and our chains to fall off.  He’s the One who opened the doors.  He is the Almighty One.  We trust in Jesus.  He hears and answers the prayers of those who believe in Him and call on Him.

Guard:  I want to believe.  What must I do to follow Him?

Silas:  You must ask Him to forgive your sins and come to live in your heart.  Believe on the Lord Jesus and you will be saved.

Narrator:  Paul and Silas told the guard in detail about Jesus and he was SO happy!  The next day the guard was told to release the men from jail.  Paul and Silas learned that even in difficult situations, they could praise God and help others learn about Jesus, too! 

Conclusion:  All cast members sing “What Seems Impossible” from Dancing in the Desert album by Mary Rice Hopkins. 

(Click on song title to hear a clip.)