lesson snapshot · back in bible times, there was no such thing as a radio. they didn’t have...

BOTTOM LINE: Prayer is our greatest weapon.

OBJECTIVE: Kids will commit to praying every day.

KEY PASSAGE: Acts 12:1-16, Peter’s Escape From Prison

MEMORY VERSE: “So put on all of God’s armor. Evil days will come. But you will be able to stand up to anything. And after you have done everything you can, you will still be standing.” Ephesians 6:13 (NIrV)

SUMMARY: Our greatest weapon is the ability to turn to God and rely on Him to help us. Prayer is a like a horn used to call for help in battle or let everyone know when it is time to attack.

SIMPLE PRAYER: Dear God,

Teach us to pray every day!

In Jesus’ name, Amen

LESSON SNAPSHOT

ARMOR OF GOD: PRAYER

“Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.” Ephesians 6:13 (NIV)

“So put on all of God’s armor. Evil days will come. But you will be able to stand up to anything. And after you have done everything you can, you will still be standing.” Ephesians 6:13 (NIrV)

LARGE GROUP: Choose three kids from the audience. Have each one “sing” the memory verse in a different musical style - country, hip-hop, oldies, opera, etc.

SMALL GROUP: Read the memory verse aloud for each kid. Each time you do, leave out one word. See if the kids can tell you what word you left out.

MEMORY VERSE


SKIT


THE HORN

ITEMS NEEDED: Medieval costumesAll the pieces of armor for the Armor of God

CHARACTER BREAKDOWN: 2M

CHARACTERS: Sir Wayne - A KnightRoger - An armor bearer

Roger is working in his workshop. The Armor is broken up and set about the stage, as if in various stages of completion. Sir Wayne enters wearing the belt, the breastplate, helmet, and shoes. He carries his shield and sword.

WAYNE: Armor Bearer!

ROGER: Sir Wayne! This is an unexpected pleasure. To what do I owe the honor?

WAYNE: The king is sending us into battle. The kingdom is under siege.

ROGER: No! Don’t tell me the clowns are back.

WAYNE: It’s worse, Armor Bearer. The one foe we always feared has finally come.

ROGER: You don’t mean…

WAYNE: Yes… an army of Armored Bears!

ROGER: Well, Sir Wayne, I am glad I have well-armored soldiers like you to defend us.

WAYNE: Armor Bearer, I know your armor is strong and will protect me, but I need something more.

ROGER: More, Sir Wayne?

SKIT


WAYNE: Suppose I get separated from my troops? Supposed I am wounded? Or one of my fellow soldiers is wounded? What can we do to call for help?

ROGER: Ah, I see the problem.

WAYNE: It’s a shame we don’t have something that will let us talk to command. You know, we can talk while we walk. Or walk while we talk. Walking, talking. Hey that could be the name for it. Walking Talking.

ROGER: Or a walkie talkie?

WAYNE: No, I like my version better.

ROGER: I think you’ll find this can do the trick.

Roger hands Wayne a horn.

WAYNE: A horn? I want to call for help, not blow some cool bebop jazz.

ROGER: Sir Wayne, you blow into this horn once, every soldier for miles will come running.

WAYNE: Really?

ROGER: Yes, sir. Why the only better thing to do in that circumstance would be to pray to God.

WAYNE: Believe me, with Armored Bears, I will be talking to God a lot!

ROGER: Good. Praying to God is the best weapon we have against trouble. When we call God’s name, he races to our side.

WAYNE: Like my fellow soldiers will when I blow this horn!

ROGER: Exactly.

WAYNE: Armor Bearer, you’ve outdone yourself. Remind me to give you a raise.

ROGER: That’s a promise. Now go beat those bears.

WAYNE: Come on, men, we’ve got a war to win!

ITEMS NEEDED: A pair of walkie talkies

If possible, deliver this message from a nearby room via walkie talkie. Have an adult leader hold up a walkie talkie while another reads the lesson from another room over the radio.

Kids, do you know that before walkie talkies became popular kids toys, they were vital equipment for our troops? Our soldiers rely on good communication when they go into danger. They need to be able to call for help at a second’s notice if they run into trouble. That’s why they always carry radios and walkie talkies, giving them that vital link back to home base.

We don’t need a walkie talkie to call on God for help. All we need to do is pray. God will hear our prayers, and he will race to our rescue.

Whatever challenges you face this week, know that God is just a prayer away. If you have a problem in school, pray. If you have a problem with sin, pray. If you feel alone and just need to know you are loved, pray. God will be there. God will answer. God will come to the rescue.

OBJECT LESSON OR KIDS SERMON


WIN LOSE OR DRAW

ITEMS NEEDED: A large drawing pad or chalkboardMarkers or chalk

INSTRUCTIONS: Choose two teams of two for this game. Send one team out of the room. Pick one player to draw and one to guess. Each team will have to draw the exact same thing: a saxophone. Time the players and see how long it takes for them to correctly guess the picture.

Clear the board or drawing pad and bring in the other team. See if the second team can beat the first team’s time.

VARIATION: An alternate game would be to have two people draw different pictures for the audience. See who can help the audience guess their picture the quickest.

WHAT’S THE POINT? When we need help, we can call on God in prayer.

LARGE GROUP GAME


WIN LOSE OR DRAW

ITEMS NEEDED: A large drawing pad or chalkboardMarkers or chalk

INSTRUCTIONS: Choose two teams of two for this game. Send one team out of the room. Pick one player to draw and one to guess. Each team will have to draw the exact same thing: a saxophone. Time the players and see how long it takes for them to correctly guess the picture.

Clear the board or drawing pad and bring in the other team. See if the second team can beat the first team’s time.

VARIATION: An alternate game would be to have two people draw different pictures for the audience. See who can help the audience guess their picture the quickest.

WHAT’S THE POINT? When we need help, we can call on God in prayer.

LARGE GROUP GAME


LARGE GROUP LESSON


BOTTOM LINE: Prayer is our greatest weapon.

OBJECTIVE: Kids will commit to praying every day.

KEY PASSAGE: Acts 12:1-16, Peter’s Escape From Prison

INTRO:During the last six weeks, we’ve covered the six parts of the Armor of God. Let’s review them, shall we?

See if the kids can give you the six pieces of armor that have already been taught.

There’s one thing more a soldier needs if he’s going into battle: communication. Communication is absolutely critical to the success of any military force. In today’s world, no soldier, no pilot, no ship, no tank, no airplane ever goes into combat without some way to communicate back to base. Even the blackest of black operations teams have some means of communicating if they get into trouble so that someone can send a rescue or additional troops should that be necessary.

Communication can be by radio. It can happen in written form. It can be encoded so that the enemy can’t read your messages. Today’s military has some of the most advanced and sophisticated methods of communicating ever devised. But it wasn’t always that way.

Back in Bible times, there was no such thing as a radio. They didn’t have wi-fi, bluetooth, Internet, telephone, Morse code, or anything that advanced. There were two ways to communicate. One was by messenger, riding through enemy lines on a horse. The other was with a horn.

The horn was a soldier’s last hope in an emergency. The horn was used when a messenger wouldn’t get through fast enough. When soldiers hear a horn sounding in battle they know someone’s in trouble. You better get there fast, or there won’t be anyone left to rescue.

LARGE GROUP LESSON


In today’s Bible story, Peter was in just such a predicament. The former disciple of Jesus turned apostle was sitting behind bars, probably headed for his execution. Then Peter’s fellow believers sounded the horn. They got on their knees, and they prayed to the One they knew could rescue Peter.

READ ACTS 12:1-16

MAIN POINT: Things were starting to get bad for the early church. The rulers of the day saw the early Christians as a minor nuisance at first, but the more people placed their trust in Jesus, the more dangerous Herod and the religious leaders thought the Christians were. James, the brother of John, had already lost his life, and more would soon follow. Even Peter would one day die for his faith.

But not on this occasion! The believers called on Jesus and asked Him to spare Peter. They knew that Peter’s only hope was for God to intervene, and that’s exactly what happened. God sent an angel to rescue Peter and send him back to his friends.

Prayer works. It is the ultimate weapon against any challenge. When you need help, when someone you love needs help, get on your knees. Sound the horn, and say a prayer!

DRIVE IT HOME:It’s sad to say that many people today don’t believe in the power of prayer. They mock Christians for sending “thoughts and prayers” when tragedy happens. They think we are only fooling ourselves, talking to the ceiling. They think no one is listening.

Ask anyone who has walked with the Lord all their lives and they will tell you, someone IS listening. God hears the prayers of his people. He hears when we cry out for help. He hears when we pray for those who have been hurt or injured by tragedy. God wants us to call to him whenever we or anyone we know is in distress. God will hear, and God will answer.

Paul didn’t tell us to pick up the “horn of prayer” in Ephesians, but he concluded his lesson on the armor of God with an urgent plea to pray:

READ EPHESIANS 6:18-20

Pray on all occasions. Pray for yourselves. Pray for each other. Pray for your leaders and teachers. Pray for our country, and for all those who are suffering, here and around the world.

A good soldier knows where his horn is. When trouble comes, he sounds the horn.

LARGE GROUP LESSON


In today’s Bible story, Peter was in just such a predicament. The former disciple of Jesus turned apostle was sitting behind bars, probably headed for his execution. Then Peter’s fellow believers sounded the horn. They got on their knees, and they prayed to the One they knew could rescue Peter.

READ ACTS 12:1-16

MAIN POINT: Things were starting to get bad for the early church. The rulers of the day saw the early Christians as a minor nuisance at first, but the more people placed their trust in Jesus, the more dangerous Herod and the religious leaders thought the Christians were. James, the brother of John, had already lost his life, and more would soon follow. Even Peter would one day die for his faith.

But not on this occasion! The believers called on Jesus and asked Him to spare Peter. They knew that Peter’s only hope was for God to intervene, and that’s exactly what happened. God sent an angel to rescue Peter and send him back to his friends.

Prayer works. It is the ultimate weapon against any challenge. When you need help, when someone you love needs help, get on your knees. Sound the horn, and say a prayer!

DRIVE IT HOME:It’s sad to say that many people today don’t believe in the power of prayer. They mock Christians for sending “thoughts and prayers” when tragedy happens. They think we are only fooling ourselves, talking to the ceiling. They think no one is listening.

Ask anyone who has walked with the Lord all their lives and they will tell you, someone IS listening. God hears the prayers of his people. He hears when we cry out for help. He hears when we pray for those who have been hurt or injured by tragedy. God wants us to call to him whenever we or anyone we know is in distress. God will hear, and God will answer.

Paul didn’t tell us to pick up the “horn of prayer” in Ephesians, but he concluded his lesson on the armor of God with an urgent plea to pray:

READ EPHESIANS 6:18-20

Pray on all occasions. Pray for yourselves. Pray for each other. Pray for your leaders and teachers. Pray for our country, and for all those who are suffering, here and around the world.

A good soldier knows where his horn is. When trouble comes, he sounds the horn.

LARGE GROUP LESSON


Prayer is the ultimate weapon against the challenges we face in our lives. Let’s commit ourselves to being prayer warriors, and let’s pray constantly. God is waiting to hear from us. Time to get on our knees and fight.

CLOSE WITH A SIMPLE PRAYER:Dear God,

Teach us to pray every day!


ICEBREAKER:If you had a walkie talkie, what would your code name be?

MEMORY VERSE ACTIVITY:Ephesians 6:13Read the memory verse aloud for each kid. Each time you do, leave out one word. See if the kids can tell you what word you left out.

SMALL GROUP GAME/ACTIVITY:Play the telephone game with the students. You as the leader start the message with something silly or fun like "Paul paints pickles purple, but Bill blows blue bubbles." After the message has had a chance to go around the room talk about how much easier it is to communicate with God who always hears us.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:Read Acts 12:1-16

Why was Peter arrested?

What do you think Herod planned to do with Peter?

What did the believers do?

How did God rescue Peter?

Will you commit to spending some time each day this week in prayer?

SIMPLE PRAYER:Dear God,

Hear our prayers and save us!


SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION (K-2ND)




SMALL GROUP GAME/ACTIVITY:Bring in a pair of walkie talkies. Give one to one student, and keep the other with the group. Send the student with the walkie talkie and a few others out of the room, and see how far away you can get without losing signal.


Why was Peter arrested?


What did the believers do?






SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION (K-2ND)




SMALL GROUP GAME/ACTIVITY:Play the telephone game with the students. You as the leader start the message with something silly or fun like "Paul paints pickles purple, but Bill blows blue bubbles." After the message has had a chance to go around the room talk about how much easier it is to communicate with God who always hears us.



Why did the believers pray for Peter?


Is there something happening in your life that needs prayer?





SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION (3-5TH)


Q & A

Who had James the son of John put to death? HEROD

Which former disciple was thrown in jail? PETER

What did the other believers do for Peter? THEY PRAYED FOR HIM

Whom did God send to rescue Peter? AN ANGEL

What should we do when we need help this week? PRAY!

POWERPOINT REVIEW GAME


5 Simple Ways You Can Make This Lesson Stick With your Kids

Armor of God Lesson 7

THIS WEEK’S LESSON: PRAYER


IN THE CAR:Ask your child what they learned about this week on the drive home:Our greatest weapon is the ability to turn to God and rely on Him to help us. Prayer is a like a horn used to call for help in battle or let everyone know when it is time to attack. Acts 12:1-16, Peter’s Escape From Prison

HANGING OUT:Make this week’s lesson real:Review your phone numbers and contact info with the kids. Ask them why it’s important for them to know how to reach someone in an emergency. Ask them how they can reach God when they need him.

AT DINNER:Here are some great discussion starters:- What is the “horn” that goes with the Armor of God?- How was Peter saved by prayer?- Have you made time to pray today?

AT BEDTIME:Quiz your child on this week’s memory verse: “So put on all of God’s armor. Evil days will come. But you will be able to stand up to anything. And after you have done everything you can, you will still be standing.” Ephesians 6:13 (NIrV)

PARENT TIME:What you need to know:There is no horn listed in the Armor of God, but Ephesians 6:18-20 urges us to pray constantly. No soldier would ever go into battle without some means of emergency communication, and prayer is our way of communicating with God. Prayer is the ultimate weapon in our spiritual struggles here on Earth.

CUT O

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ASH

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“So put on all of God’s arm

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ill be able to stand up to anything. And after

you have done everything you can, you will still be

standing.” - Ephesians 6:13 (NIrV

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At the end of this series, students will have made not only a set of armor, but assembled their armor on a “soldier.”

For week seven, create a template for the horn that the kids will cut out for their soldier. Have the kids trace and cut out their horn and write “prayer” on them. Let them color and decorate the horn as they see fit.

Save the armor and the soldiers together with each child’s name. They will add to this each week. Go ahead and pre-cut soldiers and other armor pieces for kids who may miss this week or succeeding weeks so everyone can assemble a full armor of God.

CRAFT ACTIVITY


At the end of this series, students will have made not only a set of armor, but assembled their armor on a “soldier.”

For week seven, create a template for the horn that the kids will cut out for their soldier. Have the kids trace and cut out their horn and write “prayer” on them. Let them color and decorate the horn as they see it. You can also use the included template.

Save the soldiers together with each child’s name. They will add to this each week. Go ahead and pre-cut soldiers and other armor pieces for kids who may miss this week or succeeding weeks so everyone can assemble the full armor of God.

CRAFT ACTIVITY


SALVATION

SPIRIT

RIGHTEOUSNESS

FAITH

PRA

YER

PEA

CE

TRUTH

ARMOR OF GOD

lesson snapshot · back in bible times, there was no such thing as a radio. they didn’t have...

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