Saturated by the Holy Spirit Children’s Ministry Object Lesson

Here is a great object lesson to illustrate why we need to be filled and saturated by the Holy Spirit.

Supplies Needed: flat sponge, bowl of water

Ephesians 5:18 Do not be drunk with wine. That will ruin you spiritually. But be filled with the Spirit.

The Bible talks a lot about being filled with the Holy Spirit. The word used in this verse for filled means being continually filled. That means being filled, and filled, and filled again. It means to keep being filled with the Holy Spirit.

(show flat sponge) Can anyone tell me what this is? (If the children don’t know, let them know it’s a sponge that has never been wet. It’s called a flat sponge. Talk about how useless this sponge is without water just as the Christian is useless unless he’s filled with the Holy Spirit.

The sponge is hard. God doesn’t want us to have a hard heart toward Him. He wants to fill our hearts with the Holy Spirit.

Ezekiel 36:26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.

This sponge is dry. Without the Holy Spirit filling us, our lives and passion for God can be dry. God wants to fill us with His Holy Spirit so that rivers of living water can flow out of us.

John 7:37-39 On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

This sponge can’t wash or clean anything. Being filled with the Holy Spirit keeps us cleansed from sin.

John 7:38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’

Romans 8:2 Because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.

Object Lesson Experiment:

(Dip the sponge in the bowl of water so it is a little wet. Let the children make observations on how the sponge has changed. It is wetter, bigger, softer, more useful. Dip the sponge again until it gets saturated.)

The more this sponge gets saturated with water, the more useful it is. The more we are filled with the Holy Spirit, the more useful we are to the Kingdom of God.

If I were to leave this wet sponge on the shelf, what would happen to it? It would get dried out and hard again. That’s the way we will get if we don’t continue to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

Are You Hungry? Kidmin Object Lesson Sermon

God wants us to be hungry for the filling of the Holy Spirit.

Hunger Killers:

There are two things that will stop us from being hungry in the natural. These things will also keep us from being hungry for the Holy Spirit.

Sickness: The first thing that keeps you from being hungry is sickness. You don’t feel like eating when you’re sick. Sin is like a spiritual sickness. We can’t get rid of the sickness of sin until we are saved and ask Jesus to forgive us. After we become Christians, we still need to get rid of sin by confessing it to God and asking Him to forgive us.

Snacking: When we fill up on junk food and even healthy snacks before meals, it takes away our hungry so we don’t want to eat. There are also things that we can put before God that fill us up so there’s no room for God. These are spiritual snack foods that keep us from the meal God has prepared.

God Prepares a Meal:

God wants us to be Hungry:

Matt. 5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, because they will be filled.

Appetizer: God gives us an appitizer to all He has for us when we are saved and begin to walk with Him.

Psalm 34:8 Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.

Water: Water is as important to survive spiritually as it is physically. Jesus is the water of Life, and those who come to Him will be filled with the Holy Spirit and never thirst again.

Psalm 42:1-2 As the deer pants for the water brooks, So my soul pants for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God; When shall I come and appear before God?

John 4:14 But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”. (Jesus is the water of life, Holy Spirit)

John 7:37-39 Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.'” But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. (believe on Jesus, Holy Spirit, Joy)

Isaiah 44:3 For I will pour out water on the thirsty land And streams on the dry ground; I will pour out My Spirit on your offspring And My blessing on your descendants. (Holy Spirit, blessings)

Main Course Meal:

Bread: Jesus is the bread of Life. When we spend time with Him, we are eating His bread.

John 6:35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.

Milk: The Bible is the milk of God’s Word. When we drink His Word, we will learn more about Him and mature spiritually.

1 Peter 2:2 Like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation.

Solid Food or Meat: Solid food is for the mature. Babies don’t eat solid food, but when we grow older, we need solid food and meat. Spiritually, this will help us grow and help us discern good and evil. In other words, we will understand what God wants us to do.

Hebrew 5:14 Solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.

Dessert: God wants to fill us with the Holy Spirit. He wants us to worship Him and delight in Him. This is our spiritual dessert.

Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart.

So you need to ask youself, “Are You Hungry?”

The Only One That Can Stop You Object Lesson

Ages: K-6th Grade

Purpose: Children will learn that they are the only ones who can stop God from fulfilling His will for their lives

Scriptures:

LORD of Heaven’s Armies has spoken–who can change his plans? When his hand is raised, who can stop him? Isaiah 14:27 (NLT)

For I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. Philippians 4;13 (NIV)

Supplies:

Shoe box with a lid
Small mirror

Preparation: Place the mirror face up in the shoe box, and close the lid.

Presentation:

Read either Scripture. Tell the students that nothing can stop God plans for you. It doesn’t matter what home they were born in or who their parents are. It doesn’t matter if their smart enough or talented enough to do what God has planned for you. Give examples of some bad things that happen in children’s lives, and talk about how even those things can’t stop God’s plans.
Tell your students about something bad that happened to you and how that didn’t stop God’s plan for you.

Even the devil can’t stop God’s plans for them because God is stronger than the devil. But there is one thing that can stop God’s plans.

Tell the students that you have the image of that one thing. You’ll let each child come up and look in the box if they promise not to tell what they saw. Have each child, one at a time, come up and look in the box.

Ask the students what they saw when they looked in the box. God is more powerful than circumstances, people, and even the devil. But He allows us to choose. He has a plan for our lives. I am the only one that can stop God’s plan for my life, and you are the only one who can stop God’s plan for your life.

Veteran’s Day Lesson – What a Hero Looks Like

On Veteran’s Day, we honor our military heroes who have fought for freedom. These men and women are warriors who fight against evil. Today, I’m going to tell you a story recorded in the Bible about another warrior who became a hero. His name was King David. King David shows us what a hero looks like and how we can become heroes of the faith.

Do what’s right. David was responsible for the sheep in his father’s field before he became a warrior or a king. Even though it was hard work, David took care of the sheep and did what was right when nobody else was looking. What right things can you do when nobody is looking?

Difficulties prepare us for greater challenges. Before David became famous for fighting Goliath, he had some difficult things happen in his life. Once while he was watching the sheep, a bear tried to attack. David killed the bear with his slingshot. Another time, he killed a lion with a slingshot. When David faced Goliath, he was prepared because of the times he had to fight the lion and the bear. When you go through hard times, ask God to help you through them in a way that will prepare you for the future.

Heroes have convictions and beliefs based on God’s Word. David was treated unfairly many times throughout his life. King Saul, the man who was king before David, was jealous of David and tried to kill him many times. David hadn’t done anything wrong, but he had to run for his life. King Saul was unfair to David, but David still treated Saul the way God’s Word said. David showed the king love and respect. When you’re treated unfairly, do you do what God’s Word says and treat people like you want to be treated?

Heroes help others. When David was king, he did what he could to help others. Once he had his men search for his friend’s crippled son so that he could invite him to the palace and treat him like royalty.

Heroes have the courage to repent and fix what they’ve done wrong. David wasn’t perfect. He did some very bad things. He even stole the wife of another man. But when he was confronted, David had the courage to confess his sin and take the consequences.

Heroes are honest even when under pressure. When David was running from King Saul, he found Saul alone in a dark cave. David cut a piece of Saul’s robe. The next morning, David told Saul what he’d done. The king could have killed him, but he was still honest. Saul felt bad and stopped pursuing him because he told the truth. Do you tell the truth even when it is hard.

Heroes resist temptation. David helped a man named Nabal by keeping robbers away from his sheep, but Nabal wouldn’t even give his men food and lodging. David could have attacked Nabal, but he resisted the temptation and left Nabal alone. What temptations do you need to resist?

Heroes do more than required. Heroes honor others by doing more than expected. David honored God by bringing the ark God’s way. He went the extra mile.

We can all become heroes of the faith, but like David, we need God to help us. The most important thing David did to become a hero was to spend time with God and to rely on God.

Equipped For Battle Object Lesson

This is a great object lesson for Veteran’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day or whenever you’re teaching on spiritual warfare.

Equipped For Battle

Supplies Needed: A picture of soldiers similar to this one, Spiritual armor objects or picture.

Next week, we honor our veterans on Veterans Day. These are the men who fought for our freedom.

What is some of the equipment a soldier needs when he goes into battle? Give the children a chance to answer before giving suggestions.

Suggestions: uniform, google for night vision, gas mask, food, water, blankets, backpack, guns, bullets, tanks, jeeps, grenades, etc.

The Bible tells us of another kind of warfare. This warfare is spiritual and every Christian is involved in it. Just as every soldier needs equipment when he goes into battle, we Christians need equipment for spiritual battle.

Ephesians 6:10-18 lists the equipment we need. As you mention each piece of armor, show a picture of it or illustrate it with an object. Here’s a link with a picture you can print.

Belt of Truth: Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. When we put on the belt of truth, we live the truth.

Breastplate of Righteousness: When we ask Jesus to forgive our sins, He makes us right before Him.

Shoes of the Readiness of the Gospel of Peace: When we are ready to do what God says, we’ll have peace of God in our lives.

Shield of Faith: When we place our faith in Jesus, He will protect us against the devil’s lies.

Helmet of Salvation: We need to protect our minds by thinking the way God wants us to think.

Sword of the Spirit: The Sword of the Spirit is the Word of God – the Bible. The Bible defeats our spiritual enemies. That’s why it’s important to learn what it says and to obey it.

Prayer: The last weapon God gives us is prayer. After we’ve put on all of the armor, if we pray, God will fight our battles for us, and we will be fully equipped soldiers ready for spiritual battle.

A Prayer Connection Object Lesson

This object lesson is used in This is War Children’s Church Curriculum that is due to be released from Revival Fire for Kids in March.

Prayer Connection

Items Needed: Toy telephone or cell phone.

I have a friend who lives in another state. This friend and I are very close. I felt really bad when my friend moved away. I still miss her. Sometimes I just want to hear her voice. Other times I want to tell her about something that happened to me. Sometimes I want to ask her what she thinks I should do when I have a problem I can’t solve. I can’t afford to go see my friend every time I want to talk to her. How can I talk to my friend? Give the children a chance to respond. Some of the responses might be phone, internet or letter. I have a phone here. Many times when I want to talk to my friend, I do call her on the phone. We talk for a long time. It’s always good to hear her voice.

When I want to talk to God, I can’t use the phone. I don’t have His number. I can’t contact Him through the internet. I don’t have His E-mail address. I don’t think the post office delivers letters to Heaven. What should I do when I want to talk to God? Give children a chance to respond until they mention prayer. That’s right. When I want to talk to God, I always can when I pray. I can tell Him what is going on in my life. But I can also ask Him to help me know what to do when I have a problem I can’t solve. James 1:5 says “But if any of you needs wisdom, you should ask God for it. God is generous. He enjoys giving to all people, so God will give you wisdom.” If we want to know what to do about a problem, we can ask God for wisdom. He will help us know what to do.

God’s Word – Your GPS Children’s Object Lesson

This object lesson/message is from Revival Fire for Kids curriculum, Building Foundations, available in March. Italics are used for when the teacher speaks.

Supplies needed: GPS, map, Bible

Hold up the Bible. Explain that the Bible is like a GPS for life. It guides us through decisions we make.

Hold up the map. Talk about how when you were young, they didn’t have GPSs. People had to use maps. It was difficult because first you would have to find out where you were on the map. Then you’d have to figure out how to get where you were going. Demonstrate. Sometimes maps didn’t work well because the roads would change or there might be a road that was closed, and the map didn’t show it. Unfold the map and show how difficult it would be to use while driving.

I’m glad we don’t use maps anymore. The GPS is much easier to use.

If you’re lost, you can press “Go Home” and the GPS will guide you every step until you’re home. If you’re spiritually lost, you can turn to John 3:16 or the book of Romans, and the Bible will guide you on how to be saved.

If you don’t know which way to turn, the GPS will let you know when to turn right and when to turn left. If we don’t know which way to turn in life, we can pray and read God’s Word, and it will guide us by giving us wisdom on which way to go.

If there is road construction or congestion up ahead, a GPS will warn the driver. In the same way, God’s Word warns us away from danger.

If we want to go in a certain destination, we plug the address into the GPS. The Bible also has addresses.

The Bible is divided into two major sections. The Old Testament is at the beginning, and the New Testament is at the end. Each section is divided into smaller section with books. In the Bible, an address contains the book of the Bible, the chapter, and the verse. You can find anything using these addresses.

As great as a GPS is, it won’t do you any good unless you turn it on. In the same way, God’s Word won’t guide your life unless you read it and learn what it says.

A GPS plugs into a charger so the battery won’t die. When you read and study God’s Word, you’ll want to plug into a spiritual charger by asking God to help you understand what He is saying in God’s Word and how to apply it to your life.

Fall Themed Fun Sunday

Now that Fall is in the air, it’s the perfect time to have a Fun Sunday centered around Fall.

Theme: Falling for God

Verse: Matthew 16:25 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.

Possible Object Lessons:

Leaves: Talk about how leaves fall to the ground when Autumn comes. They don’t worry about being destroyed. They sacrifice themselves so the tree can survive the winter and the ground can be protected. In the same way, God wants us to fall for Him and not worry about the consequences. When the leaves prepare to fall, they turn colors and become prettier than they were before. When we fall for God, our lives will become more meaningful than they ever were before.

Falling in Love: Many people talk about falling in love. It means they have feeling for another person. But falling in love shouldn’t only be an emotion. When two people fall in love and get married, they make a commitment to be there for each other for the rest of their lives. They sacrifice their individual lives for each other. God wants us to fall in love with Him the same way.

Missionary Talk: This would be a good time to talk about missionaries and what they have sacrificed because of their commitment to God. You can use missionaries you church supports or find something at one of the following sites:

Games and Activities:

Have a hay ride.

Set up carnival games and bouncers.

Leaf Jump: Rake leaves in piles and have children jump in them.

Indoor Activities

Autumn Themed Crafts

Snacks: Fall is a great time for apple cider and roasting hot dogs over a bon fire.

Independence Day Object Lesson – Equipped for Battle

This is a great object lesson for Independence Day or whenever you’re teaching on spiritual warfare.

Equipped For Battle

Supplies Needed: A picture of soldiers similar to this one, Spiritual armor objects or picture.

Next week, we celebrate the birth of our nation. In order the the United States to become a nation, we had to fight for our freedom.

What is some of the equipment a soldier needs when he goes into battle? Give the children a chance to answer before giving suggestions.

Suggestions: uniform, google for night vision, gas mask, food, water, blankets, backpack, guns, bullets, tanks, jeeps, grenades, etc.

Ephesians 6:10-18 lists the equipment we need. As you mention each piece of armor, show a picture of it or illustrate it with an object. Here’s a link where you can download a free Armor of God Chart for signing up for emails.

Belt of Truth: Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. When we put on the belt of truth, we live the truth.

Breastplate of Righteousness: When we ask Jesus to forgive our sins, He makes us right before Him.

Shoes of the Readiness of the Gospel of Peace: When we are ready to do what God says, we’ll have peace of God in our lives.

Shield of Faith: When we place our faith in Jesus, He will protect us against the devil’s lies.

Helmet of Salvation: We need to protect our minds by thinking the way God wants us to think.

Sword of the Spirit: The Sword of the Spirit is the Word of God – the Bible. The Bible defeats our spiritual enemies. That’s why it’s important to learn what it says and to obey it.

Ascension of Jesus Children’s Church Lessons

This Thursday, May 14th, is the day we celebrate the Ascension of Jesus. That means this Sunday is the perfect time to teach a lesson on it. Here are a few online resources to help: