For ages 3rd grade to 6th grade
Most kids hate to be told what to do. So the idea that God has rules for us to follow can get pretty boring! most non-Christians view Christianity as a restrictive set of rules. Nothing more. Sadly many Christian kids live with a similar view.
What would happen if in the middle of the day all the fences at the zoo collapsed and the animals began to run free through the city?
Many people perceive fences as negative. Fences hold them in. They block their path. They create boundaries that limit their freedom. If we think of the rules God has for us as fences -- we often have the same reaction: God's the party pooper putting up random fences to mess up our lives and make them boring.
What do I mean by fences? What are some of the fences god puts around our lives?
What or who suffers when we hop over God's commands for us?
When we ignore God's commands, how can we get hurt?
When we ignore God's commands, how can we hurt those around us?
When we ignore God's commands, how does it affect God?
When we run free, we hurt others!
What would happen to an elephant running loose in a big city?
God puts fences up in our lives in the form of his commands and scriptural advice. This godly instruction keeps us out of places we shouldn't be and in places that are safe.
It isn't because the zookeeper wants to ruin the elephant's life that he keeps the elephant from running around the city.
What are some of the fences God doesn't want us to hop over?
ILLUSTRATION:
A train is unlike a car in the sense that it's forced to follow the train tracks. On one hand that might seem like a bummer and like a lack of freedom. But think of the other option. Take a speeding train off the tracks and what do you have? You have a horrible train wreck with cars piled on top of each other. The tracks are the guides that keep the train from destroying itself. God's commands are our guides -- to keep us from destroying ourselves.
What danger does the elephant who's running through the city pose to others?
When we break through God's guidelines for our lives, those around us get hurt.
OBJECT LESSON:
Show them an owner's manual.
See how the manufacturer took time to write down all the instructions? We're given the dos and don'ts so we won't ruin the object and so we can know how it works. God has given us His instructions in the Bible so we know how relationships work and so we won't mess them up and hurt others.
What is the elephant's caretaker thinking and feeling while the elephant is running around hurting others in the city?
God has given us commands so we'll remain close to Him. His commands are there to protect our relationship with Him. If we break His commands and jump the fence, we can become distant from God.
Why are some of God's fences in our best interest? Be specific.
REFLECTION:
have them spend a couple of minutes in silence, thinking about which of God's fences they've been jumping lately. Invite them to ask forgiveness and to pray about staying within God's boundaries.
ACTIVITY:
Pick up a NO TRESPASSING sign. After they spend time in silent prayer, offer them the opportunity to sign, using a permanent marker, the sign as a show of spiritual commitment. Hang the sign up somewhere as a reminder.
God has given us commands and rules for a reason. They protect us. They protect those around us. And they keep our relationship with God our caretaker strong. If we don't understand this, we'll probably jump the fence because we don't understand its purpose. The result is that our lives will run recklessly out of control and away from the safety of God's loving arms.
In what way is the Bible the instruction book for our lives? God has said if we keep His commands, we will remain close to Him. Why is that so important?
Is staying on God's side of the fence that big of a deal?
SHARE:
Share a time in your life when you went trespassing over a fence God has commanded us not to cross and either you or someone around you got hurt - physically or emotionally.
How would your life be different, positive or negative, if you never ever crossed one of God's fences?
What are some of the ways we can help each other stay within God's commands?
How can we know God's commands better?
Is there someone you've hurt by fence jumping recently? What can you do to make it right?
How can you be more obedient to God?
READ:
Matthew 5:17-20
Matthew 22:34-42
1 John 5:1-3
BOOK:
(taken from copyrighted 2012 ACU Leadership Camps curriculum)
The Song of the King by Max Lucado
Who is the King? (God)
How does a person know which voice is the right voice to listen to? (know the true voice so well that you cannot mistake it - in the story, choosing the right companion - Jesus - who could teach us to hear the King)
What or who are voices in your lives? What happens if you choose the wrong voice to listen to? (lost in the forest - separated from God)
What happens if you learn to hear the right voice? (you will find your way)
END WITH:
(taken from copyrighted 2012 ACU Leadership Camps curriculum)
If we are going to honor Jesus' prayer "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven" then we must be obedient in every way to God's commands. We've got to love God more than anything or anyone else in a way that changes the way we think and live. We've got to love others in ways that are different than the way the world loves people. And we've got to recognize that our obedience is how we show our love to God. He wants more than just an I love you note - He wants to see it in our lives.
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