On Fridays, I attempt to plan a simple object lesson to go along with Bible study. Since we have been studying knights of the Middle Ages lately, I thought a lesson on the Armor of God made a nice tie-in.
The lesson is quick, but powerful.
Armor of God Object Lesson
Materials:
- two oranges
- a glass bowl large enough for two oranges to be completely submerged
- water
- Bible
Read Ephesians 6:10-17
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 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. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
The Lesson
Talk about what each piece of armor stands for and how it helps us stand against the devil.
Ask your children to pretend to put on each piece of armor as you discuss how that particular piece might help them throughout their day.
Place both oranges in the bowl with their “armor” on. (In other words, keep the skin on both oranges.) Talk about how the oranges are floating, or “standing firm” in the water.
Little by little, begin peeling away some of the “armor” (skin) of one of the oranges. You might peel off a chunk and say something like, “Uh oh, this orange forgot to put on his belt of truth. When someone says something ugly about him today, he might believe it. If he believes that lie, instead of the truth that he’s wonderfully made, he might not stand as firm in the water.” Place the orange back in the water and notice that, although it doesn’t sink completely, it begins dipping further in the water than the orange still wearing all its armor.
Continue on this way, peeling back a little at a time, talking about a new piece of armor the orange forgot to put on, talking about how that might affect his day, and then placing the orange in the water to see it sink more and more each time.
By the time you remove all of the armor, the orange will completely sink. It is not able to “stand” at all.
Challenge your children to think purposefully each day about putting on each piece of armor. Maybe you could even pretend to put on each piece together every morning. When I purposefully try to put on my own armor, I know I’m able to stand more firmly against the devil’s wily schemes. I bet kids can, too!
These are a few resources we’ve enjoyed to reinforce the importance of girding ourselves with the Armor of God:
Charlotte Mason in the City says
January 16, 2012 at 11:29 amThis will be a great project for our Sunday school class…thank you!
Stacey says
January 24, 2012 at 10:39 amThank you so much! I am such a believer in using object lessons to teach our children. When I started looking for them, I found that God pretty much uses objects lessons whenever He is teaching us spiritual principles–That’s a pretty good indication that it’s an excellent teaching technique. What are some of your favorite sources for object lessons? (I’m always looking for new ideas.) I’ve shared some of my favorite sources for object lessons in my blog post here: http://turning-our-hearts.blogspot.com/2011/11/family-time-training-effective-tool-for.html. Many blessings to you!
Jamie @ See Jamie Blog says
February 28, 2012 at 10:47 amVery cool lesson! I never think of these sorts of things on my own, so thanks for sharing!
amber says
February 28, 2012 at 7:49 pmThank you for posting this. This week I am teaching my daughters about the armor of God. I know they will really enjoy this!
TONI says
August 29, 2012 at 2:03 pmGreat object lesson. You could also do things to both oranges. to show how we feel attacked at times..like with lying, etc. Maybe pour ciffee grounds over both,, then some food coloring..food coloring could represent temptation since it can look good. After you have attacked your oranges..ask kids which one they would want to eat…which one was protected. Enjoy.
Cindy says
August 29, 2012 at 2:19 pmGreat idea, Toni! Thanks for adding it here!
Laura says
January 14, 2013 at 12:09 pmThank you! This lesson is totally do-able!
Ticia Adventures in Mommydom says
July 30, 2013 at 5:47 pmOh I love this! Whenever we cycle around to Armor of God, I’m going to need to use this 🙂
Heather says
July 30, 2013 at 6:17 pmLove, love, love this idea! We are definitely going to use this!
Oh and I love Toni’s idea too. This is a recurring theme that we keep coming back to over and over again.
Kirsten Joy says
August 2, 2013 at 8:32 pmI love this example too! I am going to have to use this with my boys this year. They will love it : )
The Mommy Mess says
September 24, 2013 at 11:19 amI really love this activity. So simple, yet SO profound!
Dana Tramell says
June 1, 2014 at 1:48 pmI love this object lesson about the armor of God. If you are interested in good books about knights and castles I recommend going to talesofcastles.com. Ed Dunlop is an awesome author and his books are amazing!
Amber says
June 18, 2014 at 12:19 pmLove it ,love it,love it!
Raewyn Hewitt says
June 18, 2014 at 3:16 pmThanks so much for sharing. A wonderful object lesson I’ll be doing with our Sunday School class this week!
OrgangrinderLena Bowers says
July 18, 2014 at 7:00 amI am a resident of a nursi g home, where I also teach the elderly Bible Study. I found 20 years ago as a Pastor`s wife, that the elderly respond well to object lessons in our classes. I am teaching on this subject next week & had no object lesson to go with it. Thank you for providing a very clear, mind grasping, & eye catching example to go with my lesson! I will return for others.
Brittany Powell says
August 15, 2014 at 4:51 pmLove this!! Thanks for sharing! Can’t wait to use this on Sunday!
mishela says
September 17, 2014 at 11:27 amWonderful can’t wait to try this one . Thanks for sharing
Tabitha says
September 21, 2014 at 9:12 amLove this! I’m using it in Children’s Church!
Julie Montero says
October 26, 2014 at 9:08 amThank you for sharing! I do not have a curriculum this morning so I plan I doing this activity this! Looks like a lot of fun to share with the children. My class ranges around 4-8. I hope the young ones are able to comprehend this lesson!:)
Theresa says
November 10, 2014 at 10:27 amI don’t have kids but it was a great lesson for me! Even adults need to be reminded to put on their armor as well!!
Arlene says
December 28, 2014 at 11:04 amWhat a lovely idea! I have taught this lesson many times in sunday sc jh ool..i even bought the armor on christianbook.com.. but i love example u give using the orange. It’s so visual and children love this and can relate better to the lesson. Thsnk u, I will b using your idea in the future. Arlene
Nio says
February 8, 2015 at 4:58 amThank you!! This will go great for my adult Sunday School class as well. FHE lesson tomorrow is now set.;0)
anika says
October 29, 2015 at 7:21 pmThis is such an awesome idea! I will be teaching a lesson to the children at our church about the armor of God and plan to use this! THanks!
Cinda says
January 9, 2017 at 2:56 amthank you for this, it will help a lot
Tammy Hawksworth says
January 23, 2017 at 10:47 pmI tried this for our Family home Evening lesson this evening and it did not work, both oranges still floated!
Cindy says
January 24, 2017 at 10:44 amWell, darn. I’ve done this lesson with my own children and several church classes over the years without fail. I wish I knew why it didn’t work for you. Maybe try it again with a different brand of oranges?
Judy says
July 26, 2017 at 10:51 amThis is a great concept, but both my oranges continued to float.
Cindy says
July 29, 2017 at 5:38 pmI’m sorry, Judy. I’ve used the activity several times and it’s never failed me yet. Maybe give it another go sometime. 🙂
Kathryn says
November 9, 2017 at 4:20 amDid this for a youth group ages 3-19. The orange floated a little, until I took some of the white off. I was too much in a hurry while I was peeling! Practiced it at home and it worked fine. Seemed to work better with little oranges than big ones. Thank you for this! It was a lot of fun to do, and they loved the oranges!
Debra Japs says
December 26, 2017 at 4:59 pmI’m going to use this for our school chapel time to start the New Year armed and ready for God!! Thanks for the great example with the oranges! Awesome!