Huffing and Puffing

Today's Activity:

Kids can do this experiment to show that they cannot force friends to accept Jesus as their Saviour. Friends have to decide to do this for themselves.

Materials Needed:

Two-litre plastic cold-drink bottles.
Sharp pointed scissors.
Small corks.
Small round balloons (about 150 mm blown up diameter).

Preparation:

Use a sharp pointed scissor to make a small round hole low down on the side of a dry 2 litre cold-drink bottle. Size the hole to suit the small cork. Lightly press in the cork and ensure that it makes an airtight fit. Blow up the balloon and let the air out. Slip a balloon down the neck of the bottle and turn the neck of the balloon neck over the bottle opening. You will then be able to blow into the neck of the balloon.

The Effect:

A bottle is shown with the balloon inside it, but hiding the cork from the view of the audience. You try to blow the balloon up, but you cannot, showing that we cannot make people accept Jesus as their Saviour. They have to decide to do this themselves. However, if they make a decision to accept Jesus, the cork is removed, and this time you will be able to blow up the balloon inside the bottle!

Mary, Quite Contrary:

I have a cold-drink bottle with a balloon in it ( Show the bottle with the balloon inside it, but keep the cork facing you so the audience cannot see it ). This bottle is like a girl named Mary who had never heard about Jesus. She was disobedient and cheeky. One day someone invited her to Sunday School, but Mary was very rude and noisy in class. And so the teacher decided she needed Jesus in her heart. "Sit down here," she ordered, "And listen real good to what I have to say. You need Jesus in your heart and I'm going to get Him in there!"

The teacher then told Mary all about Jesus, but Mary found it too much to take in and understand. Finally the teacher said, "Let's ask Jesus to come into your heart." So the teacher prayed and Mary repeated it after her. But, Mary kept her fingers crossed, because she didn't mean a single word!

Putting Jesus in Mary's Heart:

I want to help that teacher put Jesus in Mary's life. This balloon represents Jesus. So I'm going to blow up the balloon inside the bottle and get Jesus right inside Mary's heart. Here goes! ( Blow into the mouth of the balloon, but of course the air pressure in the bottle will prevent you from blowing it up. So huff and puff for all you're worth! ).

I cannot do it! Something is wrong! Oh dear, I can't get Jesus into Mary's life. By the way, did Mary say sorry for all the bad things and sins that she had done? No, she didn't, and she didn't mean the prayer that she said. She is still full of sin inside and that's the trouble! Jesus cannot come into a life where there is sin. No wonder I couldn't blow up the balloon. You first have to ask Jesus to forgive you for all the sins you have done and to clean out your heart. Only then you can ask Him to come into your heart.

Mary Finds Jesus:

I see there is a cork in the side of the bottle Now, that's what's been keeping all Mary's sin inside. No wonder Jesus couldn't get into her heart. Let's take the cork out and try again ( Take the cork out ). Let's get Mary to pray again, "Jesus, please clean all the sin out of my life and come and live in my heart." And this time she meant it!

I'm going to try and blow up the balloon again ( Blow again into the mouth of the balloon and this time it will blow up as the air pressure in the bottle will escape through the cork hole ). There, I've done it! The sin is out of Mary's life and I've blown up the balloon. And so Jesus has been able to get into Mary's life and now He is her Saviour. In fact Jesus filled Mary's life and He changed her into His own gentle ways.

Praying for Friends:

Perhaps some of your friends are like Mary, and you have tried to get them to be Christians. But, they don't want to listen and change. I want you to do this experiment so that it can remind you of Mary. We need to pray for our friends, and allow the Holy Spirit to draw them to the place where they believe, and want to ask Jesus in their lives.

Encourage the children to make their own balloon in a bottle experiment and share it with friends and people they meet. They could use the story about Mary or make up one of their own.

God bless!