Growing as Jesus Grew

Application:

God wants children to be good, and to respect and obey Him, and then they will grow and win His favour and blessings!

Materials You Need:

Soft cord or string about 1,5 metres long.
Small rubber band.
A lunch box filled with nuts and bolts and other junk.
Table set out for a meal with plate, knife and fork.

Effect:

A short piece of cord is taken from your pocket and shown casually to the audience. It is then visibly "stretched" to several times its original length.

Performing the Effect:

Wind the cord into a bundle smaller than the width of your hand, leave about 200mm free on both sides and then secure the bundle with a rubber band.
Grasp the cord making sure that the bundle is concealed in the palm of your right-hand and show it to the audience.
Avoid looking at your hand as you take one end of the cord and slowly pull out the cord to its full length.
Remove the rubber band by sliding it along the cord and allowing it to drop off onto the table.
Show the cord to the audience so that they can examine it.

Text:

Luke 2:52.

Jesus Grew:

The Text tells us the ways in which the boy Jesus was growing as He sought to please His Father and His earthly parents:

"And Jesus grew and increased in wisdom, and in favour with God and men."

Jesus grew four ways:

Physically - In stature (tall and strong).
Mentally - In wisdom.
Spiritually - In favour with God.
Socially - In favour with people.

Growing Physically:

Children cannot remain babies but must grow, because the Bible says that you are wonderfully made and God's special creation. God makes sure that children grow physically, and wants you to be happy with the body that He has given you.

This cord represents your life. (Display the ends of the cord sticking out from your hand). Your bodies are God's Temple, and so you need to take good of your bodies by eating good food, keeping yourselves clean, and exercising in play and in games.

If you do these things then you will grow strong and tall as you grow up. Just like this piece of cord keeps getting longer and longer (Pull one end of the cord carefully and "stretch" it out fully).

Growing Painfully!

I need a girl to help me. (Sit her at a table with the plate, and knife and fork set out for a meal). I have a special meal for you. I hope you enjoy it! (Pour out the nuts and bolts, and junk onto the plate and look supprised when the child refuses to eat it).

What's wrong? You say that God doesn't want you to eat a meal like this (Show the meal of nuts and bolts to the audience). No, God wants us to eat good food, sleep well at night and avoid doing wrong things, like taking drugs, or drinking alcohol!

Growing In Wisdom:

Parents and teachers teach children how to be wise. Wisdom is a skill you learn for understanding God and how to live good lives. God wants you to respect and obey Him. To grow in wisdom, you need to think about God and how He is at work in nature and in our lives.

This way you will learn to know our Lord and Saviour better each day. Are you daily reading your Bible and thinking about what you have read? Are you praying and asking God to lead and guide you daily? Is your goal to please Jesus in everything you do?

Growing in Favour with God:

God sent Jesus to give you everlasting life in Heaven. As you try and please Him in all you do and say, you will see God answering your prayers and caring for your needs. And then you will know that you are growing in favour with God!

Growing in Favour with People:

As you get to know God, you will learn to respect others, and put their needs and interests before your own. You need to be polite to everyone, and honour your parents by obeying them. This will win you the favour of men. Colossians 3:20, says:

"Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord."

So what can we say about growing? God wants you to be good, and to respect and obey Him, and then you will grow and win God's favour and blessings! And to finish, let me remind you to be:

G - Good
R - Respect
O - Obey
W - Win

God bless!