Time
10-15 minutes
Description
This object lesson teaches the old maxim that there is safety in numbers. Ecclesiastes 4:12 says that “A cord of three strands is not easily broken.” This lesson will demonstrate that.
Materials
- A skein of yarn
- Scissors
- Several pairs of gloves
- Whiteboard or flipchart and markers
Preparation
· Write Ecclesiastes 4:12 on whiteboard or flipchart (see below).
· Cut the yarn into 13 lengths of approximately five feet.
· Keep one length unbraided.
· Braid three strands into one length.
· Do this three more times so that you now have four lengths of braided yarn.
· Braid three of the braided strands together so that you now have nine strands of yarn in this one length.
· You should now have:
o A single strand of yarn.
o Three strands of yarn braided into one length.
o Nine strands of yarn braided into one length.
· Practice the script.
Procedure
Use the following script (or modify to suit your needs):
- “One of the most common and most successful strategies that Satan uses against us is called ‘Divide and Conquer.’”
- “Does anyone know what that means?” (Take responses, but if they don’t know for sure, continue with script.)
- “Divide and Conquer is Satan’s strategy to separate you and me from other Christians in our lives.”
- “He knows that if he can get you alone, you are no match for him.”
- “I’m not saying that Satan is all-powerful. He’s not. But he has had thousands of years to practice tempting us, and we are not all that difficult to figure out.”
- “All by yourself, you are no match against Satan in a spiritual battle. Let me demonstrate.” (Ask your two biggest / strongest children (or even adults) to come up front. Give them each a pair of gloves to put on.)
- “Okay, let’s say that these two guys are Satan’s henchmen. And let’s say that this strand of yarn (use single strand) is you.” (Give one end of the yarn to each of the “henchmen,” and ask them to wrap it around their hand to get a secure hold.)
- “In a spiritual battle, these guys are going to do everything they can to break you.” (Have the “henchmen” pull on the yarn until they break it. Make sure that the room is clear of anything that could harm them if the yarn breaks and they fall backward.)
- “Oh! Look at that! That’s not good! They broke you!”
- “But you’ve got a defense. The Bible says that:” (Put on board or flipchart.)
“Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” (Ecclesiastes 4:12)
· “In a spiritual battle, two are better than one, and three are better than two.”
· “You shouldn’t try to go it alone. You need Christian friends and Christian family members who can help you.”
· “How can Christian friends and family help you in your Christian walk?” (Take responses. Some ideas might be: encouragement when you are struggling, advice when you don’t know what to do, a positive example, sharing your burdens…)
· “Those are great reasons not to be a cord of one strand!”
· “ So let’s try this again with three strands braided together.” (Give the “henchmen” the three-strand braided yarn, and ask them to pull on it as hard as they can. Again, make sure that they won’t fall into anything if the yarn breaks. Depending on the size of your “henchmen,” it’s likely that they will not be able to break the three strands.)
· (If they break it…) “Hmmm. They were able to break the three strands, but it was much harder, wasn’t it? ‘A cord of three strands is not quickly broken,’ but sometimes even it needs more…” (Pull out the nine strands of yarn.)
· (If they don’t break it…) “Hmmm. They weren’t able to break it this time. It looks like “A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” Now, what if you had even more strands…” (Pull out the nine strands of yarn.)
· “What if instead of two friends or family members, you had eight friends or family to help you resist Satan’s temptations or to encourage you in the spiritual battle? Do you think you would be strong then?” (Take responses.)
· “You bet you would! But let’s check just to make sure.” (Give the “henchmen” the nine-strand braided yarn, and ask them to pull on it as hard as they can. For effect, call up more volunteers to help. They shouldn’t be able to break it.)
· “That’s impressive, isn’t it? So what do you think you need to do after seeing this demonstration?” (Take responses, and listen for things like: build relationships, go to church, make Christian friends, share my struggles with my Christian friends and family, help others who are struggling…)
· “Fantastic! Let’s strengthen your strands right now! Find two other people, and practice memorizing this verse together.” (Allow them to practice and then recite for the group.)
“Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” (Ecclesiastes 4:12)
Teach Them 