God’s People Work Together as a Healthy Body

Dear Lord, use this study to help the children to serve one another doing what each one can do,
working closely together like the different parts of a person’s body.

Choose any of these children's learning activities that fit their ages and the time available.

1.       Older child or teacher: Explain the example of the Body in 1 Corinthians 12:4-26.

·         We call our congregation a ‘body’, because we all belong to our Lord Jesus Christ.
He is our Head, and we are His body.

·         God gives people in His congregation special jobs to do to serve one another.
These people with special jobs are like the parts of our bodies that work together.

·         We who trust in Jesus, young and old, are to serve others,
showing kindness and friendship, and being helpful.

Ask questions about how we work as a body, 1 Corinthians 12:4-26.
[Answers appear in verses noted after each question.]

·         What are some jobs that Christians can do for each other? [Verses 8-10]

·         Who gives to everyone their spiritual gifts, which are ways to serve others? [11]

·         Into what does the Holy Spirit baptize believers in Christ? [12-14]

·         What would be lacking if the whole body were an eye? [17]

·         What do we do when a person in the body suffers or receives honor? [26]

Let the children show how the body acts when people do not work with each other:

·         Explain that the feet are people who take the good news about God to other places. Have the children show how the body would walk if the feet did not do their job.” (Let the children hop.)

·         The eyes are people who see what God wants us to do.
Have the children show what the body would do if the eyes are.
(Let the children grope around with their eyes closed.)

2.       Put together a picture puzzle:

·         Draw a simple outline of a child’s body on a large piece of paper (the larger the better). Show it to the children. See the puzzle found on the last page of this lesson. Some children might like to colour this picture, cut out the pieces, and assemble them with tape or glue.

·         Cut the picture into enough pieces, so that each child gets at least one piece.
Let the children put the puzzle together, joining the pieces where they fit.
Older children may help the younger.

·         If the group is small, you might hide the pieces around the room before time.
Let the children seek and find them.

·         If the group is large, then cut several pictures into pieces before time and keep them separate. Let the children form several groups; give a picture to each group.

·         Let each child say something that God wants them to do when they add their piece of paper to the picture. Mention examples:

Obey parents. Trust God. Love God. Love people. Forgive enemies. Serve others. Give.
Tell others about Jesus. Worship. Pray for other people. Study the Bible.

·         Older children help the younger think of something that God wants them to do.

3.       Dramatize parts of 1 Corinthians 12.

·         Arrange with the main worship leader to present this brief drama to the adults.
You might use only parts of it. Older children help prepare it.

·         Older children or adults play these parts: God’s Voice. Teacher (someone who can teach)

Other children play these parts: Feet. Hands. Eyes. Ears.

Teacher                        Explain briefly 1 Corinthians 12:4-13. Then say,
“Hear what the Spirit of God says.”

God’s Voice                “Come. Be part of the Body.
When I baptize you, I bring you into the Body of Christ
and I give to each of you a different job to do.
I give you abilities to do these jobs.
Use these spiritual gifts to serve others.”

Feet, Hands, Eyes and Ears
Join hands in a circle. Rotate one time around.
If the group is big, then small form circles within larger circles.

Teacher                        Explain briefly 1 Corinthians 12:14-21. Then say,
“Hear what two lazy Feet say.”

Feet                               Leave the circle.
(Some say) “No one cares about us feet.”
(Others say) “We are leaving the body!”
(Others say) “I cannot serve if I am not a hand!”
(Others say) “I want to be a hand!”

Teacher                        “See what the body does without its feet.”

(Everyone in the circle)
(Fall down for a moment, then stand again.)

Ears                                (Some shout loudly) “I am only an ear!”
(Others say) “I would rather be the eye!”
(All Ears) Leave the circle.

Hands                           (Some say) “We are hands, the most important of all!”
(Others say) “We do not need the rest of you!” (Leave.)

Eyes                               (Some say) “I am the eye! I do not need you, nose!”
(Others say) “I see well without you.”
(All eyes leave.)

Teacher                        Explain briefly 1 Corinthians 12:22-26. Then say,
“Hear what the Holy Spirit says.”

God’s Voice                “All of you, come back to the circle.
God uses every one of you, but only when you
serve together as one body!”

Feet, Hands, Eyes and Ears
All join the circle and make it rotate again one time around.

Teacher                        Thank everyone who helped with the drama.

4.       If the children present this story to the adults, then let them ask the adults
the questions under #1 above.

Ask the children and adults to mention ways that we serve one another
with our different spiritual gifts.

5.       Draw a simple picture of a hand and let the children copy it.

Let them show their pictures to the adults and explain that this illustrates
how God gives to his people different abilities so that we can serve
one another like different parts of a healthy body.

6.       Memorization:

Smaller children learn Galatians 5:13:

“It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.”

Older children learn Ephesians 4:15-16:

“Speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.”

7.       Let five children each recite one of the five verses of Psalm 100.

8.       Let older children write poems or songs about how we work together as a body.

They might do this during the week.

9.       Let an older child pray:         

“Dear Lord, thank you for giving to each of us a job to do in our group. Help us to serve one another. Keep us from thinking that we are more important than other people. Help us to remember that each believer is important to you.”

A more detailed drama about harmonizing different ministries in the body, 5 minutes:

http://biblestoryskits.com/learn-to-harmonize-vital-ministries-in-the-body/