Armor of God: “Egg Drop”

Bible Study:

Sharpening our spiritual swords and defenses

Scripture:

Ephesians 6:10-18

Materials Needed:

• Several dozen eggs
• Materials for wrapping eggs
  • Newspaper
  • Bubble wrap
  • String, rope, yarn
  • Foam
  • Tape
  • Tissue paper
  • Paper towels
  • Rubber bands
  • Insulation
• Prize(s) (tie or 1st & 2nd places)
• Whiteboard or something similar for writing out details of the armor
• Different levels (see #3 in Activities)
• (I was also able to find a Roman soldier’s costume at a Halloween store for the later discussion – great for visual teaching)

Activity

1. Have the students take a (raw) egg and some materials of their choosing.
2. Tell them that you’re going to drop them from different heights, so they need to use the materials to wrap their eggs in a protective armor.
3. Once everybody’s finished wrapping their eggs, drop each egg from a different height:
   • Chair
   • Table
   • Top of door
   • Different steps of a ladder
   • You could make it interesting and drop them outside the 2nd story window, onto the concrete (or grass)
   • (When I did this, we dropped them from the roof of a 2-floor building):
4. Take note of how each egg faired/survived the drop
   (The questions asked will be in response to the materials used, how well the eggs survived (or didn’t), and the comments the kids made in response to each experience).
   If any survived (or survived better), give that student a prize (have 2 prizes ready in case there’s a tie or 2nd place)
5. Have the students read Ephesians 6:10-18.
   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. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
   
   
6. Explain:
   • In the same way that the armor around these eggs were tested by dropping them off high platforms, our spiritual armor is also tested every day.
   • (list or draw each piece of armor mentioned and their meanings – helmet = salvation. Sword = Bible…and talk or ask about the importance of each one.
     • Or, if you have a Roman soldier’s costume, add a piece of it to a student as you mention and explain each piece according to the Scripture.

Discussion questions in response to eggs that failed:

• What would cause your faith in God to fail? How could it have been better?
• How many “layers” would you have to put on to protect your faith?
• What could you do to make your armor stronger? (the answer’s in the text)

Close by praying together for what Paul tells the readers to do in the text.

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Leaders’ Notes

• Belt = Truth (buckled around your waist)
• Breastplate = Righteousness (strapped on and in place)
• Feet = fitted with the readiness that comes with the Gospel of Peace
• Shield = Faith (Extinguishes all the flaming arrows of the evil one)
• Helmet = Salvation
• Sword of the Spirit = Bible
• Pray in the Spirit at all times (on all occasions)
  • All kinds of prayers and requests
• Be Alert
• Always continue to pray for God’s people

Remember:

• The Devil’s looking for vulnerabilities/weaknesses in your armor
  • Where are you exposed?
  • “I can get him/her here with this….”

Why do we need all this?

• To stand against the evil one’s schemes
• To stand our ground
• To stand back up after being hit and/or knocked down (softens the blows)
• To be strong in the Lord and His mighty power
• To protect our vulnerable spots

To help with the Armor of God visual:

• I was able to find a Roman soldier’s costume at the Halloween/costume store. Find one for a student to wear for greater impact.
• What I wanted: Taekwondo sparring equipment