Salty Teamwork

About the Lesson:

This is a very neat lesson and that uses science to create an effect that is almost unbelievable. In fact, the kids will very likely think that you are cheating to achieve what happens at the end. You can use this to teach many many different things from teamwork, protecting that which is dear to us and more. In this illustration though we are teaching teamwork.

What you need:

• A gift-wrapping tube (preferably one with a thick wall) or a 2.5′ to 3′ length of 1″ PVC pipe
• A large container of salt
• A rubber band
• 2 squares of toilet paper
• A large bowl
• A stick similar in diameter to a broom handle, at least 3′ long

Lesson:

“Today we are talking about TEAMWORK! Yes, working together we can do so much more than we can as a single individual working on our own.”

Psalms 133:1 – Behold, how good and how pleasant [it is] for brethren to dwell together in unity!

You see teamwork is a big factor in the Kingdom of God. In fact, teamwork is a big factor all around. It is like a law of nature EVEN, GET THIS, for people that aren’t doing the work of GOD.

Let me tell you about the tower of Babel. I’m sure you have heard of it but let me refresh your memory on this story… I find it very interesting indeed.

Genesis 11:1-9 – Verse 1 And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech….

Can you imagine that? The entire world, every last person in it being able to speak the same language? Everyone understanding each other perfectly? Reading and writing in the same language! How cool would that be?

Verse 4 And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.

WHAT!? That is crazy! They wanted to build a city and a tower that would reach unto HEAVEN!!!! They must have been CRAZY!

And PROUD!  WOW… ‘let us make us a name’? You know, I’ve heard people say that… I want to make a name for myself. We all know though that PRIDE cometh before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.

Verse 5 And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded.

But God came down and began to check out what they were doing and WHAT?! Listen to what GOD SAID ABOUT WHAT THEY WERE DOING!

Verse 6 And the Lord said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.

WHAT?! Now that the PEOPLE ARE ONE, working as one person in one mind and one accord, speak the same language and are all getting along, NOW THEY CAN DO ANYTHING THEY CAN THINK TO DO!

Unfortunately, while they unity and teamwork were pretty impressive, WHAT they were doing wasn’t… they were NOT doing a good thing. They were full of pride and were trying to reach heaven by their OWN work.

So God said…

Verse 7 Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.

God messed up their SINGLE language and made it where they couldn’t understand each other any more.

I like to think that one of the conversations might have went something like this:

“Pass me that hammer.”

“Niggle forman snuggle”

“What?”

“Frabble libber digit”

“I SAID, PASS ME THAT HAMMER!”

“Snuggle snuggle chortle.”

“I’ll SNUGGLE SNUGGLE YOU RIGHT IN THE EYE!”

And a big fight broke out.

Verse 8 So the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.

Once they stopped getting along, they stopped building their city.

Pretty incredible isn’t it. When people work together, for GOOD OR BAD they can do incredible things.

Imagine if we had that same unity for the things of GOD! What could we accomplish?!

Well, let’s find out today.

You see this tissue here? It represents something fragile and something we are trying to protect. Something that is precious and something we need to hold onto… like doctrinal truths or holiness.  Perhaps the oneness of God and other similar things.  And you know what, if we try to stand on our own, we can do a work for God but with the help of our brothers and sisters we can do SO MUCH MORE.

This tissue, one small little square of toilet paper isn’t very strong. In fact, I can tear it without really even trying. It can’t withstand much.

But I am going to see what it can take if we all join together.

PLACE IT ON THE TUBE WITH A RUBBER BAND

There are no tricks here, it really is just one tiny piece of toilet paper and one rubber band over the end of this tube. If I put this stick down the tube, just watch how easily it tears through the bottom.

BUT WHEN WE ARE UNITED!

Pour in the whole container of salt.

Can that tiny piece of tissue even hold the weight of the whole can of salt? Wow… but CHECK THIS OUT!

RAM THE STICK INTO THE SALT

With the united power of the whole body of God working together, we are able to withstand the attack.

Ecclesiastes 4:9 – Two [are] better than one;

Matthew 18:20 – For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

1 Corinthians 12:14-27
14 For the body is not one member, but many.
15 If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
16 And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
17 If the whole body [were] an eye, where [were] the hearing? If the whole [were] hearing, where [were] the smelling?

The bible says that we are the salt of the earth and if we ALL work together, we could accomplish so much for God!

HERE YOU CAN REMOVE THE PAPER FROM THE END AND SHOW THAT THERE WERE NO TRICKS AS YOU ALLOW THE SALT TO POUR OUT INTO THE BOWL.

If you can think of another way to use this lesson or know of something we can do to make it better please email us at info@apostolicSundayschool.com or just comment on this lesson  and let us know.