B-19 (Cleansing the Church)

Kids Ministry · Bible Activity

True or False Relay

A fast-paced 5-minute game for junior kids based on John 2:13–3:21

5 minutes John 2:13–3:21 Junior kids Small group friendly Minimal prep

This quick activity works great for reinforcing the passage after a lesson, or as a warm-up to kick off discussion. Kids compete in two teams to grab the correct answer sign — and because wrong answers score points for the other team, they have to actually think before they grab!

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

John 3:16 (NIV)

What you'll need

• 2 paper signs — one labelled TRUE, one labelled FALSE (or use two different coloured pieces of paper)
• Kids split into 2 teams
• One leader to read statements and keep score

Leader tip

No extra helpers needed — one adult can run this easily. If you only have a handful of kids, skip the teams and just play as a whole group where anyone can grab a sign.

How to play

1. One player from each team stands up at a time.
2. The leader reads a statement aloud. The first player to grab the correct sign and hold it up wins a point for their team.
3. If a player grabs the wrong sign, a point goes to the other team.
4. Rotate players each round so everyone gets a turn.
5. After all questions, the leader ties the game back to the big idea below.

Questions

Read these one at a time. The answer badges are for leaders — keep them hidden from kids!

• Jesus turned over the tables in the temple because it was dirty and messy.

  John 2:16 — he said they had turned it into a market

  False

• Nicodemus came to visit Jesus during the day.

  John 3:2 — he came at night

  False

• Nicodemus was a Pharisee and a ruler of the Jews.

  John 3:1

  True

• Jesus told Nicodemus he needed to be born again.

  John 3:3

  True

• Being born again means being born a second time as a baby.

  John 3:6 — born of the Spirit, not the flesh

  False

• God sent Jesus into the world to judge and condemn it.

  John 3:17 — to save the world, not condemn it

  False

• Anyone who believes in Jesus will have eternal life.

  John 3:16

  True

Landing the big idea

Once the game is done, gather the kids and ask: "Why do you think Nicodemus came to Jesus at night — secretly?" Let a few kids answer, then share this:

Big idea

Nicodemus had the right religion on the outside — he was a leader, he followed the rules, he looked the part. But Jesus told him that wasn't enough. What God offers is a brand new life on the inside, for anyone who believes. That's the gift of John 3:16.

Close by reading John 3:16 together out loud as a group.

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Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. This activity is free to use and adapt for non-commercial ministry purposes.

B-18 (Early Ministry)

 Theme: Jesus early ministry

Supplies:

• Flashlight
• Sandal
• Ten Commandments (simple sketch on index card)
• Lamb (simple sketch or stuffed lamb)
• Number two (written on an index card)
• Stone
• Dried figs
• Empty cup
• Seven water pots (simple sketch on index card)

Directions:

• Have all items in a paper bag
• Allow children to take turns pulling one of the items from the paper bag
• Ask who from our story this week the item is associated with.
• Answers:
• Flashlight (Jesus)
• Sandal (John the Baptist)
• Ten Commandments (Moses)
• Lamb (Jesus)
• Number two (Andrew and John)
• Stone (Peter)
• Dried figs (Nathaniel)
• Empty cup (Mary, mother of Jesus)
• Seven water pots (Servants)
• 
  
• Main point: Jesus called His disciples from ordinary walks of life. They were not chosen from the important schools of the day. Jesus calls you too. You do not have to be important in the world’s eyes. By walking with Jesus, He can make you an effective evangelist for Him.

B-17 (Victory in the Wilderness)

 Theme: Jesus' Temptations

Supplies:

• Rocks of various sizes in a paper bag
• Ladder
• Smartphone or computer to show pictures of beautiful cities. Links here or here.

Directions:

• Request a volunteer to come up and pull a rock from a paper bag.
• Ask:
• What would happen if you tried to eat this rock?
• Answer: You couldn’t chew or digest it.
• Can you turn this rock into bread?
• Answer: No.
• Can God turn a rock into bread?
• Answer: Yes.
• Explain:
• Satan asked Jesus Christ to turn a rock into bread. Why didn’t Jesus do it, even though He had the power?
• Answer: Satan wanted Jesus to prove He was the Son of God. But God had already said that Jesus was His Son. If Jesus had done it just to prove it, He would have been showing a lack of trust in God.
• Stand next to the ladder (do NOT have a child climb it).
• Ask:
• What would happen if I fell from the top of this ladder onto my head?
• Answer: I would be badly hurt or could even die.
• Could God protect me if I fell?
• Answer: Yes.
• Explain:
• Satan told Jesus to jump from the top of the temple (which was much higher than this ladder) to prove God would protect Him. Why didn’t Jesus jump?
• Answer: God never told Jesus to jump. Doing something dangerous just to “test” God would have been disobedience.
• Show pictures of beautiful cities and let the children guess where they are.
• Ask:
• What might happen if people tried to capture all these cities in war?
• Answer: The cities could be destroyed, and many people would be hurt.
• Explain:
• Satan offered to give Jesus all the kingdoms of the world if He would worship him. Why didn’t Jesus accept?
• Answer: We are to worship only God. If Jesus had worshiped Satan, He would have been breaking God’s commandments and going against God’s plan.
• Main point: Each time Jesus was tempted He chose to trust and obey God—and we can too.

B-16 (The Child Jesus)

Activity: Lost and Found

Set-up: Hide your purse or wallet somewhere very difficult to find (but still safe and appropriate)

Instructions:

• Say: “I have something very valuable to me hidden somewhere in this room. You have three minutes to help me find it. Ready… go!” After 3 minutes, stop them.
• If they don't find it, show them its location
• Say: “Something like this really happened in the Bible. Jesus Christ was missing—not for 3 minutes… not for 3 hours… but for three days.”

Discussion questions

• How do you think Jesus' parents felt when they couldn't find Him?
• Did God know where Jesus was? (Yes) Why didn’t God just tell Joseph and Mary where Jesus was? (God wasn’t trying to be mean. He wanted them to remember just how valuable and important Jesus was and what an important responsibility they had to care for Jesus.)
• Is it possible for us to still lose Jesus? (Yes, if we don't spend time with Jesus every day, we can lose Him.)
• If we lose Jesus, can we find Him again? (Yes! Jesus promises that those who seek Him diligently will find Him!)

B-15 Light at Last (Matthew 1; Luke 1:1–2:38)

 Theme: Lesser Light to the Greater Light

Supplies:

• totally dark room (may need to take kids into a closet)

• small flashlight

Directions:

Turn off all the lights or go into a very dark room. While sitting in the dark, say:

• When it is very dark, your pupils dilate, allowing even a small amount of light to reach the back of your eyes.
• But if you walk outside right after being in a very dark room, the sunlight feels too bright. It can overwhelm your eyes, and you may need to close them or squint until they adjust.

Shine a flashlight and say:

• However, if the light increases gradually, your eyes adjust little by little. Then when you go outside, the bright light doesn’t bother you as much.
• This is similar to what happened before Jesus came. For about 400 years, God had not sent a prophet to Israel. It was a time of spiritual darkness.
• Then God sent John the Baptist to prepare the way for Jesus Christ.
• The people were not ready to receive the full light Jesus brought. So John the Baptist was like a small light shining first, helping people prepare their hearts.

Turn the room light on and say: 

• When Jesus came, He was the true Light.
• Sadly, as we will learn over the next few weeks and months, some people rejected the light that John the Baptist brought. When he shone the light of truth on their lives, they chose to close their eyes rather than accept it.
• Because they rejected John’s light, they were also prepared to reject the light of Jesus Christ.
• When someone closes their eyes, they cannot see—even if they are standing in bright daylight. In the same way, when people refuse to listen to God’s message, they cannot see the truth, even when the Light is right in front of them.

Discussion questions:

1. Why do you think God sent John the Baptist before Jesus Christ instead of sending Jesus without any warning?
2. What are some ways people in John’s time might have “closed their eyes” to the light he brought?
3. What are some ways we today can keep our eyes open to Jesus’ light instead of ignoring it?

 

B-14 400 Years of Silence

Main point: God used the 400 years of silence to prepare the world for the rapid spread of the gospel message.


Materials needed:

• Greek alphabet printed onto cardstock
• White Paper
• Pens
• Yellow or gold cardstock (available at Walmart)
• Gem stickers (available at Walmart or Dollar Tree)
• Legos
• Set up three different stations for the three different nations that impacted God's people during the 400 years of silence.

Station 1: The Greeks
Script: Language: Alexander the Great spread the Greek language. This was widely spoken throughout the world, even though Latin was the language of Rome. This made the spread of the gospel much easier. The Old Testament was translated into Greek during this time. The New Testament was written in Greek instead of Hebrew. 

Main point: Many people in the Roman Empire spoke Greek, making spreading the gospel very easy.
Activity: Write the Greek alphabet

Station 2: The Jews
Script: The Maccabees fought for freedom, and for a brief period of time, Israel was ruled by a "Priest/King." Infighting led the priests to appeal to Rome to settle who would reign. Rome was happy to help settle the dispute, as it meant they would now be in control of Jerusalem. As Rome's power increased, the Jews soon grew to resent Rome. Herod eventually usurped the throne entirely and the Jews became completely under Rome's control. 

Main point: The Jews asked for Rome to "rule over them" just like they chose Barabbas over Jesus.
Activity: Make a paper crown

Station 3: The Romans
Script: Rome rose to power and soon controlled the territory previously controlled by Greece. The Romans built incredible roads, making it easy for later Apostles like Paul to travel and spread the Word. Roman soldiers also helped keep crime down so that it was safe to spread the gospel. 

Main point: God allowed Rome to control much of the world so that the gospel could spread rapidly.
Activity: Make a Roman Road out of Legos.

B-13 Messages From Heaven - 3 (Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi)

 Theme: Put God First (Haggai and Malachi)

Key idea: The people were busy building their own houses, but neglected God’s temple.

Materials

• Large, clear cup
• Rocks
• Sand
• Water

Instructions

1. Ask a volunteer to fill the cup with sand first, then try to fit the rocks.
2. It won’t work well.
3. Dump it out.
4. Now put rocks first, then sand, then water.

Discussion

• The rocks represent obeying God by paying our tithes and offerings.
• The sand represents all the other things we want to buy in life.
• If we put God first, God promises that everything else will fit.
• Haggai told the people to “consider your ways” and put God’s house first. Malachi told the people to "bring all the tithes into the storehouse." 
• Both prophets assured the people that if they put God first, God would supply everything they needed.