Christ Integration Camp

Say:

• The third piece of armor are the Shoes of the Gospel of Peace.  When we put on these shoes and remember the gospel every day, we are able to follow Jesus instead of Satan and tell everyone we meet about God’s love

Read:

• Lets Read Ephesians 6:14-15
  • So stand strong, with the belt of truth tied around your waist. And on your chest wear the protection of right living. 15 And on your feet wear the Good News of peace to help you stand strong.

Activity:

• YOU WILL NEED BLINDFOLDS FOR THIS LESSON
• Ask for a few volunteers to put blindfolds on.
• During this activity there should be no talking.
• Have other youth lead them from the front of the sanctuary to the back while going through a few pews.
• Then have youth switch and go back in the opposite direction. Again there should be no talking.
• Ask:
  • Was this hard?
  • What would have made the task easier?
• Now, repeat the activity. Youth should instead go outside to the sidewalk. This time, youth may talk to help their partners.
• Switch youth and have everyone come back inside?
• Ask:
  • Was this one harder or easier?
  • What helped this time?

Say:

• Why do you think shoes are included in the Armor of God?  We are told to prepare our feet with the preparation that comes with the Gospel of Peace.
• What is the Gospel of Peace? The Gospel of Peace is that Jesus came and died on the cross for our sins and then rose from the dead and ascended into Heaven.
• This means that if we believe in Jesus Christ and ask Him to forgive us of our sins, then we can live a peaceful life without worry.  We don’t have to worry because we know we are going to Heaven.
• Why do you think we have to prepare our feet with this? Our job as warriors for God is to let as many people as we can know about the Gospel.
• One way we can do this is to tell them about the ABC’s of salvation. What are the ABC’s of salvation?
  • “ A” means you accept that you’re a sinner and need somebody to help you out of your sins. 
  • “B” means you believe that Jesus Christ has already died for all of your sins and wants you to follow Him for the rest of your life and someday go to Heaven. 
  • “C” means you confess your sins to Jesus and ask Him to come into your heart and forgive you of your sins.
• If we say that we love Jesus, we need to act like we love Jesus. We need to walk the walk.
• Picture this: if you were playing basketball with someone and they said they could slam dunk, you would want to see it, right? What if they kept bragging that they could slam dunk but then never did?  Would you still believe that they can slam dunk? Probably not. If they showed you a slam dunk, then you would believe them.
• Being a Christian is kind of the same way.  When we say we love Jesus, but then we don’t act like it, we are not walking the walk. The shoes of the Gospel of Peace help us to remember to follow Jesus. 
• When we are following Jesus and doing what he wants us to do, we cannot follow Satan, and we cannot do what Satan wants us to do. It is important to put on the shoes of the Gospel of Peace every day, so we can tell others about Jesus, and keep ourselves from following Satan.
• How do we put on the shoes of the Gospel of Peace? Ephesians 6:15 says that we “put on the readiness that comes with the gospel of peace.” This means we have to be ready to tell others about Jesus. Acts 3:19 tells us how to do this.
  • Acts 3:19 – “Therefore repent (turn around) and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord;”
    • The directions to God’s peace are simple – “Turn & Return to God through Jesus Christ.”