Session 2: Weapons of Peace: Truth
Ephesians 6:14: "Gird Your Waist with Truth"


By the end of this session, youth should be able to understand the following:

Procedures: Grades 3-5 / Grades 6-12

Activity 1:
On a chalk board or large piece of paper write two words:

True False

Have the class list all the things they know are true, then have them list all the things they know are false.

Activity 2:
Play the game “Two truths and a lie.” Go around the room. Everyone in the room gets the chance to say two true things about themselves and one lie. Then the leader asks the question: "Does anyone know which was the lie?" Let people raise their hands and guess.

Now ask: “Those of you that were not able to guess the right answer, why do you think this is so?” They should answer that they didn’t know the person well enough or that they were just guessing.

Now ask: "How do we know what is the truth?" (The real truth can only be known through living a life pleasing to God. Without God’s guidance, we will again and again fall subject to the lies of the devil and his army. We need to constantly pray to God and to His saints for strength and weapons to fight against evil.)

Activity 3:
Have someone read John 14:6. Ask: "Who do they say is the truth?" Answer is Christ.

Say: "According to our Church, we believe that a person (Jesus) is the truth and that we need to follow Him. How do we know the truth about someone if we don’t know who that person is? Just like when we played “Two truths and a lie” if you didn’t know the person or were just guessing you might get the answer wrong. We can only follow Jesus if we know Him. We can only know the truth about Him, if we spend time praying and giving our lives to Him."

Grades 3 - 5

Ask: "What do we need to do to follow/love Jesus?" Write their answers down so they can all see it. Have them cut out hearts from construction paper and with a marker have them write their answers down on the heart. Tape them up so all can see.

Conclude by saying: "We are made stronger in the Lord when we love Jesus and know that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life." Ask: "Don’t forget to continue praying for your partners. We are also made stronger by helping others, by praying for them, and by loving them."

Grades 6 - 12

Have them break up into their same groups with these questions:

Come back and discuss.

Ask this question: "Is it possible to believe you are doing what is true, right, or holy and in actuality you are doing the wrong thing?" Write down some examples of people in history who might have thought they were doing the right thing.

Conclude by saying: "We are made stronger in the Lord when we follow Jesus and know that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life."

 

Department of Youth, Young Adult, and Campus Ministry
Orthodox Church in America
PO Box 675 Syosset, NY 11791
http://yya.oca.org
yyacm@oca.org

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