Energy Booster:  "Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation” (1 Peter 2:2).

Warm-Up 

Props: 2 fly swatters; 12 index cards with the outline of baby bottles drawn on (all should be blank except one—label it with a bug sticker).

Place the 12 cards backside up in a stack on the floor. Divide the kids into two teams and mark off a line with masking tape for each team to sit behind. The stack of cards should be between the two lines so the length from each line to the stack is 5-10 feet. Place a fly swatter on each team’s line.

(Show a blank baby bottle card and bottle with bug sticker.) “If you were a baby and these bottles were real, which milk would you rather drink so you could grow?” (Allow response; then show a blank bottle.) This milk is definitely better. Babies should never drink milk that has a bug in it! Bad milk should always be thrown out. That’s why the object of the game we’re about to play is to smash the bug as fast as you can.”

Shuffle all 12 cards and restack them on the floor. Have one child from each team squat beside the card stack and take quick turns flipping over one card at a time. If the card that’s flipped is blank, they continue flipping cards. But when the bug bottle is revealed, they must run as fast as they can to their line and grab their team fly swatter. The first child to run back and hit the bug card (you’re the judge) wins the round. The other child joins the winning child’s team.

Work Out

Great job! You had to pay close attention and be super-quick for that game so your team could grow. Those are skills that are helpful for growing in God’s family too. Today’s energy booster says, (read verse).

“God’s Word is like milk—it’s perfect for helping new Christians grow. That’s why it’s so important to study the Bible. In fact, God wants you to crave His Word—to have a heart so hungry for it you make time for it every day.

But sometimes bad things can get mixed in with the good milk of God’s Word and ruin the message. Sometimes people who don’t believe God’s Word try to change, add or take away words in the Bible. They twist the truth. It’s like a bug in the milk!

“Let me give you an example. Here’s some good spiritual milk. (Hold up a blank bottle card and read John 14:6 from the Bible.) Now here’s some bad milk. (Hold up bottle with bug.) Jesus is one of the ways and one possible truth and one way to live.

“That second statement sounded a lot like the first one but it totally changed the meaning. It teaches the lie that people can get to Heaven lots of ways. But the pure milk of God’s Word clearly says Jesus is the only way.

“As a Christian always pay close attention to what others teach about the Bible. If it’s true, let it help you grow. But if it’s false, throw it out fast before it spoils God’s message!”

Continue the game, reshuffling each round. The team with the most children after everyone has a turn wins.

Cool Down

Have the kids sit in a circle and give one child a blank bottle card. Have him pray for the person to his left to grow on God’s Word and beware of bad milk. Have kids pass the card and pray until everyone has a turn.