252 Groups
July 2015, Week 2
Large Group, 4-5
Wall Shook Up
Bible Story: The Writing on the Wall • Daniel 5
Bottom Line: You can stand for what is right, even if it’s not popular.
Memory Verse: “Finally, let the Lord make you strong. Depend on his mighty power.”
Ephesians 6:10, NIrV
Life App: Conviction—standing for what is right even when others don’t.
Basic Truth: I can trust God no matter what.
Power Up: Engage the Heart (Large Group, 20-25 minutes)
Engage children’s hearts in a Large Group setting through interactive worship, prayer, and an
innovative re-telling of today’s Bible story.
GETTING READY
1. Opener/Closer
What You Need:



Host
Hidden message papers (one for each Small Group); see instructions below
Heat source
Music and Sound Effects (SFX):
 Upbeat music to use as kids enter and exit the room
Large Group Visuals (downloadable from the website):
 Conviction Slide
 Bottom Line Slide
What You Do:


Download the slides and have them ready to use. If you do not have CG capabilities, you have
Orange’s permission to enlarge and print the slides on paper.
The invisible word will be “Conviction.” You will need to make the papers ahead of time so that
they can dry. Reference this link for the invisible writing experiment.
http://chemistry.about.com/cs/howtos/ht/invisibleink3.htm. You will need to have a heat source
available for the kids. If this is not possible, see the alternative directions on the link to use a
crayon rather than a heat source.
©2015 The reThink Group. All rights reserved. • www.ThinkOrange.com
If you change the content of this document, please add to the copyright: Adapted by (your name/organization name/date).
1
252 Groups
July 2015, Week 2
Large Group, 4-5
FOR LEADERS ONLY
GOD VIEW: the connection between CONVICTION and God’s character,
as shown through God’s big story
This summer we’ll be spending June and July discovering more about what the Bible has to say about
conviction—standing for what’s right, even when others don't.
Lots of people have conviction, but often when they act with conviction they come across as arrogant or smug.
But that’s not what conviction is about at all. It’s not about what a person thinks is right because it’s too easy to
become convicted about the wrong thing. Conviction has to be rooted in something deeper and more dependable
than a personal opinion. It needs to be rooted in Scripture and what God says is right. And often it’s not even just
standing for something that’s right; it’s also about standing for something that’s right in the right way. And that
takes some practice, especially because standing for what’s right and showing conviction, may not win any
popularity contests.
That’s why we’re taking the summer to help kids understand a little bit more about Conviction. Conviction is
standing for what’s right, even when others don't. Let’s take Jesus for example.
Even for Jesus, the Son of God, it wasn’t always popular to do the right thing.
Sometimes doing the right thing meant hanging out with tax collectors, blessing the little children, or even
forgiving someone who had done something wrong. No matter what it was that Jesus needed to do, He did it
because it was the right thing to do.
But doing the right thing often made Jesus stand apart from some of the rich and powerful people of His time.
They didn’t like what He was doing or saying, but Jesus never let those crowds persuade Him to go against what
God, His Father, wanted Him to do. Even when it meant going to the cross to die, Jesus knew that it was the right
thing, and He did it.
Jesus was able to live with conviction because He knew the will of His Father, and that gave Him strength and
courage. In the same way, God has given us the ability to know what is right and the ability to do it. You see,
when we are fueled by God’s character, we will stand up for the things that matter to God.
This week we’re discovering …
For week two of July we’ll look at Daniel 5. After several years have passed, there’s a new king in town:
Belshazzar. He threw a huge party for his friends, but then a hand appeared and started writing on the wall.
Daniel came and interpreted the writing. Even though what he said would definitely put a damper on the
festivities, he told the king the truth.
Bottom Line: You can stand for what’s right, even when it’s not popular. God can help you stand for what’s
right, even when what you need to say might not be the news people want to hear.
Our memory verse for the month is Ephesians 6:10, “Finally, let the Lord make you strong. Depend on His
mighty power.” No matter the situation, God’s power can help you when you need to have conviction.
©2015 The reThink Group. All rights reserved. • www.ThinkOrange.com
If you change the content of this document, please add to the copyright: Adapted by (your name/organization name/date).
2
252 Groups
July 2015, Week 2
Large Group, 4-5
Wall Shook Up
Bible Story: The Writing on the Wall • Daniel 5
Bottom Line: You can stand for what’s right, even when it’s not popular.
Memory Verse: “Finally, let the Lord make you strong. Depend on his mighty power.”
Ephesians 6:10, NIrV
Life App: Conviction—standing for what is right even when others don’t.
Basic Truth: I can trust God no matter what.
Power Up: Engage the Heart (Large Group, 20-25 minutes)
Engage children’s hearts in a Large Group setting through interactive worship, prayer, and an
innovative telling of today’s Bible story.
SFX: Play high-energy music as kids enter.
Host enters and welcomes kids as they’re coming into
Large Group.
Opener
HOST: “Good day, citizens! I’m so glad you made it here today. It’s been a great summer discovering
what it means to stand up and get in the story. Superheroes stand up for what is right and get in the
action … and that is what we want to do too! And even though standing up is not always easy … it is
always the right thing to do!
“Now I was reading one of my comic books this week and I was reminded of another superpower that
would be amazing to have—invisibility! Can you just imagine what it would be like to become invisible?
It’d be awesome! Think about it. If there was a bank robbery you could just walk right in and lock the
robbers in the vault without even being seen. Or could you imagine the faces of your friends when all of
the sudden you appeared right in front of them out of nowhere?! So epic!
“And speaking of invisibility, we have a little challenge for your Small Group this morning.
Hold up one of the papers with invisible writing on it.
HOST: “You see this paper? Do you see what it says? Of course you don’t! And I don’t either. That’s
because the message is invisible. But what is written on this paper is one of the most powerful
superpowers of them all. Let’s see which group can reveal it first! Here’s how …
Give instructions based on which method of revealing
invisible writing that you choose.
HOST: (After the experiment) “It looks like we have a winner! What is one of the most powerful
superpowers of them all? (Wait for response.) That is right: conviction!
CG: Conviction Slide
“Okay, so maybe it is not technically a superpower, but conviction sure is powerful. Conviction is
©2015 The reThink Group. All rights reserved. • www.ThinkOrange.com
If you change the content of this document, please add to the copyright: Adapted by (your name/organization name/date).
3
252 Groups
July 2015, Week 2
Large Group, 4-5
standing for what is right even when others don’t. Standing up for what is right takes courage … and it
takes conviction. Today’s story has that AND it even has writing that appears out of nowhere like this
(pointing to the paper). I’m serious! You’ll see what I mean, but first, let’s stand and sing together!
Host exits as Story DVD begins.
Closer
HOST: “Do you ever wish you could be invisible? I’m not talking about for crime fighting purposes or for
tricking your friends. I’m talking about other times. Like if you were Daniel at the king’s party, and you
had some bad news that might cost you dearly. Or let’s say you’re at a friend’s house for a sleepover
and they want to play a video game that you know your parents don’t want you playing. It’s hard to
stand your ground and say, ‘I’m not going to play that game.’ It’s easier to just, well, be invisible. But
remember our definition for conviction.
CG: Conviction Slide
HOST: Conviction is standing for what is right even when others don’t. Having conviction though can be
a lot harder when the ‘others’ are your friends or your family members. What’s right may not always be
what’s popular with everyone else. But if it’s right, it’s right—popular or not.
“Remember, God knows everything. And what He says to do is the best. So if you’re going to stand for
what’s right, sometimes that means standing up to your friends. It could mean telling them you’re not
allowed to play a certain video game or watch a certain movie. It could mean that you choose not to talk
about people behind their backs or you choose not to say certain words. I’m not saying you should
stand up to your friends or family in a mean way. We can speak the truth but do it in a way that shows
others that we care about them. So here’s the one thing to remember:
CG: Bottom Line Slide
HOST: [Impress] “You can stand for what’s right, even when it’s not popular. You don’t have to
have some invisible superpower either. You can trust God and stand up for what’s right. You’ll talk
more about that in Small Group. Have a great day!”
Dismiss kids to their Small Groups.
SFX: Play high-energy music as the kids exit.
©2015 The reThink Group. All rights reserved. • www.ThinkOrange.com
If you change the content of this document, please add to the copyright: Adapted by (your name/organization name/date).
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