How to Play
Place the bottle of soda in the middle of a field.
Make sure it is stable and will not topple easily.
Carefully open the bottle.
Drop a few Mentos (try 5 to 8) into the bottle all at the same time.
Run away as quickly as you can!
Watch the soda erupt into a huge geyser.
Tips
Most people prefer diet soda because it produces a higher geyser. They are also sugar free and easier to clean.
To easily drop multiple Mentos into the bottle at the same time you can roll a piece of card or paper into a paper tube that can fit inside the mouth of the bottle. The Mentos should fit loosely inside this holder.
Bible Lesson – Joy
Discuss
1. Did you enjoy this activity?
2. What was the best part of this activity?
3. How long did the soda-mentos geyser last?
4. What does the soda-mentos geyser remind you of?
5. Have you ever burst out in excitement or joy over something? Tell us more.
6. Can you think of something that we can rejoice over forever and ever?
Read
John 3:16
Discuss
7. What do you understand by “eternal life”?
8. How does having eternal life make a difference in your daily living here on earth?
9. How does having eternal life make a difference after you die physically?
Read
John 14:15-17
Discuss
10. What does this passage tell us about the Holy Spirit?
11. Why did God give us the Holy Spirit?
12. Where does the Holy Spirit live?
Read
Revelation 21:4
Discuss
13. What can we look forward to in heaven?
14. How would you describe heaven in your own words?
Say
The Bible tells us that if we believe in Jesus, we can have eternal life. This means that we can have a relationship with God right now. We have the Holy Spirit living inside us right now and we can one day be with God in heaven.
How does this make you feel?
Read
Romans 15:13
Discuss
15. Why can we have joy and peace when we put our trust in God?
16. Whose power can we draw upon?
Conclude
For those of us who believe in Jesus, we can have joy and peace everyday because we know that God is with us and we can draw upon the power of the Holy Spirit to help us in our daily living.
God has given us the Holy Spirit to be our guide and helper. If we walk by the Spirit, he will produce good fruit in our lives, including joy! (Galatians 5:22-23)
And one day, all the problems of this world will go away; we will live with God in a perfect world, with no pain, no crying and no death!
Bible Lesson – Rejoicing in Heaven
Discuss
1. Did you enjoy this activity?
2. What was the best part of this activity?
3. What does the soda-mentos geyser remind you of?
4. Have you ever burst out in excitement or joy over something? Tell us more.
5. What are some things that make you happy?
6. What are some things that you do when you feel happy?
Say
When we feel really happy about something, we usually can’t keep it in. Very often, we burst out in laughter (or at least a smile) and can’t wait to tell someone about it.
Do you know that it’s the same in heaven? Have you read any passages in the Bible about heaven rejoicing?
Read
Luke 15:7
Discuss
7. In this passage, why was there rejoicing in heaven?
Say
The Bible tells us that God loves us and wants us to be with him forever and ever.
But we cannot be with God because we have all sinned. (Isaiah 59:2, Romans 6:23)
We have all done things that are wrong. (Romans 3:23)
The punishment for our sins is separation from God.
That is why God sent his Son, Jesus, to die on the cross so that all our sins can be forgiven. (Romans 5:8)
And on the third day, he became alive again! (Acts 13:30,31)
If we believe in Jesus, we can now have a relationship with God.
We can become children of God. We can call God our Father.
And we can one day be with God in heaven! (John 1:12, 1 John 1:9)
This is the reason why there is rejoicing in heaven whenever one of us repents of our sins and puts our faith in Jesus.
Discuss
8. Do you know what it means to repent?
Say
Repentance is when we decide to turn away from our sins and follow Jesus: confess our sins, ask God for forgiveness, put our faith in Jesus and invite Jesus into our lives to help us turn away from sin.
Discuss
9. Have you repented of your sins and put your faith in Jesus?
If yes… Do you know that heaven rejoiced over you when you did this?
If no… Would you like to do this now?
Say
Here’s a prayer you can say right now:
Dear Jesus,
Thank you for loving me. I know that I have sinned. I have done things that are wrong. I believe that you died on the cross to take the punishment for my sins. Please forgive all of my sins. Please come into my life and help me turn away from doing wrong. Thank you that because you took the punishment for my sins, I can have a relationship with you now and will one day be with you in heaven.
In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen
Conclude
If you have just said this prayer, heaven is rejoicing over you right now because you now have a special relationship with God and you can one day be with God in heaven!
It is important that you grow in your relationship with Jesus. You can do this by:
– Talking to God
– Reading God’s word, the Bible, and
– Obeying him
Related Bible Passages
The Parable of the Lost Sheep, Luke 15:1-7;
The Parable of the Lost Coin, Luke 15:8-10;
The Parable of the Lost Son, Luke 15:11-32
