How to Play
The leader starts the music and everyone dances.
When the music stops, everyone stops moving and become statues.
The leader goes around trying to make the “statues” laugh. (No touching!)
Anyone who laughs or moves is eliminated and joins the leader in trying to make the other statues laugh.
The last remaining statue wins that round, gets a prize and becomes the leader for the next round.
Tip
If you are playing in a large group, instead of having one single winner for each round, you may speed up the game by making the last 3-5 statues remaining the joint winners for that round and co-leaders for the next round.
Bible Lesson – Peer Pressure
Discuss
1. Did you enjoy this game?
2. Was it easy to keep still when the people around you were trying to make you laugh?
3. Have you ever been caught in a situation where your friends tried to make you do something that you didn’t want to do? Tell us more.
What did your friends want you to do?
Why didn’t you want to do it?
What happened in the end?
4. Do you remember any Bible passages that talk about something like this? Where someone was asked to do something he didn’t want to do?
Say
The Bible tells us in Daniel 1 that the king of Babylon, king Nebuchadnezzar, conquered Jerusalem and brought some of Jerusalem’s capable young men into his palace. Daniel was amongst those captured.
Read
Daniel 1:3-8
Discuss
5. What did king Nebuchadnezzar want to do with these capable young men? (verses 4-5)
6. Why did Daniel refuse to eat the royal food and wine? (verse 8)
Read
Daniel 1:9-10
Discuss
7. What does verse 10 suggest to you about king Nebuchadnezzar?
Do you think refusing to eat the royal food was a brave thing to do?
8. What would you have done if you were in Daniel’s position?
Say
Daniel worshiped God and followed God’s ways. But the Babylonian king and people did not worship God; they had a different culture and lifestyle from Daniel’s people.
The Bible did not tell us in detail about the food and wine that Daniel refused to eat and drink, but the important thing is that Daniel wanted to stay true to God. He did not want to eat and drink what he felt would dishonor God because they were unacceptable to the Jewish traditions and teachings.
Discuss
9. Think about one time when you refused to do what people around you did because you felt it was wrong.
Tell us what the people around you did and why you felt it was wrong.
How did you feel standing up for what you believed was right?
What happened in the end?
Say
Sometimes we get caught in situations where we do not agree with what the people around us are doing. And sometimes we feel pressured to comply and just blend in with the crowd.
Being different or doing things differently from people around you may difficult and scary; often times there is a risk of us not being accepted because of it.
Read
Psalm 1:1-6
Discuss
10. What does this Psalm say about a person who walks in the ways of sinners? What will happen to these people?
11. In contrast, what does this Psalm say about a person who does not walk in the ways of sinners? What will happen to these people?
Read
Galatians 1:10; Acts 5:29; John 12:26
Discuss
12. What do these verses tell us? Why is it important for us to obey God even if people around us do not agree with us?
Conclude
It is important for us to read the Bible regularly so that we know what pleases God and what doesn’t. And when we are caught between pleasing God and man, we must be able to stand our ground and decide to honor God even if it means disagreeing with the people around us. It may be scary and difficult, but it will be worth it.
