Cookie Cutter Evangelism~

One of the most challenging and often times intimidating concepts to teach children is their need to be reborn after the pattern of Christ. One Sunday morning in the middle of my lesson, God gave me a revelation to use playdoh and cookie cutters. This illustration has proven to be very effective for every age. The illustration goes something like this:  

One of the most challenging and often times intimidating concepts to teach children is their need to be reborn after the pattern of Christ. One Sunday morning in the middle of my lesson, God gave me a revelation to use playdoh and cookie cutters. This illustration has proven to be very effective for every age. The illustration goes something like this:  

Get two wire cookie cutters and a tub of playdoh. The cutters can be of any shape. It works well to have a human shape or a circle. As you work the playdoh in your hands you can begin to engage the children by asking some simple questions like: Have you ever used cookie cutters? What is your favorite cookie cutter shape? What is your favorite color of playdoh? etc. 

ASK: What do you notice about my cutter? (Acknowledge the different answers but conclude with the answer of it being in perfect condition. You may have to be the one to give this answer).

SAY: Right, this human shaped cutter is perfect.

ASK: So if I smash out my playdoh and push this cutter into the playdoh, what will the playdoh look like? (It will look like the human cutter).

SAY: Right, it will have the perfect shape just like the cutter. (Hold up the human shape of playdoh) This reminds me of the very first man God ever created.

ASK: Do you remember his name? (ADAM) 

SAY: Adam was created by God's very hands and God breathed life into Adam with His own breath. God used special care to create man and woman because we are very special to Him (Genesis 1). 

ASK: But who knows what happened in the Garden of Eden? (Adam and Even disobeyed God and were now separated from God because of sin. Romans 7:8; Romans 3:23; James 4:17).

SAY: Adam and Eve were now "marked with sin." It is like if I take this perfect cookie cutter and I dent the frame. It will no longer be perfect and now everything that is cut with this dented cutter will have this mark. (Place it on the "Adam" cutout you previously made and make the dent). And so everyone born after Adam, which is all of us, have the "mark of sin." Just like being cut from this dented cutter. (1 Corinthians 15:22, 47) Sadly, God knew that this meant that we would not be allowed to enter His perfect home which is Heaven. (Romans 6:23)

ASK: But God loves us too much to let that be the end so what did He do? (He sent Jesus to die on the cross and pay for our sin and resurrected Him three days later defeating death. John 3:16)

SAY: God sent His perfect Son, Jesus. (Show the second cutter that is still perfect). He lived a perfect life on earth so that He could give His perfect blood as payment for our sin. The Bible tells us that without the giving of blood, there is no forgiveness for sin (Hebrews 9:22; Acts 4:12; Romans 6:7). Jesus gave His perfect blood to pay for all of our sin. It is a free gift to us. When we choose to accept this free gift, we choose to be reborn from the perfect pattern of Jesus. It is like giving ourselves back to God and letting him recut us with the perfect pattern of Jesus. (Take the Adam playdoh and rework the doh and cut it with the "Jesus" cutter). That means we no longer have the mark of sin. God has placed a different mark on us to show we belong to Him and are now part of His family. (John 3:3; Ephesians 1:13 &14). That mark is the Holy Spirit. When we belong to God, He gives us part of Himself to live with us and help us and to show we are His.

Conclude with an invitation. 

I hope this illustration will prove to be helpful. There are many opportunities to elaborate and allow for more discussion. 

May God bless you as you share His message with children.