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Speak It; Don’t Stretch It

STICKY STATEMENT

Speak it; don’t stretch it.

LESSON OBJECTIVE

Children will learn that stretching or omitting the truth is actually lying and they will be challenged to put away lying and start telling the truth.

LESSON OVERVIEW

Children will learn that, many times, we lie out of fear and/or desire; they will learn that a lie isn’t only making up a story but lying is omitting the truth or adding to the truth as well. They will also learn that we should speak the truth because it pleases God and because we are members of the body of Christ. The children will hear a fictional story and biblical principles that will help them understand the consequences that come as a result of lying.

KEY VERSE

Ephesians 4:25

DEFINITIONS

Lie: “to say or write something that is not true in order to deceive someone”

TEACHER’S CHECKLIST

1. A PowerPoint is available for this lesson.2. The Effects of Lying video: https://teachersource.wol.org/resource/OBS20/35-1/ (Lesson Content)3. Rubber Band video: https://teachersource.wol.org/resource/OBS20/35-2/ (Lesson Content)4. Tell the Truth video: https://teachersource.wol.org/resource/OBS20/35-3/ (Younger Adaptation)5. Thick rubber bands (one for each person) (Next Steps)6. Pens (one for each person) (Next Steps)

One Another Lesson 1: Speak It; Don’t Stretch It – 1

https://teachersource.wol.org/resource/OBS20/35-3/



HOOK

Teacher’s Note: Prior to teaching this lesson, recruit two leaders to read the following script. If possible, recruit them a week prior to teaching the lesson, and give them a copy of the script so they can read through it. A copy of the script has been added to the end of this lesson so it can be easily printed out and used for the skit.

If you have chosen to use the Younger Adaptation, use it instead of the skit.

Enter Casey (looking sad and confused).

Enter Larry.

Larry: Hey Casey! You look sad. Are you having a bad day?

Casey: Yes.

Larry: I’m so sorry you’re having a bad day. What’s going on? Can I help?

Casey: Thanks, Larry, but I don’t think you can help me. It’s my fault. I broke my mom’s cell phone. When my mom finds out, I am going to be in big trouble.

Larry: Why does she have to find out it was you?

Casey: There’s no way that she won’t find out! I’m the only person in the house.

Larry: Yeah, I guess you do have a point there. [Pause and think for a second.] Hey, why don’t you tell her that the cat jumped on the counter where the phone was being charged and knocked the phone off, and it got broken.

Casey: Well, it did get knocked off the counter, but it was because I was careless and knocked it off.

Larry: But she doesn’t have to know that, does she?

Casey: What if she asks me how it happened?

Larry: You just tell her that you heard the cat running to the kitchen, and then you saw the phone broken on the floor! You did hear the cat running, and you did see the phone broken on the floor. You don’t have to tell her all the details in between.

Casey: Wow! I guess that could work, maybe. I just don’t have a good feeling about this; my stomach feels sick when I think about making up something instead of telling the whole truth.

Larry: Yeah, but how do you feel when you think about the trouble you will be in if you tell her the whole truth?

Casey: I know, that’s scary too. I just don’t know if leaving out the other details is the best.

Larry: Of course, it’s the best; you won’t be in trouble at all, and for the uneasy feeling in your stomach, it gets better the more you do it.

(Larry leaves the scene.)


Casey: Wow, I really don’t know what to do. Should I just deal with this feeling inside of me and go ahead and make up something about my Mom’s cell phone, so I won’t be in trouble? Or should I tell her the truth and deal with the consequences of breaking her phone?

Teacher’s Note: After Casey exits the scene, begin teaching the lesson.

LESSON CONTENT

What do you think about that? [Allow time for responses.] What do you think Casey should tell her mom? [Allow for response] Well, this will lead us straight into tonight’s lesson.

Teacher’s Note: If you chose to use the Younger Adaptation, begin teaching the Lesson Content at this point.

Tonight’s lesson is the first lesson in a four-part series called “One Another: Better Together.” The Bible is full of statements that tell us how to treat one another. This series will focus on four of those statements. The “One Another” that will be discussed in this lesson is “Be honest with one another.”

Listen to what Colossians 3:9 says. [Read Colossians 3:9.] That is pretty clear, isn’t it? “Do not lie to one another.” But what is a lie? Is it a lie if you tell some of the truth but not the whole truth? Is it a lie if you tell the truth but make the story a little more entertaining?

Does anybody here know what it means if I say, “Just tell the truth; please don’t stretch it”? [Allow time for responses.] When I say, “Please don’t stretch it,” it means don’t add to or change the truth. Don’t try to make your story any better or worse than what it is. When we add to the truth, it stops being the truth. Today, we are going to look a little deeper into the idea of stretching the truth and the consequences it can have.

You don’t have to raise your hands but let me ask you a question. How many of you have ever been tempted to not tell the whole truth, to add to the truth, or even flat out lie? I know I have.

Sometimes, it’s really tempting for us to stretch a story just to make ourselves look better. Maybe you want to make people laugh, so you add an extra fact or two to your story. Maybe you want people to feel bad for you, so you make your story sound a little bit worse than what really happened. Whatever the reason, if we don’t tell the whole truth or we add to the truth, we are not being honest. Today, we are going to learn a simple concept about the truth. When it comes to the truth, we should speak it; don’t stretch it.

Let’s start by showing you a video from a very intelligent fourth grader. We do not know if she is a follower of Jesus or not, but she does agree with God that lying isn’t good, and it has bad consequences.

Teacher’s Note: Show the negative effects of lying video: https://teachersource.wol.org/resource/OBS20/35-1/.

Wow! Great talk and great information about lying and telling the truth. What Georgia Haukom said about lying lines up with what God says about lying; lying is bad. She gave us some reasons to stop lying, and they were some pretty good reasons, but all she did was tell us that lying has a negative effect on our health. Georgia Haukom is not the authority on why lying is bad for us, is she?



In spite of being a very good and truthful presentation about lying and its effects, it lacked the main reason for us to speak it; don’t stretch it. The main reason we should tell the truth isn’t because of the effects lies have on others or on our health. The main reason for us to speak it; don’t stretch it is because God, who is our final authority, says in His Word, the Bible, that we should stop lying and start telling the truth.

Those who are followers of Jesus have the authority of a perfect God, and that authority is found in the Bible, God’s Word. So, let’s see what the Bible has to say about lying.

We have already heard what Colossians 3:9 said. Let’s read Ephesians 4:25 and see if we can discover something else the Bible says about lying. [Have an adult leader read Ephesians 4:25.] Wow, God was pretty clear in this verse too, wasn’t He? We are told to put away lying. Instead of lying, we are to speak the truth to one another. In other words, don’t omit; don’t make it up; don’t stretch it; just speak the truth.

Let’s break that verse down a bit so we can really understand it. What is the first thing God tells us to do? [Allow the children to respond.] That’s right, “put away lying.” That was a pretty obvious statement, don’t you think? Put away lying! Stop lying!

But what is lying? [Allow time for responses.] Lying is saying things that are not true or completely true. Lying is exaggerating the truth. Lying is cheating and sometimes even telling secrets. Just so we are all on the same page, here is a good definition of the word “lie.” [Show visual #1: the definition of lie.] The word “lie” means “to say or write something that is not true in order to deceive someone.”

When you don’t tell the whole truth, you are deceiving someone. When you make your story better or worse than it really is, you are deceiving someone. When you cheat on a test, you are deceiving your teacher because she thinks it is your work. God says, “Put away lying.”

But that is not the end of God’s instruction, is it? What else does God say we are to do after we stop lying? [Allow the children to respond, and maybe even re-read Ephesians 4:25.] God doesn’t just want us to stop telling lies, but He also wants us to start speaking the truth.

Why do you think God doesn’t just instruct us to stop lying, but tells us to start speaking the truth? [Allow time for several responses.] Did you know that God actually told us why He wants us to both stop lying and start telling the truth? He told us right there in Ephesians 4:25. [Re-read Ephesians 4:25, if necessary.] God is telling us that we need to speak it; don’t stretch it because we are “members of one another.” Everyone who knows Jesus as their personal Savior are all part of one body. We are called the body of Christ or the Church.

Imagine yourself pulling your own hair or slapping yourself on the face. You wouldn’t do that, would you? That’s just silly. Well, according to Ephesians 4:25, when you lie, it is like you are pulling your own hair or slapping yourself on the face. When you lie, you hurt the body of Christ, which you are part of. When we stop lying and start telling the truth, we can live in harmony as one body because we are not hurting one another or getting hurt by lying to each other. So, speak it; don’t stretch it.

On the other hand, if we stretch the truth, eventually it will break. Every time we embellish the truth, we are stretching it. The more you stretch the truth, the greater chances you have of being hurt and hurting someone else. The truth can be like a rubber band; if it is stretched too much, it will break. When it breaks, it can have devastating effects.

Take a look at this video of what happened to a couple of guys when they decided to stretch a rubber band. Before we watch it, you need to know that the video is in slow motion and is recorded without sound for visual effect. Let’s watch it.


Teacher’s Note: Show the video of two guys stretching a rubber band until it snaps: https://teachersource.wol.org/resource/OBS20/35-2/.

What do you think? Not fun. Please do not attempt this at home; it might look interesting to some of you, but it is not safe. We saw in the video that both guys got hurt, and what we saw was the physical consequence of stretching a rubber band so much that it snapped.

Let’s go back to Ephesians 4:25. Can we see that same concept? The main thought in this verse is this: “If you are a Christian, you should put off lies and speak the truth because we are all part of the same body.” Lying hurts us, like snapping the rubber band hurt the guys.

CONNECTION

There are many reasons why we might lie. Let’s look at two of them quickly.

Reason One: We lie because of fear; we are afraid of something or someone.

Reason Two: We lie because of desire; we want something.

Teacher’s Note: If you used the Hook portion of the lesson, teach the following paragraph. If you chose to use the Younger Adaptation, refer to the video instead of the skit. You could say,

“The kids in the video that we saw showed us the first reason, didn’t they? They thought that they were going to get in trouble with their dad.”

The first reason, fear, we saw in our skit, didn’t we? Casey was tempted to lie to her mother in fear of getting in trouble for breaking the phone. Can you remember a time when you lied because you were afraid that you were going to get into trouble? Have you ever lied because you were afraid you were going to get caught? Sure, you have.

The second reason we lie is because of desire. Sometimes, we lie because we want something. Let’s say your friend has a really nice pair of new tennis shoes, and you really want a pair just like them. So, you think, “If I ask my parents for these cool new tennis shoes, they will probably say ‘No!’ But, if I tell them that my gym teacher wants everyone to have the same type of tennis shoes, I could probably convince them to buy them for me.” But it is not always a desire for something that causes us to lie. Sometimes, we have the desire for the attention or affection of someone.

For example, let’s say that there is a very popular boy or girl here at church. He or she has lots of friends, but you are not that popular. You may be tempted to lie to impress that person so they will like you, thinking that will help you become popular too.

So, we lie out of fear and because of desire. Telling the truth can be hard to do sometimes, wouldn’t you agree with me? Just because we are Christians does not mean we won’t be tempted to lie. But, when we remember that lying hurts others and that God has called us to stop lying and tell the truth, we should be honest with one another.

We have learned that God wants us to stop lying and to start telling the truth. Lying isn’t just bad; lying hurts others. It is the same as hurting yourself and lying doesn’t please God. So, when tempted to lie, speak the truth; don’t stretch it.

Teacher’s Note: If you used the skit, have the leader who read the part of Casey come back to the front of the room.



Enter Casey, holding a rubber band.

Casey: Stretching the truth is sin; omitting parts of the truth is sin. I must put away lying. I might get into trouble, but I will tell the truth!

(Talking to God) Dear God, this is going to be hard. Help me to tell my mom the truth.

(Talking to the crowd) Here goes, I’m going to tell Mom the truth. (Casey exits.)

CHOICE

Do you think always telling the truth is easy or hard? [Allow time for responses.] Sometimes, it even seems there is no way out but to lie, doesn’t it? If we are going to stop lying and speak the truth, we have to honestly face our fears and desires. But we will need God’s help to do it.

If you have ever lied because you were afraid or because you wanted something, but want to be an honest person, will you take the time to ask God to help you speak the truth and not stretch it? Will you ask God to help you not lie, but speak truth to one another? Maybe you could simply pray,

“Dear God, I want to be honest, but sometimes I don’t tell the truth. Help me to speak the truth, not stretch the truth.”

Teacher’s Note: Take time to pray for the children, that they will choose to be honest.

NEXT STEPS

To help us all remember to speak the truth, not stretch the truth, we have something to give you. [Ask leaders to pass out rubber bands to everyone in the group.] Does everyone have a rubber band? [Allow time for response.] This rubber band will be a reminder for you to speak it; don’t stretch it.

During your Personal Training (PT) Huddle group, write, “Speak it; don’t stretch it,” on your rubber band. When you take it home, don’t put it in a drawer, or trash can, or your closet. Wear your rubber band on your wrist or your ankle. You could put your rubber band on your backpack or tie it to your shoe. Keep it with you this week as a reminder that if you keep stretching the truth, you will eventually snap it. Let this rubber band remind you to always tell the truth.

YOUNGER ADAPTATION: (Hook)

Hi, boys and girls. How are you? [Allow time for responses.] Have you ever done something that you shouldn’t have done and then were tempted to lie about it? [Allow time for responses.] Today, we are going to watch a video about some children who were afraid to tell the truth. They even had some ideas on what to say instead of the truth, so they wouldn’t get into trouble. Let’s see what happened.

Teacher’s Note: Show the “Tell the Truth” video: https://teachersource.wol.org/resource/OBS20/35-3/.



Wow! Are you glad they decided to tell the truth to their dad? They sure were scared, but they thought it through and made the right choice; they told the truth. They could have flat out lied, or they could have stretched the truth, but instead, they spoke the truth.

PERSONAL TRAINING TIME

The Goal of the Personal Training Huddle: To help the children make the choice to speak the truth instead of stretching the truth.

Discussion Questions

1. What makes speaking the truth so hard and stretching the truth so easy? (Let the children talk about the difficulties that they have had with telling the truth. Be sure to share a short story yourself of how you have struggled to tell the truth. Be sure that your story is short, so the children have time to share their struggles.)

2. When are you tempted to lie the most? (Allow the children time to think and respond. You could help the children by asking, “Are you more tempted to lie when you are afraid of getting in trouble or when you want something? Be prepared to share a short story of your own.)

3. What do you think you should do this week when you get the temptation to lie? (Give the children some time to write the words, “Speak it; don’t stretch it,” on their rubber bands. You may need to write the Sticky Statement for the younger children. Ask the children how they plan to use the rubber band as a way to remind them to speak the truth instead of stretching it. Be sure to remind the children to only use their rubber bands as reminders to tell the truth.)

REFERENCES AND RESOURCES*

Source: The Effects of Lying video: https://teachersource.wol.org/resource/OBS20/35-1/ Source: Rubber Band video: https://teachersource.wol.org/resource/OBS20/35-2/ Source: Tell the Truth video: https://teachersource.wol.org/resource/OBS20/35-3/ Source: The Learner’s Dictionary https://learnersdictionary.com

*The websites listed above are not affiliated with nor sponsored by Word of Life. The sites should be used only for reference or resource purposes and may contain content not endorsed by Word of Life.

PARENT CONNECTION

Tonight’s lesson was the first lesson in a four-part series called “One Another: Better Together.” The Bible is full of statements that tell us how to treat one another. This series will focus on four of those statements. The “One Another” that was discussed in this lesson was “Be honest with one another.”

Tonight, the children learned that to lie is to say or write something that is not true in order to deceive someone. So, lying is omitting the truth, adding to the truth, or stretching the truth. They learned that people tend to lie out of fear or because they desire something. Your child was encouraged and challenged not just to stop lying, but to speak the truth. They learned that speaking the truth pleases God and builds up the body of Christ.

Your child was given a rubber band and encouraged to write the words, “Speak it, don’t stretch it,” on the band. The rubber band is meant to be a reminder to speak the truth and not stretch the truth.


REVIEW QUESTIONS

1. What word means “to say or write something that is not true in order to deceive someone?” (Lie)

2. What was the main verse for the lesson about stretching the truth? A. Ephesians 4:25 B. Galatians 4:25 C. Philippians 4:25 D. Malachi 4:25 (A. Ephesians 4:25)

3. What is one reason we struggle with lying? (Fear)4. What is the other reason we struggle with lying? (Desire)5. True or False: The Bible tells us to stop lying and start telling the truth. (True)6. True or False: We should stop lying and tell the truth because we are the body of Christ.

(True)7. True or False: It is always easy to tell the truth. (False)8. True or False: If omitting the truth will help you, it is not a lie. (False)9. True or False: Stretching the truth a little to help you look better is still a lie. (True)10. Finish the Sticky Statement: “Speak it; ...” (don’t stretch it”)


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