​Tea Bag
(Heaven)
(God’s Plan)
(Trust)
 
The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.  Isaiah 59:11
 
The Basic Bible Truth
 
From before time began, God knew each of us in minute detail.  His plan for our lives is perfect.  And it is our responsibility as Christians to learn about Him and follow His leading in our lives.  Our ultimate goal is to become as much like Christ in our actions and deeds and thoughts as possible.  Often that requires our consent to allow Him to remove from our lives the things that do not look like Christ.  Sanctification, for the Christian, is a lifelong process.  It hinges on our conscious agreement with Him that we have sin in our lives that must be addressed and dealt with.  As those issues are removed, our lives will begin to resemble the life of Jesus, and the ultimate end result will be a closer walk with Him.  God’s perfect plan is to use the life of a committed Christian to further His kingdom here on this earth.
 
The Object
 
Tea Bags (Great Value Orange Pekoe From Walmart)
Scissors
Lighter

This lesson can go a variety of different ways, depending on how you want to approach it and use it.  I have used it many different ways.  It has an effective ending.  I usually do not use this as a stand alone lesson, but rather, an exclamation point tacked on the end of another lesson.
 
 The tea bag is cut open and the tea discarded, leaving a cylinder of tea bag cloth.  I then place the cylinder in the palm of a hand of a volunteer, ask them to remain totally steady and trust me completely, and I light the cylinder on fire.  It burns brightly and effectively, and mere moments before the fire reaches the palm of the hand, the ash from the burnt tea bag rises off of the hand and almost miraculously floats up in the air.  (Caution:  not every brand of tea bag will work.  You may have to search for a brand that will perform the way you want it to.  I had to buy 8 boxes of tea before I finally found this one that worked.)
 
The Lesson
 
I would like you to consider the lowly tea bag.  It does not have much of a future to look forward to.  Most tea bags end up in a cup of hot water for about 2 minutes and then they are thrown away and forgotten forever.  But I want you to remember this tea bag.  It has an entirely different future ahead of it, because I have a great plan for it. 
 
But my plan requires a few things to happen first.  We must get rid of the stuff that we do not need here.  The tea is what tea bags are all about most of the time, but I want you to consider this tea bag for what it actually is.  A cloth like material that allows water to pass through it, but that normally has no other reason for existence.  I am going to give it a new reason to be here.  Me.  So I will cut the bag open and simply pour the tea over here to the side and discard it.  We have the most important thing right here, the bag itself.
 
I need a very brave and trusting volunteer.  I am going to ask you to do something incredibly dangerous.  I am going to build a fire in the palm of your hand, and if you are brave and unflinching, you will not get hurt.  I promise.  Do you trust me?  Very good.  Now remember, no matter what happens, no matter how bad things might look, do not move your hand.  Just stay incredibly still.  Here we go.  I am going to take this cylinder of tea bag and stand it upright in the palm of your hand.  I have a lighter, and my plan is to light this tea bag on fire.  It is going to burn at about 800 degrees.  Now, that is hot enough to severely burn your hand, but if you trust me, you will not feel a thing.  I promise.  Very steadily hold your hand out, palm flat and I will stand the cylinder up and light it on fire and……………wow, will you look at what just happened.  Just before the fire reached the palm of your hand, the tea bag lifted up into the air, finished burning just above your hand, and then continued to float away up into the air.  Amazing!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
 
 

PDF of Lesson