This Sunday I plan on spilling some stuff all over the place. (well, not really) I am working with a member of the class to make this happen but no one else will know. It will help the impact on those unsuspecting members.
We will open the class in the normal fashion, when it comes time for me to speak I will ask the member to get me something to drink and he will promptly spill some (don't worry Wes, it will be a very small some) of it on me and not too much on the carpet. I will most likely use water. I plan on making a big production of getting out the shirt I am wearing (I will have a shirt on underneath) and express a small part of irritation at my helper for being so clumsy to give it a sense of realism. I am quite sure someone in the class will assist me and help clean the water from myself and the floor. Before I leave to dry my shirt I will ask the class to do the care groups. I will have already instructed the leaders, before hand to discuss the terms malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, slander and other fleshly lusts (v11).
When I get back to the class I will open with letting the CGL's tell us about their discussion. After that I will explain what happened and that the same way I reacted to the filth is the same way we should react to the list of behaviors in our own lives. And then discuss how the class reacted to symbolize how we should and shouldn't help those when we have to clean up the messes created by these behaviors.
The point is; in verse 1 of chapter 2 it says "put away", "put aside", "rid yourself" "laying aside" or Barclay uses the terms "strip off" all of these things as they are a stench to God. I want to illustrate what that should look like in a way people will remember. Now that we are in the light and we see these behaviors for what they are we should repel them and cleanse ourselves in the same manner as if someone had just spilled rotten milk on us.
If I did not have to worry about ruining the carpet I would use rotten milk or eggs to express how God views these behaviors we are to strip off. Even the fact that people would keep away from me because of the stench is a picture of how Christians and non Christians react when believers behave this way, while others would help me to rid myself of them.
Jeff
