Will It Hold?

[Kits are pre-bagged: 20 spaghetti sticks and about 3 feet of masking tape each. Marshmallows are hidden in your pocket or a bowl behind you. Tape measure on your belt.]

Opening: Get Them Moving

Alright, everybody up. Yep... off the couch. You're gonna want to be standing for this.

[Split into teams of 3 or 4. Mix up couples and roommates.]

Before I ever inspected a house, I built them. And tonight... you're gonna build one. Well, sort of.

[Hand out kits.]

Every team gets 20 sticks of spaghetti and some tape. Your job is simple. Build the tallest freestanding tower you can. You can't tape it to the table. You can't hold it up when time's called. It has to stand on its own.

Tallest tower wins. And I brought my tape measure, so there's no arguing with the judge.

You've got four and a half minutes. Ready... go!

The Build

[At about the 3-minute mark, pull out the marshmallows.]

Oh... wait. Did I forget to mention something?

[Drop a marshmallow on each table.]

Your tower has to hold this. On top. When time's up. Will it hold?

[Let the groaning happen. It's the best part.]

Ninety seconds! Get that marshmallow up there!

[Count down the last 10 seconds out loud. "Hands off!"]

Judging

[Measure each standing tower. Make a big deal of it. Crown the winner. Point at the wreckage and laugh with them.]

Okay. Some of these are... still standing. And some of these are what we call in the building business... a teardown.

The Debrief: Let Them Teach You

So let me ask you guys a few questions.

What happened when the marshmallow showed up?

[Let them answer. You'll hear: "It fell." "It bent." "We panicked."]

Right. Everything was fine... until the weight showed up. It's easy to build tall when nothing's pushing down on you.

Now look at the towers that held. What did they have in common?

[You'll hear: wide base, triangles, sticks taped together, shorter but sturdier.]

And one more. Did anybody's team have one person doing all the building while everybody else watched?

[Laughs. Someone will get called out.]

How'd that go?

Here's the thing. You just learned everything I was going to teach tonight. I'm just gonna show you where it's already written in the Word.

Beat One: The Base Holds Everything

Turn to 1 Corinthians 3.

Every tower that stood had one thing in common. A good base. In building, we call that the foundation. And Paul uses that exact picture.

1 Corinthians 3:11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

The word "foundation" is themelios (Strong's G2310). It means the bottom layer... the part everything else sits on. Build on anything else, your building will fail. 

Notice it says "that is laid." Past tense. Done. Tonight you guys had to build your own base… But Paul says that God made Christ to be our wisdom, our righteousness, our sanctification, and our redemption. You don't have to be smart enough, good enough, holy enough, or free enough. Jesus Christ already is all of that for you. Your foundation isn't something you make yourself... it's something you already stand on. And build your life upon. No man can lay a foundation that is already laid down. (1 Cor 3:11)

Turn to Ephesians 4. 

Beat Two: One Stick Snaps, a Bundle Holds

[Pick up a single spaghetti stick.]

Watch this.

[Snap it. Easy.]

One stick. No problem. Now...

[Pick up five sticks taped together. Try to snap them. Make a show of it.]

Not so easy. That's what the Word says about us.

Ephesians 4:16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

"Fitly joined together" is sunarmologeō (G4883). It means fitted closely, piece by piece. "Compacted" is sumbibazō (G4822), which means knit together or held together.

And look at this... "every joint supplieth." The tape. That's the joints. Without the tape, all you've got is a pile of sticks on a table.

And "every part"... that's everybody in the body of believers. Joined together, a couple or a body of believers is really strong. Fitly joined together. Built up in love.

Turn to Galatians 6. 

Beat Three: The Load Always Shows Up

So here's the big one.

[Hold up a marshmallow.]

Nobody gets through life without one of these.

Pressure shows up. School. Money. Somebody you trusted lets you down. The adversary tries to steal your peace. Life lands weight on you, usually at the worst possible time... like with only seconds left.

And here's the good news: God's not the one dropping the marshmallow on you. But He built you… to hold up… when it comes... and He didn't build you alone.

Galatians 6:2 Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.

"Burdens" is baros (G922). It literally means weight. Heaviness. And "bear" is bastazō (G941), which means to pick up and carry.

So, each stick of spaghetti noodle helped the other ones out… in supporting the weight.

Turn to 1 Thessalonians 5.

Beat Four: A Collapse Isn't the End

On a real job site, when something fails, you rebuild.

And there's a word for that all through Paul's letters. It’s edify. 

1 Thessalonians 5:11 Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.

"Edify" is oikodomeō (G3618, oy-ko-do-MEH-o). Oikos means house. And domeō: "to build". Every time you read "edify" in the Word, just read it as "build up." That's our job with each other. 

When somebody's tower falls, we help them rebuild.

Recap

So let's look back at the table.

• One... the base holds everything. Jesus Christ is the foundation, and it's already laid.

• Two... one stick snaps, but a bundle holds. We're fitly joined together, and every joint supplies something.

• Three... the load always shows up. And when it does, we carry it together.

• Four... a collapse isn't the end. We build each other up.

Do the Word

This week, find one person who's carrying a marshmallow, and help hold it. A text. A coffee. A ride. Just showing up.

You’re the best. Amen?