Week 1 (Sept. 7-13) – Acts 12:1-25. https://www.esv.org/Acts+12/

Opening Question / Icebreaker:

• Who are a couple of your closest friends?  Why do they hold that place in your life? 

Pray Together - asking God to bless your group, your time in His word, and your relationships. 

Read Acts 12:1-25

Observation & Interpretation Questions:

• Why would Herod, as a Roman official, now join in the Jewish opposition to the church?  What was gained? 

• How do you feel about the fact that God saved Peter but not James? Both were two of Jesus’ closest friends. 

• Putting yourself in the place of the soldiers (v.18), what would you say to each other in the morning? 

• In vss. 20-22, what contrasts do you see between Herod’s power and God’s power?

• What evidence exists in this chapter that reveals God has a bigger plan that He is working out beyond the present? 

Application Questions:

• What do we learn from this chapter about how Christians ought to deal with opposition and persecution?  What does that look like in our time? 

• What are some of your prayers that would surprise you if God answered affirmatively? 

• Although Peter was miraculously rescued from prison, he went into hiding to avoid Herod.  Where do you see the overlap between God’s power and human common sense? 

• Do you trust that God knows what He is doing, even when there is evidence to suggest otherwise? 

Close in Prayer:

• Pray together – lift any praises or concerns of the group members up to God in prayer.