(Note: For remote participants and BFG leaders, these questions are meant to be used in conjunction with the pastor’s sermon. Attempting to use these questions absent the sermon’s teaching could lead to unbiblical or unhelpful conclusions.)

Screen Notes
I. The king tries to usurp God’s throne (vv. 1–4).
II. The true King displays his power (vv. 4–11).
III. King Herod fights back (vv. 18–23).  
IV. God wins (vv. 23–25).  
 
For Kids
In Acts 12:1-25, we see a bad man doing bad things today, thinking he can get away with them. Pay close attention to who is really in control as he is doing these things and what happens to him in the end.  
 

• Who is really in control in this passage? 
• What evidence is there that God is in control? 
• What does it mean for you personally that God is in control? 

For Discussion
Sermon Recap:  

• [Leader: Read through Acts 12:1–25 as a group.]
• [Leader: Ask if anyone has any initial thoughts or comments on the passage.]
• In what ways does Herod try to exercise power over God’s people in Acts 12:1–4?
• What was helped motivate Herod (12:2)?
• How might a leader today seek to control God’s people? Why might someone want to do such a thing?
• What was the church’s response to Herod’s tyranny (12:5)? Do you think is a typical Christian response to injustice today? Why or why not?
• God did not rescue James from death. He did, however, rescue Peter from prison, but in a way neither Peter nor the people praying for Peter expected (12:9, 13).
• What do these facts help us understand about God’s actions in this world?
• Have you ever been disappointed by something God did or didn’t do?
• How might a Christian keep from being disappointed when God acts in ways contrary to what he/she expected?
• What might you conclude about Herod’s power in this world if you only read up to verse 23 of this passage?
• Can you name an instance when it looked like the “bad guy” was winning?
• [Leader: Keep in mind that, even if someone in your group speaks into this topic with a certain amount of detachment, he/she may have experienced very real injustice. This could be a sensitive subject, so proceed with care.]
• What happened to Herod in verse 23? How quickly did it happen?
• What does this tell you about God’s ability to enact justice? 
• How might this fact give you comfort when you think about the “bad guys” who seem to win in this world?
• How do we know that God truly is King and Ruler over all authorities on this earth? [Leader: Guide your group to think on the glorious truth of the resurrected Christ!]

  Going Deeper-Prayer and Government
[Leader: This passage contains two subject worth a deeper dive. Pick one of the two below and explore it with your group.]
Prayer: 

• Some people in this world believe God’s answer to our prayers depend on our ability to pray the right things or to pray with enough faith. 
• How does Peter’s situation in Acts 12 and the response of those praying for him disprove this theory?  [Leader: Peter did not pray to be rescued and did not even believe he was being rescued. The people praying for him had so little faith that they found it easier to believe Peter’s ghost was at the than to believe God had answered their prayers.]
• How might you respond to someone who says they know God is going to do this or that because they are really believing him to do it? E.g. “Because of my faith, I will see a miracle;” or, “If I believe hard enough it will happen;” or, “God didn’t act because I doubted.”
• Can you think of Bible verses that would encourage someone to focus more on knowing and understanding Jesus than trying to get God to answer all their prayers (Ps. 46:10; John 3:14–15; 14:13; 17:3; Heb. 12:2; others)?
• [Leader: Be sure your group doesn’t leave thinking we shouldn’t ask God for things in prayer but that we should be more concerned with being close to God and seeing how he works than we are with trying to get him to work the way we want.

Government:

• Romans 13:1 explains that every governing authority is from God and so every person should seek to be obedient to their authorities.
• How should Christians today respond to leaders who refuse to obey God or who make life difficult for Christians?
• Name some situations in which Christians must obey the government even though doing so might cause personal discomfort or distress. 
• When is it ok for a Christian to disobey governing authorities?

Application

1. The idea that God would allow a ruler or a government to persecute or kill his people is a hard one to grasp. Are any of these teachings hard for you to accept? If so, what should you do?
2. What would you tell someone that says a good God would never allow his people to suffer?
3. What can you do this week to keep your eyes more focused on Christ as King than you do on the difficulties of this world?

Questions are welcome! Post them in the Sermon Discussion group of our WhatsApp chat community.