Spiritual Survival Guide
8: Bible Studies for Inside and Out
1.What’s your first reaction to this story? a. Sounds like a fairy tale. b. Sounds like every prisoner’s fantasy. c.Where’s my angel? d. There’s power in prayer.
one street, suddenly the angel left him. 11 Then Peter came to himself and said, “Now I know without a doubt that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from Herod’s clutches and from everything the Jewish people were hoping would happen.” 12 When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying. 13 Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer the door. 14 When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, “Peter is at the door!” 15 “You’re out of your mind,” they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, “It must be his angel.” 16 But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. 17 Peter motioned with his hand for them to be quiet and described how the Lord had brought him out of prison. “Tell James and the other broth- ers and sisters about this,” he said, and then he left for another place. 18 In the morning, there was no small commotion among the soldiers as to what had become of Peter. 19 After Herod had a thorough search made for him and did not find him, he cross– examined the guards and ordered that they be executed. Then Herod went from Judea to Caesarea and stayed there.—Acts 12:1-19
e. There’s more power in prayer than we realize. f. Sounds like heads are going to roll at the DOC! g. God can make a way when there seems to be no way out. 2.What were Herod’s motivations at the beginning and end of this story? a. Purely political—only interested in what’s in it for himself. b. Flexing his muscles to show everyone who was boss. c. He was afraid of the Christian movement—every tyrant is secretly afraid. d. Master of the “blame game”—first blame the Christians, then blame the guards. 3. If a “messenger of the Lord” came to you (inside of prison, or out) and said, “Quick, get up! I’ll show you the way to real freedom,” how would you react? a. I’d suspect that it was a con game of some kind. b. I’d suspect, like Peter, that I was dreaming. c. Are you kidding? I’d jump at the chance. d. I’d probably slow everything down and insist on knowing every single step going forward. e. My chains didn’t fall off miraculously, but God did a kind of miracle getting me home in one piece, in my right mind, and on the way to freedom.
DISCUSS
We offer suggestions for some possible answers, but don’t feel confined by them.
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