Peter Escaped from Prison - Sunday April 11, 2021

Sunday April 11, 2021 (Vol 11, Unit 32, Session 1)

Hello, and thanks for joining us this week. The following blog is here to be a tool for you to help your kids grow in their faith. Please feel free to use as much of it as you choose. You know your kids and are the best possible teacher for them. God has given you the power of the Holy Spirit to enable you to do more than you think possible (Eph 3:20). So, let's have some fun and teach our kids from the scriptures. 

Parent Devotional 

Peter had witnessed the pouring out of the Holy Spirit on Gentile believers. God made it clear: The Gospel is for all because Jesus is Lord of all. Peter returned to Jerusalem and told the believers there what had happened. At this time, other believers who had scattered amid persecution were preaching the Gospel. By God's grace, people believed, and the church grew.

Before long, King Herod Agrippa attacked the believers. He arrested Peter and killed James, the brother of John. Herod put Peter in prison and planned to kill him too.

While Peter was in prison, the other believers prayed earnestly for him. God answered their prayers. Guided by an angel late one night, Peter walked right out of the prison. He escaped to the house of Mary and told the believers gathered there what God had done. Then Peter left Jerusalem for a while because his life was in danger.

Consider emphasizing one or more of the following points as you teach this Bible story. First, prayer is powerful. God answered the people's prayers for Peter. When we pray, God hears us, and we can trust that He is good and will act according to His will. Prayer shouldn't be the last resort for people who feel powerless about their circumstances. Prayer is powerful; we can call on the Lord of the universe at any time!

Second, God is in control. God had a plan for Peter and the church that Herod couldn't stop. God rescued Peter from his enemies. Even when our plans fall apart, God is still in control.

Finally, following Jesus is risky—but worth it. Peter knew he would face death because He believed in Jesus. Many believers were killed because of their faith. But Peter didn't hide or give up. He kept going so he could share the good news of the Gospel. Jesus is worth living—and dying—for. 

Parent Guidance and Instructions 

As we begin to explore this week's lesson, take a moment to pray and remember the verse from Deuteronomy about teaching your children the scriptures. Deuteronomy 6:9 says: "You shall teach them diligently to your children and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise." Maybe you do not have time to sit and have an hour of Bible time all at once, or perhaps your children are too young to sit for that long. Consider the key points of the lesson and ask God to give you opportunities to speak them into the hearts of your children throughout the week. Let the Bible become a part of your day-to-day. Be blessed this week, my friends!

Each week we include songs, activity pages, the bible lesson video, memory verses, and possibly a craft or 2. We pray this will help you find ways to engage your kids spiritually. It is written in script form from the K-2nd grade lesson, so you can read directly from it or change it to suit your children. Take some time to look at and print the activity pages and the additional activities and information (found in the links at the bottom of the page) to review the lesson so you can adjust as needed. I have included the Bible and Discussion questions along with a breakdown of the Gospel in the Older Kids Activities pages and loads of activities and crafts on the Preschool Extra Activity Pages. Once you are ready, go ahead and start with these songs if you would like, or pick some of your favorite worship songs and then jump right in! Have fun! And remember, this does not need to be done in one sitting! Feel free to break it up over the week. Please contact me if you have any questions or suggestions. I would love to hear from you! - Melissa

Opening

"Blessings and Bummers"

Let's get started. Tell me, what have you seen the Lord doing in your lives this week? What have your greatest blessings been? How about your biggest challenges?

Parents share your blessings and bummers, encourage the kids to do the same. 

Prayer

Let's go to the Lord in prayer: Father God, Thank you. Thank you for providing for our needs. You are so good to us even though we don't deserve it! Thank you for continuing to bless us, Lord. Thank you for being patient with us. Thank you to our friends as well as our families. Most importantly, we thank you always for sending Jesus to live a perfect life and die to pay for our sins. Thank you for raising Him from the dead and promising us life with you forever if we believe in Him. Please help us be thankful for all you do for us and look to you in all that we do. In Jesus' name, Amen. 

(Please add to or customize prayer time to fit your family) 

Praise the Lord for hearing our prayers!

Let's chat! 

Prompt kids to discuss times that someone didn't believe they were telling the truth.

Say • It can be so frustrating when people won't believe you! In today's story, something truly amazing happened to Peter. Listen closely during our Bible Storytime to find out who had a hard time believing the truth.

Optional Session Starter Activity

Pick one of two options or do both; this is your party. (You can find these on page 2 of the optional activity pages attached at the bottom of the page.)

Big Picture Question

I know what you are thinking; what is our mission as Christians? And don't worry, I'll tell you. Our mission is to make disciples of all nations by the power of the Holy Spirit. That means that we go all over the place, and we tell people about Jesus. We invite them to trust in His death and resurrection so they can be saved by faith. Then we train them to help us keep spreading the Gospel to new people in new places.

Review

Before Jesus went back to heaven, He told His disciples about their mission. Soon after Jesus ascended—went up to heaven—He sent the Holy Spirit to live in the disciples and help them to complete the mission. We've talked about some of the problems they faced and learned many of the things the apostles wrote about to help the church live out the mission well. Every time the enemies of God tried to top the mission God had other plans. Let's hear more.

Bible Lesson

Isn't that amazing? God sent an angel to Peter, and he just walked right out of prison past two sets of guards. The Bible says the gate to the city even opened by itself! Now that's some amazing power! Isn't God awesome? It's no wonder Peter thought it was a vision or a dream. How could it really be happening? But it was. God heard the prayers of the church, and He still had big plans for Peter's life. Peter needed a miracle to escape before the king could kill him the next morning.

Miracles aren't a problem for God. The Bible is full of His miracles—things that happened that can only be explained by God's power. God is never too early and He's never too late. God rescued Peter from prison, and He made sure that there was no other way to explain Peter's escape except that it was God's power. Because the Bible says that the church was gathered that night, still praying for Peter, we know they had faith in God. They trusted that God could free Peter, even if they had trouble believing it when Peter showed up at their door. I have a feeling that was a night none of them ever forgot. 

Christ Connection

Until the angel came to Peter's prison cell, Peter didn't know how God would answer his prayers. He knew there was a strong chance he would die, just like James had died. But Peter was not afraid to share the Gospel of Jesus. Peter understood God's plans were always for the best, even if it meant it was time for him to die. But in this case, God was not done with Peter's life. He miraculously rescued Peter from his enemies so Peter could continue to share the good news of the Gospel. We need to pray that we will be like Peter, not afraid to share the Gospel no matter what happens to us. 

Bible Time! 

Distribute a Bible to each kid. Help them find Acts 12. Explain that Acts is the History division of the New Testament. It is called Acts because it tells of the acts, or deeds, that the Holy Spirit did through the apostles.

Ask the following questions. Lead the group to discuss:

Why was Peter arrested? (Herod was persecuting Christians; Acts 12:1-4)

How did the church respond to Peter's imprisonment? (by praying for him, Acts 12:5)

How did the church respond to Peter's escape? (with joy and amazement, Acts 12:14-16)

 Have you ever been mistreated because of your belief in Jesus? Guide kids to discuss the kinds of mistreatment they may face, such as bullying, teasing, or being excluded from activities.

How do you think we should respond if we are mistreated? Help kids think through appropriate ways to respond to mistreatment. Point them back to the Bible story, reminding them that Peter didn't try to fight his way out of prison. The church did not try to break Peter out either. They prayed and trusted God.

What are ways God can use our hard times to bless us and glorify Himself? Guide kids to think about the qualities God may develop in us through trials, such as patience, endurance, and compassion for others who are suffering. Help them think about the importance of trusting God's plans even when life is scary or difficult.

Say • God rescued Peter from prison, but not every person will be rescued from hard times. Jesus promised that we would face persecution, and even when God doesn't rescue us from mistreatment, we can know that His plans are for His glory and our good. He is trustworthy and loves us. That means that no matter what difficult times we may face, God will always use it for good, even when we don't understand exactly how.

Memory Verse

Read the verse together. 

Say • This key passage is often called the Great Commission. After Jesus rose from the dead, and before He returned to heaven, He gave His disciples this mission. And it's the same mission we have today! What is our mission as Christians? Our mission is to make disciples of all nations by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Memory Verse Activity: 

Before class, write the key passage on a dry erase board or chalkboard. Make sure each word is spaced so that you will be able to cover one or two words with sticky notes.

Shine a flashlight on the words of the verse as the children read it out loud together. Then cover one or two words with sticky notes. Lead the kids to repeat it, covering more words with each time until the key passage is wholly covered.

Say • Our key passage reminds us that God has a plan and invites us to be a part of that plan. What is our mission as Christians? Our mission is to make disciples of all nations by the power of the Holy Spirit. Nothing, not even a prison cell, and chains, will stop God's plan to reach the world with the message of the Gospel.

That is all I have for this week. Let's pray together: 

Father, give us the courage to live on mission. Help us to pray for boldness and trust the answers You give. Help us love You more each day, with a love that causes us to obey Your perfect commands. Amen.

Thanks for joining us! I hope to meet you here again next week! 

Thank you, Lifeway's Gospel Project, for allowing us to publish this material.

Additional Activities and Information