Teaching Acts 12

[This is our final week on Peter in Acts before we move on to 1 Peter]

3-5s

Theme: Jesus will protect and grow His people

Intro:

Put some plastic people in the middle of the table. Get them to build walls around them to protect them with Jenga blocks. ‘ What might Jesus’ friends need protection from?’

Bible story:

• Afraid – Herod killing and attacking
• Peter in prison – church praying
• What is Jesus going to do? Is Herod going to destroy ALL the followers of Jesus?
• Angel rescues Peter – Peter does as he’s told.
• Knocks on the door of the house where Jesus’ followers are praying
• Rhoda answers, doesn’t believe its him and nor do the others she tells
• Herod furious and kills the guards – Who’s going to win: Herod or Jesus?
• At a feast day the people call Herod a god. He doesn’t say he’s not and drops down dead
• And more and more become Jesus’ people. No one can stop Jesus!

Activities:

• Picture of Peter in prison. Stick on some prison bars which can be lifted up to allow him to escape. Stick on an angel. At the top stick ‘Jesus will protect and grow His people’

• Have a piece of paper with ‘Jesus will protect and grow His people’. Stick on various people. Then stick on coloured paper around ‘protecting’ them.

Songs

I belong to Him and Stick with Jesus (from Very, very Big God)

Jesus is the Boss and God knows (from J is for Jesus)
 

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5-11s

Theme: Jesus will protect and grow His people

Intro:

Split into 2 teams. One team has cardboard and sellotape – they have to protect one member holding a sign saying ‘the gospel’.

Bible Story:

Re-enact using following drama stopping regularly

Have call-outs of key phrases each character says (can be reused in table time)

• Afraid – Herod killing and attacking
• Peter in prison – church praying
• What is Jesus going to do? Is Herod going to destroy ALL the followers of Jesus?
• Angel rescues Peter – Peter does as he’s told.
• Knocks on the door of the house where Jesus’ followers are praying
• Rhoda answers, doesn’t believe its him and nor do the others she tells
• Herod furious and kills the guards – Who’s going to win: Herod or Jesus?
• At a feast day the people call Herod a god. He doesn’t say he’s not and drops down dead
• And more and more become Jesus’ people. No one can stop Jesus!

Table time:

Have pictures from www.freebibleimages.org to re-arrange into right order

Knowledge

• What was going wrong for God’s people?
• What did God do about it?

Understanding

• Why were the Christians surprised when Peter knocked on their door?
• Could Herod stop the spread of the good news about Jesus?
• Why not?

Application

• How is God going to keep His church going?
• Even if Christians are thrown in prison will God look after His people?

Make a prison for Peter out of straws - then destroy it

Funsheets

Pray together