(12:25) Where did Saul and Barnabas return from? Who did they take with them?
Name some of the prophets and teachers in Antioch.
What did they do along with ministering to the Lord?
What did the Holy Spirit tell them?
What did they do then, before sending them away?
What were the first two points of their journey?
What type of place did they preach at in Salamis?
What was John Mark’s role?
Who did they find in Paphos?
Who was this guy with?
Why did Sergius Paulus want to see Saul and Barnabas?
What did the sorcerer do?
How did Paul describe the sorcerer? How did he describe the ways of the Lord?
What did Paul declare was the Lord’s punishment for the sorcerer? Did it happen?
What did the proconsul think as a result?
Where did the missionary party go after Paphos?
Where did John go?
What city did the rest of them go to next?
What building did they go to there? What day?
What did the rulers of the synagogue do in that service?
What did they ask the congregation to do?

Thought Questions

Are there prophets and teachers in our churches today? Why or why not?
How do people in your church decide who will be doing which ministry? How did the church at Antioch do it? Do you think the others were jealous of God’s calling?
Why do you think they prayed and fasted again after the Holy Spirit had already told them to send Saul and Barnabas to their work?
Why do you think Paul and Barnabas preached in the Jewish synagogues instead of the marketplace or pagan shrines?
After they had preached in the synagogues, the person who really wanted to hear them was a Roman proconsul. How is he described? What can that tell us about finding seekers of God in unlikely places?
Have you seen examples of how Satan betrays his position by trying to steer others from learning about God? If the truth was not important or was variable, would he put up so much resistance?
Would you have described the ways of the Lord as “straight?” Why or why not? Do they ever seem convoluted to you? What do you think makes them confusing to us? Why do you think Paul believed them to be straight?
Was the sorcerer’s temporary blindness a harsh or fair punishment for him? What was the result?
At this point, is there any indication that the apostles did not honor the Sabbath day along with the Jews?

My prayer is:
That I would always be open to the leading of the Holy Spirit regarding my place and path of ministry;
That I would be prepared to witness for Christ in any situation, whether in church, or to secular people, or in dealing with those aligned with Satan;
And that I would understand that the ways of the Lord are straight.

Who was harassing the church at that time?
Who did he kill? How?
Who did he want to be his next victim? Why?
What festival was taking place?
How many soldiers were in charge of keeping Peter in prison?
When were they going to bring Peter before the people?
What was the church doing for Peter while he was in prison?
On the night before Peter was going to be brought out before the people for judgment, what was he doing?
How many guards were surrounding him?
Who stood by him? What did he do to Peter?
What did the angel tell Peter to do?
What did Peter think of the situation?
How did the iron gate open?
At what point did the angel leave Peter?
Then, what did Peter realize had happened?
Whose house did he go to? What were the people doing there?
Who answered the door?
What did she do when she recognized Peter’s voice?
Did they believe her? What did they think was the explanation?
What was Peter doing during this time?
When he finally got in, what did he tell the people in the house?
Did he stay in the house?
How did Herod react when he found out Peter was freed?
How did the people of Tyre and Sidon try to make up with Herod?
How did they react to Herod’s speech?
Why did the Lord strike down Herod?

Thought Questions

What did the members of the church do in response to Herod’s persecution? Was that enough? Are there times when we should act, and times when we should just pray? Find other examples in the Bible of how God’s people responded to persecution, and the results.
Why did the angel leave Peter alone in the street?
Why did God send an angel to release Peter from prison, whereas He allowed James to be killed with the sword?
The people had been praying earnestly for Peter’s release, but when it actually happened, they didn’t believe it (verse 15-16). Why? What would your response be? Should we be astonished when God answers our prayers, even the ones we think are difficult? Is anything difficult for God?
What was the one thing Peter told them before he left? Why is this important?
Why are humans so awed by other humans? Is there a human that you would be tempted to regard as a god? How can we protect ourselves from being swept away by another human’s awe-inspiring words or actions?
How do you respond when people praise you? What are your weaknesses in this regard? Does the example of Herod give you pause here?

My prayer is:
that I would know when and how to pray to seek God’s strength when faced with trials, and to have faith that He will actually answer those prayers according to His will;
that I would not lose heart, however, when faced with the question of God’s actions;
and that I would continually be reminded to praise God when praised for my words or actions, and not seek glory for myself.