Day 119, Acts 12
Praise the Lord we are off to a great new week — and WOW WHAT A CHAPTER!!! Whooo hoooo!
Amazing that the last chapter ended with Barnabas and Saul being the ones the apostles put the care of the church in when they commissioned them to bring funds to relieve them in Judea!
And now we see Persecution! –
- so… first - Natural disaster — prophesied by Spirit filled Prophets — bringing on good works of the Christians — and then Persecution of the Church —
God allows the disaster or the famine — Good comes out of it — Evil is mad — that is one way to look at it — I can testify to seeing that in our world today!
And boy does this first persecution hurt — this is the first time that we see an apostle martyred –
I don’t know about you but it hurt to see James killed by Herod! I felt like we have been with them for a while now all through the Gospels and I imagined and shared a little bit of the pain they apostles and the church might have felt when he was killed –
Herod sees that he gets a favorable response from the Jews and then locks up Peter — and Herod’s plan was going to be to bring him before the people after the Passover — sounds like Jesus!
I loved reading this verse –
“Peter thus was being kept in prison, but prayer by the church was fervently being made to God on his behalf.”
Now check out the scene — I mean it doesn’t get any worse than the way we see it described!!
And this was PETER — the Leader of the Church and the Jews and Herod knew this — doesn’t this remind you of the latest sufferings that our Holy Father was going through these past months — and will continue to go through — BUT see the whole church is praying for Him!!!!
Peter was in DOUBLE CHAINS — guarded by four guards — and he was sleeping between two of them and two were outside — I mean there was no way Peter was getting out!!!
This was a total set up!!!
Don’t you love the set up!!! I mean some of you right now might be living a total set up!! Do you feel like you are in double chains sometimes — that there is no way you are getting out of the mess you are in???
Could be a loved one in trouble — family away from the church — kids with addictions — no job — no money — and the church is praying for you!!!! Praise the LORD!!!
OK so what I love here is that it was on the very night when Herod was going to bring Peter to trial the next day — that the Angel of the Lord appears –SUDDENLY — God is always on time — never late and never early right?
Anyway — Peter was tapped on the side — what was Peter doing — sleeping — he had to be awakened –
“GET UP QUICKLY” — and the chains fell off immediately!!!
The Angel said…
“Put on your belt and your sandals”
I love this — In the armor of God — the belt is the belt of TRUTH — and Mother Nadine in her book on the Armor of God talks about how the Belt of Truth is the Holy Spirit –
So wrap yourself in the HOLY SPIRIT —
And YOUR FEET must be shod in the Gospel of PEACE — so in peace Peter walked out of there!!!
AND put on your cloak — was the last time we saw the cloak the time Stephen was getting stoned and they through their cloaks at the feet of Saul?
AND FOLLOW ME — says the Angel!
This is such a blessing this story — POWERFUL and yet full of peace – I know it blesses me here right now to hear that Peter was at peace — he was sleeping on the night before he was to be tried — sleeping between two soldiers who had the power to torture and take him out -
And when it was time to deliver Peter he was found in peace and he was taken out in peace –
Great lesson on how to be — to remain in the Lord and in peace even in the midst of ROCKY WATERS and STORMS — Jesus was the Example for Peter — back on the boat –
This built up Peter’s faith as he says that He knows for certain that the Lord rescued him!!!
But it gets even better!!! I LOVE the part about RHONDA –
OK so everyone is so wrapped up in prayer they send Rhonda to answer the door when Peter is there!
I love that Peter’s first stop is Mary’s house — the mother of John — who is called Mark? OK I am not sure about this — I guess Mark is a name he got afterwards -maybe so he would not be confused with JOHN the Evangelist- — so either way — the fact that we see the name Mary the mother of JOHNhere – says something to me!
I love that they were all in prayer and they send the maid — and she immediately hears his voice and recognizes it –
OK so that is the key — she believed that it was possible since they were all praying — and she didn’t even have to see him — just hearing him was enough –
But she got so fired up that he was there — that she forgot to open the door –
I mean we could spend weeks reading this over and over for all the lessons — basically they are just like us — HUMAN –
She is beside herself — so full of joy and forgets to execute the Lord’s plan all the way to safety –
Then the people praying don’t believe her — they are praying so hard that their prayers are answered and yet they don’t believe — the believe more in the act of praying than they do in the answer of the prayer — YIKES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! what a mess!!
YOU ARE OUT OF YOUR MIND!!!!!!
DO you ever feel like you have lost your mind for believing in GOD”S MIRACLE!!!
Now they were all astounded to see Peter — and he explained and testified to all that had happened!!!
He says to tell James which must be a different James than the one just killed by Herod — if anyone has insight on James and also the John called Mark situation please share!
Herod has the soldiers Killed over this — YIKES — so blood was shed –
And then in the end — Herod dies — God took him out — Herod playing God and messing with Peter – Christ’s vicar on earth — was a recipe for disaster — brought on by King Herod himself!
So the Angel of the Lord stuck him down and was eaten by worms —
“BUT THE WORD OF GOD continued to spread and grow!!!”
NOTHING will ever stop the POWER OF GOD — this is so assuring –
We have an all powerful GOD!!! There is nothing He cannot do and will do everything to accomplish HIS WILL on earth!
We end this chapter with the Mission of Barnabas and Saul—
and we see — after Barnabas and Saul relief mission, they returned to Jerusalem, taking with them John who is called Mark —
So the mission continues and Mark will join Barnabas and Saul and this miraculous event is sandwiched in the middle—
pretty cool — builds up my faith today — how about you? Please share!
Tomorrow Chapter 13! God bless!
