This Sunday, July 13 in our 8:30am Contemporary Service, we will be going through Acts 12. This is the last time we'll see Peter in this book. In this chapter Herod has James put to death by the sword, and he arrests Peter, with the intent to do the same to him. But the early church didn't forget about him...
Acts 12:5, "So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him."
An angel of the Lord miraculously delivers Peter from jail, even though he is double hand-cuffed to one soldier on his right, and another on his left, not to mention 16 additional guards taking turns watching over him. Herod evidently heard all of the escape from jail stories.
Meanwhile, people were so impressed with Herod's speaking that they called him a god. But the real God did away with him in a pretty dramatic and gross way...
Acts 12:23, "Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died."
This had to have been a challenging time for the early Church. Imagine this Sunday, one of your friends isn't at church because they were put to death by the government for speaking about Jesus. In spite of it all, I love what verse 24 says...
"But the Word of God continued to increase and spread." (see verse 5).
Prayer is SO important...What is it that we can do without prayer??? Oh yeah...NOTHING!
John 15:5, "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
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