The Persecuted Church
9/15/24
Introduction: Picture a High School football team that’s having a winning season. They started with just a few straggling parents in the stands and suffered loss after loss. But something happens. A new coach comes along and teaches them new plays and how to work as a team. Before you know it, they win their first game, then another, and another! The stands begin to fill with people coming all over to see the small town boys who’re making the news as they win game after game. The town is booming with people coming to see them. But watching from the sidelines is the star basketball team who used to have the attention of the surrounding area. Jealousy begins to grow and now attitude and tempers are thrown around. You can imagine the trouble that would ensue from this kind of scenario.
What we read in Acts 12 is the same kind of thing. Paul, the one most zealous to stop the Jews was won over to the other side. Miracle after miracle has caused the church to grow and gain much attention for Jesus. Now the word has spread to the Gentiles and thousands are coming in droves. After much success and spread of the gospel, it should not be surprising to see satan rearing his ugly head.
Read Acts 12:1-4
This Herod was the nephew of Herod Antipas who had a role in the trial of Jesus. He was the grandson of Herod the Great. And like those who went before him, he was a cruel man. Because he enjoyed the popularity from killing James (the first disciple of Jesus to be martyred) he decided to gain even more applause by putting Peter in jail. Make no mistake, James' outcome would have also been Peter’s.
In fact, he was so determined that nothing would go wrong that instead of chaining Peter to one soldier, he put 4 squads of soldiers in charge of him and chained him to two soldiers. Escaping was definitely an impossibility in the natural. But we know that when something seems impossible to us, nothing is impossible for God.
Jesus promised no special protection for even his closest followers. James was one of the disciples who was closest to Jesus, and he was martyred.
Jesus pronounced a blessing upon Peter and then stated, “And I say also unto thee, Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” in Matthew 16:18.
His closest friends, and yet he didn’t put a force field around them to keep them safe from the enemy. What makes us think that we deserve special attention?
Think about the Jewish people, God’s chosen people, the apple of His eye…wouldn’t you think that a Hitler would be stopped before he ever got started? During the war, the Nazi regime and their collaborators systematically murdered over six million Jewish people. And yet we whine and doubt when we lose a job or can’t pay a bill or the furnace goes out at the peak of winter. “How could a loving God allow such a thing?” “How could a loving God allow my first husband to die?”
Matthew 10: 16-22
16 “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless[a] as doves. 17 But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues. 18 You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. 19 But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; 20 for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.
21 “Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. 22 And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.
Also see what Jesus had said to James, the one who was just martyred.
Mark 10: 35-40
35 Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Him, saying, “Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask.”
36 And He said to them, “What do you want Me to do for you?”
37 They said to Him, “Grant us that we may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on Your left, in Your glory.”
38 But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?”
39 They said to Him, “We are able.”
So Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink the cup that I drink, and with the baptism I am baptized with you will be baptized; 40 but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared.”
James had no idea that he too would be killed for what he believed and preached. They didn’t understand what they were asking. If those closest to Jesus had to suffer, if he didn’t rescue them, then what makes us think that we won’t also go through some stuff?
Let’s move on.
Read Acts 12: 5-11
Notice that once the followers knew Peter was arrested, they moved right into constant prayer. They had just suffered the trauma of losing James and not too long ago, Jesus. Now they needed to hit their faces for Peter.
The word constant also has the idea of earnest; literally, the word pictures someone stretching out all they can for something. It is the verb ektenos which is related to the medical term describing stretching a muscle to its limits.
Luke used this same term for the agonizing prayer of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Much of our prayer is powerless because it lacks this earnestness and stretching to the limits of our capabilities.
Earned prayer has power not because it in itself persuades a reluctant God. Instead, it demonstrates that our heart cares passionately about the things God cares about.
Jesus said in John 15:7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.
Here again we see that praying the word of God holds such power!
4. This ektenos prayer is what moved God’s heart.
In verse 10 of our main passage, it says: When they were past the first and the second guard posts, they came to the iron gate that leads to the city.
It’s one thing to escape from guards, but it’s quite another to have an iron gate blocking your way. Today I ask you, what is your iron gate? What blocks your way to healing, to redemption, to restoration, to faith, to answered prayer?
Many of us worry about the iron gate before we ever get to it. A month beforehand, we are anxious about the iron gate. But God will take care of it when we come to it. For Peter, it opened of its own accord.
When every other gate is shut and locked, the gate to heaven is wide open. We can take advantage of that open gate through prayer.
Read Acts 12: 12-17
Oh my my my! Their prayer was earnest; it was ektenos prayer! They prayed fervently and passionately for the rescue of Peter, but their faith was lacking.
They believed enough to pray, but they didn’t believe enough to know that something would happen and so they doubted! Why are we so astonished when God moves on our behalf?
If we believe John 15:7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.
Why do we stand flabbergasted when our prayers are answered? Because we know how to fast and pray for something but our faith has to catch up!
When we can pray with all belief that what we ask for is forthcoming, we will throw open those doors and watch for our “Peter” before he ever knocks upon the door!
Read Acts 12: 20-24
Pride is a stench in Father God’s nostrils! Satan found out first hand what happens when you exalt yourself above God.
The people of Tyre and Sidon needed help from Herod to be able to have food for their people. They were going to do or say anything to placate him and make him favorable to their requests. “Oh Herod, you are a god!”
Herod ate up the compliments. He was prideful and corrupt from the inside out. Herod believed he had the upper hand against God’s people, but God showed who was really in charge. Herod was judged and found wanting. Ironically, his judgment was from the inside out.
Listen to the historical account from the book of Antiquities:
“He put on a garment made wholly of silver, and of a contexture truly wonderful, and came into the theatre early in the morning; at which time the silver of his garment, being illuminated by the fresh reflection of the sun’s rays upon it, shone out after a surprising manner, and was so resplendent as to spread a horror over those that looked intently upon him; and presently his flatterers cried out, one from one place and another from another (though not for his good), that he was a god…A severe pain also arose in his belly, and began in a most violent manner…when he had been quite worn out by the pain in his belly for five days, he departed this life.”
Eaten inside by worms until death.
Cast from heaven to earth and eternal damnation
Be very wary if you ever feel pride rising up in you that you would place yourself above God the Almighty!
Friedrich Nietsche was the philosopher who said that God was dead and that Christianity was a despised religion of weaklings. Fighting God drove him insane and he spent the last several years of his life in that condition.
Sinclair Lewis won the nobel prize for literature and fought against God in one of his books. The book was about an evangelist who was also an alcoholic and would sleep with any woman he could. Sinclair Lewis died a hopeless alcoholic in a clinic near Rome.
Writer Earnest Hemingway lived his life of adventure and sin against God seemingly without consequences until he shot himself in the head with a shotgun.
Adolf Hitler set himself against God and the Jews. He committed suicide on April 30, 1945 after being hunted by Soviet troops storming Berlin.
Men and women who set themselves up against God will never succeed and their ruined lives are evidence of it.
This chapter has three main sections that teach up important components for our lives:
We need to realize that we will be persecuted no matter how close we are to God. In fact, the closer you are to Father, usually the more persecution you will face. Realize it, accept it, learn to ride your way through it by surfing on the glory of God. Realize that it won’t last forever, but if it does last long, you are never going it alone.
2. If you want to see your prayers answered in obvious and fantastic ways, you have got to learn to pray earnestly nonstop. Go into the throneroom and refuse to leave until God moves. Learn to tarry at the altar!
If you tarry somewhere, you stay there longer than you meant to and delay leaving. Stop rushing through prayer. Pursue your answer.
Refuse to stop asking until you get your answer.
3. Keep God as #1! If something else is taking the throne of your life, you’ve set yourself up as more important than God. If you have something out of alignment in your life, you are wanting your own wants and desires above God. That’s a dangerous place to be in.
The longer you stay on that throne, the easier it will be for the enemy to convince you that you are most important! He’ll say, “You are like a god - no you ARE a god!”
People put affirmations all over their house to remind themselves of how important they are. Things like:
You are enough! - ouch, that one hurt because I have said that one a lot. Embrace who God created you to be, but you are never enough until you are just like Christ.
I am an unstoppable force of nature.
I am independent and self-sufficient.
I can be whatever I want to be.
Through the power of my thoughts and words, incredible transformations are happening in me and within my life right now.
Now don’t get me wrong. It is important to remind yourself of who you are in Christ. Speaking those words over yourself is very powerful to motivating yourself to do and be better. Just watch the words you say. Make sure they are Biblically sound and humble before your creator.
Prayer
Psalm 30:11-12 You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, To the end that my glory may sing praise to You and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever.
Father take our mourning and replace it with joy that leads us to dance before you with gratitude.We are handing you all semblance of our sorrow: our sad countenance, our depression, our tears. Return in their place happiness that shines for all to see. Let us sing praises to you God, loud and proud! O Lord our God, we will give thanks to You forever. Amen!
