Acts 12:1-17 contains a wonderful story because it gives us many
situations of the Christian life and Church life. In this scripture we
find the following situations:
1. There are those who abuse or persecute the Church and Christians.
2. Christians find themselves in seemingly hopeless conditions.
3. A Christian must keep his faith in helpless conditions.
4. God sends help in times of trouble.
5. One of the main duties of the Church is to pray for one another.
6. Sometimes we actually are surprised when our prayers are answered.
The
Church and Christians today face and experience the same problems and
situations today. We can look at some of the high points of this story
and see how they actually relate to us today.
Let us first look at
Peter's imprisonment. Peter was put into prison because King Herod was
persecuting the Church, vs 1-4. King Herod was persecuting and abusing
the Church because he saw how it pleased the Jews, vs 3. Herod had
killed James and when he saw how it pleased the Jews he set out to kill
Peter. When Peter was apprehended it was during the Jewish passover, so
Herod had Peter imprisoned until the passover was finished. One great
thing to note here is that seeking pleasure from others as King Herod
was doing is what keeps people continuing in their sins. This is just
what Jesus warned others not to do.
What does it mean to be
imprisoned? It means to be confined. It means to be in a hopeless and
helpless condition. Peter was in this perilous condition. He was held in
prison guarded by 16 soldiers with the sentence of death hanging over
him. Christians also find themselves in hopeless and helpless
situations. They confine themselves to things of the world. Christians
confine their time to other things. Christians give their time to things
they want to do and give their left over time to service within the
Church. The problem and helpless condition here is that before they
realize it there is no time left for the Church. The world will always
be robbing Christians of time to give the Church is they allow it to.
We
also become helpless because of our apathy, our lack of feeling. One of
the greatest enemies of the Church today is the "I don't care" feeling
of people. Let us put this in perspective of imprisonment. Prison is to
be a deterrent to crime, but it is not so for many people today. Being
confined and losing one's freedom is not the worst thing for some people
today, because they are already in a worse condition. They are
homeless, hungry, and lonely. They are missing the basic human needs
that rank for more important than being confined. In prison they find
these things so they don't care if they go to prison.
Being
confined should be a deterrent for Christians. When the Christian is
confined by things of the world he cannot do the things he needs to be
doing for the Lord. When Christians are confined they miss the joy that
is found in serving the Lord. But the problem is the same as we have
already mentioned. When Christians give themselves to service of the
Church and to God, they give up a little of their opportunity to make a
little more money, or to have a little more of the world's pleasures.
Somehow Christians have gotten their ideas and priorities mixed up. They
have lost the joy in serving the Lord; therefore, to find joy
Christians confine themselves to seeking it from the world. As they
become more and more confined to finding joy from the world the same
apathetic feeling comes to them just as it does to many who are in
prison, "why should I care anymore?"
God sent help to Peter when
he was confined and in his hopeless situation. In Peter's case God sends
an angel, vs 7. God sends help at the right time. The angel came when
the guards were sleeping. The angel came just before the day Peter was
to be delivered for execution. God sends the type of help that will be
sufficient to overcome our confinement. The angel was sufficient to free
Peter from his chains. The angel woke Peter by hitting him on his side
and gave him directions to follow. Peter was told to "arise quickly".
When he was obedient the chains fell from his hands. Peter was told to
gird himself, to put on his clothes and his sandals and follow the
messenger of God. When Peter was obedient he found himself led out into
the street. There a couple of things to note here: (1) when Christians
receive help from God in times of trouble they are expected to follow
His leading in total and immediate obedience. (2) When God begins to
lead Christians and they are obedient to follow, God makes the way easy.
When the angel came to Peter, a light also shined in the prison. When
Christians follow God's leading, they are led out of the darkness into
the light.
God sends help because Christians ask for it. Jesus
said, "Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray,
believe that you receive them, and you will have them", Mark 11:24.
Peter was surely praying for his release all the time he was in prison.
It seems that Peter's faith was strong. He was able to sleep between two
guards, and was able to sleep even though he knew he was facing death.
How many Christians today have that kind of faith?
The Church was
also praying for Peter's release. Vs 5, "Prayer was made without ceasing
of the church unto God for him". They prayed without ceasing. They
prayed when they were congregated together; they prayed when they were
alone; and they prayed along their way. Christians today take a short
time in worship service to make their prayer requests known and to pray
for these requests, but how much further do they take these requests? Do
they make it a matter of continual prayer?
The reaction of
Christians and the Church to God's help is not always what is expected.
Peter's reaction was that he thought he as dreaming, vs 9. He had to be
led all the way out into the street and be totally free before he could
believe what had really happened. Sometimes it takes Christians a while
to realize that the help they have received during helpless times had
really come from God. The Church's reaction to God's help was one of
surprise. When Peter was released he went to Mary's house where the
Church was gathered together and praying. When God does something great
for us, we should do the same thing. We should take it to the Church as a
testimony and tell others what God has done for us, that they may be
strengthened as well. When Peter knocked on Mary's door, Rhoda came to
answer. She was so happy to see Peter that she did not open the door,
but ran to tell the others that Peter was free and standing before the
gate. When the Church people heard what Rhoda had said, they said to
her, "Thou art mad". They were praying for Peter's release, yet would
not believe it had happened when they were told Peter was released. How
many times do Christians pray for something, and yet fail to believe it
happens as a result of their prayers?
Since the beginning of the Church, the Church has always faced her problems.
Some of the problems the Church has faced include:
1. Getting the Gospel to the outsiders.
2. Securing spiritual results from the Church's ministry.
3. Finding the right leaders for various ministries.
4. Having a lack of love and unity.
5. Disciplining new converts.
These
problems are serious but not the most crucial. The critical problem
that leads to a fatal condition is the prayer life of the Church. The
strength of any Church will be directly proportionate with it's prayer
life. The greater the prayer life of it's membership, the greater the
strength of the Church. Prayer will supersede all problems that the
Church will encounter. It will release the Church from the bondage and
confinement she finds herself. Prayer will keep the Church in a loving
and united condition. But it takes continual prayer, not just
spontaneous prayer. Prayer without ceasing for others in the answer to
keep Christians from falling into confinement of the world, and to keep
them free to serve the Lord, and to receive the joy promised.
No comments:
Post a Comment