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 Acts 12:19b-25: Glory to God.

“19 After Herod had a thorough search made for him and did not find him, he cross-examined the guards and ordered that they be executed. Then Herod went from Judea to Caesarea and stayed there. 20 He had been quarrelling with the people of Tyre and Sidon; they now joined together and sought an audience with him. After securing the support of Blastus, a trusted personal servant of the king, they asked for peace, because they depended on the king’s country for their food supply. 21 On the appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people. 22 They shouted, ‘This is the voice of a god, not of a man.’ 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. 24 But the word of God continued to spread and flourish. 25 When Barnabas and Saul had finished their mission, they returned from Jerusalem, taking with them John, also called Mark.” NIV UK

As a man was leaving church one Sunday morning he said to his pastor, ‘That was a great word today.’ ‘I know,’ replied the pastor, ‘the devil told me as I was stepping down from the pulpit!’  Of course there is a place for genuine encouragement. You are often helped by its expression when you minister in public. You can feel so vulnerable, and kind words can be timely and mean a lot. But, as a preacher, for example, you would do well to remember this story every time you speak, and especially when people pour out bucketfuls of compliments on your head. Not everyone who praises you has been deeply impacted by the word, and others who say nothing may be having a life-transforming experience. Learn from Herod, and give God all the glory. Herod was very far from being a Christian, and he certainly was no preacher, but there is a principle here whose application is obvious, I believe. Pass the praise on to Jesus. Give it to Him. Say, ‘This is not mine, Lord, but yours.’ I was reading only recently that John Stott’s life-long habit was to distance himself from people’s good opinion of him. There is wisdom in that, and it must have taken great self-discipline for someone who was so highly esteemed.

What matters ultimately is that ‘’the word of God’’ should continue ‘’to spread and flourish’’ (24). It’s not about our reputations; our little names. We can assert that God’s Word will endure long after the world’s petty Herod’s have been removed from the scene. Jesus’ church will grow; His Kingdom will spread; His Name will be held in high honour. To Him be all the glory!

PRAYER: Help me to live entirely to your praise and glory Lord.

 Acts 12:6-19: A very human story of prayer.

The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance. 7 Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. ‘Quick, get up!’ he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists. 8 Then the angel said to him, ‘Put on your clothes and sandals.’ And Peter did so. ‘Wrap your cloak round you and follow me,’ the angel told him. 9 Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision. 10 They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him. 11 Then Peter came to himself and said, ‘Now I know without a doubt that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from Herod’s clutches and from everything the Jewish people were hoping would happen.’ 12 When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying. 13 Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer the door. 14 When she recognised Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, ‘Peter is at the door!’ 15 ‘You’re out of your mind,’ they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, ‘It must be his angel.’ 16 But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. 17 Peter motioned with his hand for them to be quiet and described how the Lord had brought him out of prison. ‘Tell James and the other brothers and sisters about this,’ he said, and then he left for another place. 18 In the morning, there was no small commotion among the soldiers as to what had become of Peter. 19 After Herod had a thorough search made for him and did not find him, he cross-examined the guards and ordered that they be executed. Then Herod went from Judea to Caesarea and stayed there.

Most people reading this story will be able to identify with it at some level. We believe in the power of prayer sufficiently to pray earnestly, and sacrificially (after all, it was the middle of the night and many people had met to pray). Yet when the answer turned up, embodied, on their doorstep, they couldn’t believe it! That is    so human. They were like men who dreamed. They had to pinch themselves to see if they really were awake. They were! And Peter was alive, and out of jail. As you read the story through, it is obvious that Peter was not intended to escape, and the meanness of Herod is writ large in his treatment of the guards who, in his eyes, were responsible for Peter’s break out.

Jack Hayford wrote a wonderful little book on prayer entitled, ‘Prayer is invading the impossible’. It is, and in this chapter we see one of its gloriously triumphant campaigns against evil. The impossible was invaded and ransacked.

By the way, Peter’s composure in the face of impending death (6) is testament to the peace of God which transcends all understanding. God can keep His people calm where the rest of mankind might panic and quake with fear. He’s a wonderful God. Choose to walk in His peace today. He’s in charge – not Herod!

PRAYER: Lord forgive my unbelieving, believing prayers, and strengthen my faith. I believe, help my unbelief.

 Acts 12:1-5: Prayer changes things.

“It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. 2 He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. 3 When he saw that this met with approval among the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Festival of Unleavened Bread. 4 After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover. 5 So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.”NIV

This was another difficult season for the church (1,2). It brought an outbreak of persecution which saw James executed, but Peter supernaturally delivered. This mysterious pattern has been worked out through all church history, and it shows itself in Hebrews 11, the great faith chapter, which depicts some suffering by faith and others conquering through faith (see especially 32-38).

Our passage today tells the story of a dramatic arrest (3). Herod liked to please his public, and it looks like he intended that Peter should meet the same end as James. But he reckoned without understanding the sovereign control of God. This story was to end badly for Herod, not for Peter (19b-24), and James’ martyrdom was not wasted. The blood of Christian martyrs is ‘seed’ leading to further growth.

We are brought face to face with a dynamic reality – the church’s prayer life (4,5). The story goes that Peter was securely guarded. There was no way that he was going to get out of prison. But he did! The little word ‘’but’’ in (5) is such a big word in truth. It is a mighty adversative. It shouts that however difficult the difficulty, however big the problem, our God is greater, bigger, mightier. He will always have the last word.

Later on in the chapter we see Peter persistently knocking at the door (16), and eventually it was opened to him. To my mind, that is a picture of what the church was doing. Let all who pray fervently know that they have promises to undergird them (See, for example, Luke11:9,10).

Acts 11:19-26:God gives the growth.

19 Now those who had been scattered by the persecution that broke out when Stephen was killed travelled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, spreading the word only among Jews. 20 Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus. 21 The Lord’s hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord. 22 News of this reached the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 23 When he arrived and saw what the grace of God had done, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. 24 He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord. 25 Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, 26 and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.NIV UK

A long time ago, my sister gave me a card that said, ‘What appears to be the end may be a new beginning.’ It is the way of God in the world to use bad stuff for good purposes. What men intend for harm God works for good. The persecution that broke out ‘’in connection with Stephen’’ (19) did not stop the church, or silence the church. Rather it served to spread the church. The persecution did not destroy the church; it created a whole lot of missionaries.                                                                     Disciples of Christ (or ‘’Christians’’ as they were nicknamed at Antioch) cannot grow the church. That is not our job; it is not our prerogative. What we can do is ‘tell’ people about Jesus (19, 20). We can open our mouths and speak. We can encourage those who become Christians ‘’to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts’’ (23). However, God gives the growth (21, 23). When a church is planted, and when that church grows, let God be given all the glory for it is surely His work. But may we not fail in our responsibility to feed the flock of God (25, 26)

So a new and effective church was born in Antioch. It was the result of mission activity; it was to become a launch pad for further missionary outreach, as we will see. But you can argue that it started with the martyrdom of Stephen. On the face of it, that was a terrible thing to happen. It was grotesque; it was a tragedy. Yet it set off an essential chain reaction, propelling the church further and deeper into its calling; it was an ‘explosion’, blasting the people of God into higher orbit.

PRAYER: Sovereign Lord, give me eyes to see you, and faith to trust you, in the negative experiences of life.

 Acts 11:1-18: Don’t major on the minors!

“The apostles and the believers throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. 2 So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticised him 3 and said, ‘You went into the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them.’ 4 Starting from the beginning, Peter told them the whole story: 5 ‘I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision. I saw something like a large sheet being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to where I was. 6 I looked into it and saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, reptiles and birds. 7 Then I heard a voice telling me, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.” 8 ‘I replied, “Surely not, Lord! Nothing impure or unclean has ever entered my mouth.” 9 ‘The voice spoke from heaven a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.” 10 This happened three times, and then it was all pulled up to heaven again. 11 ‘Right then three men who had been sent to me from Caesarea stopped at the house where I was staying. 12 The Spirit told me to have no hesitation about going with them. These six brothers also went with me, and we entered the man’s house. 13 He told us how he had seen an angel appear in his house and say, “Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter. 14 He will bring you a message through which you and all your household will be saved.” 15 ‘As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning. 16 Then I remembered what the Lord had said: “John baptised with water, but you will be baptised with the Holy Spirit.” 17 So if God gave them the same gift he gave us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could stand in God’s way?’ 18 When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, ‘So then, even to Gentiles God has granted repentance that leads to life.’” NIV UK

Beware of majoring on the minors.So often critical attitudes in the church sound like this (3). The major thing was that ‘’the Gentiles also had received the word of God’’ (1). Surely the eating with ‘’uncircumcised men’’ (3) was secondary to that? It was a man-made rule. However, I believe it is true to say that every genuine move of God has had its critics. I don’t suppose it will be any different this side of the second coming. It is important, though, to try to win the critics over, if at all possible.     We have to recognise that many sincere Christians have strong scruples they will not easily relinquish. For them, these are matters of life or death, even though in reality they may not be quite so serious. So Peter tried to patiently explain what had happened. He walked them through the story in detail (5-17). After all, his own prejudices had only recently been dissolved in the light of further revelation. In this instance, Peter’s careful ‘diplomacy’ won the day (18). There was a recognition that this was a move of God, and that Gentiles would not have to become Jews in order to be converted.The fact that Luke records Peter’s speech in full when it is a repetition of Acts 10:9-48 shows the significance of this moment in church history. It was a watershed, and a further step was taken in fulfilment of Acts 1:8. It was time for phase 4, and God was in complete control of the unfolding programme of world mission. The Holy Spirit is the supreme evangelist.

PRAYER: Thank you Lord that you can change our minds. I ask you to challenge and change my thinking wherever it is wrong.

 Acts 10: 34-48: A divinely interrupted sermon.

34 Then Peter began to speak: ‘I now realise how true it is that God does not show favouritism 35 but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right. 36 You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. 37 You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached – 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him. 39 ‘We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a cross, 40 but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. 41 He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen – by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. 43 All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.’ 44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. 45 The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles. 46 For they heard them speaking in tongues[a] and praising God. Then Peter said, 47 ‘Surely no one can stand in the way of their being baptised with water. They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.’ 48 So he ordered that they be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days.

The key learning for Peter was that God will accept Gentiles as well as Jews (34,35). That’s the essential message here, and we have walked through the process of a dawning new understanding with the apostle in recent days. It’s not about people earning God’s approval by their goodness. They must come ‘’through Jesus Christ’’ (36; and see also 43) as Peter goes on to assert; and He is ‘’Lord of all’’ (underlining mine). He is not just Lord of the Jews; He can also be the Lord of Gentile people. This was the fresh conviction that carried him to Cornelius’ door. In speaking to these Gentiles, Peter could refer to their prior knowledge of certain things: ‘’You know…You know…’’ (36, 37). Nevertheless, he recapitulated the glorious, the thrilling essential facts of the gospel (37-43). He was an eye-witness of these matters (39), as were others, and ‘’commanded…to preach…’’ (39, 42). It is significant that the apostles ‘’ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead’’ (41b). It shows that although Jesus was different in His resurrection state, He was no ghost. He was still human (Luke 24:41, 42).

When the church receives the same anointing that Jesus received, we can do the works He did, and greater ones (in quantity). May the world be able to see that God is with us. Speaking personally, I would love to have the Holy Ghost interrupt my preaching again and again (44). The reception of the Spirit was all the evidence needed that these Gentile people had truly repented and believed.

Thought: ‘I read in a book that a man called Christ went about doing good. It is very disconcerting to me that I am so easily satisfied with just going about.’ Toyohiko Kagawa

Acts 10:23b-33: The essence of a meeting.

“23 Then Peter invited the men into the house to be his guests.
The next day Peter started out with them, and some of the believers from Joppa went along. 24 The following day he arrived in Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. 25 As Peter entered the house, Cornelius met him and fell at his feet in reverence. 26 But Peter made him get up. ‘Stand up,’ he said, ‘I am only a man myself.’ 27 While talking with him, Peter went inside and found a large gathering of people. 28 He said to them: ‘You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile. But God has shown me that I should not call anyone impure or unclean. 29 So when I was sent for, I came without raising any objection. May I ask why you sent for me?’ 30 Cornelius answered: ‘Three days ago I was in my house praying at this hour, at three in the afternoon. Suddenly a man in shining clothes stood before me 31 and said, “Cornelius, God has heard your prayer and remembered your gifts to the poor. 32 Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter. He is a guest in the home of Simon the tanner, who lives by the sea.” 33 So I sent for you immediately, and it was good of you to come. Now we are all here in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has commanded you to tell us.” NIV

Someone pointed out that Peter must have realised that something significant was happening – or was about to happen – and that it would be good to have other witnesses on hand (23b). As Peter made the lengthy journey to see Cornelius, he went in a spirit of deep humility (25, 26) He was also honest about his previous prejudices, and told how God had dealt with his heart (28). He didn’t try to make himself look any better than he was. I believe the words in (33) express the essence of a Christian meeting. Note:

▪ The expectancy: ‘’Now we are all here in the presence of God…’’ Is that the spirit with which we gather together? It ought to be
▪ The availability: ‘’…to listen to everything the Lord has commanded you to tell us.’’ It may not always suit us, but we are ready to hear it and do something about it.
▪ The courtesy: ‘’…it was good of you to come.’’ I love that! It seems to me that common courtesy is not so common as it used to be. First and foremost we come together to meet with God and to hear His Word. But we do gather together. It is also a meeting with one another, and it does matter how we treat people. Courtesy oils the wheels of human relationships.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, please help me to care about my friends and relatives enough to want them to hear your Word (24).

Acts 10:9-23: God-incidences.

“9 About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. 10 He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. 11 He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. 12 It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles and birds. 13 Then a voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.” 14 “Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.” 15 The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.” 16 This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven. 17 While Peter was wondering about the meaning of the vision, the men sent by Cornelius found out where Simon’s house was and stopped at the gate. 18 They called out, asking if Simon who was known as Peter was staying there. 19 While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Simon, three[a] men are looking for you. 20 So get up and go downstairs. Do not hesitate to go with them, for I have sent them.” 21 Peter went down and said to the men, “I’m the one you’re looking for. Why have you come?” 22 The men replied, “We have come from Cornelius the centurion. He is a righteous and God-fearing man, who is respected by all the Jewish people. A holy angel told him to ask you to come to his house so that he could hear what you have to say.” 23 Then Peter invited the men into the house to be his guests.
The next day Peter started out with them, and some of the believers from Joppa went along.”NIV UK

Some people might see a number of coincidences in chapter 10, but I see ‘God-incidences’. It is a remarkable story of the Holy Spirit preparing the very Jewish Peter to take the message about Jesus, the Messiah, to the Gentiles. Before he met with the party sent by Cornelius, God was dealing with this man’s inherent prejudices; challenging and changing them. Peter’s thinking needed to be altered if he was to be used more widely.

‘’It should be carefully noted that the mental impression which was produced by Peter’s vision was corroborated by the fact of the knocking and inquiring group at Peter’s door. This is God’s invariable method. For us all, as we contemplate taking a new and important step in life, there is the urging of the Spirit, the impression or vision of duty, and the knock or appeal of outward circumstances.’ F.B.Meyer: ‘Devotional Commentary’, p.490.

It has been correctly pointed out that a disciple cannot legitimately say, ‘’Surely not, Lord!’’ (14). You can say, ‘’Lord’’ or ‘’Surely not’’, but these words do not belong together in a true Christian. Jesus is Lord and we are not to refuse Him.

It remains the case that we should not call anyone impure whom God has made clean (15). What kind of people can we be guilty of treating as if they were somehow dirty; as though they had not been cleansed?

Acts 10:1-8: Beside they sea.

10 At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. 2 He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly. 3 One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, “Cornelius!” 4 Cornelius stared at him in fear. “What is it, Lord?” he asked.  The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God. 5 Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is called Peter. 6 He is staying with Simon the tanner, whose house is by the sea.”  7 When the angel who spoke to him had gone, Cornelius called two of his servants and a devout soldier who was one of his attendants. 8 He told them everything that had happened and sent them to Joppa. NIV

‘At this point the Church took a new departure, and the gospel broke over the walls of Jewish exclusiveness and was preached for the first time to pure-blooded Gentiles.’ F.B. Meyer: ‘Devotional Commentary’, p.489.

We must not imagine, when we read the story of Cornelius, that he had somehow earned salvation. Rather he was to hear a message that would that bring him to know Jesus (36).But Cornelius was a ‘God fearer’. He was attracted to the Jewish faith, and had adopted certain of its characteristics, such as almsgiving and the set hours of prayer. Now what he knew theologically needed to be brought to completion. God knew him; knew all about him. He knew where he was, and he knew the precise location of His ‘special agent’ Peter, and He pulled the necessary strings to get them to meet.

Somebody described how God works ‘at both ends of the line’ to cause the right people to meet in the right place at the right time. Not only are there remarkable examples of this principle to be found in the Bible, but experience shows it to be true.

As a Roman ‘’centurion’’, Cornelius was a powerful man. You may be surprised to find such a person seeking God (see also the mention of ‘’a devout soldier’’ in verse 7). But the Lord has His people in unexpected places, and even before they are converted, the Holy Spirit is at work in hearts. Sometimes you can see this, and it is a privilege to catch a glimpse of God mysteriously at work, even though you can’t understand everything that is going on.

After hearing God speak to him, Cornelius responded promptly. What has the Lord said to you and what do you need to be getting on with? Why drag your feet?