Kingdoms in Conflict

by ricks 14. January 2010 14:58

Acts 12 tells the story of kingdoms in conflict. King Herod put James to death -- a great loss for the church. He also arrested Peter and intended to put him to death just after Passover -- probably that meant Easter morning. But God wanted to advance His kingdom through Peter so He sent an angel to miraculously release Peter from jail where he was guarded by 16 soldiers! Later, when King Herod gave a speech and was lauded by the people as having "the voice of a god, not of a man", Herod did not give praise to God. He suffered and died.

The next verse is the real point of this whole chapter. Verse 24: "But the word of God continued to increase and to spread." Translation -- God's Kingdom was gaining ground!

Two lessons for us from Acts 12: First, prayer is crucial in kingdom conflict. Peter's release happened in answer to believer's prayers. What chains do we need to pray for? Second, the increase and spread of the Word of God is how God's Kingdom advances. We must stay focused.

Your thoughts?

Tags: prayer, word of god

Engage

Comments

1/14/2010 6:17:48 AM #

Pastor Rick -

Here's my thoughts on Acts 12.

1 - What ingredients are necessary for spiritual transformation?
- The church can flourish under intense persecution.  I don't think it's a requirement for spiritual transformation, but it will certainly separate the wheat from the chaff and those that remain will be VERY dedicated and focused.  They're completely convinced of what they believe.  They're betting their lives on it.

2 - How were followers of Christ engaged?
- Diligent prayer.  The believers saw an impossible situation with Peter in the same circumstances as James who was executed, but they were gathered together in the middle of the night praying anyway.
- Obedience.  Peter followed the Angel's instructions when getting out of prison.  (It's actually almost comical that he had to be told what to do at every step ... the usually impulsive Peter is now showing some restraint.)

3 - What is God saying to our church and me?
- Above all, He is to be glorified.

It was clear to Luke that Herod was struck by an angel of the Lord.  Was this revealed to him supernaturally, or was it obvious to the audience when it happened that he was being judged by God?

- Brett

Brett H |

1/15/2010 11:33:36 AM #

Good question. I tend to think that people knew what was happening. Pat Robertson has said that the earthquake in Haiti has to do with Haiti's pact with the devil to achieve freedom from France. Hmm . . . I'm not too convinced that Pat knows what he's talking about -- and I do think his comment was inappropriate. But my sense is that Luke was reporting what was obvious to the people of that day.

ricks |

1/19/2010 7:05:09 PM #

I agree that it's presumptuous for Pat Robertson to claim he knows why God allowed the earthquake to happen. I also disagree with Rick Warren who said that God doesn't judge the world through catastrophes. God definitely does (and there's plenty of Scriptural backing for that - Rom 1:18).

Brett H |

1/20/2010 11:57:21 AM #

Well said.

Rick Stapleton |

1/14/2010 9:24:57 AM #

One of the things that stands out for me in Acts 12 is that Peter went immediately and described to the believers how he had been rescued and then told them to tell the others, who were not with them at that moment. I think it is important that we, as Christians, share with each other the things that God is doing in our lives. As we do this, we testify of His grace and give Him the glory.

Tami Smithee |

1/14/2010 10:45:11 PM #

Tami -

I agree. You've just described true Christian fellowship. It's fine to chat about the weather and discuss the Vikings, but we should be excited to talk about God!

- Brett

Brett Haugen |

1/15/2010 11:37:54 AM #

Tami -- you've touched on another challenge the American church faces. Previously I've said that we're so separate from our culture that they cannot see the love we have for each other -- so it's necessary that we engage our communities and world with acts of service. Another issue we face in the American church is that we don't talk about what God is doing. It seems like we're bragging, perhaps. But we lose the momentum that public testimony to God's work in our lives brings. How can we more openly share what God is doing?

ricks |

Comments are closed

Interfaith Conflict and God's WordAn influx of Somali Muslims and Latino workers has created an interfaith conflict in a Grand Island,...50 NeedsHow many needs can you identify in your community? Here's a starter list based off of Sunday's messa...Engage Reflections -- Acts 6-7Our study in Acts takes us to the appointing of the first "Deacons" which is a word that means to se...

Kingdoms in Conflict

About the author

Month List