Mary the mother of John was aunt to Barnabas (Colossians 4:10).If Paul and Barnabas were not in her house at the time (which there is no evidence that they were), it is likely that all the particulars of "To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him." It has indeed been suggested that it was in this very house that the Last Supper was eaten and that it continued to be the meeting place of the disciples in Jerusalem. Looked at another way, this section confirms Israels rejection of her Messiah. 256, 257). They are, indeed, a sign to unbelievers, and that such is the result we find shown us by the Spirit of God in the chapter before us. The saints in Jerusalem not only suffered as a result of the famine, they also suffered because Jewish and Roman governmental opposition against them intensified as time passed. (Acts 12:5, AV) One But Herod, though originally of an Edomite family, yet seems to have been a proselyte to the Jewish religion; for Josephus says he was zealous for the Mosaic rites, a bigot for the ceremonies. Mary the mother of John, whose surname was Mark. due to the church of God? Of course, they were seeking to flatter him in order that they might gain his favor and his help. . Then we find that if the church at Jerusalem had become impoverished, the Gentiles minister of their carnal things to them. But they lived very close to the spiritual world, to the spirit world. Here comes the telling word for him that feared the Lord and bowed to His word, though he was a Gentile. . (These were the days of unleavened bread). Now go back to verse Acts 12:5 where it says, "But prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for Peter." Evidently it was power in external display, then so richly manifested, which acted on the fleshly mind of Simon, himself having the reputation of a great one, and before this the vessel of some kind of demoniacal power the miserable power of Satan, with which he dazzled the eyes of men. Iturea, Trachonitis, Abilene, with Gaulonitis, Batanaea, and Penias. The place once so famous for its nicknames was now to give a name that will never perish a name of incalculable sweetness and blessing, connecting Christ as it does with those that are His. The holy city had rejected the gospel. See how he advances gradually. Szabadtri eskvk esetn: Van tet a fejnk felett, lehetsg es esetre? First of all, the apostles and the disciples themselves received it as they were waiting. And so he went out, and followed him; and he knew not that it was true which was done by the angel; but thought he saw a vision ( Acts 12:8-9 ). Matthew 18:19,20 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven, Many were gathered together praying.--The facts of the case show that the meeting was held at night, possibly to avoid persecution, or, it may be, as the sequel of the evening gathering to "break bread.". The light that shone suddenly on him was from heaven. In verse five we read that prayer was made: To God - the aim. 4. God does not suggest a doubt of His own grace to them, or of the efficacy of Christ's sacrifice for them: unbelief does. But as we are told here, "When they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized both men and women; and Simon himself believed also." To vex - To injure, to do evil to - kakosai. Prayers To Get A Permanent Job 15. This is the only apostles death that the New Testament recorded. There was a bringing out of that which belonged to Christ, not merely the place which Christ took, but that which He is from all eternity, consequently that which is most of all intrinsically precious. Warren W. Wiersbe noted, This is certainly a good lesson for the church today. The Old-Testament martyrs were slain with the sword (Hebrews 11:37), and Christ came not to send peace, but a sword (Matthew 10:34), in preparation for which we must arm ourselves with the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, and then we need not fear what the sword of men can do unto us. It was so ordered of God that the Holy Ghost should not at first be conferred on the disciples at Samaria: I do not mean merely on such as Simon or false brethren, but even on those that were true. The very same people had done it who had so lately received with the utmost favour (not the truth, nor the grace of God, which is inseparable from His truth, but), at any rate, the mighty impress of the grace as well as of the truth which had produced unwonted largeness of heart, unselfishness of spirit, and joy and liberty, that struck the minds of the Jews accustomed to the coldness of death in their own system. WebIn Acts 12, we learn from this prayer group how to pray and how not to pray. ], 4. Grace can credit grace easily, understands the ways of the Lord, and disarms suspicion. "Repent, therefore, of this thy wickedness, and pray God if, perhaps, the thought of thy heart may be forgiven thee; for I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity." One of the chief means was prayer. Israel had the truth presented to them as it was afterwards to all. It was no longer simply a cleaving to a God of goodness who could not deceive and would not disappoint the soul that hoped in His mercy, "but the conscious joy of knowing his sins all one, and himself distinctly put on the ground of accomplished redemption as a known present thing for his own soul in this world. Designed by, INVERSORES! (v) Herod the Great had another son called Aristobulus (see Aristoboulos G711) ; his mother was Mariamne, a princess who was descended from the great Maccabaean heroes. Matthew 12:30 14. He did so. Herod the king This was Herod Agrippa, the son of Aristobulus, and grandson of Herod the Great; he was nephew to Herod Antipas, who beheaded John they Baptist, and brother to Herodias. I merely make this remark lest any should draw from this the inference that there is a necessity for men commissioned from God to lay on hands now in order to confer such a spiritual blessing. All these things were pressed home by Stephen; indeed, I have simply touched on a very small part of his most telling address. Let this suffice them if the Lord grant them some time wherein they may recover their strength. There were two exceptional occasions on which one or more of the apostles so acted, but at times of more general interest and importance nothing of the sort was heard of. He had been educated at Rome, but he deliberately cultivated the good graces of the Jewish people by meticulously keeping the Law and all Jewish observances. When King Herod mistreated the believers in Jerusalem and had James put to death, he saw that it pleased the Jews, many of whom hated the Christians and considered them a cult. 4 And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people. So Peter says to go show these things unto James. "And it came to pass that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church and taught much people. 'Then had the churches rest throughout all Judea, and Galilee, and Samaria,' etc. When the earthly fortunes of the Christians seemed the most precarious, however, providential events took place with sudden finality, lifting the threat completely. It is therefore our wisdom to take heed of the beginnings of sin. EXCELENTE OPORTUNIDAD DEPARTAMENTO CNTRICO EN COSQUIN, OPORTUNIDAD CHALET VILLA MIRADOR DEL LAGO. How painful must it be to the Spirit of God if the old pride of Samaria were to rise up against Jerusalem! Now according to their law, during the times of the Feast of Passover, they could not have any trial, and so he determined to bring him forth at the end of the Feast of Passover. The common people respected him for his sincere faith and called him James the Just. This is just a vision, it's not really happening." The believers prayed for guidance in making decisions (Acts 1:1526) 2. He wished to gain fresh influence, not to lose his old: why not, by this new method, if possible, turn things to his own account? But at this point a still more important step was about to be taken; and the Lord enters on it with due solemnity, as we shall see in the following chapter. Partner with StudyLight.org as God uses us to make a difference for those displaced by Russia's war on Ukraine. "To him give all the prophets witness." Nowhere in the New Testament does the intervention of Almighty God on behalf of his church appear any more timely and dramatic than in this chapter. Warning: MagpieRSS: Failed to parse RSS file. Matthew 7:15 13. It was now guilty of resisting unto blood, not merely as their fathers had done, but the heavenly testimony of Jesus. But the point here is lost in our English version. Upon an agreed day Herod put on his royal robes and seated himself on a throne and made a speech to them. Mark 6:3; John 7:5), and was a foundation member of the Jerusalem church (Acts 1:14). I call your attention to this. Hence though Philip might preach and they receive the gospel, the apostles come down, and with prayer lay their hands upon them, and then they receive the Holy Ghost. To gather together, assemble. Perhaps you have heard it said, Never underestimate the power of prayer .. He was one of those sons of Zebedee whom Christ told that they should drink of the cup that he was to drink of, and be baptized with the baptism that he was to be baptized with,Matthew 20:23. 14 When she recognized Peters voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and Paul and Barnabas had fulfilled their errand of mercy to the Church at Jerusalem and so returned to Antioch, taking with them John Mark. "Suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: and he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? The people cried out, "It is the voice of a God and not of a man." They said to her, "You are mad." When they opened the door and saw him they were amazed. This Is the Day 12 Prayer Points as Released by The Redeemed Christian Church of God Directorate of Prayer. God will always be Himself, and cannot be other than Sovereign. According to Josephus, Herod came into the theater there in Caesarea. It was their responsibility now as ever to accept the gracious offer of God. Salvation means that the heart enters into deliverance by grace as a present known public standing in the world. Josephus, the Jewish historian, describes how, on the second day of the festival, he entered the theatre clad in a robe of silver cloth. But this was not all. This is the Herod of our present passage in Acts 12:1-25. I am, exist. So there were sixteen soldiers altogether watching Peter in three-hour shifts, at all times chained to two of them while two were watching the door. But Herod was angry with them. So introducing you now to James, half brother to Jesus, who will now begin to take a more dominant role in the early church. "And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man." Thus we find the utmost simplicity and quietness. Persecution of the Christians now swung from religious to include political motivation. And so the Jewish Passover usually coincides closely with our Easter season. And they "made great lamentation over him." Such, I suppose, therefore, was the principle that lay at the bottom of the difference of the divine action on these two occasions. Thus we see the Lord was working, and, as so constantly happens, it was not only that He called out Paul for the Gentiles; it was not only that He sent Peter to a Gentile; but now these men, who might have been despised as irregular labourers, were in the current of the same work of God, even if they knew nothing of it, save by divine instinct. On the greatest occasions, when the Holy Ghost was given, we have no ground to believe that hands were laid on any. It was at a prayer meeting in Philippi that God opened Lydias heart (Acts 16:13), and another prayer meeting in Philippi that opened the prison doors (Acts 16:25ff), 13. During his lifetime James was not a supporter of Jesus. The disciples gave themselves to prayer, yet they little believed their own prayers. He had no confidence in the Lord for himself not a particle; for just as those who have confidence in the Lord have not an atom in man, his sole hope of blessing for his soul lay in the influence of another man, not in Christ's grace. I refer to this just to show how far scripture is from countenancing the cramped ideas of men, and that the only way of truth is to believe all the word of God, searching out the special principle of God by which He instructs us in the different characters of His action. If Israel would have received, the Lord would have given. Though he had no reason to fear displeasing them if he did not, as Pilate condemned Christ, yet he hoped to please them by doing it, and so to make an interest among them, and make amends for displeasing them in something else. A believer would have wondered more at the grace of God, and bowed in adoration before Him. he cried, and hears, "I am Jesus whom thou persecutest." He was a grandson of Herod the Great, and one of the sons of Aristobulus, whom Herod put to death (Josephus, Antiq., 18, 5). (750) In duces et capita animadverti solet, punishment is usually inflicted on the heads and captains. Why didn't God intervene and miraculously deliver James? From that we learn that this was the headquarters of the Christian Church. Kaptam egy felkrst, miszerint lakodalom van a mi utcnkban, mit is mondhattam volna, termszetesen elvllaltam, lveztem a hazai plya elnyeit. This was all happening during the days of Unleavened Bread, right after Passover (v. 3), around the same time Jesus was Crucified a decade or so previous. He dared not doubt longer: to him it was self-evident. "Therefore they that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the word;" for the God who not only has hearts at His command, but controls all circumstances, was now about to accomplish that which He had always at heart, making the disciples to be witnesses of Jesus to the very ends of the earth, though first of all to Judea and Samaria. The fruits of the Spirit, whether they be produced within our own inclosure or beyond it, are always the same, and always to be recognized; otherwise our Lord would never have given us the simple test whereby we are to distinguish false from true prophets 'by their fruits ye shall know them.' 12:20-25 Herod was furious with the people of Tyre and Sidon. Ananias goes, puts his hand on him, addresses him by the sweet title of relationship Christ began, consecrated, and has given, telling him how the Lord, even Jesus, had appeared unto him. Pray and say: Father, here am I, take me and use me. In earnest emphasizing the seriousness of prayer. He would have His people, where they give, to have a voice. So Peter was continuously guarded in prison. III. And he did not know that what was happening through the angel was real but thought that he was seeing a vision, They went through the first and the second guard and they came to the iron door that led into the city and it opened to them of its own accord. When Caligula was slain, he was at Rome, and having ingratiated himself into the favor of Claudius, he conferred on him also Judea and Samaria, so that his dominions were equal in extent to those of his grandfather, Herod the Great. Male facta male factis tegere ne perpluant--One evil deed is covered with another, so that there is no passage through them. . Nor is there a more painful want of it than that kind of restiveness which is so ready to take offence at the smallest fear or anxiety on the part of others. It was to be emphatically a witness of grace in suffering for Christ's name: "For I will show him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake." Prayers Against The Spirit Of Backwardness 17. And now Paul and Barnabas are returning back to Antioch, and John Mark, who is a nephew to Barnabas, is returning with them. Keep me from reading into the Scriptures what I think it is saying, rather than understanding it in its correct context. a. Herod the king: This was Herod Agrippa I, the grandson of Herod the Great, who ruled in the days of Jesus birth ( Matthew 2:1-16 ). And now those words of Christ were made good in him; but it was in order to his sitting at Christ's right hand; for if we suffer with him, we shall reign with him. Faith never rests on any other ground than God's word. But it was a thoroughly illegal trial. One must be born again; but, like many others who had really been quickened in those days (and it may be even now, I presume), a soul might be born again, and yet far from resting in peace on redemption, far indeed from a sense of deliverance from all questions as to his soul. and they took with them John who was surnamed Mark. It was of the greatest importance that unity should be kept up practically, not merely that there should be proclaimed the truth that there is unity, but that there should be the maintenance of it in practice. stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church; Beza's ancient copy adds, "in Judea": it seems to be the church at Jerusalem; perhaps some of the principal members of them; and so the Ethiopic version renders it, the rulers of the house of God. He slew James, as, when any sedition is raised, the heads and captains go first to the pot, (750) that the common riff-raft may by their punishment be terrified. The true text,* which has sufficient if not the most ancient authority, tells us that they spoke to Greeks or Gentiles. It may well be the story of a thrilling rescue; but, however it happened, the hand of God was most definitely in it. Here it is not this, but simply the indiscriminate. Is this too much to ask? [Note: Bock, Acts, p. Now about that time Herod the king stretched out his hand to harass some from the church. WebFirst, there was unity in prayer many were gathered together praying (12:12), any differences that might have separated people from one another were now completely lost "When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life." TovbbEskvi fotzs Eskv szervezs, Volt szerencsm Tibi es Szandra fergeteges eskvjn rszt venni. But not so in the ministry of the word or testimony of the Lord. Hoping to boost his approval ratings even further, Herod had Peter arrested also (v. 3). It is, then, nothing but the fact, that the invisible Church, or rather that which in the Church is invisible, preceded that which is visible. The church has economic diversity. Prayer Sermon by Greg Nance, Acts 12:1-30 - SermonCentral.com The believers prayed for guidance in making decisions (Acts 1:1526), 2. Unquestionably it was. "While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. F terleteim:eskv fotzs, csald , portr , glamour , s reklmfotzs. I have already touched upon the practical effects, and therefore will not enlarge on these now. But for some reason, God did not see fit to deliver James, but allowed James to fall prey to Herod's sword. Ennek a hobbinak a digitlis vilg elg nagy lehetsget nyjtott. Then follows another grave fact. While the typical character of the Mosaic institution in general is recognised, it has not been sufficiently borne in mind that the Jewish nation itself in its external or political aspect, was a type, and nothing more, of the Christian Israel . And he goes, the Lord communicating another vision to the apostle himself, in which he sees Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him that he might receive his sight. To vex certain of the Church. Saul of Tarsus was yet breathing out his threats and slaughter when the Lord was pursuing His onward gracious work among the Samaritans and strangers. Thus they thought they had him fast. afterwards the Apostles preach and organize. Probably he had put James to death privately, which the people had complained of, not because it was an unjust thing to put a man to death without giving him a public hearing, but because it deprived them of the satisfaction of seeing him executed; and therefore Herod, now he knows their minds, will gratify them with the sight of Peter in bonds, of Peter upon the block, that they may feed their eyes with such a pleasing spectacle. What I am suggesting is that Acts 12 illustrates not profound unbelief in prayer, but the churchs early experience of a truth later enunciated by Paul: God is able to ". And "when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John." Now don't try to figure out an answer, because we don't know.The ways of God are beyond our finding out. The man just now so ignorant is not the channel that God was about to use for bringing out the remarkable confession that is introduced prematurely here. Thus, although the others no doubt had the same Saviour taught them by the Holy Ghost, still there was not in every case the same measure of entrance or appreciation. This is all quite right. WebThe following are prayer points for personal revival and spiritual awakening that you can use to pray and bring back the fire of the Spirit into your life, church and community. 286, 287). And upon a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration unto them. When they would gird themselves, and the purpose of it is they would wear these long robes kind of things. To these the Emperor Claudius afterwards added Judea and Samaria; which were nearly all the dominions possessed by his grandfather, Herod the Great. . In verse five we read thatprayerwas made: 2. 0UR hearts are thrilled by the remarkable deliverance of Peter from prison, recorded in Acts. But there was another reason too. To Antipas, Galilee and Perea; and to Archclaus, Judea, Idumea, and Samaria. How could he resist the heavenly vision? * It is well to avoid a figure which churchism has ever turned to its own aggrandisement and the Lord's dishonour. Now about that time Herod the king stretched out his hand to harass some from the church. Therefore some say that those came of the Jews, yet did they inhabit Greece [and these would be right if the reading had been really and not ]; which I do not allow. Father, every ungodly power that has penetrated to the position of authority in the church expose and disgrace them and if they fail to repent, uproot them, in Jesus name. We know that Paul thanked God that so it was with himself at Corinth; and we see that Peter here did not baptize, but simply "commanded them to be baptized." It was reserved for another of whom we shall read in the next chapter. Scripture is clear and unequivocal as to the truth of the case. That, to me, is very interesting how close the spiritual world was to these men. They felt in a measure, and justly, the tremendous deed that had been done. Crushed the Jewish revolt against Rome (A.D. 66-70).His son, Titus, destroyed Jerusalem (A.D. 70). When Peter escaped the soldiers were led away to execution because it was the law that, if a criminal escaped, his guard should suffer the penalty the prisoner would have suffered. And so it has been completely excavated around there and partially restored, and it is a very interesting sight and an interesting study in Roman architecture and it gives us a little bit of the culture.Now according to Josephus, it was into this theater, which is an outdoor theater that Herod came, according to Josephus, with this fabulous robe made of silver cloth. He would meet them in grace, stopping complaints, and showing that He honours and confides in their suitable choice. This is the second difficulty which it is conceived lies in the way of our interpreting the apostle's language literally. (a) To call (name) by a supplementary (additional, alternative) name, (b) mid: To call upon, appeal to, address. The great tragedy of this particular wave of persecution was that it was not due to any man's principles, however misguided; it was due simply to Herod's bid to gain popular favour with the people. The promise was not merely to them and to their children, but to all "afar off, as many as the Lord their God should call." Reading: Acts 5:12-16 (NLT) The apostles were performing many miraculous signs and wonders among the people. Now, look you, the Angel of the Lord stood by and a light shone in the house. But just as the great apostle of the Gentiles was the one that wrote the final word of testimony to the Christian Jews in the epistle to the Hebrews, so the great apostle of the Jews was the one sent to fling open the door to the Gentile. A body of believers indeed had been by Christ gathered out of the Jewish people to be the first recipients of the Pentecostal effusion; but before that event, this body could not be called distinctively His Church. Thus the church would still retain its substantial character, and the testimony of God still bear the same common likeness, while room was left for whatever speciality of form God might be pleased to give the truth, and the unfolding of the ways in which God might employ one or another. "Christianity, as it appears in the New Testament, knows nothing of the atomistic theory of modern independentism.