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Herod Caused Trouble For The Church
– Acts Twelve
–
Acts chapter twelve tells of the persecution that Herod led against the church. He made a great effort to hinder the progress of the church and to destroy the faith of believers. This Herod was King Agrippa I. He was the grandson of Herod the Great that slew the infants at the birth of Jesus. (Matthew 2:1-16)
King Herod caused terrible suffering and misery for some members of the church. He even ordered his soldiers to kill James with a sword. James was the brother of John. Herod also had Peter arrested and put him in prison. He intended to bring him before the people to condemn him but God intervened to save Peter. An angel of the Lord delivered Peter from prison.
After being delivered from prison Peter went to the home of Mary, the mother of John Mark. The brethren were gathered there praying. They were astonished that Peter had been released from prison. He explained to them how the angel of the Lord had led him out of the prison. Peter sent word to James and the other brethren of his miraculous release from prison. When Peter was not found in the prison the guards were extremely worried and rightly so. Herod questioned them and then had them put to death.
After this,
Herod left
God's
message kept spreading as more and more people became Christians. The Bible
also says, "Barnabas and Saul returned from
James died for the cause of Christ – Acts 12:1-5: One man can do either much harm or much good toward the cause of Christ. King Herod Agrippa I harassed some in the church and caused terrible suffering for them. He violently oppressed the church. Among those that suffered was James the brother of John. Herod ordered his soldiers to kill this godly man with a sword. Herod must have thought that he could destroy the church by killing it leaders.
James was the brother of John. James and John were sons of Zebedee. (Matthew 4:21) On one occasion the sons of Zebedee and their mother requested permission for these men to sit on Jesus' right and left hand in the kingdom. Jesus told them, "You will indeed drink My cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with; 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 by My Father." (Matthew 20:23) Just as predicted by the Lord James drank of that cup of suffering.
When Herod
saw that the death of James pleased the Jewish people, he had Peter arrested.
He put Peter in jail and ordered four squads of soldiers to guard him. It was
his intention to bring Peter before the people after Passover (mistranslated
Easter in the KJV – Acts 12:4). While Peter was being kept in prison constant
prayer was being offered by the church for him.
Peter could not be kept in prison – Acts 12:6-12: The night before Peter was to be put on trial, he was asleep and bound by two chains. Two soldiers were guarding him and other soldiers were guarding the prison entrance. That night some amazing things happened: (1) an angel from the Lord appeared in the prison, (2) there was a great light that flashed, (3) the angel smote Peter on the side to awaken him, (4) the angel told Peter to get up quickly, and (5) the chains fell off his hands.
The
angel told Peter to get dressed and to follow him. He specifically told Peter to put on his
sandals. Peter thought that he was having a dream or a vision. They went past
the soldiers and when they came to the
Peter's
release surprised the brethren – Acts 12:13-19: When Peter first
reached the gate he was left standing at the door by Rhoda. She was too amazed
to open the gate. She ran into the house and said that Peter was standing
there. The brethren did not believe that it could be Peter. Peter kept on knocking,
until finally they opened the gate. When they saw that it was Peter they were
shocked. Peter told them how the Lord had led him out of prison. He asked them
to "Go shew these things unto James, and to the brethren. And he departed,
and went into another place."
Peter's
release from prison caused no small stir among the people. The soldiers that
had been on guard were terribly worried and wondered what had happened to
Peter. They searched but could not find him. Herod questioned the guards and
then had them put to death. After this, Herod left
Herod
died a terrible death – Acts 12:20-25: Herod was highly displeased with
people of
A day was set for these people to meet with Herod. On that day he appeared in royal apparel on his throne. He made a great speech before the people. They said, "You speak more like a god than a man." An angel of the Lord struck Herod down because he took the honor that belonged to God. Later, he was eaten by worms and died.
Even during
this difficult time God's message kept spreading. The Bible says, "But the
word of God grew and multiplied." (Acts
Being a Christian is a serious responsibility. It might cost you your life.
However, Christianity involves your eternal salvation. Your Christianity may affect hundreds of others also. To become a
Christian, you must hear the gospel (Romans
- - - - Charles Box
News & Notes
1. Prayer
List: In Need Of Prayers: Lacey Barr, Malachi Beauchamp, Nikki Bennett,
Emily Cain, Candi Finlayson, Ethel Gafford, Roy Goodwin, Ramona Gravely, Ron
Green, Jimmy Hobbie, Frank Johnson, Mary Lawrence, Evelyn Lewis, Joyce Massey,
Gwen Register, Glennie Ruth Palmer, Mary Powell, Savanah Powell (daughter of Randall & Sherrie Powell),
Anna Salter, L.D. Sessions, Joe Smith, and Ricky White. Crowne Health Care: Laura
Ellis, Kathy Johnson, Myrtle Perdue, Bertha Phelps, and Iva Lou Wright.
2.
Sympathy Expressed: Our love and sympathy is expressed to Brian and
Brandy Friend in the death of their infant daughter, Brittany Sheree. She is the granddaughter of Frankie and William
Friend.
3. Please
Pray For: (a)
Alan Jackson as he serves in
4. Special
Need For Prayer: Brenda & Willie Herring
are expecting triplets. Brenda is facing several weeks of bed rest. Please pray
for her and the babies.
5. Birthdays:
Celebrating birthdays this week are: June 27th Gene Davis.
6. Fiftieth
Wedding Anniversary: The children of Haurice and Mary Alice Conway
request the pleasure of your company at a reception to celebrate our parents
fiftieth wedding anniversary Sunday, the twenty-fifth of June, two thousand six
2:00 – 4:00 p.m. Liberty Church of Christ Fellowship Hall, Pintlala, Alabama
(No gifts please)
7. Thank
You: Thank-you so much for the cakes and goodies you baked for the
Activity Departments annual sale. We appreciate each and every one of you that
assist us in making it a success. The yard/bake sale netted close to $400! We
will be using the monies to purchase cd/cassette
players and other equipment to use for our group and in-room programs. May God
continue to bless you. Mary Philen, Celeste McCall and
Ashley Phelps Crowne Health Care Activity Department
8. Position
Available At Childhaven: House parents needed
to serve boys ages 14-18. Must be team oriented and have a love of children and
be flexible and strong personality. Must pass full background check a college
degree preferred but high school diploma required. Excellent benefits salary
commensurate with experience, education. Contact Jim Wright, Executive
Director, j.wright@childhaven.com,
9.
10. Area
Events: (a) June 18-23 –
“National Worship for the Deaf” – Niceville Church of Christ – call
850-678-2911 for details. (b) June
25-28 – Gospel Meeting – Sardis Church of Christ – Jimmy Mathews – Sunday Bible
Study
11. Please Pre-Register: We anticipate a
great week at Backwoods Christian Camp. The dates are July 9th – 14th.
Our theme for the week is “Learning to Lean on Jesus”. We are expecting a
tremendous number of people, so all groups and individuals are requested to
pre-register. If you need registration forms, please contact Walnut Street
Church of Christ,
We
Are Wanted
Many people are looking for
acceptance. They want nothing more than to feel wanted and
loved. This desire can become so intense that some look to fulfill it in
places that will only give them hurt and turmoil. Look at how many
children fall into the trap of meeting online predators? How many people
run away from home? You know who is more than willing to fill that
need? Satan. He is seeking someone, anyone, to devour (I Pet 5:8-9). He is hungry.
Do we make ourselves available to
him? Do we lay our souls upon his
table? Satan will gladly accept us, but only to hurt us for
eternity.
If we want true love, then we shouldn’t make
ourselves available for just anybody. The Bible says: “By this we know
love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for
the brothers…Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and
in truth” (I Jn 3:16, 18). “In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent
his only son into the world, so that we might live through him” (I Jn 4:9).
Even though we were disgusting, rotten
sinners, Jesus loved us enough to die anyway (Jn
Every individual on the face of this earth is
wanted – believe it or not. Satan wants us. God wants us. If we
want eternal pain, suffering, and torment, go ahead and run to Satan (Rev 21:8;
Mt 25:46). Allow him to feast on your soul. But if you want to be
accepted out of love, and want to be a part of something grand, run to the Lord. The
life Satan offers will never touch the joy that will await us if we are found
in Jesus (Rev. 21:4). Peter expressed the guarantee of this offer well
when he penned the following, “And after you have suffered a little while, the
God of all grace, who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will
himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen” (I Pet
- - - - Adapted from: James Jones
Be ye fishers of men. You catch them – God will clean them.
Don’t just own a Bible; read it!
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