STUDY THEME: BEING GOD’S AGENT IN CRISIS TIMES 5-26-02
"MINISTERY TO PERSECUTED BELIEVERS." ACTS 12:1-17
ACTS 12:1-4, 5, 6-10, 11-16, 17.
PLEASE OPEN YOUR BIBLE TO ACTS 12.
Many people are not committed enough to any thing to be willing to suffer for it. Because they see little value in religion, they do not understand why anyone would be willing to suffer for it. They find it difficult to understand why people would put themselves in a position to suffer for their religious beliefs. Many adults are oblivious to the fact that persecution of Christians still exists today.
Most American Christians have not been physically persecuted because they are Christians. We have been fortunate in this regard. But the truth of the matter is that there have been hundreds of thousands of believers in other parts of the world who have been physically persecuted simply because they believe in Jesus Christ. Do you know that more Christians have been put to death in the twentieth century because of their faith than in all previous centuries combined. Our Teacher quarterly stated that approximately 165,000 Christians are killed each year because of their faith.
One hundred and sixty eight people died in the Oklahoma City tragedy when the Murrah Building was bombed April 19,1995. Rightfully most people were shocked and outraged. But think about this fact: each year almost 1000 times as many Christians around the world die for their faith. Very little mention is made of this in the secular media. Many believers would like to do something for persecuted Christians but do not know what they can do to help. The Scriptures call on Christians to support persecuted believers. Beyond the call to prayer is the call to take action on behalf of persecuted believers.
This lesson addresses the life question: "How do I respond to persecution of Christians." We will explore the Biblical truth: Believers are to pray for persecuted Christians while affirming that persecution can not defeat God’s purposes. The desired life impact of this lesson is to help us be an advocate for persecuted Christians.
The Biblical setting of today’s lesson is that just before beginning his report of the missionary journeys of Paul in Acts 13, Luke recounts in Acts 12 the persecution the state initiated against the church in Jerusalem. King Herod Agrippa 1 had James, a leader of the Jerusalem church, killed with the sword. He imprisoned other believers, including Peter whom he planned to kill also. The Focal Passage is about the church’s prayer for Peter, and God’s releasing Peter from prison.
Jesus’ prediction in John 16:32-33 that Christians would suffer persecution came true for the Jerusalem church. King Herod was not the first to persecute Christians. Earlier in the Book of Acts, the Jewish religious leaders had opposed the disciples. In Acts 7 Paul had witnessed the stoning of Stephen to death. The persecution by Saul followed. The Herod of Acts 12 was the grandson of Herod the Great, the murderer of the innocents at the time of the birth of our Lord. He was the nephew of that Herod Antipas who murdered John the Baptist. This was the man who now stretched out his hand to vex certain of the church. Like his grandfather he was cruel, bloodthirsty, vain, and fond of magnificent display. He was called Herod Agrippa the First.
Herod Agrippa 1 was sent to Rome as a child. He grew up with two of the future Caesars—Caliqula and Claudius. Each of these rewarded him with land until he was king over much of his grandfather’s realm. He, like the other Herods—served at the permission of the Romans. The Jewish historian Josephus told us that when in Rome Agrippa lived like the Romans did. However, Agrippa put on a show of piety when he was back in the land of the Jews. He tried to keep the Jews and the Romans pleased. This helps to explain his actions in Acts 12.
This chapter 12 is extremely interesting because with it Jerusalem, as the center of the Church’s operations, passes out of sight. It only appears twice again in the history of this book; once as the meeting place of the council which set the Gentiles free from all the obligations of Judaism; and once, when Paul revisited it, and for the saving of his life, was compelled to seek the protection of the Roman power.
It is also an interesting fact that the words in the 17th vs, "Peter departed, and went to another place," are the last concerning him in this history. In Galatians there is an account of his contention with Paul; and his letters were certainly written at a later date; but here he passes out of sight in Luke’s history.
In vs. 1 "about that time" referred to the time when Barnabas and Saul were in Jerusalem delivering the aid from the church at Antioch. Since Herod Agrippa was king from AD 37-44, the events of verses 1-17 were sometime within those years. Since Agrippa’s death is recorded in Acts 12:20-23, the persecution of vs. 1-17 probably took place late in his reign.
The Jerusalem Church already had been through two waves of persecution. The first of these in Ch 4-5 was instigated by the Sadducees, who were upset by the preaching of the apostles that the Sadducees had crucified Jesus and God had raised Him from the dead. The Pharisees took the lead in the second wave of persecution. It began with the death of Steven and was vigorously carried out by Saul of Tarsus. God brought good out of this in Acts 8; & 11:19-26 by scattering believers throughout many areas.
The persecution under Herod Agrippa was the first one to be spearheaded by civil authorities. It focused on the apostles. The king apparently believed that if the leaders were killed the movement would die. Whereas the persecution by Saul of Tarsus was motivated by differences in ideologies or religions, the persecution by Herod was politically motivated. He launched his attack on the church because he saw it pleased the Jews. The Jews here refers to those Jews who were opposed to Christ and His followers. Herod’s practice was to gain political power by pleasing the rich and powerful of the land. Thus his action was done to advance his own ambition. With so many jealous Jews visiting the city at the Feast of Passover, it was an opportune time for King Agrippa to make the arrest.
James was the apostle James, not the half brother of Jesus mentioned in vs. 17. The James who was killed was the brother of John. James, John, and Peter were the inner circle of the twelve during the life of Jesus. In Gal. 2:9 Paul called them the "pillars" of the Jerusalem Church. In Mark 10:35-45 when James and John had come to Jesus asking to sit at His right and left hands, Jesus, referring to His death, asked them if they were able to drink from the cup from which he would drink. When they said they were, Jesus said they indeed would do so. We see that prophecy partially fulfilled here. James was the first of the apostles to become a martyr.
Herod was always doing things that pleased the Jews in his efforts to strengthen his kingdom. When Herod put James to death, he saw that it pleased the Jews very much. Therefore, he seized Peter and planned to put him to death after the Feast of Uleavened Bread. This feast followed the Passover. Rome conducted no trials or executions during the days of the Feast for fear of a riot.
After arresting Peter, Herod put him in prison and assigned four squads of four soldiers each to guard him. Herod’s plan was to bring Peter to public trial after the Passover. The authorities usually chained the prisoner to one guard, but Herod chained Peter’s hands to two guards for extra precaution. Probably Herod remembered the apostles escaping jail once before in Acts 5:18-19. The other two guards stood guard at the door. If a prisoner escaped, the guards suffered the fate the prisoner would have suffered. Christians have been no strangers to persecution though the years. Many in the United States believe that today there is a bias against Christians that show up in the unfavorable way many movies and television programs portray Christians. But there is a vast difference between persecution and discrimination. In many Islamic and Communist nations, Christians suffer from enslavement, rape, imprisonment, separation of children from parents, and massacres. Such atrocities take place on a regular basis. For many believers it costs dearly to take a stand for Christ.
The opposition to Christians in America generally is far less severe than the persecution Christians face in other countries. Among the worst countries for persecution today are lands under the domination of militant Islam or atheistic communism; North Korea is among the worst.
Some persecutions are sponsored by governments; some are carried out by mobs. American Christians can pray for persecuted believers and influence our government to bring pressure to bear on the worst offenders. In addition, we can thank God for the freedom we have. We also can resolve not to let the threat of ridicule silence our own witness for the Lord.
The Jerusalem Christians could have responded in a variety of ways to Peter’s imprisonment. If they were terrified of being arrested, they could have fled from Jerusalem. If confronted by Roman officials, they could have denied they were Christians. They could have tried to liberate Peter from jail by force. They could have tried to meet with the King and plead for Peter’s release. The church did not do any of these. Instead, they prayed specifically for Peter. They prayed earnestly. There was no way for Peter to escape. There was no way for the church to rescue him either. So the church decided to pray. They started earnestly pleading with God for Peter.
Peter was in prison several days, possibly most of the days of the Passover week. The future for this church leader looked hopeless and bleak. This made the praying of the church much more passionate. The Jerusalem Christians were people of prayer. They gathered to pray following Jesus’ ascension and prayed until the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost. After Pentecost these believers devoted themselves to several key activities, including prayer. These disciples had met a least once before in Acts 4:23-31 to pray about persecution when Peter and John returned from a hearing before the Sanhedrin. Now with Peter in jail for a third time, they gathered together to pray for his release (or for strength and courage for him as he faced death.)
Christians in our country may feel helpless as they search for ways to help fellow believers who are being persecuted for Christ. Specific, earnest, and persistent prayer is one way any Christian can help. The early Christians prayed when they couldn’t do anything else to help their friends in Christ who were being persecuted.
Some Christians today are so activistic in their problem-solving that prayer seems too passive for them. They want to do something! Christians were a small minority in the Roman world in the first century, so some forms of political action were not realistic. Prayer, however, is always a proper Christian response to life’s concerns.
The more we know about persecution around the world, the better we can pray for specific situation. If you keep a prayer list, you can add persecuted Christians around the world to it. Studying this lesson and putting its truths into action can expand the scope of our prayer life.
The International Mission Board reports on persecution around the world and requests prayer for those who suffer for their faith. For example, recently they reported the story of a new believer in West Africa who was tortured but refused to deny his Lord and Savior. After his release he said, "While I was being beaten, I thought, they did this to Jesus too. Why should I be different? Our blood is fertilizer for the gospel. When the history of Christianity among our people is told, our names will be remembered among those who were faithful."
In addition to praying, we can seek to influence our government to use its influence to help persecuted people. Too often, political and economic concerns take precedence over human rights, especially religious freedom. We need to appreciate true religious freedom as one of our greatest blessings. This is the freedom on which all others rest. It is no accident that the first part of the First Amendment of our Constitution, which was Article 1 of The Bill of Rights, guarantees freedom of religion.
The closest we in America get to persecution is facing ridicule from non-Christians. As we pray for courage for people facing death, we also need to pray for boldness to live for Christ in spite of ridicule.
The Christians could not go to bed or to sleep due to their concern for Peter, so they gathered and prayed. The soldiers were not supposed to sleep because they had to guard their prisoner. The night before Herod was to bring Peter to trial, Herod probably slept well, confident that 16 soldiers could safely guard one prisoner. On that same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers while the others stood guard as sentries at the door. How could Peter sleep? He probably was exhausted physically. However, it was the night before his trial. It is not too much to believe that God gave Peter peace in his heart, whatever might be the outcome the next day, God was already answering the church’s prayers. Peter trusted God enough to sleep.
The description of Peter’s deliverance reads as if the action were in slow motion, so that each detail would be clear. Vs. 6 describes how securely Peter was being guarded. He was probably in the Tower of Antonia, at one corner of the temple complex. This is where the Roman troops were barracked. Roman night duty was divided into four shifts of three hours each. Peter was chained to two soldiers with two others as sentries.
The angel of the Lord was sent to deliver Peter. The apostle was sleeping soundly, no doubt entrusting himself into the hands of the Lord. The angel struck Peter on the side saying, "quick, get up!" At this command the chains fell off Peter’s wrists. After freeing Peter from the chains, the angel said to him, "Put on your clothes and sandals." Peter obeyed, he was in a daze. Then Peter and the angel passed through the first and the second ward. Finally they came to the iron gate, that lead to the city, and—wonder of wonders—it opened to them of its own accord. From there they went out, and passed on through one street together before the angel departed from Peter. All of this happened without the soldiers to whom Peter was chained or any of the soldiers in the facility, hearing them and waking up! This was not Peter’s escape it was his deliverance.
Why was Peter spared and James killed? It was not that Peter’s faith was greater. It was that God’s will was different for James than it was for Peter. It was not God’s time for Peter. Sometimes God answers our prayers by delivering us from a threatening situation: at other times He delivers us through it: still at other times He allows us to die. God allows martyrs to go through death and to come on home to be with Him. God always has the power, but deliverance may not always suit His purpose. Whatever the individual situation may be, dying as a faithful Christian means immediate entrance into the presence of the Lord. "God doeth all things well!"
When the angel departed leaving Peter safely outside the prison, Peter came to himself. He realized that the Lord used his angel to save him from the clutches of the evil king. Peter headed for the house of Mary. She was a well-to-do believer who opened her house for the church in Jerusalem to use as a meeting place. Her son John Mark is mentioned because of his later prominence. When Peter reached Mary’s house even though it was in the middle of the night, the church was still praying.
The house had a courtyard, and Peter knocked at the door of the gate. It is humorous to picture Peter outside pounding away at the door, while the girl Rhoda inside, having forgotten to let him in trying to explain to these Christians that the answer to their prayer is at the door. At first they tell her she is "beside herself." And when she insists they tell her it must be Peter’s angel. They assume he is dead. There was a Jewish belief that each person had a guardian angel that resembled the person that angel protected. They will learn that when life beats us to our knees we are in the right position to get God’s help. Do you ever feel that prayer isn’t much, but that it is better than nothing? God will always surprise us with answers to our prayers—as long as we cooperate with Him.
Our center of focus has been on a praying people and a ministering angel. As far as human responsibility is concerned, a praying people, is the supreme thing. Notice that these praying people prayed earnestly or "without ceasing." Or "with agony." It was the night before Peter’s probable execution. I think they prayed all day and all night; one group gathered in the house of Mary, and perhaps others in other places.
When Rhoda said, "Peter is without", they said, "You are mad." But they had been praying? Yes, and believing; and yet wondering how God could do it; and when the answer came they were surprised. Do not criticize them. I am thankful for the story. It cheers me in my praying. I pray, and God knows I believe in Him, and I desire, and I wonder whether He can. If I challenge my unbelief, it vanishes.
Notice the ministry of the angel. Peter did not know it was an angel who delivered him, and did not know he was out of the prison until the angel had gone. He thought he was dreaming. It was not until the angel had taken him the length of one street and had departed before Peter came to himself.
Those soldiers did not see that angel. There is an older Bible story, which helps us at this point. There was a servant who said to his master, "Lo, my master, what shall we do? His master prayed, "O Jehovah, open his eyes." When his eyes were opened, lo, sweeping up the mountain he saw hosts of angels. It is not well that we should see them today, for this is not now the age of sight; it is the age of faith. But they are here! I believe in the ministry of angels. They still open prison doors, and many an hour of darkness is illuminated by something that we do not understand. It is the ministry of angels. It is still true that "the angel of Jehovah encamps round about them that fear Him!"
Peter was persistent. He kept on knocking. Finally, the disciples opened the door and gasped to see Peter standing there alive. His presence caused a loud commotion at the gate near the street. Peter wasted no time getting down to business. He had been delivered once; he did not want to presume that the Lord would do it again. He realized that it was time for him to move on. The Lord had used him mightily in Jerusalem, but he was not the only leader available. Thus he told the church to "tell these thing unto James, and to the brethren." This James was the half brother of Jesus.
During Jesus ministry His brothers did not believe, but Jesus appeared to James after His resurrection in 1 Cor. 15:7, and James was with the believers before Pentecost in Acts 1:14. He also wrote the Letter of James. After Peter left, James became the leader of the Jerusalem church. He continued in this role even when Peter later was able to return to Jerusalem after the death of Herod Agrippa. According to Josephus James, like Peter, later gave his life for Christ. But for many years he provided leadership for the Jerusalem church.
Peter departed, and went into another place. Vs. 19 says, "And he went down from Judea to Caesarea, and stayed there." And what of Herod Agrippa? Vs. 13 says, "He was eaten of worms and died." Vs. 24 says, "But the Word of God grew and multiplied.
One last lesson of this 17th verse is that leaders come and go, but the Lord continues His work using other leaders. No leader is indispensable to the Lord’s work. This is the Lord’s work, and He will cause His kingdom to come and His will be done.
But who are those three men we see going down the road? They have 300 miles before they reach Antioch in Syria; Barnabas, Saul, and John Mark. Herod is dead but the Word of God is living; and the messengers are on the highroad. God is still in charge.
NEXT WEEK WE BEGIN A NINE WEEK STUDY THEME: "BEING WHAT GOD WANTS ME TO BE." Our first lesson is "GOD WANTS ME TO BE LOVING." A.V. DAUGHERTY 5-26-02