Acts 12
February 21, 2022
“King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword.” (v 1-2)
Jesus warned James and John that suffering would be coming their way (Matt 20:23). And true to His word, that’s exactly what happened. And yet Luke doesn’t stop the narrative to express grief or to communicate that this is a problem to the mission going forward. No, persecution, imprisonment and even martyrdom do not slow down the spread of the gospel, as evidenced by what Luke writes at the end of this chapter: “But the word of God continued to increase and spread” (V24). As the early church father, Tertullian, proclaimed: “Kill us, torture us, condemn us, grind us to dust… the more you mow us down, the more we grow. The seed of the church is the blood of the saints!”
Lord, I praise You that You are the Sovereign One, who is over all of the affairs of the world! And that not even persecution and execution edicts from kings will thwart the mission of Your Church! Jesus, You promised to build Your Church - and that not even the gates of Hell would be able to prevail against it (Matt 16:18). Empower me to live with courage and confidence - to boldly and fearlessly follow You, proclaim You, and serve You - without fear of the consequences - knowing that even the worst that can be done to me will be used by You to build Your Kingdom, which I am joyfully anticipating!
— Pastor Joshua Brooks
Use the following steps to guide your daily time with the Lord…
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Start with prayer. Ask God to open your heart to help you understand and receive His Word.
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Read and observe the passage carefully. As needed, read a second Bible version to help with understanding.
➡️ What does it say?
What does this passage teach me about God? What does it say about my sinful nature and my need for God’s grace? How does this passage point to Jesus?
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➡️ What am I going to do about it?
Does this passage include a promise to claim, an action/attitude to avoid/embrace, or a principle to apply? How can this truth apply to my life? What could my next step be? How can I share this with others? Is there a verse or section of Scripture I need to memorize?
