Why so much haste and impatience? WebPRAYER POINTS FROM ACTS 23. Korbban, filmes idszakban meggondolta TovbbEskvi fots munkja, vrl vre emberek tzezrei dntenek gy, hogy letket sszektik, csaldot alaptanak sboldogsgban lnek. He was going, back without the blessing that his earnest heart yearned after. We tend to like it better when we get a "yes" from heaven, but God might actually be doing 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. As we are told here and the Spirit delights to give such an account "he was a devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway.". Kedves Ltogat! Neither one nor other ever entered into the thoughts or feelings of Simon. They were now put in contact with his wants, and all was instantly light in his soul. The Gentiles were sinners: why should they not dare to speak to the Gentiles? intending after Easter [or really after Passover] to bring him forth to the people. It was a action that you would take in order that you might have greater freedom of movement. "Were the question put to a person of plain understanding, unacquainted with the controversies which have arisen on the subject, What, according to the Apostolic Epistles, is a Christian Church, or, how is it to be defined? But for some reason, God did not see fit to deliver James, but allowed James to fall prey to Herod's sword. He had a conviction that this was the instrument the Lord would use for good. It is little wonder that this Herod has murderous intentions toward the people of God. 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. All was ordered of God. But Peter just kept knocking: and so when they opened the door, they saw him, and they were astonished. The two things are both brought us in the gospel life brought to light, and the peace preached that was made by the blood of the cross. But the word of God grew and multiplied. ., 2:11:6; Bruce, "Chronological Questions . And his chains fell off of his hands. An event that is unique, and vividly presented as such, takes on the importance of the typical when it reminds us of other similar events. I can understand difficulties in the minds of believers; and no one would wish to force or hurry the convictions of any; nor would it be of the slightest value to receive even a truth without the faith that is produced, and exercised, and cleared by the word of God. And so he did ( Acts 12:4-8 ). Archclaus, being accused of cruelty, was banished by Augustus to Vienna in Gaul, and Judea was reduced to a province, and united with Syria. "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? Now Rhoda comes running in and says, "Peter's out at the gate." I say, "the church; " for there need be no doubt, I think, that such is the true form* of what is given us in verse 31. But Herod was angry with them. Great workman as Peter was, he required the intervention of God in a vision to send him to do a work that these unnamed brethren undertook in their confidence of His grace, without any vision or sign whatsoever. Herod the king - This was Herod Agrippa. In fact, it tells us much aboutprayer. He was not only (as Herod Antipas was) tetrarch of Galilee, but had also the government of Judea committed to him by Claudius the emperor, and resided most at Jerusalem, where he was at this time. But they came to him with a common purpose. And the people gave a shout, saying, It is the voice of a god, and not of a man ( Acts 12:20-22 ). It is we who by confounding matters lose consequently the blessedness and beauty of the truth of God. The tradition that they have in the Romish church, that this James had been before this in Spain, and had planted the gospel there, is altogether groundless; nor is there any certainty of it, or good authority for it. "And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man." Thus we must carefully remember that the gospel brings more than conversion to God. Herod would not condemn him till the passover was over, some think, for fear lest he should have such an interest among the people that they should demand the release of him, according to the custom of the feast: or, after the hurry of the feast was over, and the town was empty, he would entertain them with Peter's public trial and execution. But before Aristopollis was murdered, he had this son Herod Agrippa. And he was eaten with worms and died. And it says that they have power to call down fire from heaven. Kezdjk azzal, hogyan is szletik azeskvi fots. Acts 12:1-17. 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 Peter then, with this new-born conviction in his soul, reads the prophets with entirely fresh light and other eyes. characteristic of Christendom. Vincent says the word "vex" is used "in the older and stronger sense of torment or oppress rather than its modern usage of petty annoyances" (508). Acts 12:12 And when he had realized this, he went to the house of "When Saul was come to Jerusalem, he assayed to join himself to the disciples: but they were all afraid of him, and believed not that he was a disciple." The word of God increased and was multiplied. It is not His operation in enabling souls to believe, but a precious boon given to such as believed. "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." Luke recorded the events in this section to illustrate Gods supernatural protection and blessing of the church, even though the Christians suffered increased persecution, and Israels continued rejection of her Messiah. Now when Peter was come to himself, he said, I know of a surety, that the Lord has sent his angel, and has delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews ( Acts 12:10-11 ). He handed him over to four squads of soldiers to guard, for he wished to bring him before the people after the Passover Feast. 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. (ii) Herod Antipas (see G493) . See Josephus, Antiq., book 19, chapter 5, section 1. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist. Acts 12 2. Of this we heard nothing in the divine history of the day of Pentecost; and I think that scripture is abundantly plain that there could have been nothing of the kind then and there. [Note: Ibid., 2:151. The death of Stephen, therefore, has in various points of view a great significance. TovbbEskvi fotzs Eskv szervezs, Volt szerencsm Tibi es Szandra fergeteges eskvjn rszt venni. And they "made great lamentation over him." All depended upon this. (Then were the days of unleavened bread.) Herod the king; not Herod the great that slew the infants at Bethlehem, nor Herod Antipas that beheaded John, but Herod Agrippa; and so the Syriac version adds here, "who is surnamed Agrippa"; he was a grandson of Herod the great, and the son of Aristobulus: this prince. I cite from the Calvin Tr. God does not suggest a doubt of His own grace to them, or of the efficacy of Christ's sacrifice for them: unbelief does. Herod may have won the appreciation of the Jews, but he has lost any respect he may have had in the eyes of God. For through the years the theater was covered with sand, and as the result, was well preserved. But what is more to the purpose for us Gentiles, when Cornelius and his household were brought in, not only no appearance of it is visible, but positive proof to the contrary. Yet it becomes more than a vivid account of an isolated miracle when we probe below the surface, for this story is an echo of other stories in Luke-Acts and in Jewish Scripture. Let him that will, repair to the second to the Galatians. Unlike the law, it addresses all; there is no narrowness in a rejected heavenly Christ. And all the believers were meeting regularly at the Temple in the area known as Solomons Colonnade. [Note: See Longenecker, pp. It was the Lord that had brought Philip, and it was His Spirit that bad taken him away; but it was He too who had given him and left him Jesus for ever. We have only to extend this undoubted principle of interpretation to the Jewish people itself in its national that is, its legal-character, to perceive that the terms by which, in the Old Testament, its privileges are expressed, assume, when applied to Christians, a different meaning, or rather betoken the spiritual realities of which the former were but the types" (pp. On believing they were baptized, as we are told in Acts 8:1-40; but they received the Holy Ghost after an interval, through the action of the apostles. 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. During this time the church has enjoyed relative peace, but now severe persecution again raises its ugly head. A fotzs szmomra nem csak egy munka, hanem egy szenvedly, amit csak fnykpezvel tudok csillaptani Szeretem az egyedi elkapott pillanatokat, de nem szeretem az erltetett belltsokat. Study Guide for Acts 12 by David Guzik - Blue Letter Bible whom they slew and hanged on a tree: him God raised up the third day, and showed him openly" (not to all the people, but) "unto witnesses chosen before of God, even to us, who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead. 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 It is thought that her house was pretty much the headquarters of the church in Jerusalem. 1. Water baptism is neither slighted nor is it put forward as a command or condition. This phraseology would have been somewhat like this, 'The church had rest throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria,' i.e., the part of the church that lies in these countries." Sopron, gynyr vros, az osztrk hatr eltti utols lloms. No man in his natural state could pray, nor serve God acceptably, as Cornelius did. Herod had James, the brother of John, killed (v. 2) which pleased the Jewish leaders immensely (v. 3). Deliverance from the Spirit of Divination 13. The church at Antioch fasted and prayed before sending out Barnabas and Paul (Acts 13:13; and note 14:23), 12. Without this, faith is good for nothing, nor is God Himself honoured in His own word. Because He lives we And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he did not give God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and he died ( Acts 12:23 ). The spiritual power which wrought so wonderful a change in the Apostles must first descend from heaven, and give to the Church its inner form as its spiritual characteristic! Therefore, in an effort to please them he took action against the apostles by having one of them, James, executed (12:1-2).The execution of James pleased the Jews more than Herod expected, so next time he planned to kill the leading apostle, Peter (3-5). It seems to have been the working of divine grace in their souls, and nothing else. Herod accepted the praise as if he was God, and was punished for it (20-23). How could its reality be doubted? Alas! 407.]. the truth of his deliverance. 12:20-25 Herod was furious with the people of Tyre and Sidon. 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. Herod laid hands upon some of the church to afflict them, so some read it; he employed his officers to seize them, and take them into custody, in order to their being prosecuted. Herod in his pride taking to himself the honor due to God. Acts 12:23), and moved his headquarters to Jerusalem. Thus all the first-rate Uncials, the Sinai, Vatican, Alexandrian, and Palimpsest of Paris, supported by some of the best cursives and all the best ancient versions, oppose the vulgar reading. Though the Spirit of the Lord catches away Philip, so full is his heart of the truth that we may be sure all that occurred confirmed it in his eyes. Prayer for Acts 1 - Knowing Jesus Gird yourself up and tie on your sandals. 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. And so the Jewish Passover usually coincides closely with our Easter season. It was now guilty of resisting unto blood, not merely as their fathers had done, but the heavenly testimony of Jesus. And he commanded us to preach unto the people." Those that take one bold step in a sinful way give Satan advantage against them to tempt them to take another, and provoke God to leave them to themselves, to go from bad to worse. "It was known throughout all Joppa, and many believed on the Lord." The gospel of Luke also describes what is similar; that is to say, a faith not insincere but human, not wrought of the Spirit but founded on the mind yielding to reasons, proofs, evidences, which are to it overpowering; but there is nothing of God in it: there is no meeting between the soul and God. She recognized Peter's voice and, in her joy, she did not open the door but ran and told them that Peter stood before the entrance. He was truly in earnest before God. He was the first husband of the Herodias ( G2266) who was responsible for the death of John the Baptist. At the precise instant when one apostle was already dead, another imprisoned and condemned, and the entire Twelve proscribed by an all-powerful ruler acting as a Jewish deputy in the whole procedure, out of a desire to please his subjects, at that very moment God sent an angel to release Peter and shortly thereafter struck Agrippa dead. If Israel would have received, the Lord would have given. "St. Paul, in chap 14 of the first epistle to the Corinthians, presents us with a graphic picture of the mode in which Christians in the first age of the Church celebrated public worship. And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison. Philip goes down, then, preaching Christ; "and the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did." Lote en Mirador del Lago:3.654 m2.Excelente vista al Lago, LOTE EN EL CONDADO DE 1430 m2, EN COSQUIN. Cornelius prayed that God would show him how to be saved (Acts 10:14), 9. There followed also such signs, or outward powers; but the Holy Ghost was given Himself, according to the Lord's word the promise of the Father, a promise which, as all know, was in the first instance assured to those who were already believers, and which was made good to them because they were believers, not to make them so. 256, 257). However graciously given of the Lord as a token to attract the careless minds of men, they are dangerous when they are made the resting-place and the object of the mind; and this was the fatal mistake made then, and not merely there but by many millions of souls from that day to this. God's going to do what God wants to do whether you have faith or not. The soldiers who were the guards over Peter were put to death, taking the sentence that was to be placed upon Peter. When he had beheaded James, he proceeded further, he added, to take Peter also. To gather together, assemble. "And the hand of the Lord was with them," as we are told, "and a great number believed and turned unto the Lord." Nobody could have this till the gospel, and even after its publication God Himself sent specifically to the Gentiles; for He has His ways, as well as His times and seasons. To kill an apostle now was killing he knew not how many. Acts 7:54-60). Was it not then God's high priest, God's law? "Saul arose and was baptized, and when he had received meat he was strengthened, and remained with the disciples for some time.". By the Holy Ghost there is imparted all the firmness of a divine bond, and all the intimacy of a real living relationship of the nearest kind. Clearly they were not Christians; but God has all hearts in His keeping. "Herod the king" was Herod Agrippa I whom the Roman emperor Gaius appointed king over Palestine in A.D. 37. Ananias, wholly unprepared for the call of such an enemy of the gospel, slow of heart to believe all, expostulates, as it were, with the Saviour. He would direct attention to the fact, that the ordinary greeting of St. Paul, at the beginning of each epistle, is to the 'saints and faithful brethren' constituting the Church of such a place, fellow-heirs with himself of eternal life; and that throughout these compositions, the members of the Church are presumed to be in living union with Christ, reasonings and exhortations being addressed to them, the force of which cannot be supposed to be admitted, except by those who are led by the Spirit of God; in short, that the members of the Corinthian or the Ephesian Church are addressed as Christians; and a Christian is one who is in saving union with Christ.". He was led into no small perplexity by the reading current in his day, and, to the shame of Christendom, still tolerated as the received reading. 'Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in Christ;' 'that I may be comforted by the mutual faith both of you and me;' did St. Paul, when he thus wrote, regard himself as but nominally interested in the blessings of redemption? And yet he had in his possession that famous Graeco-Latin Uncial (D) which he presented to the University of Cambridge in 1581, which MS. supports the Alexandrian. . There now broke out upon the Church, and especially upon its leaders, a new wave of persecution instigated by King Herod. Acts 9:1-43. WebVerse Acts 12:1. ", Even here the intimation is sufficiently plain that the Gentiles were in the foreground of the work designed for Saul of Tarsus. See Luke 3:1. The importance of closer attention to the text is well shown by Calvin's remarks on this verse. 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. What in our Lord's discourses is a matter of anticipation or prophecy, here appears as a matter of fact. All know that there were Jews waiting for the Saviour. So from experience we know there is many a man that you cannot doubt to be truly looking to the Lord, yet far from resting in the peace of God. So says the Spirit to Philip, "Go near and join thyself to this chariot." But this was not enough for God. They requested one day that they be granted to sit one at the right hand and the other at the left hand of Jesus when He was in His kingdom. As the Christian Jews became increasingly offensive to their racial brethren (cf. The angel said to him, "Gird yourself and put on your sandals." Summary: Acts 12 has both answered and unanswered prayers within it. Verse Acts 12:1. Father, every ungodly power working against church growth be consumed by the fire of Holy Ghost, in Jesus name. 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. "Who art thou, Lord?" "Lord," says he, "I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem: and here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name." The Samaritans, as you know, were a mongrel race; the stranger may have been possibly a proselyte from among the Gentiles; but the apostle of the Gentiles is now to be called. Acts 13:5,13 And when they were at Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews: and they had also John to their minister, Acts 15:37-39 And Barnabas determined to take with them John, whose surname was Mark. Then they said, "Well, it must be his angel. 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. From this family history it may be seen that Herod Agrippa of this chapter was a direct descendant of the Maccabees through his mother Mariamne. And when they understood the bearing of that which God had wrought here below that it judged man; that it gave no countenance to the religiousness in which they boasted; that it showed most convincingly, and so much the more bitterly because convincingly, what God all through His testimony with them had expressly intimated, by the prophets as well as in the types of the law itself, that He had deeper purposes; that nothing on earth could satisfy Him; that it was in His mind, on the proved ruin of Israel, to bring in heaven and its things for a heavenly people even while here below: now that this was made manifest, above all, in the testimony that Stephen had rendered to the very man that they had rejected and crucified, seen in glory at the right hand of God, it was unbearable. Prayer: The Partnership of Prayer (Text: Acts 12:1-5, 7, 12-17, In fact, it tells us much about prayer. But this other James, who will write an epistle after his name and will take a role of leadership in the council in Jerusalem, is not the James of the gospel, except that Mark does name him as one of the half brothers of Jesus. The change in James may well be another great example of the power of the Cross to change the lives of men. "You gotta have faith brother! It was wrought not by those that had previously been always the great spiritual witnesses; for we hear of none ministering but the apostles, and indeed not even of all the apostles speaking, though it may be that they did. Acts 12:25 And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem, when they had fulfilled their ministry, and took with them John, whose surname was Mark. The returning treasurer of Queen Candace was a proselyte, I suppose, from the Gentiles, living among them, not as a Gentile himself, but practically a Jew, whatever the place of his birth and residence. He is a nephew to the Herod who had John the Baptist slain. So meanwhile, back at the prison Now as soon as it was day, there was no small stir among the soldiers, what was become of Peter ( Acts 12:18 ). Persecution & Prayer Acts 12:1-24 | Grace Bible Church If you don't have faith, God's not going to answer your prayers. They'll find out I'm here], he declared unto them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. Mirt is kell az eskvi fots a kszldsnl? She despised the Holy Ghost as she had despised the Messiah; and no wonder therefore that he who had gone up to Jerusalem to worship was returning with the yearnings of his heart still unsatisfied. Those to whom they addressed themselves were really Gentiles. Herod the Great was married ten times. (750) In duces et capita animadverti solet, punishment is usually inflicted on the heads and captains. Observe here, 1. . Ha klnlegesre s egyedire vgysz, ltogass el az oldalamra. He spent some thirty years of his early life in Rome, but then came back and loved living in Jerusalem and was seeking to curry the favor of the Jews, living as the Jews lived. We know that God could have delivered James by a miracle even as He delivered Peter. And "when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John." 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. He was the second husband of Herodias (see G2266) and consented to the death of John the Baptist. And he departed, and went into another place ( Acts 12:17 ). A zene vegyes felhozatal volt egy kivl Dj-vel. And the angel said unto him, Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals. As we advance farther in the inspired history, we find additions made to these simple elements of social fellowship; the organisation of the Christian society becomes more complex and systematic; questions of polity and order occupy no small portion of the apostolic epistles; and we have every reason to believe, if not from Scripture alone, yet from the unanimous voice of authentic history, that towards the close of the apostolic age Christianity had almost everywhere crystallised itself into a certain, definite, and well known form of ecclesiastical polity" (pp. 13 Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer the door.