Illustration: There was a tenant in an apartment building who was a widow woman who loved God dearly. Her landlord on the other hand despised God and her faith. One day she ran out of food and money and with no one to help she turned to God in prayer. She prayed, “Oh dear God please help me in my time of need, I look to you and you alone to provide my needs, now please send me some food, for I’m tired and hungry. The landlord heard the prayer through the wall and though, “I’ll show her once and for all that God doesn’t care for her, that He doesn’t hear and answer prayers.” So he went to the grocery store and bought a bill of groceries and used his access key to get into her apartment and set the groceries on her dinning room table. When the woman came in and found the groceries she began to praise God and thank Him for answering her prayers. The landlord was listening and went to her apartment and told her she was a religious fool and that God didn’t give her the groceries he said, “I gave you the groceries.” No she said, “Your wrong and I’m right, God sent me these groceries even if He had to send them by the devil.”
INTRODUCTION: This event was during the Passover season. We see here that God does not always keep His people from suffering. James, the brother of John, had been killed by Herod. James was one of the inner circle, one of the three that we see together so much during the days of Christ on the earth. So, we see that God is not always going to keep Christians from suffering. 2Timothy 3:12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. (KJV) Now is the age for crosses, not for crowns.
Also, we see that God’s servants cannot be put to death until it is God’s will for it to be done. No man of God, in the will of God, can die until God wants him to die.
Herod supposed that these two, Peter and James, were pillars on which the church rested; and that, if these were removed, the building must necessarily come down. He didn’t understand nor know the power of a local N.T. Church. Mt 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. (KJV) Nor will the sword of Herod prevail against it.
We have an example in this text of the Local N.T. Church in Jerusalem in prayer during a time of crisis in their church. And we can see also in this text that their prayer was miraculously answered. Anytime a church is not experiencing souls being saved on a regular basis should be considered a crisis time.
I believe we can learn from this great example how we should pray here as a church.
1. THE PLACE OF PRAYER (v 12)
Ac 12:12 And when he had considered the thing, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John, whose surname was Mark; where many were gathered together praying.
Mark’s mother’s house. Peter knew where to find the church. The people are the church, not a building. At that particular day the church assembled in Mary’s home, the mother of John Mark. During those days the churches didn’t have a building they met in. They went from house to house daily. Ac 2:46 And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart. (Apostolic Churches)
Even though it was not a building with a steeple and stained glass windows it was the meeting place of the church on that particular day. They prayed where they were assembled.
It was in a member’s home. I wonder if we could turn our homes into prayer stations like this home was.
Also, it is interesting to see that Peter was sleeping soundly while others in the city were awake in the night praying for his deliverance. When the church prayed great things happened and the entire city was aware of the results of the praying of the church.
2. THE PURPOSE OF THEIR PRAYER (v 5)
Peter’s release from prison. “….but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.”
There was a crisis – a time of desperation – a great need for God to show Himself strong.
I want to challenge this church to make the prayer for the harvest of souls a matter of urgency in your everyday living. We need to pray on a more consistent basis and using every opportunity to pray for God to do miraculous things here in our presence.
Notice that the people relied upon prayer. The people of the church didn’t appeal to the civil authorities. They took their case directly to the highest court where Jesus “ever liveth to make intercession for them. Heb. 7:25.
Peter rested upon the promise of God in that he did not try to pick the lock or tunnel out. He instead went to sleep. He was resting in Him who neither slumbers nor sleeps. Psalm 121: 3 - 4. He knew God was Director of his life and because of that assured confidence he could rest easy. How many of us could get a good night’s sleep in prison, sleeping on the floor, with two chains binding us to two guards? That would be hard, wouldn’t it?
I hope we will be a church that prays for souls to be saved and that we, the membership, will bring new people to church on a regular basis.
We will see in moment from the Scripture that the prayer of the church then brought great results and they were all astonished at what God did. Do you think we could see that happen here. Could God do something of such magnitude that we would all be astonished? I know He can. And the secret to getting Him to do this is to have this church pray more sincere and more often. I believe that the more we have in number in prayer the more we can influence God that we as a church are sincere.
3. THE PEOPLE OF PRAYER
E.M. Bounds said about prayer: What the Church needs to-day is not more machinery or better, not new organizations or more and novel methods, but men whom the Holy Ghost can use -- men of prayer, men mighty in prayer. The Holy Ghost does not flow through methods, but through men. He does not come on machinery, but on men. He does not anoint plans, but men -- men of prayer.
Our text says that prayer was made by “The church.” When the church prays Satan trembles. He hates to see this church assembled in prayer because he knows that the power of God is available to those who pray.
When prayer becomes the main issue then we will see greater things taking place on a daily basis.
The result of the church in prayer daily is seen in Ac 2:46 And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,
47 Praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. (KJV)
Ac 4:31 And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spoke the word of God with boldness. (KJV)
When a church agrees in prayer concerning a certain matter great things will take place for the community and the church to witness. The mighty happenings in the Book of Acts was because there were praying people who were praying daily and without ceasing. Oh! The need that exists for us to be a praying church.
Can we do that? Will we do that? Will each of us take a time at least three times on the special day that is assigned to us and pray in sincerity for the salvation of souls? I believe you will accept that challenge. You don’t have to limit you time of prayer to just a certain day of the week – but some pray everyday about this matter at hand.
4. THE PERSISTENCE OF THEIR PRAYER
“Without ceasing.”
What does it mean to pray without ceasing? Does it mean to never stop praying? Does it mean that every breath is to be a prayer?
In Daniel 6 we see where Daniel prayed three times a day. Daniel 6:10 Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime. (KJV)
In Psalm 55:17, the Psalmist prayed evening, and morning, and at noon. Ps 55:17 Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice. (KJV)
1 Thessalonians 5:17 instructs us to pray without ceasing.
I have been unable to determine exactly what “without ceasing” means. In 1 Thessalonians 5:17 it means “undisrupted” – “without omission” – “without ceasing.” I don’t know if that means to always be praying, or if it means to be in an attitude of prayer all of the time. I believe that it means that we should always be in a praying attitude. I do know this it means that we should pray a lot more than most of us do pray.
1Th 5:17 Pray without ceasing. (KJV)
God is not pleased in a church that does not make prayer of most importance. We attempt to do that, but are we attempting to “pray without ceasing?”
5. THE POWER OF THEIR PRAYER (vs. 6 – 10)
There is no greater demonstration of the power of prayer than is given here in this passage. Try to visualize what happened.
Peter was bound with chains – there were 16 guards around him and he was sleeping between two soldiers at the time this event took place. Vs. 7. The prison door was guarded by the keepers. Peter was in a maximum security prison. No prison breaks happen here. But then the chains fell off Peter. God is the master of all the chains. The doors opened before Peter and the angel. God has keys for all the locks. There is no door that God cannot open. The men and keepers of the prison didn’t even see Peter and the angel. They locked the preacher in, but they couldn’t lock God out.
Notice the events in Vs. 7. Acts 12:7 And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands. (KJV)
A light shines – no one saw it but Peter.
The chains fall off from his hands. No one heard the clanking of the chains except Peter.
The angel spoke to him in an out loud voice. No one heard the voice except Peter.
They traveled quite a distance. Acts 12:10 When they were past the first and the second ward, they came unto the iron gate that leads into the city; which opened to them of his own accord: and they went out, and passed on through one street; and forthwith the angel departed from him. (KJV)
The Iron Gate opened by itself. God can open doors that no one else can.
All of this happened with sixteen guards on duty. Someone said that it was harder for Peter to get into the house than it was to get out of prison. No prison can hold the man whom God releases.
What was the first thing Peter thought of after the angel left him? The church - Acts 12:11 And when Peter was come to himself, he said, Now I know of a surety, that the Lord hath sent his angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews.
Acts 12:12 And when he had considered the thing, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John, whose surname was Mark; where many were gathered together praying. (KJV)
It says “many were gathered together praying.” We see the mighty hand of God working because many were praying.
These next few verses are amazing to me. (vs. 13 – 16)
The church was surprised that their prayer was answered. Vs. 15.
A question: What was it that delivered Peter? Was it their faith that? No. They were surprised when he showed up at the home. So, what good did it do them to pray if they did not have faith?
I believe this is the answer - Even though they were surprised when Peter was delivered God honored their prayer because they showed faith in Him just by praying. There are times when God will answer a prayer just because the prayer was exercised. If God only answered prayers that were prayed in faith most prayers would not be answered.
Read Acts 12: 17 – 19
Peter’s escape cause chaos among the city. Vs. 18-19. The activity that resulted was because answered prayer disrupted the whole community.
If we would make prayer a matter of importance as I am asking this church to do I believe that we can see some great things happen in this city. Herod was so shaken by the answer to the prayer made by the church that he resigned his position and went to another city and region. He was afraid of those crazy Christians there in Jerusalem. One church brought all of this about. There is power when a church engages in prayer without ceasing. My challenge is: Will you, as a member of Valley Church, commit yourself to pray at least three times a day on the day assigned to you. That is not must expectation of any of us.
Your prayer should be that God will convict the people we want to see saved or to get back in church. Those on our prayer list. Will you do that?
