In the text, we find something taking place that seems to be missing in many churches today – that is church folk praying for church folk. In this particular case, a church member in trouble.
The Apostle Peter is on death roll and all petitions to commute his sentence have been exhausted. But I’ve come to tell you that prayer changes things. When all else fails. . . pray.
In the early church, corporate prayer was the standard. The early church is a model for the church of today. In Acts 5 & 42, the record is that church members met day after day, in the Temple courts and from house to house. In other words, they had old fashioned house prayer meetings.
I remember, as a child, going with my mother on Tuesday nights from house to house, right here in Belvedere. Those old saints would come together (not for chattin’ and chewin’) – but for the purpose of getting down on their knees in prayer for one another, their churches and their communities.
So often today, we find that many church people are only concerned about themselves and their own problems – and when they do visit each other’s houses the conversation is more about everybody’s business than it is about petitioning God. But here in Act 12 & 5, we find a church praying “without ceasing” for one of their own. The Bible says that, “the prayers of the righteous availeth much.”
My brothers and sisters, I want you to know that there is great power and great deliverance (possible) through prayer. You can check the record on that for yourself. The pages of the good book are laced and lined with accounts of prayer.
– Moses prayed and God spared Israel from judgment.
– Joshua prayed and God caused the sun to stand still.
– Hannah prayed and God gave her a baby boy.
– Solomon prayed and God gave him wisdom.
– Elijah prayed and God sent fire down from Heaven.
– Jonah prayed and God brought him out of the belly of the whale.
– The thief on the cross prayed and God gave him eternal life. I tell ya’, the saints of old know how to get in touch with God!
And because they knew how to get in touch with God – and because many people were being healed (through prayer) of sickness and disease, and because many were being delivered from the bondages of sin, the early church grew! Let me pull-up to the curb for a second and drop a quarter in the meter to tell you that: If you want your church grow... pray more! If the church would just pray... we’d see many great and wonderful things! But now... I have to warn you (if you’re thinking about becoming a more prayerful church) that whenever the church starts to grow, the devil gets busy!
Yes... though the record is that the disciples (or the followers of Christ) increased... so did “the rumblings of the discontented.” There’s always somebody in the church who’s discontented. I don’t care how smooth things are running, there is always somebody mad or upset about something. I’ve learned after almost 18-years of Pastoring... that when things are going well in the church, I need to pray more, because satan is scheming and plotting to stir up some junk!
In the early church, after the praying got started good, problems arose! Problems from without and problems from within.
First, let’s look at the problems from without:
Understand that the church was started in the most unlikely place in the world. Jesus had said begin at Jerusalem, but Jerusalem was hardened! They wouldn’t even hear the prophets, much less these Christians! That’s why Jesus wept over Jerusalem. He said in Matthew 23:37 "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!" In other words, Jesus was saying to them: “You all killed the preachers who were sent to you. I really wanted to gather you as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!” And so, the problems from without were that:
– They were hard-headed and hard-hearted...
– They either killed or stoned the preachers... in fact, they killed Jesus!
– And now.. the disciples were supposed to go there and start a church? It was a hard field to work!
And then, there were problems from within:
– The treasurer of the church had been stealing money out of the receipts and had finally committed suicide.
– The most prominent leader of the church had denied the faith and denied that he had ever known the Lord.
– They were commanded by the officials that they were not to teach or even speak at all in the name of their founder (Jesus).
– Hypocrisy and lying had been discovered in the membership of the church which threatened the power of their witness.
– There was racial strife which caused a murmuring in the membership
– Their favorite and most faithful deacon (Stephen)had been murdered.
– There was a government hit-man (Saul of Tarsus) who was tracking down individual members of the body.
– There was conflict over who the gospel should be given to. Peter had broken with tradition and was preaching to untouchables.
– Now, Peter had been put in prison and Herod was planning on killing him to make a bunch of rich Jews happy. (Tell somebody, “It was a messed-up situation!”)
But let me just tell you that: As long as the devil is permitted to live the church will have problems! That’s why, as God’s people, we must learn to pray in the midst of problems! As God’s people we must continue to minister in the midst of trials and tribulations! We have to follow God’s Word in order to overcome problems! The devil is going to attack the church, you can be sure of that, but praise God: "Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world!"
Yes... in the midst of problems we can keep going. In the midst of problems we can say: "But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." My brothers and sisters, I want you to know that the church prayed through its problems. You ought to turn and tell somebody today, “Whatever problems we have in this church, we can pray through them!” It’s always amazes me how Christians can pray for something or someone that is somewhere else and expect an answer, but they don’t expect an answer when they pray for things at home!
– We pray for Africa, and we believe God moves in Africa.
– We pray for India, and we believe God moves in India.
– We pray for Irag, and believe that God is moving in Irag.
– We pray for those who are in the hospital and we believe that God moves on those people in the hospital.
– But, many folk are afraid to pray that God will move right now, right here where they are!
Notice what they were doing here in Acts 12: They were praying and they all had insurmountable problems. A mad-man, named Herod, was terrorizing the Christian community. He had already done three (3) things:
Number one: He stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church. Not all of the church, just some of the church: those who were trying to be about a good work. Herod was on their case like white on rice! He began by afflicting them, imprisoning them, fining them, spoiling their houses and goods, and other ways molesting them. And it was all because they belonged to Christ! I need to tell somebody, “If folk in the church are plucking your nerves, it’s probably because the devil is mad at you for trying to be about a good work and he wants to discourage you, but don’t you quit... just keep praying” . . . and “count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.”
The second thing Herod did was: He killed James the brother of John with the sword. James was one of first three of Christ’s disciples. He was one of those who witnessed Jesus’ transfiguration. He was one of those whom Christ called “the Sons of thunder.” Let me encourage anybody who’s being vexed by the devil in the church. Your vexing may be evidence that you have a powerful anointing on your life and satan wants to take you out!
Thirdly, Herod locks up Peter (the one who become the head of the church.) The one who would go on to preach one sermon that would result in 3-thousand souls being saved! The enemy always likes to attack the head. The devil knows that if he can kill the head, the body will fall! That’s why I need everyone of you to pray for me! Your pastor needs your prayers! Your church needs your prayers!
– This ain’t no time to quit!
– This ain’t no time to run and hide!
– This ain’t no time to disband the church!
– AND it sure ain’t no time to fire the preacher and hire a diplomat! “It’s Time To Pray!” I got to move on here, but when they prayed... look what happened: While Peter was being kept in jail, the church never stopped praying to God for him. The night before Peter was to be put on trial, he was asleep and bound by two chains. A soldier was guarding him on each side, and two other soldiers were guarding the entrance to the jail. But suddenly (everybody say “suddenly”) that’s the way God shows-up! Is there anybody here who’s ever been in trouble and it looked like you were going down, but “suddenly” God showed -up ... and when He showed-up, He showed- out!
“Suddenly,” an angel from the Lord appeared, and light flashed around in the cell. It was dark, but God shed light on Peter’s situation! The angel poked Peter in the side and woke him up. He woke Peter up, but he made the guards fall into a deeper sleep. Then he said, “Peter... quick! Get up!” The chains fell off his hands, and the angel said, “Get dressed and put on your sandals and your coat.” Don’t read over that part too fast, because the reason the angel told Peter to put on his shoes and coat was the let Peter know that “God has all time in His hands!”
God was present before "when" ever was and was is in control everywhere before "where" was given a place to be. “Get-up Peter!” I hear God saying to someone this morning who feels trapped... “Get-up!” “Get up and look up!” “. . . Look towards the hill from whence cometh your help... your help comes from the Lord!”
Peter did what he was told even though he thought it was a dream, because he didn’t anyway out of this situation. But that’s what I like about God... God will provide a way when you can’t see your way! Brother Pete and that angel satched right past the two groups of soldiers, and when they came to the iron gate to the city, it opened by itself. How many know today that God will open a door for you that no man can close and He’ll close doors that no man can open?
They went out and were going along the street, when all at once the angel disappeared. That’s when Peter realized what had happened, and he said, “I’m certain that the Lord sent his angel to rescue me from Herod and the Jewish leaders planned to do to me.” I can almost hear Peter saying: “Can’t nobody do me like Jesus! Can’t nobody do me like the Lord!”
Well. . . it’s time for me to quit this sermon, but before I take my seat, let me tell you that it doesn’t do any good to pray if you don’t believe that your prayers will be answered! The bible says that when Peter went to the house of Mary, the mother of John, many of the Lord’s followers had come together there and were praying. And when Peter knocked on the gate, a servant girl named Rhoda answered the door. And when she heard Peter’s voice, she was too excited to open the gate. She ran back into the house and said that Peter was standing there. But they all said, “You’re are crazy!”
Folk are quick, sometimes, to call you crazy when they don’t understand what the Lord has done or is doing in your life! Remember... these were the same folks that prayed for Peter while he was in prison, but they are shocked and amazed when he actually shows up at the door. I going to my seat when I tell you that: “Church... we’ve got to have more of an expectation!” We’ve got to pray until something happens. And not only that, but “we’ve got to pray with nothing is happening!”
“If The Church Would Just Pray....”
– Gossipers would stop talking!
– Liars would stop lying!
– Cheaters would stop cheating!
– Back biters would stop back-biting!
– Drunkards would stop drinking!
– Sniffers would stop snorting!
– Smokers would stop smoking!
– Fresh woman would lower their hems lines!
– Fresh men would keep their pants on!
– Old folk would stop acting foolish!
– Young folk would stop acting crazy!
. . . “If The Church Would Just Pray!”
