Rhoda, Open The Door

Message delivered at the International Association of Ministers’ Wives and Ministers’ Widows, Inc. Mid-Southwest Region 39th Annual Conference held in Oklahoma City Oklahoma

TITLE: RHODA, OPEN THE DOOR

SCRIPTURE: ACTS 12:1-16

Here, in our text, we find one of the wildest chapters in the Bible. It’s like a short story in 24 short verses.

• There’s grisly violence

• There’s high comedy

• There’s faith

• There’s blasphemy

• There’s ruthless power

• There’s the power of love called prayer

We meet a young girl by the name of Rhoda in Acts 12. The chapter opens by letting us know that King Herod decided to harass some from the church. He started by killing James, the brother of John, with a sword. He saw how it pleased the Jews, so he seized Peter as well. But he captured Peter during the DAYS OF UNLEAVENED BREAD, and he didn’t want to do his killing during the holidays, so he imprisoned him first. His plan was to wait until after Passover concluded to bring Peter before the people.

Herod was careful to secure Peter so there would be no means of escape. He delivered him to four squads of soldiers. A Squad consisted of four soldiers and there were four of them - that’s 16 soldiers total for this one prisoner by the name of Peter. King Herod then bound Peter to two soldiers and stationed guards at two different guard posts. In the midst of this description of Peter’s imprisonment, though, VS. 5 tells us Peter was kept in prison, “BUT CONSTANT PRAYER WAS OFFERED TO GOD FOR HIM BY THE CHURCH.”

Almost every Christian would agree that prayer is essential to the life of the church.

• We want our Pastors and leaders to pray

• We expect prayer to be central in worship services and vital in decision-making

• Many of us would even say we long to be part of a praying church — one where members regularly seek God together with dependence on Him

Yet, often there’s an interesting contradiction. While we value prayer in theory, many of us shy away from attending prayer meetings in practice. Church calendars often include prayer gatherings, but these meetings are often the least attended events. How do we reconcile our deep desire for a praying church with our reluctance to participate in corporate prayer? If the church would get back to Prayer and fully recognize its power.

• We like to say “It Happens After Prayer”

• I guess that’s why things are not happening in the body of Christ

• When I was growing up, Prayer Meeting was 1-hour

• Now we have reduced it to 30-minutes if the Church has it at all

In face of ruthless power, when you put prayer on it, ruthless power doesn’t have a prayer!” But there are more kinds of power than the power of the sword, and the church is called to lay hold of a different kind of power through prayer.

Let me cut through the Alley and get back to the Street -- Herod put Peter in prison. He was already condemned and would be executed the next day. He was in the dark prison asleep on the last night of his life. How could he do that? Because prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.

• The people were praying for Peter

• Sometimes it takes trouble for us to get down to business with God

• The people were coming off the execution of James, so they were praying hard for Peter

We have to learn to be specific in our Prayers.

• It was not time to pray for the White House – there is a time for that

• It was not the time to pray for the Republican or Democratic Party – there is a time for that

• It was not time to pray about DEI – there is a time for that

• It was time to pray for Peter and what he was currently going through

Prayer should be the first resort not the last. The people didn’t try to break Peter out of jail. They prayed.

• The many believers did not go to Herod and try to petition him to see if he would change his mind about Peter – They Prayed

• They did not go to the Pharisees and Sadducees in power and ask to make a deal, or beg for Peter's life - They Prayed

• Nor did they try to plan to storm the prison, like the State Capitol on J6 - to spring Peter through force or cunning -- They Prayed

I can see them now. They were not praying for selfish desires but for someone else. When we pray for others first, God takes care of our needs too.