The Church—his Saints.

The Church—His Saints.

Acts 12:1-17TPT

You just thought you were having a bad day? A young man was learning to be a paratrooper. Before his first jump, he was given these instructions:

1. Jump when you are told.

2. Count to 10 and pull the ripcord.

3. In the unlikely event that your shoot doesn't open pull the emergency ripcord.

4. When you get down, a truck will be there to take you back to the airfield.

The young soldier memorized these instructions and climbed aboard the plane. The plane climb to 10,000 feet and the paratroopers begin to jump. When the young soldier was told to jump, he jumped. Then he counted to 10 and pulled the ripcord. Nothing happened. His chute failed to open. So he pulled the emergency ripcord. Still nothing happened. No parachute. “Oh great he thought, and I suppose the truck won't be there when I get down either!”

You might be down, but you’re not out!

Philip Brooks said, “pray the largest prayers.’ ‘You cannot think of a prayer so large that God, in answering it, will not wish you had made it larger.”

Here’s our setting, The early church is gaining momentum, even though some of the early leaders are martyred. Just like the children of Israel. The more they were persecuted, the more they grew.

Divine favor rest upon these early believeing—Christians. They relied on Jesus and He saved, healed and rescued them, and then others.

I want us to look at Acts 12:1-17TPT During this period King Herod incited persecution against the church, causing great harm to the believers. 2 He even had the apostle James, John’s brother, beheaded. 3–4 When Herod realized how much this pleased the Jewish leaders, he had Peter arrested and thrown into prison during the Feast of Passover. Sixteen soldiers were assigned to guard him until Herod could bring him to public trial, immediately after the Passover celebrations were over. 5 The church went into a season of intense intercession, asking God to free him.

6 The night before Herod planned to bring him to trial, he made sure that Peter was securely bound with two chains. Peter was sound asleep between two soldiers, with additional guards stationed outside his cell door, 7 when all at once an angel of the Lord appeared, filling his prison cell with a brilliant light. The angel struck Peter on the side to awaken him and said, “Hurry up! Let’s go!” Instantly the chains fell off his wrists. 8 The angel told him, “Get dressed. Put on your sandals, bring your cloak, and follow me.”

9 Peter quickly left the cell and followed the angel, even though he thought it was only a dream or a vision, for it seemed unreal—he couldn’t believe it was really happening! 10 They walked unseen past the first guard post and then the second before coming to the iron gate that leads to the city—and the gate swung open all by itself right in front of them!

They went out into the city and were walking down a narrow street when all of a sudden the angel disappeared.

11 That’s when Peter realized that he wasn’t having a dream! He said to himself, “This is really happening! The Lord sent his angel to rescue me from the clutches of Herod and from what the Jewish leaders planned to do to me.” 12 When he realized this, he decided to go to the home of Mary and her son John Mark. The house was filled with people praying. 13 When he knocked on the door to the courtyard, a young servant girl named Rose got up to see who it was. 14 When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so excited that she forgot to open the door, but ran back inside the house to announce, “Peter is standing outside!”

15 “Are you crazy?” they said to her. But when she kept insisting, they answered, “Well, it must be his angel.”

16 Meanwhile, Peter was still outside, knocking on the door. When they finally opened it, they were shocked to find Peter standing there.

17 He signaled for them to be quiet as he shared with them the miraculous way the Lord brought him out of prison. Before he left he said, “Make sure you let James and all of the other believers know what has happened.”

Sixteen guards, four every eight hours, always fresh and always ready to earn merit before King Herod. About these guards, they were always on lockdown and lookout. These men feasted on killing any prisoner. They were the Kings assassins, professional killers!

Peter cries in Acts 12:17b… “Let everyone know what has happened!” He cries, “Share this testimony with everyone you meet.”

You see, Peter was a pastor, and this was his flock, his church praying, believing, knowing that everything is going to be alright.