Persecution and Prison Cannot Stop God’s Power and Promise

Rev. Tim Eden, pastor at Bethel Lutheran Church in Bryan, TX, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Acts 12:1-23.

St. Luke turns our attention back to Jerusalem, where Herod Agrippa has discovered that persecuting the Church is politically expedient. He kills James the son of Zebedee and arrests Peter, putting him under heavy guard lest he escape once more. In the face of such hatred and worldly power, the Church prays, knowing that whether Peter lives or dies, he is safe in the Lord. Peter is able to sleep in that peace the night before his execution has been set. Yet the Lord is not ready for Peter to be martyred. God answers the prayers of the Churchby sending His angel to wake Peter and bring him unharmed out of Herod’s prison, leading to amazement in the Church there in Jerusalem. The Lord does not allow Herod’s wickedness to go without justice. When Herod receives praise that belongs only to God, an angel strikes the king dead and worms eat his body. This serves as a warning to those who oppose the Church and comfort for the saints of God.

“To the End of the Earth” is a mini-series on Sharper Iron that goes through the book of Acts. In his second volume, St. Luke records all the things that Jesus continued to do through the ministry of His Church. By the end of the book, the proclamation of the Lord’s Word that began in Jerusalem grows all the way to Rome. By God’s grace, even now, that same Word is proclaimed to us.