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Study of Acts – Discussion Notes Chapter 12

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Study of Acts – Discussion Notes Chapter 12 Study of Acts – Discussion Notes Chapter 12 Introduction Most likely you will see yourself in Acts 12. Chapter 12 will teach us much about how we should pray and how we should respond to what we perceive as unanswered prayer. As we have already seen, our Lord delights in surprising us with answers and events that are beyond our imagination. Often, while we are praying expecting very little, God has already done something great. Sometimes what God does is so great that we have a hard time accepting it as being the answer to prayer. Chapter 12 gives us a moment to chuckle at the church and thus chuckle at ourselves. Content 1. James Martyred and Peter Jailed (vs. 1‐5). What was Jesus’ nickname for John and James (Mark 3:17)? Son’s of Thunder. Why do you think Jesus gave them this nickname? Consider the woman at the well, Zacchaeus or Nicodemus and you will have the answer to that question. Jesus knows the heart of all men and women. He does not have to wait to hear our testimony. He knows our personality and our inner most thoughts. He knew James and John were men who possessed thunder‐like qualities. On one occasion, Jesus and His disciples were traveling through Samaria on their way to Jerusalem when they ran into trouble. Jesus attempted to find accommodations for the night in one place but was met with opposition from the villagers, simply because His destination was Jerusalem—a result of Jew‐Samaritan prejudice. “When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, ‘Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?’” (Luke 9:54). Jesus rebuked the brothers, and they all went to another village. Jesus has a way of taking our personalities and grooming us for building His Kingdom. He knows who we are inside and out before He even calls us to himself. Have you ever noticed how some people seem to have no inclination toward the Lord? They seem to have no desire to hear about God or consider Him in their life? Perhaps that is because our Lord knows their heart and thus has not called them to himself. John lived the longest of the apostles and died of natural causes. Even in the dawn of his life, he wrote fervently as we see in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd John. James on the other hand was the very first of the apostles to be martyred for Christianity. At the same time, Peter was arrested and was facing the same. What do you suppose the church was praying for (vs. 5)? 2. The Truth About Unanswered Prayer (6‐19). To what lengths did Herod go to secure Peter’s arrest (vs. 6‐7)? Knowing of Peter’s escape in the past, Herod wasn’t taking any chances. Luke tells of the steps Herod took to secure Peter. By most estimates, there were 16 different men assigned the task of guarding one spiritual leader. 1 James was already dead and the church had plenty reason to be full of fear. We can’t help but wonder exactly what the church was praying. Verse 5 tells us they were praying for Peter but not exactly what they were praying. Were they praying for him not to suffer? Were they praying for Peter’s release? Were they praying for a miracle? The events that unfold are fascinating, confusing and a bit humorous. Peter shows up at the front gate continually knocking. Rhoda recognizes his voice and goes to the others but they don’t believe her. All through Acts, the church has seen unbelievable miracles at the hand of God. Yet now it seems as if they can’t believe Peter is actually there. You can’t help but feel sorry for Peter who is probably looking over his shoulders as he is desperately trying to get in. All the while, the church isn’t buying it and they are busy inside praying for Peter. What are some possible explanations for why they didn’t believe Rhoda? Perhaps they were not praying for Peter’s release but rather for him not to suffer. Or maybe they were praying for his release but saw no way it could possibly take place. Perhaps in light of what happened to James, they could not imagine how Peter could survive. The church could do nothing but pray. However, these same people had seen many answered prayers and knew prayer was their most powerful tool. But it was as if they could not believe Peter was free. There are several very powerful lessons about prayer to glean from this text. a. Let God tell you what to pray. Often we are so busy telling God what is best and what we want that we don’t listen to what He wants. We should listen and allow God to tell us what to pray. Sometimes what God is ready to do is greater than what we are asking. We need to listen and allow Him to speak to us about what to pray. b. Never let past prayer results hinder your prayers. Sometimes our prayers do not get answered the way we expect and so we become discouraged and reluctant to pray boldly in future prayers. Our prayers are answered but not always the way we expect. This should not hinder our willingness to pray boldly and expectantly. You can understand the church perhaps thinking, “We prayed for James and he was beheaded; what else can we expect for Peter?” But God had one plan for James and another for Peter. God is all‐powerful and can deal with each situation according to His plan. c. Don’t limit God’s ability. One thing is for certain; the church was not expecting Peter to be knocking at the front gate. Whatever they were praying, they did not expect Peter to just walk out of that jail and walk up to the entrance of Mark’s home. Yet God has miraculously removed Peter’s chains and led him out via an angel. Our prayers need to expect the most from God and reflect our understanding that all things are possible through Christ. d. All prayer is answered. The Lord answers all prayer. God knows so much more than we do. He grants some prayers exactly as we request. Sometimes He refuses our prayers and at other times he wants us to just wait for His timing. A delay is still an answer! Ultimately, we want what God wants and on His time table. Anything else would be disastrous. 8 9 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8‐9 NIV The formula for effective intercessory prayer is: listen carefully, ask boldly, trust completely (timing and outcome) and know the answer is in God’s greater plan. He uses everything for His glory. 2 3. A Powerful Man with No Power (vs. 19‐24). King Herod Agrippa 1 was a nephew of Herod Antipas who had murdered John the Baptist and grandson of Herod the Great. He had become a very powerful ruler much like his grandfather. Herod was an opportunist who sought power through means of accommodating the Jews and winning their favor. By joining in on their persecution of the church, he was gaining great support from the Jews; something he needed in light of the famine they were facing. In the end, Herod heard the kind of words he so desired to hear, “It’s the voice of a god and not of a man!” But those words meant nothing and God saw to it that Herod paid dearly for his actions. People still seek great power and consider themself above God. As Christians, we need to just wait upon the Lord. In His time, God will show all men how powerless we are without Him. Conclusion Illus: In Mt. Vernon, Texas, Drummond’s Bar began construction on a new building to increase business. In response, the local Baptist Church started a series of prayer meeting and a petition campaign to block the bar from expanding. Work progressed right up until the week before the grand reopening of the bar when lightning struck the bar and it burned to the ground. The church folks were rather smug in their outlook, bragging about "the power of prayer," until the bar owner sued the church on the grounds that the church "was ultimately responsible for the demise of his building, either through direct or indirect actions or means." In its response to the court, the church vehemently denied all responsibility or any connection to the building's demise. When the case got to court, the judge read through the paperwork and replied, "I don't know how I'm going to decide this, but it appears from the paperwork that we have a bar owner who believes in the power of prayer, and an entire church congregation that now doesn't." We need to listen to God and He will tell us what to pray. He will tell us if our prayers are on track with His will. And He will answer our prayers. May we be faithful to accept His answers and give Him full credit for the results. 3 .
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