Acts 12:20-23 Not in King Herod Agrippa's pleasure, and then........

Good morning all. God is good all the time, all the time God is good.Remember, HE who is in YOU, is GREATER than he who is in the world.  When illness strikes, disaster raises its ugly head, whatever the case may be, GOD is with you. 

  So, Peter has escaped, Peter went to the disciples to warn them, Herod was angry and had the 16 guards killed, then Agrippa (Herod) went to Caesarea from Jerusalem.  We begin here.

   19 And when Herod had sought for him, and found him not, he examined the keepers, and commanded that they should be put to death. And he went down from Judaea to Caesarea, and there abode.   

   20 And Herod was highly displeased with them of Tyre and Sidon: but they came with one accord to him, and, having made Blastus the king's chamberlain their friend, desired peace; because their country was nourished by the king's country.

   For some reason, which we are not made aware of, King Herod Agrippa I is not happy with the people of Tyre and Sidon. (both of these cities are located in Lebanon, Tyre 20 miles south of Sidon and only 12 miles from the Israel-Lebanon border).  This was not good for these cities as they depended on the fields of Galilee for their food supply.  Oh, what to do.  They must have a plan.

  This was to befriend Blastus, the king's chamberlain and convince the king they only wanted peace. So now what happens next?

    21 And upon a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration unto them.  

   The next events, confirmed by Luke, is recorded by Josephus that on the birthday of the king (upon a set day) Agrippa held a large festival where he wore a robe made of silver.  When he (agrippa) entered the theater at day break, the silver glittered and was beautiful in the morning sun so that all who looked upon the king were awe struck.  Then comes..........

   22 And the people gave a shout, saying, It is the voice of a god, and not of a man.

The people cried out that they had looked upon him as a man, now they claim he is more than mortal.  He was claimed to be a god and he readily took this claim.  Don't you know when you claim to be god, trouble lies ahead because you have made someone really BIG angry.

   23 And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost.

  Herod Agrippa I was happy to take the praise that is due only to Jehovah.  Herod's blasphemy is a leading cause and can be read as recorded by Luke.  So Herod dies and then what happens?

   24 But the word of God grew and multiplied.

The faith of the people grew and multiplied.  Then is verse 25 Barnabas and Saul set out from Jerusalem taking John Mark with them.  We assume they had come with an offering from Antioch to help the people and then are returning.

  25 And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem, when they had fulfilled their ministry, and took with them John, whose surname was Mark.

  So, I hope this has been informative and to you who already new, I pray this opened up another avenue to God that you did not expect.  

  As we continue our venture, we will see in Acts 13 where Barnabas and Saul were commissioned by the Holy Spirit to start a gentile mission trip.  Love you all.

In Christ's Love and Grace

Johnny

  

Acts 12: 12-19 Knock and the door....shall remained shut????

Good morning all. God is good all the time, all the time God is good.  TOO BLESSED TO COMPLAIN!

   Well, the angel has come, woke Peter, chains off, passed all the guards and the iron gate.  So, what do we do now?  Acts 12: 12 And when he had considered the thing, (okay, the thing - this is where Peter finally comes to a realization of what happened, not a vision, but a real Angel had set him free)  he came to the house of Mary the mother of John, whose surname was Mark; where many were gathered together praying.  Peter now feels that he should go to the disciples regular meeting place and tell them of all that has happened.

  13 And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a damsel came to hearken, named Rhoda. This in itself is self explanatory.  But see what happens next: 14 And when she knew Peter's voice, she opened not the gate for gladness, but ran in, and told how Peter stood before the gate.

  Rhoda hears Peter's voice, she is overjoyed, forgot---yes-forgot to open the gate or door to let Peter in. So......she made haste to tell the other disciples who she heard at the door.  And of course their response is............15 And they said unto her, Thou art mad. But she constantly affirmed that it was even so. Then said they, It is his angel.  Rhoda is obviously mad,(aka crazy) she has lost her mind, Peter, as we all know is in prison. Yet Rhoda insisted that is was Peter.  Naw, couldn't be, it must be his angel.  The disciples were yet to believe 16 But Peter continued knocking: and when they had opened the door, and saw him, they were astonished.   Peter did not give up, he continued knocking.  So, they went to the door to see who was doing this constant knocking.  Yes, what an annoyance, so let's see.  As they opened the door, why, it......it.....it was PETER.  What? How? Why? Uh, they were amazed.

  17 But he, beckoning unto them with the hand to hold their peace, declared unto them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, Go shew these things unto James, and to the brethren. And he departed, and went into another place.

  Peter told them to be quiet; then explained how the LORD had created the escape from prison.  Then he warned them all that their lives may be in danger as well.  Peter was telling them to go tell James, Jesus' brother and the pillars of the Jerusalem church.  All brethren and elders had to be warned of this danger to their lives.

  18 Now as soon as it was day, there was no small stir among the soldiers, what was become of Peter.

  Now lets go back to the prison.  It was coming day, and "no small stir among the soldiers" is saying they were up, had great concern, especially the 2 who were handcuffed to Peter, as well as the other 14, looking, wondering, afraid of what would happen if they did not locate Peter.

  No one could explain what happened to the prisoner who had 16 guards, had to pass 2 wards and go through an iron gate went.  Oh, my!  Then Herod Agrippa called for Peter to be brought forth-------well........ 19 And when Herod had sought for him, and found him not, he examined the keepers, and commanded that they should be put to death. And he went down from Judaea to Caesarea, and there abode.

  Obviously Herod was upset. Can you say "unhappy camper"? Why?  Because he was trying to please the Jews with another killing of the Christians and gain more status. He had been embarrassed.  Plus, the penalty for losing a prisoner in Roman times was severe and the Roman soldiers took their responsibility very seriously.

King Herod Agrippa I left Jerusalem and went to his other capital Caesarea to reside after he gave the order to have the keepers put to death.  

  Wow!  What an adventure.  Peter certainly rode an interesting roller coaster in this particular event.  So, then what happens.  Well, some fell out of pleasure with Herod and we'll talk about that tomorrow.  Love you all.
In Christ's Love and Grace

Johnny

Acts 12:8-11 Get up and go Peter! Is this real or memorex?

Good morning all. God is good all the time, all the time God is good.

Well, if you recall, Peter was chained, in a prison cell, sleeping between 2 guards when a bright light appeared which just happened to be an Angel from God.

   The Angel woke Peter, smote his side, the chains fell off and then.....and then....

8 And the angel said unto him, Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals. And so he did. And he saith unto him, Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me.

The instructions given to Peter by the Angel was to get his stuff and prepare to leave.  Peter was probably a little groggy and not certain if this was a vision or real.   

9 And he went out, and followed him; and wist not that it was true which was done by the angel; but thought he saw a vision.  

   So, Peter is now up, standing in the depths of the prison, and an Angel is about to lead him out.  But how?  The have to go by 2 guarded checkpoints, out of the prison through an iron gate.  This jail break is impossible!!  Is it?  It is for man, but not for God.  Peter still is not certain what is going on.

  10 When they were past the first and the second ward, they came unto the iron gate that leadeth unto the city; which opened to them of his own accord: and they went out, and passed on through one street; and forthwith the angel departed from him.

  Notice when they came to the iron gate what did it do?  The iron gate automatically opened to let them pass.  Okay, recap, the Angel wakes Peter, they leave the prison undetected through guarded checkpoints, come to an iron gate that opens by itself.  Amazing to anyone, EXCEPT  GOD!  Then they went out into the street and when Peter realized what was happening the Angel had left him, he was able to look at his situation and evaluate where he was and what had just happened.

  We talk about doubting Thomas who was to see the nail pierced hands and the open side of Jesus; well, we have here Peter who denied Christ 3 times before the rooster crowed.  His belief comes even stronger now.

  11 And when Peter was come to himself, he said, Now I know of a surety, that the Lord hath sent his angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews.

  Peter knows for certain now that the LORD orchestrated his escape via an Angel and he is no longer in the hand of Herod.  Also, this would be a disappointment to the people of the Jews that he was gone.

  How did this all come about?  Yes, by God; but remember, the church of Jerusalem was in continual prayer for Peter.  Don't you think God heard these prayers?  The power of prayer is enormous in God's eyes.  Yes, God knows what will happen, HE knows our hearts, but we need to know our true heart and give it all to God as the Jerusalem church did.  Will you?  Take a risk, step out, go one more step for GOD.  It is worth it!  

  What comes next is kind of comical.  You will see tomorrow and Friday.  It is definitely amusing.  Thank you for reading. Love you all.

In Christ's Love and Grace

Johnny

Acts 12: 3-7 Peter thrown in prison with 16 guards and to be killed

Good morning all.  God is good all the time, all the time God is good.  TOO BLESSED TO COMPLAIN.

   I doubt any of us have been in the place James, then Peter have been.  James, John's brother was martyred by King Herod.  Herod, wishing to have the goodwill of the Jews was happy to see that the Jews were excited about the death of James.  So, that is when he cast Peter in prison with 16 men to guard him.  

   Peter was to be executed right after the Feast of the Unleavened Bread, as they took him on the first day of the festival.  When the festival was to end, Peter would be brought to trial (trial as it is).  Supposedly a public trial.

  Acts 12: 5 Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.

  Okay, things happen in our lives and we can often become quickly discouraged.  If your pastor was suddenly thrown in prison -- what would you do??

   Well, the church in Jerusalem did what we should all do FIRST!!  They began to pray without ceasing, speaking to God for Peter.  This should be a lesson for us today with all the LBGT movements, the Gender-Fair movements, the anti-Christian movements, and movements that tear apart our Christian nation.  Sooo, they prayed without ceasing and what happened?

  As we look into the prison to view Peter we see this. Acts 12: 6 And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison.

  Notice the phrase "would have brought him (Peter) forth" and then we see Peter bound, between 2 soldiers and the prison door is guarded as well.  No escape for Peter on this earth. (Note on this earth) Also,as the song says: our God is an on time God!

   So what happens next?  Does Peter go to trial?  Well, remember, no one on earth can help Peter.  But that is okay.  Why?  Watch: Acts 12: 7 And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands.

  No one on earth can help, BUT,  BUT, the prayers of the people in the church in Jerusalem were heard by God and he sent an angel to protect Peter.  Suddenly a light appeared radiating from the Angel. The Angel woke Peter, who was probably dumb-struck at what was going on at this time.  Interestingly enough the light from the Angel (which I assume is brilliant and bright) did not wake the guards. Why?  Because, and please remember this:

  GOD IS LARGE AND IN CHARGE!!!

Notice, when the Angel smote (struck) Peter on the side what happened????   Peter's chains fell off from his hands!!!  Wow, now as the song says; OUR GOD IS AN AWESOME GOD!!  So what happens next?  See you tomorrow!  Love you all.

In Christ's Love and Grace

Johnny

Acts 10:7-16 Cornelius calls for Peter; Peter has a vision

Hello my friends.  Wow! God is good all the time, all the time God is good!
I ask now for your prayers. A devout Christian cousin in Colorado, Debbie, has stage 3 colon cancer.  The result death and time with God, OR, prayers from many voices asking for God's intervention and that a healing will come.  She is young, mid/early 60's and loves the LORD.  Thank you.
  Okay, Peter, man, is this a hard one to understand but let us go ahead in Acts 10:7-8 first.
7 And when the angel which spake unto Cornelius was departed he called two of his household servants, and a devout soldier of them that waited on him continually. 8And when he had declared all these things unto them, he sent them to Joppa.
   Now remember, an angel visited Cornelius and he was told to get Peter, he was told where to go to find Peter, and then have him come to his home.  So, being a God fearing man he sent for Peter.  Now there is indication here that Cornelius if God fearing, yet not living under the blood of Jesus.  This he probably does not understand.  Many people are this way.  Speaking of that, I spoke to a young black man yesterday at Best Buy in Arlington.  When asked if he had a relationship with Jesus Christ his response was: "Well, I guess so, I grew up in church."  I told him I would pray for him to know Christ and ask that you do as well.  His name is Chris.  Okay, back to Acts.
  Now, I will not print out all the verses, but please look up Acts 10: 9-16.  Peter went to the rooftop to pray at the 6th hour (noon).  The rooftop in ancient days was the most peaceful place to go and pray. While up here Peter became hungry, THEN, he fell into a trance and had a vision.  In the vision a great sheet came down  to earth with all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things and fowls of the air.
   A voice speaks:  "Rise, Peter; kill, and eat." But Peter said "Not so LORD, for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean."  According to Jewish law, certain foods were forbidden to be eaten (Lev. 11).  This made it difficult for the Jews to eat with the Gentiles without defilement.  Also, often  time the Gentiles were seen as unclean.  This vision came to Peter three times before Peter did not challenge it anymore.   Peter learned a valuable lesson here that we need to learn as well.  That lesson is when God speaks to us we must not doubt or argue, but be obedient and follow HIS word and steps.  Doubting God started the rebellion of Eden.  Do not debate with God, humble submission and obedience is what is called for when God speaks to us.
  Thank you for reading with me today. Love you all.
In Christ's Love and Grace
Johnny

Acts 10:3-6 An angel comes to Cornelius

Hello Friends, neighbors, and countrymen. God is good all the time, all the time God is good.

  Now Cornelius is a godly man, fearful of GOD. He has a vision - an angel coming to him - Acts 10: ³ He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth hour of the day an angel of God coming in to him, and saying unto him, Cornelius.

  The ninth hour is about 3 p.m. and I find it interesting that Jesus cried out “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani? at the ninth hour or 3 p.m.  Does this have significance?  I am not sure; if you know or find out please let me know.

  Cornelius sees an angel of God - and yes, he is afraid at first.  Acts 10: ⁴ And when he looked on him, he was afraid, and said, What is it, Lord? And he said unto him, Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God.

   Cornelius is now told that his prayers and alms (helping others) are looked upon favorably by GOD.  I think about this and wonder if my alms are pleasing to GOD, or, if he views what I do just going through a ritual. I pray daily that I will do GOD's will.

  At this point Cornelius is given a command to send someone to fetch Peter.  Acts 10: ⁵ And now send men to Joppa, and call for one Simon, whose surname is Peter:

  So, does Cornelius do this?  Of course he does as he is a man of GOD and obedient.  But, where would I find this man in Joppa?  The angel is not through speaking yet.  Acts 10:  He lodgeth with one Simon a tanner, whose house is by the sea side: he shall tell thee what thou oughtest to do.

  Now he will be able to find Simon who is called Peter (The Rock).  So he sends a messenger to find Peter.  We will see what happens next.  See you tomorrow.

Love you all.

In Christ's Love and Grace

Johnny

Acts 10 Who is Cornelius?

Hello all!  A great day to worship and praise God. God is good all the time, all the time God is good.
   Acts 10:1 &2 to start this chapter off.
Acts 10:There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian band,
² A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway.
   Let's look at this.  First, a man in Caesarea named Cornelious, a centurion.  Okay, a centurion is a Roman soldier. Hmmm!  Are they believers?  The word band, after the translations means basically that he was part of a legion of men, up to 600 men.  Each band was divided into centuries (100) and led by a centurion.  So here we have a Roman soldier, who is a leader, but something different about this man.
   He was a DEVOUT man, a man who feared God.  Soooo, here is a Roman soldier, a gentile, who is devout. Notice, not only him, but his whole house feared God.  Wow, what a spiritual leader for his family. He gave much alms, alms meaning money, food, and helping the poor.  AND, he prayed to God all the time.
   Now, time for a self-check.  Are you as a Cornelius; or part of the Sanhedrin (where it is all about you)???  Good question.  More on Thursday.  We'll talk about Cornelius' vision. Love you all.
In Christ's Love and Grace
Johnny