1 About that time Herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church.
2 He killed James the brother of John with the sword,
3 and when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. This was during the days of Unleavened Bread.
4 And when he had seized him, he put him in prison, delivering him over to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out to the people.
5 So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church.
Peter Is Rescued
6 Now when Herod was about to bring him out, on that very night, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries before the door were guarding the prison.
7 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood next to him, and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, "Get up quickly." And the chains fell off his hands.
8 And the angel said to him, "Dress yourself and put on your sandals." And he did so. And he said to him, "Wrap your cloak around you and follow me."
9 And he went out and followed him. He did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision.
10 When they had passed the first and the second guard, they came to the iron gate leading into the city. It opened for them of its own accord, and they went out and went along one street, and immediately the angel left him.
11 When Peter came to himself, he said, "Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting."
12 When he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose other name was Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying.
13 And when he knocked at the door of the gateway, a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer.
14 Recognizing Peter's voice, in her joy she did not open the gate but ran in and reported that Peter was standing at the gate.
15 They said to her, "You are out of your mind." But she kept insisting that it was so, and they kept saying, "It is his angel!"
16 But Peter continued knocking, and when they opened, they saw him and were amazed.
17 But motioning to them with his hand to be silent, he described to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, "Tell these things to James and to the brothers." Then he departed and went to another place.
18 Now when day came, there was no little disturbance among the soldiers over what had become of Peter.
19 And after Herod searched for him and did not find him, he examined the sentries and ordered that they should be put to death. Then he went down from Judea to Caesarea and spent time there.
The Death of Herod
20 Now Herod was angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon, and they came to him with one accord, and having persuaded Blastus, the king's chamberlain, they asked for peace, because their country depended on the king's country for food.
21 On an appointed day Herod put on his royal robes, took his seat upon the throne, and delivered an oration to them.
22 And the people were shouting, "The voice of a god, and not of a man!"
23 Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him down, because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and breathed his last.
24 But the word of God increased and multiplied.
25 And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had completed their service, bringing with them John, whose other name was Mark.
Acts 13: Barnabas and Saul Sent Off
1 Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a member of the court of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.
2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them."
3 Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.
Barnabas and Saul on Cyprus
4 So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus.
5 When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. And they had John to assist them.
6 When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they came upon a certain magician, a Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus.
7 He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence, who summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God.
8 But Elymas the magician (for that is the meaning of his name) opposed them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith.
9 But Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him
10 and said, "You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord?
11 And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and unable to see the sun for a time." Immediately mist and darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking people to lead him by the hand.
12 Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had occurred, for he was astonished at the teaching of the Lord.
Paul and Barnabas at Antioch in Pisidia
13 Now Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. And John left them and returned to Jerusalem,
14 but they went on from Perga and came to Antioch in Pisidia. And on the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down.
15 After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent a message to them, saying, "Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, say it."
16 So Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said:" Men of Israel and you who fear God, listen.
17 The God of this people Israel chose our fathers and made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with uplifted arm he led them out of it.
18 And for about forty years he put up with them in the wilderness.
19 And after destroying seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them their land as an inheritance.
20 All this took about 450 years. And after that he gave them judges until Samuel the prophet.
21 Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years.
22 And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, 'I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.'
23 Of this man's offspring God has brought to Israel a Saviour, Jesus, as he promised.
24 Before his coming, John had proclaimed a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.
25 And as John was finishing his course, he said, 'What do you suppose that I am? I am not he. No, but behold, after me one is coming, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.'
26 "Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to us has been sent the message of this salvation.
27 For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not recognize him nor understand the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him.
28 And though they found in him no guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have him executed.
29 And when they had carried out all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb.
30 But God raised him from the dead,
31 and for many days he appeared to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people.
32 And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers,
33 this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second Psalm, "'You are my Son, today I have begotten you.'
34 And as for the fact that he raised him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, he has spoken in this way, "'I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David.'
35 Therefore he says also in another psalm, "'You will not let your Holy One see corruption.'
36 For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw corruption,
37 but he whom God raised up did not see corruption.
38 Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you,
39 and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses.
40 Beware, therefore, lest what is said in the Prophets should come about:
41 "'Look, you scoffers, be astounded and perish; for I am doing a work in your days, a work that you will not believe, even if one tells it to you.'"
42 As they went out, the people begged that these things might be told them the next Sabbath.
43 And after the meeting of the synagogue broke up, many Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who, as they spoke with them, urged them to continue in the grace of God.
44 The next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord.
45 But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began to contradict what was spoken by Paul, reviling him.
46 And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, "It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles.
47 For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, "'I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.'"
48 And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.
49 And the word of the Lord was spreading throughout the whole region.
50 But the Jews incited the devout women of high standing and the leading men of the city, stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their district.
51 But they shook off the dust from their feet against them and went to Iconium.
52 And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.
Things to think about…
1. The persecution continues with the young church, Acts 12:1-5. Herod tries his hand at gaining the public’s praise through arresting James and Peter. Herod kills James but Peter is miraculously delivered by an angel. Why do some Christians suffer and others are spared? Here in Australia we are safe from persecution and yet I read of a Christian man killed by a Hindu mob in India just this week. This is where faith is the only appropriate response. God is just and He will do what is right in all His holy will.
2. Peter escapes by the hand of an angel, Acts 12:6-19. The is the second time an angel has rescued Peter from prison. The first time it was with the other Apostles when they were all locked up, Acts 5. When our time on earth is up, only then will the Lord call us home. The sentries guarding him were not so fortunate, vs 19. Peter goes to Caesarea until things settle down. Note that Jesus told Peter this would not always be the case, Jn 21:18.
3. Herod is judged by an angel, Acts12:20-23, but the word of God multiplied, vs 24. Regardless of what happens to us outwardly, the Lord will never see His word return without achieving the purpose for which it was sent, Isa 55:11. Justice and blessing are both seen here.
4. Barnabas and Saul were set apart for the ministry of the word, Acts 13:1-3. The church at Antioch set them apart. As a church we have prayed and asked that the Lord set apart a youth Coordinator, kids ministry Coordinator as well as Cell group leaders and pastoral care at CBC. Please continue to pray for them and their ministries as we endeavour to see the Lord add to the church.
5. Some are saved through fear and others through compassion. The proconsul Sergius Paulus was saved through a demonstration of God’s judgement upon Elymas the magician when Paul prayed and he was immediately struck with blindness, Acts13:4-12. I have seen families drawn back into the world and the family suffers through a hardening of heart after rejecting the word of the Lord. Let’s never fear man more than God, but continue to stir up one another in love and good works.
6. It is interesting that Mark left Paul and Barnabas, Acts13:13. He returned to Jerusalem. But we know there was persecution for Christians there as well. Everywhere is safe when you are in the Lord’s will and no-where is safe when you are outside it. Mark needed a season of instruction. We know this was achieved.
7. Paul’s pattern of ministry by going into synagogues and preaching the gospel is a wonderful template of how to conduct Christian missions. Always go to where the people are discussing topics of faith and God. In this case it was the Jews and the synagogue. We know Paul spoke to the Athenians about the Creator, but here he starts with a common point for the Jews – Moses, Samuel and King David. He then leads them into explaining recent history with the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus under Governor Pilate. This is similar to the sermon pattern of Stephen in Acts 7. A history lesson is given and hen Christ is applied as a direct fulfillment of the writers of the OT and then the challenge is given surrounding the person and work of Jesus. As such many got saved and many rejected Paul’s message. This is the pattern right throughout Acts and indeed throughout history wherever the gospel is preached.
Vision Point for cell groups
CBC’s Vision :- To be a growing biblical church community, significantly influencing our city and beyond, through intentional outreach, fulfilling our mission.
Sermon and reading topic for this week – Sermon “Stephen – full of wisdom and the Spirit”
Reading – Acts 6
1. Stephen was chosen as one of the 7. But he was called “only to serve tables”. Why was he chosen and what was the situation?
2. Stephen’s sermon in Acts 7 was basically a history lesson to these religious rulers. He begins with Abraham being called from UR of the Chaldeans, then speaks of Jacob, Israel in Egypt, then Moses, the tabernacle and temple. What was Stephen’s main message in speaking about these situations in Israel’s history. What did they have to do with his defence and what the Lord had done throughout the history of Israel and what was happening within the Jerusalem church at the time?
3. Stephen mentions that they always resist the Holy Spirit and what God is doing and said they did they same thing to the “Righteous One”, Acts 7:32. Explain what Stephen means here.
4. These men were resisting the Holy Spirit. We can do they same in our lives and in the church. How is this so, what can we do to make sure we are always listening to the Spirit?.
5. Discuss some prayer points of the group. Church prayer points.
Prayer Points
1. Church finances – currently not meeting budget.
2. Moving chairs and the laying of carpet next week.
3. Our church meeting outside and lunch Potjie outside afterwards.
4. Recharge youth and Kids@Church ministries. Pray for Maddison and Melinda as they Coordinate Kids and Youth ministries.
5. Growth, conversions, joy in the Word and Spirit to remain and increase.
6. Church finances to meet our new staff and to put a roof over our café.
7. Sunday’s message from Acts 6, 7 - “One was Peter, One was Paul” – Graham Willey.
Praise Points.
1. More visitors to church on Sunday.
2. Two cell groups starting up this term.
3. Praise and worship – pray for continued growth and blessing.
4. Unity, peace and grace at CBC.
Announcements
1. Moving chairs, sound desk and equipment after the morning service next week.
2. Recharge on this week all high schoolers – 6:30pm-8:30pm Friday at church. $2 coin donation. Melinda Fourie heading up this ministry.
3. Combined Church worship and prayer meeting at Beacon Baptist, 30th May 5pm.
4. Working bee – Saturday 5th June, 8:00am start, finish at 12pm at the church.
5. Outdoor service in the morning 6th June followed by lunch, Potjie on “the common”
6. Church bank details bsb:- 704 913 and Acc number:- 4000 4388 1
