God Speaks
God’s Work Among the Gentiles; Peter Released from Prison; Herod Fails to Honor God
Verse of the Day: [May the LORD raise up many people like Barnabas in our day and time.] When he arrived and saw what the grace of God had done, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the LORD with all their hearts. He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the LORD. (Acts 11:23-24 NIV 2011)
Read or listen on BibleGateway.com
Watch TBR Day 324
We Respond
Acts 11
Reflection: After Peter had witnessed to the Gentiles and seen God save and empower them in chapter 10, he was called to give an account to the leaders in Jerusalem in chapter 11. Verses 1-3 show how upset the Jewish believers were with Peter for associating with Gentiles. In verses 4-17, Peter reported the events just as they had occurred. The leaders’ conclusion after hearing his report was recorded in verse 18, “We see that God has given the Gentiles the privilege of repenting of their sins and receiving eternal life.” (NLT) Verses 19-30 relate how the ministry of the Gospel of Jesus Christ spread among the Gentiles in Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch of Syria. First, persecuted Jewish believers in Christ began telling their new neighbors the good news about Him, and then Barnabas was sent by the church in Jerusalem to investigate. When he saw what God was doing, he encouraged these new believers to stay true to the Lord while he went to Tarsus to recruit Saul. Together they returned to Antioch. There they preached and taught for a full year. During this time, a man named Agabus came and led by the Holy Spirit, prophesied that there would be a famine in the whole Roman Empire. The believers (now called Christians) took this to heart. They took up an offering with each person giving as much as they could and sent it via Barnabas and Saul to the elders of the church in Jerusalem.
Prayer: Glorious God who is gathering people into His Kingdom, please help Your designated leaders not to automatically criticize when they see people doing something unusual that they don’t understand. Help these leaders to ask politely for the facts and reasoning, listen carefully to the answers, and then do as You direct. Help us to be alert to ways we may be opposing You. May we be empowered by the grace of God to fearlessly take the Good News of Jesus Christ to people of other nations, languages, cultures, races, ideologies, and opinions whether near or far away. May the hand of the LORD be with us so that a great number will believe and turn to You, LORD. May godly people full of the Holy Spirit and faith, like Barnabas, partner with others newer in the faith, like Saul, and bring them along and minister with them. May we be so like Christ that people around us will call us “little Christs.” May we be so in tune with You, Holy Spirit, that You can use us to warn people of coming disasters, and we can prepare for them. May each of us determine how we can reach out to brothers and sisters in need according to our ability and Your provision. AMEN
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, if He wants you to work on one of the suggestions below or something else more personal that He points out.)
- I will, when questioned about why I have obeyed God in an unexpected manner, give a clear and exact accounting as Peter did.
- I will share the good news of Jesus Christ with at least one of my neighbors.
- I will give what I can to people in need here or around the world, especially believers who are suffering from war, famine, natural disaster, pestilence, or persecution.
- I will honor God daily by obeying and trusting Him in seeking to make earthly life and eternity better for other people.
Acts 12
Reflection: About the time of the famine prophesied in Acts chapter 11, Herod Agrippa I had James (the brother of John) killed. He intended to have Peter killed as well, but because it was the time of Passover, he temporarily imprisoned him. Even though he was guarded by four squads of soldiers, Peter was released by an angel. When Peter realized he was free, he went to John Mark’s mother’s house where people were praying for him. There he showed them that he was truly alive and free and told them to spread the word. Herod was so upset by Peter’s “escape” that he had the negligent guards executed instead. Because of his pride Herod accepted the flattery of the people of Tyre and Sidon who called him a god. He should have honored the true and living God. As a result, God dealt with him in very severe manner causing his death.
While reading this commentary on Acts 12, I found the following statement that was very reassuring when puzzling over conundrums like why God allowed Herod to have James killed while sparing Peter’s life: “It is good to know that, no matter how difficult the trials or how disappointing the news, God is still on the throne and has everything under control. We may not always understand His ways, but we know His sovereign will is best.” (The Wiersbe Bible Commentary by Warren W. Wiersbe, published by David C. Cook, 2007 p. 362)
Prayer: Suffering Savior, please keep us close to You in the midst of persecution, suffering (of any kind), and death. Keep us earnestly praying for You to release the prisoners. Set them free naturally, supernaturally, spiritually, physically, or whatever way You see fit. Give us such peace and trust in You that, like Peter, we will be able to sleep amid trying circumstances. May we, like Rhoda, recognize answers to prayer and run to tell others. May we not doubt or quibble when You answer our prayers in unexpected ways. When You send us a miracle, may we, like Peter, calmly relate it, encourage others to share the news, and go on with the work, letting You have all the glory. May we never be so desperate that we, like the people of Tyre and Sidon, flatteringly worship an evil man like Herod, whom You struck down because he took Your praise to himself. May the work and word of God increase and multiply as leaders like Barnabas and Saul train the next generation like John Mark. AMEN
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, if He wants you to work on one of the suggestions below or something else more personal that He points out.)
- I will visit a Christian who is “suffering well,” praising and glorifying God in the midst of their physical, emotional, or societal pain. I hope both to encourage and learn from them.
- I will write letters of encouragement to “suffering saints” both near and far away.
- I will join other believers in praying for persecuted Christians around the world.
- I will mentor a younger believer, modeling for them what it means to follow and trust Christ even in the tough times.
Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.