ACTS of the Apostles

Wednesday, May 25

ACTS of the Apostles

Learning How to be Daring and Dynamic

Read Acts 12:1-5

Focus Verses: Acts 12:1-2

About that time Herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church. He killed James the brother of John with the sword, and when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also.

As we learned in yesterday's passage, the gospel of Christ was spreading far and wide, but once again, in today's reading, we also see that this movement is accompanied with intense persecution. Our focus verses tell us that King Herod had the apostle James killed with the sword. Too often, I tend to read through a passage quickly, but this time, I was convicted to pause. Let's take a minute to think about the sorrow that accompanied the loss of James. Remember, James was the brother of John, both of which were hand-picked by Jesus as one of the twelve disciples. Jesus called these two brothers "the Sons of Thunder" and he knew of their potential. (The Hebrew translation of "sons of thunder" is fiercely loyal.) Whereas these brothers were still in the learning process while walking with Jesus during his ministry days, they are now, in Acts, making a tremendous impact by speaking boldly FOR CHRIST ...that is, until James was silenced. I'm sure the sadness of his death was immense for all those that knew and loved him.

Thank you God for James, who was daring and dynamic til his last breath.

I know I have written a similar post like this before, but I'm going to sing the same song with a different verse today. The Lord has laid on my heart to pray for those in the world who suffer persecution for the name of Christ. It's sobering to think that as I sit here and freely type this post, there are people around the world who are being beaten, imprisoned, and killed for having the same faith as I do.

One more time, I'm going to ask you to join me in prayer for the persecuted believers. Here are two of many people mentioned in my Open Doors prayer guide:

"In Sri Lanka, Sameera's* family and pastor were beaten in the street for their faith. And yet Sameera's prayer is that 'all these people who oppose us will come to experience Christ.'" (*not real name).

"Iman was seized by police, interrogated for 10 hours a day for months, tortured and finally given a suspended sentence--because he converted from Islam. He eventually had to flee Iran to survive."

I'm thankful for the freedom we currently have. Let's use it to spread the Lord's name and to pray for his people.

Dear Lord,

Your word shows us the beauty of believers coming to Christ as well as the suffering that can accompany this decision. Jesus, you yourself showed us this truth! But hallelujah, you defeated all suffering, and even death! Give us courage like these first apostles, as well as like our current persecuted brothers and sisters. We want to bear your name to the world, no matter the cost. Amen.