Read: Acts 12.1-17
After Jesus’ resurrection and ascension, his followers
continued to spread his message. The Roman and Jewish authorities, who thought
they had crushed the threat to their power by crucifying Jesus, found that
instead, the trouble seemed to have multiplied. A savage wave of persecution
followed. James was killed and Peter was thrown into prison.
The church “prayed
fervently to God for him” and in the middle of the night, an angel appeared
to him in his prison cell and set him free. He thought he was dreaming, and so
did the members of the church. Rhoda, the woman who answered his knock at the
door, initially left him standing outside, because she was so surprised to see
him there.
The story doesn’t promise that nothing bad will happen to
Christians; it begins by telling us about the killing of James. It does remind
us, though, that we are not forgotten by God when we are in trouble, and that
the concern and prayers we offer for one another is not wasted.
·
Why do you
think prayer matters, if you do? Does it matter to you if you know others are
praying for you?
·
The angel
in this story is a messenger proclaiming liberation. Is there anything you feel
you need liberating from?
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