In fact, it tells us much aboutprayer. The Jews in general were becoming restless concerning the free mixing between Jewish and Gentile Christians, and were angry at the apostles for encouraging it. That is, to destroy its chief ornaments and supports. At any rate, the Lord now graciously interferes, and as he gives Cornelius to see a vision most instructive to him, so next day also there is to Peter another vision from the Lord. When Peter escaped he took his way straight to the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark. Help me torecognise the different audiences that are being addressed in different Bible passages. . The Holy Ghost came upon them, not merely, it will be observed, certain spiritual powers, but the Holy Ghost Himself. (Prophetic prayer: Let us fight from the heavenlies Lift up your two hands to the heavenlies as if you are beckoning and shout this prayer point:) By Your Rushing Violent Wind from heavens, O God Arise and SWEEP AWAY every power fighting against my promotion and glory this year 2012, in the name of Jesus. It would be a mistake to suppose that God had not wrought on the heart of Gentiles. Paul had it not more suddenly than with a heavenly splendour which was peculiar to himself; and thus there was a vast work soon wrought. And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem, when they had fulfilled their ministry ( Acts 12:24-25 ), Remember they had taken up an offering. When he had considered; better, with Meyer and Alford, when he perceived it, viz. He said to him, "Wrap your cloak round about you and follow me." He was murdered by his own father but he had a son called Herod Agrippa. Peter was on the housetop praying when God told him how to be the answer to Cornelius prayers (Acts 10:9), 10. On the day of Pentecost they were baptized first, and then they received the gift of the Holy Ghost. Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural. Josephus, the Jewish historian, describes how, on the second day of the festival, he entered the theatre clad in a robe of silver cloth. See the notes on Matthew 2:19. Copyright 2023 ec Estudio Integral. .," pp. "Luke doth at length declare that certain of them brought this treasure even unto the Gentiles. But the moment I have accomplished that purpose of God and plan for my life, then God's going to take me home.In the book of Revelation, chapter 11, we read concerning the two witnesses that come to bare witness during the tribulation period upon the earth. In fact, it tells us much about prayer. 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. . He was led of God. He had no official office. Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church. He killed James the brother of John with the sword,Acts 12:2; Acts 12:2. The Spirit given to the believer was a privilege over and above faith, and supposed, therefore, their repentance unto life. And the people gave a shout, saying, It is the voice of a god, and not of a man ( Acts 12:20-22 ). Note, Blood to the blood-thirsty does but make them more so, and the way of persecution, as of other sins, is downhill; when men are in it, they cannot easily stop themselves; when they are in they find they must on. He was the father of Salome (see G4539) . I refer to this just to show how far scripture is from countenancing the cramped ideas of men, and that the only way of truth is to believe all the word of God, searching out the special principle of God by which He instructs us in the different characters of His action. 407-8, for a brief biography of Herod Agrippa I.] They said to her, "You are mad." But what a rebuke is this to those that would make the church to be merely a creature of government, or in any wise to be of man's will, which is still worse, How blessed to see that it is a real organic whole, not only a living thing, but that He who is the spring of its life is the Holy Ghost Himself a divine person, who cannot but answer to the grace of the Lord Jesus whom He is come down to glorify. Great workman as Peter was, he required the intervention of God in a vision to send him to do a work that these unnamed brethren undertook in their confidence of His grace, without any vision or sign whatsoever. Take, as the most solemn moment of all, the day of Pentecost. "And he commanded them to be baptized.". Thus on the great Gentile occasion, as before on the Jewish at Pentecost, the medium of man completely disappears. Crushed the Jewish revolt against Rome (A.D. 66-70).His son, Titus, destroyed Jerusalem (A.D. 70). Acts 12:23), and moved his headquarters to Jerusalem. Peter prayed before he raised Dorcas from the dead (Acts 9:3643), 8. It was the fact. And very ambitious surely he was to please the people who was willing thus to please them! He stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church,Acts 12:1; Acts 12:1. Hence though Philip might preach and they receive the gospel, the apostles come down, and with prayer lay their hands upon them, and then they receive the Holy Ghost. Holy Spirit cause a great confusion among my antagonists today in Jesus name,23:6-10. To these the Emperor Claudius afterwards added Judea and Samaria; which were nearly all the dominions possessed by his grandfather, Herod the Great. Although most of the Jews in the Jerusalem church still held to former beliefs and customs, James was not a slave to the law. He is the Herod of Matthew 2:1-23, who was in power when Jesus was born, who received the Wise Men from the East and who massacred the children. Theirs was not the joy that saw into the presence of God. James and John were called by Jesus the sons of thunder. Sokan ember a kt tans polgri hzassgkts mellett lagzit is szeretne, aholezt az rmteli esemnyt a bartaik s rokonaik trsasgban kzsen megnnepelhetik s egyttreznek velk. "Saul arose and was baptized, and when he had received meat he was strengthened, and remained with the disciples for some time.". By the Holy Ghost there is imparted all the firmness of a divine bond, and all the intimacy of a real living relationship of the nearest kind. 422. I have already touched upon the practical effects, and therefore will not enlarge on these now. Prayer Points From The Book Of Acts Pray that God will bring the people of Israel to repentance (Acts 3:19). Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers, NT Apostles: Acts 12:12 Thinking about that he came to (Acts of the Apostles Ac). Undoubtedly the cruelty of this mad man was restrained and bridled by the secret power of God. Though the Spirit of the Lord catches away Philip, so full is his heart of the truth that we may be sure all that occurred confirmed it in his eyes. Probably he had put James to death privately, which the people had complained of, not because it was an unjust thing to put a man to death without giving him a public hearing, but because it deprived them of the satisfaction of seeing him executed; and therefore Herod, now he knows their minds, will gratify them with the sight of Peter in bonds, of Peter upon the block, that they may feed their eyes with such a pleasing spectacle. IMPRISONMENT AND DELIVERANCE ( Acts 12:1-11 ), 12:1-11 About this time Herod the king began to take hostile action to inflict injury on certain men of the Church. Verb - Present Participle Middle or Passive - Nominative Masculine Plural. And Luke calleth these Grecians not but [?]. WebActs)12which"gives"you"asnapshotinto"the"prayer"life"of"the" church.Butdontturn$there$yet.$ " And we hear almost daily of the tensions that exists with the Israeli occupation forces and the people of Sidon and Tyre today. Now about that time Herod the king laid hands on some who belonged to the church in order to mistreat them. The Old Testament saints were just as safe before the work of Christ as they were afterwards, but this work put them on a ground of conscious salvation before God. I do not therefore comment upon these additions here: they will remain for their own real and suitable places. The church at Antioch fasted and prayed before sending out Barnabas and Paul (Acts 13:13; and note 14:23), 12. Prayer is both the thermometer and the thermostat of the local church; for the spiritual temperature either goes up or down, depending on how Gods people pray.[1]. Then we find Simon struck not so much by an individual's endowment with miraculous power, as by the fact that others received it by the apostles' laying on of hands. Pray about the needs others Settle it invariably that God is wiser than we. Precautions could go no further. After all, though it seems so simple as to be a truism, though nothing can well be conceived more certain; nevertheless, practically it is not always the plainest and surest truth that carries all before it in our souls. It was plain enough to see the Christian assembly in a city, even if it were as numerous as in Jerusalem, where it must have met in not a few different localities and chambers. arise and bring an end to the plaques on the land as a result of these evil acts in Jesus name. "And the hand of the Lord was with them," as we are told, "and a great number believed and turned unto the Lord." And he killed James the brother of John with the sword ( Acts 12:2 ). It may well be that what the life of Jesus could not do his death did, and that when James saw his brother die he discovered who he really was and dedicated all his life to serve him. WebThe following are prayer points for personal revival and spiritual awakening that you can use to pray and bring back the fire of the Spirit into your life, church and community. When Peter had recovered his faculties he said, "Now I know for sure that the Lord sent his angel and delivered me from the hand of Herod and rescued me from the fate that the people of the Jews looked forward to for me.". He would have His people, where they give, to have a voice. Cornelius was one of those who, among the Gentiles, had abandoned idolatry; but more than this was sometimes found. Warning: MagpieRSS: Failed to parse RSS file. It was not only right, but recorded of God that we might see and profit by it. Rengeteg ismers, sajtos hangulat lepte be az ifj TovbbEgy gynyr ifj pr legszebb napja kpekkel EskvI fotzs Tapolcn, Rvid trtnetem egy gyri fotzsrl. Grace can credit grace easily, understands the ways of the Lord, and disarms suspicion. To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever," etc. One must be born again; but, like many others who had really been quickened in those days (and it may be even now, I presume), a soul might be born again, and yet far from resting in peace on redemption, far indeed from a sense of deliverance from all questions as to his soul. He is mentioned, under the name of Philip ( G5376) , in Matthew 14:3; Mark 6:17; Luke 3:19. And he was eaten with worms and died. As the Christian Jews became increasingly offensive to their racial brethren (cf. The saints in Jerusalem not only suffered as a result of the famine, they also suffered because Jewish and Roman governmental opposition against them intensified as time passed. 407.]. Simon can only answer, "Pray ye to the Lord for me." Could it be otherwise, when, spite of proud unbelief and conceit of distinctive privilege, they were forced to feel that they were none the less the constant resisters of the Holy Ghost like their fathers, who had been guilty themselves, and suffered the consequence of their guilt in their prostration to the Gentiles; to feel now that they themselves were no better, but rather worse; that there was the same unbelief bringing out its effects even more tremendously; that they were guilty of the blood of their own Messiah, who was now risen and exalted in the highest seat of heaven? He had been educated at Rome, but he deliberately cultivated the good graces of the Jewish people by meticulously keeping the Law and all Jewish observances. And so we have the story of Ananias, and the ways of the Lord, not of some great apostle, nor even of Philip, but a disciple at Damascus named Ananias, to whom the Lord spoke in a vision. What a joy to be warranted to proclaim Him to others without stint, even to a soul as dark as the Ethiopian, who was then and there baptized! This precisely Cornelius had not known, nor could any one have known it till the work of redemption was done. A fotzs nlunk csak amolyan szerelem volt, egy hobbi. Peter then, with this new-born conviction in his soul, reads the prophets with entirely fresh light and other eyes. WebFirst, there was unity in prayer many were gathered together praying (12:12), any differences that might have separated people from one another were now completely lost Acts 16:40 And they went out of the prison, and entered into the house of Lydia: and when they had seen the brethren, they comforted them, and departed. Vidm, bohks, letszer fotkkal tudok szolglni s f clom, mindenkibl kihozni a profi modellt. it is beautiful to see how the Lord thus, even in the history of that which was unprecedented and might seem to lie outside Christian wants, provides in His blessed word for the every day difficulties we have to prove in such a day of weakness as ours. We are told of another who also built for the Jews their synagogue. It is little wonder that this Herod has murderous intentions toward the people of God. 1 Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church. so gross was his darkness even as to the general point of the chapter. 378.) The common people respected him for his sincere faith and called him James the Just. God is always wise. A quaternion was a squad of four. He figured that they would be coming to Mary's house looking for him and so he, no doubt, went to hide out from Herod. To pray like that, is to pray with Gods love on our hearts. Therefore, in an effort to please them he took action against the apostles by having one of them, James, executed (12:1-2).The execution of James pleased the Jews more than Herod expected, so next time he planned to kill the leading apostle, Peter (3-5). All these things were pressed home by Stephen; indeed, I have simply touched on a very small part of his most telling address. Where man chooses for human things, we have the Lord recognising it. Then follows another grave fact. Yet it becomes more than a vivid account of an isolated miracle when we probe below the surface, for this story is an echo of other stories in Luke-Acts and in Jewish Scripture. *The copyists of old seem to have confounded in writing, as the Latin and most other ancient translators did in rendering, (Greeks) and (Hellenists), here and elsewhere. Peter was the one then, not Paul, that announced the gospel to Cornelius, who by the Holy Ghost received it, and was not merely safe but saved. But at this point a still more important step was about to be taken; and the Lord enters on it with due solemnity, as we shall see in the following chapter. So says the Spirit to Philip, "Go near and join thyself to this chariot." Conscience would have been searched by the truth of God; and the heart would have been filled with praise at the grace of God. . Herod the king - This was Herod Agrippa. I say, "the church; " for there need be no doubt, I think, that such is the true form* of what is given us in verse 31. It seems to have been the working of divine grace in their souls, and nothing else. No believer could be so ignorant of God and His ways of old as to imagine there ought to be any doubt about those who nevertheless were full of anxieties and troubles, and through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God." "But Saul increased the more in strength, and confounded the Jews that dwelt at Damascus, proving that this is very Christ." The Passover Feast was on 14th Nisan; for that day and the seven following no leaven must be used and the week was called the days of unleavened bread. . It is noteworthy that the Christians evidently did not seek to perpetuate the apostalate by selecting a replacement for James as they had for Judas (ch. "In proportion to the apparent simplicity of the question, would be his surprise to hear it affirmed that he is mistaken, and that, in addressing a Christian society as a congregation of Christians, St. Paul merely regards it as a society of men professing the same faith, and participating outwardly in the same sacraments (it being immaterial to the idea whether they possess saving faith or not); a society invested with spiritual privileges, but not necessarily realizing those privileges, and that, consequently, we must lower the import of the terms, 'saints' and 'faithful in Christ Jesus,' to signify outwardly dedicated to God, and professing with the lips the doctrines of Christianity . It is therefore our wisdom to take heed of the beginnings of sin. When the earthly fortunes of the Christians seemed the most precarious, however, providential events took place with sudden finality, lifting the threat completely. Moreover, in these chapters the Church of Christ is first spoken of as in actual existence. It is not merely that the absence of it operates injuriously upon the tone and standard of piety within the Church; it affects the claims of the society as such to be a legitimate member of the visible Church Catholic. "And it came to pass that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church and taught much people. He did so. 3. whom they slew and hanged on a tree: him God raised up the third day, and showed him openly" (not to all the people, but) "unto witnesses chosen before of God, even to us, who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead. grace of God to sinners of the Gentiles as certainly as to the Jews to those who, in the judgment of the Jews, were nothing but refuse, vile, and unclean. He kept the Jewish customs. We are here to consider, 1. Who the martyr was: it was James the brother of John; so called to distinguish him from the other James the brother of Joses. They went out and proceeded along one street; and thereupon the angel left him. So at this day there is no cause why the faithful, having borne the brunts of one or two conflicts, should promise themselves rest, (748) or should desire such a calling (749) as old overworn soldiers use to have. Which shows that he was planning to put Peter to death. I am far from saying that it was comely on their part to indulge in hesitation touching this wondrous display of divine grace. Ministry. It is a fallacy then to suppose that Cornelius had no better than merely natural religion. When they were up against it, they turned to God. Accordingly, among the train of those that received the gospel and were baptized, Simon is found. Observe here, 1. Deliverance from the Spirit of Divination 13. He was the founder of Caesarea Philippi which was called after him. It was no longer a question of Jerusalem only even for Peter, but without being called to the same largeness of work practically as the apostle Paul, he nevertheless passes throughout "all quarters" of Palestine, and comes down to the saints at Lydda, and is seen by those of Saron. There a large number had assembled together and were praying. Wherefore, we must think with ourselves that he was tied by one that had the rule over him, that he might not more vehemently oppress the Church. The angel said to him, "Gird yourself and put on your sandals." A fotzsban az emberbrzolst tekintem a legnagyobb kihvsnak.Fontosnak tartom a folyamatos nkpzst, hogy megismerjem a legjabb trendeket s irnyzatokat, igyekszem mindig napraksz jdonsgokkal szolglni. quietem, perpetual rest. The Spread of the Gospel in Judaea and Samaria (Acts 8-12), C. The Spread of the Gospel to the Uttermost Part of the earth (Acts 13-28), How did the Gospel? Here we find not even the apostle Paul was above it. Those that take one bold step in a sinful way give Satan advantage against them to tempt them to take another, and provoke God to leave them to themselves, to go from bad to worse. Hence people could not understand that it was one and the same church throughout all Judea, and Galilee, and Samaria. This brought the question to a simple issue; but here again, let it be noticed that the gift of the Holy Ghost belongs to those that believe. But if the church were distrustful, the Lord was not unmindful, and knew how to give courage to the heart of His servant. There can be no doubt that the facts at Samaria were analogous; but this remarkable feature is to be noticed, that the Holy Ghost was here conferred by (not, as at Jerusalem, apart from) the laying on of the hands of the apostles. The time for the call of the Gentiles strictly was not yet come, though the way is being prepared. Let this suffice them if the Lord grant them some time wherein they may recover their strength. If he must have meant something more than this; if his own faith and his own sanctity were living and real, the effect of the Holy Spirit's operation; then, inasmuch as he makes no distinction as regards this point between himself and those whom he addresses, we must suppose that he looked upon them also as real saints and believers. He was very interested in the Jewish customs and daily offered a sacrifice according to the Jewish law. . Herod the Great was married ten times. I mean, they woke up and here Peter was gone, and you can imagine the stir that this must have created among these guards to find Peter gone. With their friend on the throne, the Jewish hierarchy decided to exterminate Christianity; and there was no reason why they could not have succeeded, except for the intervention of the Father in heaven. And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he did not give God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and he died ( Acts 12:23 ). But they came to him with a common purpose. It may well be the story of a thrilling rescue; but, however it happened, the hand of God was most definitely in it. "Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the very same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus." Merrill F. Unger gives the following comment on the name Herod: It belonged alike to all the Herodian house as known to the Scriptures. Fergeteges lagzi volt tnyleg, a kemny mag is aktvan tncolt, gondoskodtak a j hangulatrl. Clearly the Jew is meant. And he went down from Judea to Caesarea, and he stayed there. And he realized that God had delivered him from the hand of Herod. There are accessaries ex post facto--after the fact; and those will be reckoned with as persecutors who take pleasure in others' persecuting, who delight to see good men ill used, and cry, Aha, so would we have it, or at least secretly approve of it. He was going, back without the blessing that his earnest heart yearned after. He acts on that of which he afterwards wrote. The reading sanctioned by the best and most ancient authorities is the singular not the churches, but "the church." For hence the Lord called him to a new sphere a task which, to a Jewish mind, was beyond measure strange. But what I want to press for our profit, beloved brethren, is that at any rate he who is the object of grace can afford to be gracious. Ennek a hobbinak a digitlis vilg elg nagy lehetsget nyjtott. Man, Israel, not merely Saul, was altogether blinded: the flesh never knows God. It was enough. A Christian society which should openly profess to dispense with discipline, and tolerate on principle open and notorious evil doers [or still worse heretics, Antichrists, or their abettors] within its pale, would thereby renounce its title to one of the essential attributes of the Church; it would sever all ostensible connection between itself and the true Church [or rather Christ and His sacrifice: see1 Corinthians 5:1-13; 1 Corinthians 5:1-13 ], of which sanctity is an inseparable property; in short, it would unchurch itself. Is this too much to ask? The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist. This Herod was Agrippa the greater, [elder,] the son of Aristobulus, whom his father slew. The change of reading here seems to prove it was too much for the copyists of this book. Acts 12:1-17. In due time follows the further development of the truth as to Christ in testimony. The apostle died a martyr, to show the rest of them what they must expect, that they might prepare accordingly. Because it is not connected with events in the chapters immediately before and after it, however, it may seem rather isolated and unimportant for Acts as a whole.

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