Acts 12:1-5

¹ It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. ² He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. ³ When he saw that this met with approval among the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Festival of Unleavened Bread. ⁴ After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover. ⁵ So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.

White Blood Cell

White blood cells, red blood cells, platelets, and plasma compose our blood system. White blood cells (estimated 1% of our blood) protect us against illness and disease.

Think of white blood cells as our immunity cells; in a sense, they are continually at war. They flow through our bloodstream to battle viruses, bacteria, and other foreign invaders that threaten our health. When your body is in distress and a particular area is under attack, white blood cells rush in to help destroy the harmful substance and prevent illness.

The church is also constantly under attack and we need more spiritual white blood cells. There are external and internal harmful substances that would try to persecute the church.

From the 1^st century, persecution continued to be a challenging ingredient of Christian life.

1. Problem

¹ It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. ² He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. ³ When he saw that this met with approval among the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Festival of Unleavened Bread. ⁴ After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover.

The Lord allowed persecution as His instrument to strengthen a disciple’s faith. Persecution is not enjoyable and it’s not desirable stimulator to spiritual growth. If it is only possible that we grow spiritually without any struggle, we would like to pray for it. Growth is properly established and measured with appropriate weighing or measuring scales.

In the case of our spiritual life, the tougher the struggle we go through testifies or measures as to how much we have advanced in our spiritual journey. Problems and struggles are labelled as bothersome burden and not lovable part of life.

Boulder

How would you view a huge boulder strategically placed in the middle of the garden? Do you appreciate it as beautiful integral component of a landscape or just a mistake?

Most European flower gardens are meticulously cultivated on level or flat ground. Japanese flower gardens are more of rolling terrain with boulders, gravels, sand, or water.

More garden designers consider boulders or stones as major pieces for landscape designs. Perhaps there are still those who consider boulders as unfavourable sight in their garden. What’s more, the heavier the boulder is the heavier burden it can be if carried manually.

Similarly, one may suggest or insinuate that problems or difficulties are heavier than others. Financial geniuses may not have problem on finances but they may have health problems. The healthy may not have problem physically but may have problems in their relationship.

Everyone has his own problem; how one views problems affects personal perspective in life.

If problem is perceived as obstruction to progress and not major part of a life’s design, it’s tough. But if we look at problems and persecutions as vital pieces of the beautiful spiritual landscape God designed for our life, it will change our perspective about struggles in life.

In John 15:20, Jesus told that persecution is never to be unpredicted but part of disciples’ life.

²⁰Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.

If there’s persecution when testifying about the good news of Christ, one can realize those who are willing to listen and those who are still not open to the gospel. Persecution helps us also to determine how much passion God has given us to witness.

The more power we receive from the Holy Spirit, the more challenges we would experience. The more we are filled with the Holy Spirit, the more we experience joy and peace. More power from the Holy Spirit, more joy and peace to endure persecution, greater reward is waiting at the eternal finish line.

Pray for wisdom to see the great effect of persecution in God’s landscape design for your life.

2.  Prayer

 ⁵ So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.

Would you appreciate the idea of being kept in prison; we wish not to be kept in prison, right?

Prison limits a person’s activity; in Peter’s case, prison limited him from preaching the gospel. The recorded life testimony of the 1^st century Christians was more than theatrical visual effects that would make viewers throw up if they were shown in the movie theatres today.

So far, Peter being kept in prison became opportunity for the church to be more active in prayer. Peter must have been very encouraged when he learned that the church earnestly prayed for him.

Persecution has been an ordinary experience in the 1^st century Christianity. The more they were persecuted, the more they were inspired to witness, the greater reward they will receive when the Lord of Lords comes with His reward.

Do you know of someone who was persecuted because he was testifying about the Lord Jesus?

In 2 Thessalonians 1:4-12 Paul wrote the Thessalonians to persevere in the midst of persecution.

⁴ Therefore, among God’s churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring. ⁵ All this is evidence that God’s judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering. ⁶ God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you ⁷ and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. ⁸ He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. ⁹ They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might ¹⁰ on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.

¹¹ With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed prompted by faith. ¹² We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

If you are filled with the Holy Spirit, you cannot help but to testify about the Lord.

If you keep on witnessing, you will eventually experience persecution.

The Holy Spirit will sustain you with joy and peace; expect a reward is already prepared for you.

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