LookingtoJesus

August 23

Bible Reading: Acts 13:26-52

Acts 13:42, “As they went out, the people begged that these things might be told them the next Sabbath.”

My dog Muki is a master of the art of begging. She expertly wields her innocent, puppy-like eyes as if they were a weapon, and she’ll even lift her paw to shake hands if it helps her cause. As we eat, Muki sits—not-so-patiently—hoping to snag a few scraps from our plates. But it’s treats that truly drive her. After any trip to town, a visit to the park, or even just a walk to the garbage can, Muki expects a reward. Her appetite for treats seems insatiable.

Humans beg too, but typically for material things like food or money. Sometimes, we might beg for attention, forgiveness, or help. But it’s rare for people to beg for things that nourish their relationship with God.

When Paul arrived in Pisidian Antioch with the good news, the people’s spirits were stirred. His words of freedom and forgiveness sparked a hunger in them, and they “begged that these things might be told them the next Sabbath” (Acts 13:42).

I’m convinced that few things are as virtuous as a genuine hunger for truth. Such a hunger demands to be satisfied, and God has spread a banquet of truth for us in His Word—an all-you-can-eat buffet of wisdom. The folks in Pisidian Antioch begged to hear more about Jesus.  How hungry are you even now for the truth?  The door is wide open with the feast laid out before us, but too often, we lack the appetite to partake of that which alone can work to nourish our inner being.

Imagine if we were more like Muki, but instead of craving treats, we yearned for the life-changing spiritual truths that help us grow in Christ. This kind of hunger is born of the Spirit of God, and it’s something we can—and should—pray for.

A hunger for truth is a priceless possession bearing fruit in countless ways.

TEACH ME THY WAY, O LORD
Teach me thy way, O Lord; teach me thy way!
Thy guiding grace afford; teach me thy way!
Help me to walk aright, more by faith, less by sight;
lead me with heav’nly light; teach me thy way!

When I am sad at heart, teach me thy way!
When earthly joys depart, teach me thy way!
In hours of loneliness, in times of dire distress,
in failure or success, teach me thy way!

When doubts and fears arise, teach me thy way!
When storms o’erspread the skies, teach me thy way!
Shine thro’ the cloud and rain, thro’ sorrow, toil, and pain;
make thou my pathway plain; teach me thy way!

Long as my life shall last, teach me thy way!
Where’er my lot be cast, teach me thy way!
Until the race is run, until the journey’s done,
until the crown is won, teach me thy way!

August 22

Bible Reading: Acts 13:13-25

Acts 13:15-16, “After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent a message to them, saying, ‘Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, say it.’ So Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said…”

Imagine yourself as a member of that synagogue in Pisidian Antioch. Week after week, in faithful observance of the Sabbath, you gathered with others to attend the service. And week after week, the service followed a familiar pattern, centered on the Law, the Prophets, and the promises of old. But everything changed when Barnabas and Paul arrived.

The synagogue service typically began with the Shema, the Jewish declaration of faith, followed by a corporate prayer. Then came the reading of the portion of the Law and the Prophets, followed by a brief message usually based on one of the recited Scriptures. If there was a distinguished guest present, the rulers of the synagogue might invite him to speak before the closing blessing. That’s exactly what happened with Paul.

The synagogue rulers asked Paul for a “word of encouragement.” And no one could offer greater encouragement than what Paul shared that day: “God’s promised Messiah has come. We bring to you this message of salvation. They put Jesus to death, but God raised Him from the dead. Our message is one of forgiveness of your sins through faith in Jesus!”

In that moment, the good news burst forth like a glorious sunrise, casting its light upon Pisidian Antioch. Week after week, you had gathered to hear from the Law, but now, this word of encouragement revealed how God had provided a way apart from the Law—through Jesus—by which a person could be completely set free from sin (Acts 13:39).

That day in Pisidian, sin captives were set free. The same word of encouragement that liberated them has continued to work its power countless times since then. Remember how it first came to you, and how you rejoiced to hear? Thank God for the good news and let it once again encourage your heart.

There’s no greater word of encouragement than the good news of salvation in Jesus!

WONDERFUL WORDS OF LIFE
Sing them over again to me,
Wonderful words of life;
Let me more of their beauty see,
Wonderful words of life;
Words of life and beauty
Teach me faith and duty.

Refrain:
Beautiful words, wonderful words,
Wonderful words of life;
Beautiful words, wonderful words,
Wonderful words of life.

Christ, the blessed one, gives to all
Wonderful words of life;
Sinner, list to the loving call,
Wonderful words of life;
All so freely given,
Wooing us to heaven. [Refrain]

Sweetly echo the gospel call,
Wonderful words of life;
Offer pardon and peace to all,
Wonderful words of life;
Jesus, only Savior,
Sanctify forever. [Refrain]

August 21

Bible Reading: Acts 13:13-25

Acts 13:13, “And John left them and returned to Jerusalem.” (AD 48)

2 Timothy 4:11, “Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry.” (AD 64)

We all fail sometimes, but failure never needs to be at the end of our story.  Thomas Edison failed thousands of times before finally creating a functional light bulb. Once asked about his many failures, Edison reportedly said, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”

John Mark, often just called Mark, is the author of the gospel of Mark. He is first mentioned in Acts as the son of a woman named Mary (Acts 12:12).  He was Barnabas’ cousin and a companion of Barnabas and Paul during their missionary travels (Acts 12:12).  In fact, he had the privilege of accompanying them on their first missionary journey (Acts 13:5). 

We are not told exactly why, but Mark deserted the effort amidst the difficulties accompanying the missionary endeavor.  Later, after Paul and Barnabas returned from that first journey, Paul expressed the desire to return to the cities they had visited (Acts 15:36).  Barnabas agreed, providing that John Mark could join them.  Paul refused, and they separated, with Barnabas taking John Mark with him to Cyprus, and Silas joining Paul on a journey through Syria and Cilicia.  Mark’s failure led to Paul’s distrust.

“The righteous falls seven times and rises again” (Proverbs 24:16).  We all fail at some point, but because of the God’s grace and mercy, failure need not define us.  Years after Mark’s desertion, he is with Paul as a “fellow worker” (Philemon 1:24).  And then, near the end of his life, Paul appealed for Mark to be brought to him, affirming him to be “very useful to me for ministry” (2 Timothy 4:11).  Over time, Mark matured and transformed from being useless to Paul to becoming very useful! 

It does no good to brood in regret over our past failures.  Wishing for changes to our past is like fishing in a fishless pond.  But new mercies come with each new day (Lamentations 3:23).  Failure might prove to be a back door to success if we allow God to teach and lead us in our response.

Because God is who He is and able to do what He does, failure need not be the end of the story for any of us!

JUST A CLOSER WALK WITH THEE
I am weak but Thou art strong;
Jesus, keep me from all wrong;
I’ll be satisfied as long
As I walk, let me walk close to Thee.

Refrain:
Just a closer walk with Thee,
Grant it, Jesus, is my plea,
Daily walking close to Thee,
Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.

Thro’ this world of toil and snares,
If I falter, Lord, who cares?
Who with me my burden shares?
None but Thee, dear Lord, none but Thee. [Refrain]

When my feeble life is o’er,
Time for me will be no more;
Guide me gently, safely o’er
To Thy kingdom shore, to Thy shore. [Refrain]

August 20

Bible Reading: Acts 13:4-12

Acts 13:7-8. “He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence, who summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. But Elymas the magician (for that is the meaning of his name) opposed them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith.”

C. S. Lewis’ classic, The Screwtape Letters, speaks of a fictional correspondence between devils trying to tempt a human soul away from God. The letters are from a senior demon named Screwtape to his nephew Wormwood, who’s been assigned to darken the soul of a man called “the patient.” Screwtape instructs Wormwood to direct the patient toward his worst emotions, vice, and corruption, and away from reason and virtue.  Though fictional, the book speaks to the reality of the divergent voices, sourced in either good or evil, that would work to lead us to either know (and grow) in Jesus or remained darkened in our understanding.

Sent off from the church in Antioch, the Spirit worked to bring Barnabas and Saul to meet with the governor of the island of Cyprus, Sergius Paulus.  He was the man placed there by the Roman senate to handle the control and governance of the entire island.  In those days, it was common, even for a man of intelligence like Sergius Paulus, to use private wizards, fortune tellers, who dealt with magic and spells.  Elymas was that man for Sergius, and the words he spoke did not come from God.  In fact, when Paul and Barnabas began to share the word of God, it was Elymas who opposed them “seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith” (Acts 13:8).

The proconsul ultimately came to faith in Jesus, as he “was astonished at the teaching of the Lord,” but Paul had to intervene to silence Elymas’ deceptive voice.  In sharing the gospel, we engage the enemy of souls in spiritual combat.  He seeks to hold people in their spiritual darkness through all his deceitful devices.  It is as we prayerfully led by the Spirit that we lay hold of the divinely powerful weapons that work to destroy the enemy’s fortresses (2 Corinthians 10:3-5).  Our part is to clearly and boldly proclaim the truth, as God grants opportunities.  Who knows when God might privilege us to witness someone being turned, just as with Sergius Paulus, “from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God” (Acts 26:18).

Satanic opposition to the gospel is not a possibility but a certainty.

THE BATTLE IS THE LORD’S!
The battle is the Lord’s!
The harvest fields are white;
how few the reaping hands appear,
their strength how slight!
Yet victory is sure,
we face a vanquished foe;
then forward with the risen Christ
to battle go!

The battle is the Lord’s!
Not ours in strength or skill,
but his alone in sov’reign grace,
to work his will.
Ours, counting not the cost,
unflinching, to obey;
and in his time his holy arm
shall win the day.

The battle is the Lord’s!
The Victor crucified
must with the travail of his soul
be satisfied.
The pow’rs of hell shall fail,
and all God’s will be done,
‘til ev’ry soul whom he has giv’n
to Christ be won.

The battle is the Lord’s!
Stand still, my soul, and view
the great salvation God has wrought,
revealed for you.
Then, resting in his might,
lift high his triumph song,
for pow’r, dominion, kingdom, strength
to God belong!

August 19

Bible Reading: Acts 13:1-3

Acts 13:2-3, “While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’ Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.”

Lilias Trotter was born into a wealthy English family in 1853.  A talented painter, she once met with John Ruskin, a renowned Victorian art critic, who believed she could become a world-famous artist.  In 1874, she attended a convention that emphasized the importance of the daily application of Scripture to one’s life.  Through prayer, she felt compelled to abandon her promising artistic career and the comforts of England for a life of missionary service.

In 1888, Lilias landed in North Africa with two of her friends.  With no missionary agency to support them and no missionary training to lead them, they immediately began studying the Arabic language, intending to share the gospel as widely as they could for as long as they could.  For the next forty years, amidst many difficulties, Lilias poured out her life in making the gospel known.  Her journals speak of her daily experiences of desperate dependence on the divine resources availed to her by the Holy Spirit.  She was Spirit-sent, and it was the Spirit who sustained and prospered her ministry.

The church in Antioch had no experience in sending off missionaries, no missionary committee, and no missionary plan to guide their efforts when they sent off Barnabas and Saul.  It was an unprecedented venture, and none could have foreseen what lay ahead.  But they had a call by the Holy Spirit to send Barnabas and Saul.  And they had the abiding presence of the Spirit of God to lead and empower them. 

They would travel over 1200 miles on a journey that is estimated to have taken 12-18 months. In venturing to Cyprus, modern day Turkey, and east Asia, they worked to establish some 14 churches.  Though confronted by ongoing opposition and many tough challenges, the Spirit used them to lead thousands to a saving knowledge of Jesus.  The Spirit prospered their efforts, and upon their return, they gave glory to God for “the work God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles” (Acts 14:27).  The same Spirit that led Lilias and led Barnabas and Saul indwells every believer in Christ.  It is amazing to behold what He can do when we live our lives in desperate dependence upon Him!

The story of missions is about how the Spirit called and led and empowered ordinary folks to do extraordinary things!

JESUS CALLS US
Jesus calls us o’er the tumult
of our life’s wild, restless sea;
day by day His sweet voice soundeth,
saying, “Christian, follow me.”
Jesus calls us from the worship
of the vain world’s golden store,
from each idol that would keep us,
saying, “Christian, love me more.”

In our joys and in our sorrows,
days of toil and hours of ease,
still He calls, in cares and pleasures,
“Christian, love me more than these.”
Jesus calls us- by Thy mercies,
Savior, may we hear Thy call;
give our hearts to Thine obedience,
serve and love Thee best of all.

August 16

Bible Reading: Acts 12:18-25

Acts 12:23-24, “Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him down, because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and breathed his last. But the word of God increased and multiplied.”

Herod was an evil politician.  He sought the favor of the people.  He gave favors as he deemed fit.  Hoping to assuage his anger, the people of Tyre and Sidon came seeking his favor, for they were hungry.  He put on his royal robes, took his seat upon the throne in the auditorium, and delivered a speech to them.  They dutifully shouted, “the voice of a God and not of a man!” (Acts 12:22).  “Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him down because he did not give the glory, and he was eaten by worms and breathed his last” (Acts 12:23).  He was loved by those who sought his favor and then he was loved by the worms who ate his flesh.

Years before this occasion, Gamaliel had warned his fellow would-be persecutors: “but if (this movement) is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them.  You might even be found opposing God” (Acts 5:39).  In his murderous acts, Herod was opposing the work of God.  In receiving praise and refusing to acknowledge God, there came a time for him to reap what he’d sown.

The ESV Bible study includes this note in reference to Acts 12:24: “No power can triumph over the word (Acts 6:7; 13:49), and those who attempt to harm God’s people will in the end face judgment themselves.”  Herod opposed God and faced judgment.  James died and was ushered into God’s presence.  Peter was miraculously delivered from prison and continued in fruitful ministry for many years.  Despite Herod’s murderous activities, the “word of God increased and multiplied” (Acts 12:24).

You can imprison and even martyr God’s children, but you cannot imprison or silence God’s Word (2 Timothy 2:9).  Long gone are Herod and his province and even the Roman empire itself.  Indeed, “the world is passing away along with its desires” (1 John 2:17).  But the church is forever, and those loved by Jesus are “more than conquerors” (Romans 8:37)! 

In the longstanding war against God, it is imperative that we choose carefully which side to fight on!

WHO IS ON THE LORD’S SIDE?
Who is on the Lord’s side? Who will serve the King?
Who will be His helpers, other lives to bring?
Who will leave the world’s side? Who will face the foe?
Who is on the Lord’s side? Who for Him will go?
By Thy call of mercy, by Thy grace divine,
We are on the Lord’s side—Savior, we are Thine!

Not for weight of glory, nor for crown and palm,
Enter we the army, raise the warrior psalm;
But for love that claimeth lives for whom He died:
He whom Jesus saveth marches on His side.
By Thy love constraining, by Thy grace divine,
We are on the Lord’s side—Savior, we are Thine!

Fierce may be the conflict, strong may be the foe,
But the King’s own army none can overthrow;
’Round His standard ranging, vict’ry is secure,
For His truth unchanging makes the triumph sure.
Joyfully enlisting, by Thy grace divine,
We are on the Lord’s side—Savior, we are Thine!

Chosen to be soldiers, in an alien land,
Chosen, called, and faithful, for our Captain’s band;
In the service royal, let us not grow cold,
Let us be right loyal, noble, true and bold.
Master, wilt Thou keep us, by Thy grace divine,
Always on the Lord’s side—Savior, always Thine!

August 15

Bible Reading: Acts 12:12-17

Acts 12:16, “But Peter continued knocking, and when they opened, they saw him and were amazed.”

Having been miraculously rescued from prison by an angel of the Lord, Peter made his way to a prayer meeting being held on his behalf. The people were hesitant to believe the servant girl when she reported Peter had arrived. Peter kept knocking, and when they finally opened the gate and saw the answer to their prayers standing there, they were amazed!

We experienced a similar joyous amazement at the beginning of a Sunday evening service. We received the news that David had responded to treatment, and it looked like he was going to be okay. Though many had been earnestly praying for him, God’s answer still surprised us.

Some days earlier, David’s wife had found him lying on the floor, a victim of an apparent heart attack. She performed CPR, but they didn’t know how long he had been deprived of oxygen. He was transported to OHSU and placed on an ECMO machine (an ECMO machine pumps blood outside the body to remove carbon dioxide and send oxygen-rich blood back). Despite this, his condition had not improved and remained unconscious and unresponsive.  But people continued to pray earnestly.

I was with David’s wife and children in his ICU room when, as suggested by the physician, they said their final goodbyes. The doctors held a meeting with the family, explaining that since there had been no improvement after days on the ECMO machine, they planned to remove treatment. That was the last update I had received until the call came that he was going to recover. Needless to say, there was much rejoicing at this surprising and miraculous news. How good it is for us to pray to a God who can well surprise us and is always exceeding our expectations! 

In his commentary on the book of Acts, Jack Andrews writes, “The early church was used by God to reach their world for Jesus. They saw the power of God change hearts, save souls, rescue His children, and release those bound up by Satan.  Entire cities turned to Christ and the whole world turned upside down! The early church understood the importance and significance of prayer. They spent much time together in prayer, many hours laboring in prayer and fervent dedication to prayer! The early church talked to God, pleaded with God, wrestled in prayer to God, warred against the powers of darkness in prayer to God. The church must get back to fervent and faithful praying! If we are going to be used by God we must daily seek Him in prayer! Prayer was important to the early church! Is it important to you?”

It’s good to be surprised by God when He intervenes in response to our prayers, and we are once again reminded that God can do far more abundantly beyond what we ask.

ALL THAT THRILLS MY SOUL
All that thrills my soul is Jesus,
Ev’ry day and ev’ry hour;
Jesus and His free salvation,
Jesus and His mighty pow’r.

Refrain:
All that thrills my soul is Jesus;
He is more than life to me;
And the fairest of ten-thousand,
In my blessed Lord I see.

His is love beyond all knowledge,
His is grace beyond degree,
Mercy higher than the heaven,
Deeper than the deepest sea. [Refrain]

Ev’ry need His hand supplieth,
Ev’ry good in Him I see;
And the strength He gives His weak ones
Is sufficient unto me. [Refrain]

In yon everlasting city
With the ransomed I will sing,
And forever and forever,
Praise and glorify the King. [Refrain]

August 14

Bible Reading: Acts 12:6-11

Acts 12:6-7, “Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries before the door were guarding the prison. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood next to him, and a light shone in the cell.”

The people were earnestly praying for Peter, but the situation appeared hopeless.  Herod had already murdered James, and it looked as if he might kill Peter, too.  They locked up Peter in prison and guarded him with four squads of Roman soldiers.  Besides all that, sentries stood outside his room, in which he was bound with two chains and asleep between two soldiers.  Escape looked impossible.  But the people were praying.  God sent an angel of the Lord to set Peter free!

The Great Coastal Gale of December 2007 caused extensive damage to our Astoria church building, ultimately resulting in repair costs exceeding $900,000. They deemed the sanctuary unsafe for our meetings, so we held our services in the “Playroom,” a space barely larger than the Awana circle it housed. Despite the crowded conditions for one hundred people, we made the best of it.

Eager for the repair work to begin, we encountered a significant obstacle. Despite having good insurance, there was a $100,000 limit on “building code upgrades.” Given that our church was built in the early 1970s, these upgrades could easily surpass the insurance limit.

The local building codes office was indecisive about what should be required, leaving us in limbo. With so many parties involved in the decision-making process—the building codes department, the insurance adjuster, two general contractors, two engineering firms, and us—no progress was being made.

At that time, I was studying the book of Nehemiah, which seemed particularly relevant, and we were praying for God’s intervention. Looking back, we had no idea how the situation would be resolved. Then, one day, a state building codes inspector arrived to evaluate our situation. Together with two local inspectors, he and I toured the building. The state inspector made on-the-spot decisions regarding all the upgrade questions being considered. At the end of the tour, he asked if it would be okay if he prayed for us. He put his arm around my shoulder, and we prayed for our church and the rebuilding efforts. From that day forward, progress was made, and the building was ready for its 50-year anniversary in October 2008. I later discovered that the state inspector was a member of the Gideons. Instead of bringing us a Bible, he brought resolution to our dilemma.

God answered our prayers in an unexpected way, just as He did in delivering Peter from prison!  He has His own ways of untangling our troublesome circumsances.  We do well to cast our cares on Jesus, for He cares and He is able (1 Peter 5:7).

The answer to Goliath-sized problems is to pray to our greater-sized God.  Nothing is too difficult for Him!

AH, LORD GOD
Ah Lord God
Thou has made the heavens
And the earth by Thy great power
Ah Lord God
Thou has made the heavens
And the earth by Thine out-stretched arm

Nothing is too difficult for Thee
Nothing is too difficult for Thee
Great and mighty God
Great in counsel and mighty in deed
Nothing, nothing
Absolutely nothing
Nothing is too difficult for Thee

August 13

Bible Reading: Acts 12:4-5

Acts 12:5, “So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church.”

It was King Herod Agrippa I, ruler of Palestine, who had James put to death and Peter imprisoned.  He was the grandson of the Herod the Great who sought to kill the infant Jesus by slaughtering all the male babies “two years old and under” at Bethlehem (Matthew 2:1,16-18).  He was also the nephew of Herod Antipas, who had John the Baptist killed (Matthew. 14:1-14).  Evil and murder were apparently in his blood.  As king, he deposed four squads of Roman soldiers to guard Peter, for he commanded such forces.  Politically speaking, he was the most powerful man in that region.

King Herod answered to a higher authority, for it was the very forces of hell that stood in opposition to the church (Matthew 16:18), and he was but doing their bidding.  As the Apostle Paul reminds us, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12).

In the arrest and imprisonment of Peter, the church found itself in a most needy place.  The Apostle Peter was at the very heart of what the Lord was doing in building his church.  One can imagine their distress.  From a human viewpoint, the situation appeared hopeless.  There was no one to appeal to.  Four squads of well-trained Roman soldiers guarded Peter; no rescue seemed possible. 

But the church was born out of devotion to prayer, and it was in its devotion to prayer that the Spirit worked to grow the church in miraculous fashion. Time-after-time, the Lord worked, through the prayers of his saints, to turn folks from “the power of Satan to God” (Acts 26:18). On a previous occasion, faced with intense opposition, the church had prayed—and God heard their prayers (Acts 4:23-31). Those believers possessed, in prayer, something far more powerful than the whims of an evil ruler or devices of the murderous devil (Ephesians 6:18).  We possess the same.

There’s a lesson for us in this.  We are often prone to turn to prayer when we’ve exhausted all our own human resources.  But the battle is always too big, and the enemies will also be too big for us to resist.  The God who raised Jesus, who has delivered us before, stands ready to deliver again (2 Corinthians 1:10-11).  “The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much” (James 5:16).  “Earnest prayer for (Peter) was made to God by the church” (Acts 12:5).  We do well to follow their example in response to the troubles we all face!

“O believing brethren! What an instrument is this which God hath put into your hands! Prayer moves Him that moves the universe.” – Robert Murray McCheyne

JESUS, OUR HELP IN TIME OF NEED
Jesus, our help in time of need,
Thy suffering servants see,
Who would in all Thy footsteps tread,
And bear the cross with Thee.
Stand by us in this evil hour,
Our feeble souls defend,
And in our weakness show Thy power,
And keep us to the end.

The world, and their infernal god
Against Thy people rise,
Because our trust is in Thy blood
They mingle earth and skies.
Slaughter, and cruel threats they breathe,
And endless battles wage,
And gnash upon us with their teeth,
And tear the ground with rage.

Captain of our salvation, hear,
In all the heathen’s sight
Make bare Thine arm; appear, appear
And for Thy people fight.
Jesus, Thy righteous cause maintain,
The sons of violence quell,
Take to Thee Thy great power, and reign
O’er Heaven, and earth, and hell.

August 12

Bible Reading: Acts 12:1-3

Acts 12:1-3, “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.”

How fast the tragic news must have spread throughout the church.  Evil King Herod seized some brethren, and had James, the brother of John, killed with a sword!  James’s crime?  He was a leader in the church and the Jews despised the witness of Jesus.  It was politically advantageous for Herod to go after its leaders.  So, the evil King Herod killed innocent James.  And then he had Peter locked up.

The news was no doubt met with both heartache and a sense of pending peril.  What was the meaning of all that had taken place?  How could God allow for it?  Were their lives all now in danger?  The church had grown and prospered; the message of the gospel having worked to save countless thousands of souls.  What would happen now?

Foxe’s Book of Martyrs recounts what happened to James: “The next martyr we meet with, according to St. Luke, in the History of the Apostles’ Acts, was James the son of Zebedee…It was not until ten years after the death of Stephen that the second martyrdom took place; for no sooner had Herod Agrippa been appointed governor of Judea, than, with a view to ingratiate himself with them, he raised a sharp persecution against the Christians, and determined to make an effectual blow, by striking at their leaders. The account given us by an eminent primitive writer, Clemens Alexandrinus, ought not to be overlooked; that, as James was led to the place of martyrdom, his accuser was brought to repent of his conduct by the apostle’s extraordinary courage and undauntedness, and fell down at his feet to request his pardon, professing himself a Christian, and resolving that James should not receive the crown of martyrdom alone.  Hence, they were both beheaded at the same time.  Thus did the first apostolic martyr cheerfully and resolutely receive that cup, which he had told our Savior he was ready to drink…These events took place A.D. 44.”

We don’t need to speculate as to what happened next.  Jesus had said, “I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18).  “The gates of hell,” adorned in kingly attired (Acts 12:21-22), tried their best.  King Herod died in inglorious fashion, “but the Word of God increased and multiplied” (Acts 12:24).  And so, it continues to this day in the battle of good vs. evil.  “The whole world lies in the power of the evil one” (1 John 5:19).  But, praise God, “everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world” (1 John 5:4).  King Herod killed James, but King Herod couldn’t kill the church.  James received a martyr’s reward in his ready reception in heaven. King Herod was “eaten by worms” (Acts 12:23)!

“God allowed Herod to kill James, but He kept him from harming Peter… We may not always understand His ways, but we know His sovereign will is best.”—Warren Wiersbe

ONCE TO EV’RY MAN AND NATION
Once to every man and nation,
Comes the moment to decide,
In the strife of truth with falsehood,
For the good or evil side;
Some great cause, some great decision,
Offering each the bloom or blight,
And the choice goes by forever,
’Twixt that darkness and that light.

Then to side with truth is noble,
When we share her wretched crust,
Ere her cause bring fame and profit,
And ’tis prosperous to be just;
Then it is the brave man chooses
While the coward stands aside,
Till the multitude make virtue
Of the faith they had denied.

By the light of burning martyrs,
Christ, Thy bleeding feet we track,
Toiling up new Calv’ries ever
With the cross that turns not back;
New occasions teach new duties,
Time makes ancient good uncouth,
They must upward still and onward,
Who would keep abreast of truth.