Today’s chapter is Acts 12

Tom writes:

This is where Luke’s narrative of the early church starts to shift away from Peter and move towards Paul. Peter’s final moment of glory is… his almost total incomprehension about an angelic visitation and release from prison. Well, I guess our time with him finished more or less how it started. Of course the fact that Luke moves over to focus on Paul doesn’t mean God stopped doing crazy stuff through Peter - or indeed any of the other apostles. I would so much love to know what Peter did after this escape, or to have any details at all about how Jesus used Thaddeus and Nathanael and Mary Magdalene. Oh well. I’ll find out in the Coming Age. What we do have in this chapter is a clue that the church in Jerusalem began to feel the pressure of persecution as Herod tried to assert his Kingship over Christ’s. There is huge help here to understand what God does when his bride is being bullied.

The first thing is that God clearly doesn’t stop the persecution; James (one of the 3) is executed and the church has to go into hiding. In his wisdom and sovereignty God allows major loss. But God isn’t absent either; like a family of meerkats his angels are always around and we occasionally see them popping into view to help a brother or slay a foe. And, like those meerkats, below the surface the work of God is energetic and is expanding as the word does its work. One of the most remarkable things in this time is how the persecuted church willingly gave away Barnabas and Saul and the John we call Mark. What a beautiful thing - to be so devoted to Jesus’ cause that you will give away such giants in the faith even while you are still scared and in mourning over the loss of your leader James. That, in fact, seems to have been a defining feature of the Spirit-filled church; they continued in wonder-filled worship and mission even while being whipped, whacked or wounded by the world. That inspires me. Does it you? Wouldn’t it be amazing if we also could also abound in sacrificial generosity even when hard pressed or bruised by assaults on every side.

Question for reflection

In your hardest moments God is working powerfully; how could you spot his hand more easily?

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Acts 12 - Monday 19th February