"A Simple Presentation into The Book of ACTS" - Chapter 12, Part 1 - Bro. John "Ernie" Perez

The journey continues!  Bro. Ernie takes us deeper into The Book of ACTS - get your notebooks and pens ready!

Chains, guards, locked gates, and a king who wants blood. Acts 12 doesn’t read like a quiet devotional, it reads like a pressure test for what we really believe about Jesus, suffering, and prayer.

We gather around the table on a rainy Monday in Texas and talk plainly about trials: Christians don’t get a free pass, and the early church never expected roses and rainbows. We push back on the “genie Jesus” and prosperity gospel mindset and remember the global church, where persecution is not hypothetical. That perspective matters because it reshapes what we call “blessing” and what kind of faith actually endures.

Then we dig into a simple presentation of Acts chapter 12. We walk through Herod’s political strategy, the execution of James, and Peter’s arrest during Passover. We talk about why Peter is held under extreme security, why authorities fear the reputation of miracles in the Book of Acts, and why the church chooses constant prayer instead of outrage, riots, or wrecking their public witness.

Finally, we sit with the turning point: an angel steps into Peter’s cell, chains fall off, the iron gate opens on its own, and Peter realizes God delivered him from everything stacked against him. The first place he goes is Mary’s house, where believers are still praying, a living reminder that prayer is not performative, it is powerful. If you need hope, courage, or a reset on Christian discipleship and Bible study in Acts, press play, then subscribe, share the episode, and leave a review so more people can find it. (*Recorded 6/15/2026)

Ways to Give at https://m3mi.org...Thank you for your seed!  :)

Transcript

Welcome And Table Check-In

SPEAKER_02 0:13

Hey, this is a simple symbol and filter. I'm your little sister Diamond. Thank you so much for joining me on this journey today. So maybe a journey. Let's open the word and see what Jesus has to say. Hey, welcome to Simple Discipleship Unfiltered. I'm your host, sister Diana, and thank you so much for being with us today as we have this rainy Monday here in Texas. And uh, but we're all gathered around the table again because we get to continue our study into a simple presentation of the Book of Acts. How y'all doing?

unknown 0:57

Good.

SPEAKER_02 0:58

There we go. There we go. All right. Let me introduce around the table Sister Audia.

unknown 1:03

Good morning.

SPEAKER_02 1:04

Sister Patty. Good morning. Brother Ernie. Good morning. Sister Anne. Good morning. Sister Sandy in the back.

unknown 1:11

Good morning.

SPEAKER_02 1:12

Sister Joyce in the back. We're missing a couple today, but we're excited that we get to continue this journey. How's everybody been doing? Let's just take a minute. Breathe. It's been crazy, chaotic.

SPEAKER_00 1:26

It's been busy but good.

SPEAKER_02 1:28

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:28

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:29

Just a lot going on, a lot going on. We're so grateful that the Lord has been with us through it all. I often say, you know, when people are going through trials and and we all go through trials, we don't get a pass because we're Christians from the trials. Even more so, I think that, you know, all the gates of hell are against you then, you know, to stop your journey.

SPEAKER_00 1:51

It was very evident to those disciples that are written about in the book of Acts.

SPEAKER_02 1:57

Yeah. You know what? We were just a brief thing. We're

Suffering And The Real Gospel

SPEAKER_02 2:00

talking about as you've been going through this study. And I and often when I start going through things and going through trials and stuff, and I think about when Judas had done what he did, and then they were all together and said, Let's cast lots for who gets to be the next one, right? Right. And so it says that Matthias was the winner of it, quote unquote, right? And then we know how that ended with Matthias, right? So my point is that they they get they get the opportunity to be an apostle, I mean, which is huge, but it came with a price.

SPEAKER_00 2:39

Ask the apostle Paul, yeah. How many times he was busted flat, even though he'd been raised a rich boy, and then had to work to support his ministry suddenly, and then how many times he was beaten with rods, with whips, robbed, and left for dead while he was traveling. And when when Ananias heard from Jesus, Jesus says to Ananias, uh, I'm gonna show him how much he must suffer for my name's sake. Like, listen, you need to come be with Jesus because you're gonna suffer. Yeah. I don't know how that works. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 3:19

Yeah, that that's uh that sounds like well, in Thessalonians, when he's talking to writing a letter to them, he's he's telling them, you will be persecuted for being Christian. Right. And it, you know, like you said last time, is that like Christian was a bad word.

SPEAKER_02 3:38

You know, well it came with the price, you know. And I think that our mentality nowadays is that we're not supposed to have to suffer, you know. We we can just name it and claim it and it's gonna all be good. But the but the point is, if our mentality would change like Paul's did, and that I find myself worthy that I get to suffer for the for the name of Christ. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 4:00

It is uh it is a good thing to think about because there is, like Paul told the Galatian church, there is another gospel which is not another. So there is another Jesus that is not the Jesus, and people formulate in their minds a Jesus that will make them wealthy, yeah. Or a Jesus that will give them the things they want. Yeah. The Jesus that will make them popular.

SPEAKER_02 4:30

The genie Jesus, right? Yes, the genie Jesus.

SPEAKER_00 4:34

But the Jesus that Ananias talked to Saul of Tarsus about was this is brass tax. You need him, and this comes part and parcel with the package. You've already met him on the road to Damascus. You know you can't live without him. So just understand, as much as he loves you, this is the path you will walk. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 4:59

Yeah, yeah, and yes, yeah. When I think of being wealthy with Jesus, it is because Jesus is in me, and I have all the wealth in the world then. Right. Because I have the knowledge and the caring and the love and everything that goes with it.

SPEAKER_00 5:16

Yes, but we we do have, forgive me, but we do have a movement uh within what the world perceives as the church.

SPEAKER_02 5:26

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 5:28

That is definitely, if you don't live in a certain income bracket, you're really not blessed.

SPEAKER_03 5:34

No, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 5:35

You know, that that won't work for Christians who live in China.

SPEAKER_02 5:40

Right. Yeah. Or Nigeria.

SPEAKER_00 5:42

Or Nigeria or or uh other places think about the Yazidi Christians and all that they have been through. You know, I I I listened to uh uh an old pastor testify about a missionary who came back from China, just escaped during the Boxer Rebellion, came back to the USA, and he was going around preaching revivals here and there. And he I believe he was in Los Angeles. And one of the men in the church told the pastor, said, Let me give him a tour of the factory where I work, because I'm a super duper mojo diddly whopper superintendent. And you know, it'll be entertaining for it. So they're all going through the factory. And as they pass this one Chinese guy, the former missionary, now an evangelist, sees him and says, I know you. And he won't look at him. He said, Do you remember me? And he won't look at him. And he's turned away, and he finally gets his attention, and the Chinese man turns around and looks at him and says, Yes, I know you. You're a false prophet. Oh, you told us that the great tribulation was yet to come. They wouldn't rape our wives and rape our daughters and kill our sons and persecute us. Yeah, you said that was in the future.

SPEAKER_01 7:13

And it happened during the box arrived.

SPEAKER_00 7:16

So it it it's perspective sometimes.

SPEAKER_01 7:19

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 7:20

See, some people in the USA say, well, I have been through no great tribulation. You're not the only people on earth. You know, so we we we need to be careful about what we teach, what salvation is, who Jesus is. And sometimes it's okay regarding prophecy to say, you know, we're expecting a lot of things. We may not know exactly when they're coming, but they're coming. Yeah, yeah. And we're gonna be ready for whatever comes. Yeah. Because if he comes before the Great Tribulation, who'll be disappointed? Right. If he comes during the Great Tribulation, who's gonna scold Jesus and say, You're late? Not me. Everybody, whenever Jesus comes, everybody in all these different camps is gonna go, Hallelujah is Jesus.

SPEAKER_01 8:12

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 8:14

That's why I love this story that we're going into today. Go ahead, Sister.

SPEAKER_04 8:18

I think that um uh sometimes when we're talking to people about Jesus, we need to um rebug that old country song. I never promised you a rose.

Why Acts 12 Matters Today

SPEAKER_02 9:03

Um chapter 12 of the book of Acts as we continue the simple presentation of it. And I love the story that's in this chapter. It goes right along with what we've been talking about, right? And so yeah, it's on. Is it yeah, no, it's on, but we're just on we're on the podcast. So anyway, it goes right along with what we're talking about because in this story we see the disciples going through trials and tribulations, and and so I mean, it's exactly what scripture promises us and it shows the example to us through them. And and so I just I'm really excited for y'all to get to to hear it today. As soon as Brother Ernie comes back. But anyway, take a phone call. That's all right. All right, so Brother Ernie's here, we're gonna get started. And it and like I said, this is gonna go right along with what we're talking about because we aren't promised the roses and rainbows and all that stuff. We're promised the persecution, but in the persecution, there's something that comes out of it, right? There's a purpose in all that we're going through. So don't give up, don't give up. And let's see what the word has to say today.

SPEAKER_00 10:26

Okay.

Reading Acts 12:1-12

SPEAKER_00 10:28

Well, we're gonna begin today, uh, Acts chapter 12. We're gonna work through the first 12 verses, and as is my habit, we'll go ahead and read verses 1 through 12. Then we're gonna come back and I'm going to give you my simple commentary, which is how this series got the title, a simple presentation of the book of Acts. So it's it's really not a deep presentation as much as it is just trying to get a good look as what's in the text and what it means to our lives. So we have something to build on, and hopefully, what happens is you enjoy the Word of God so much that you start getting into the Word of God more. The Bible should never be a labor to read. I can thank my father-in-law for teaching me that and making it a joy to read. As much as I loved God, I read the scripture laboriously. And my father-in-law taught me to read it for pleasure and leisure, and just let it drop good things in your soul. So while we want to study it, we want to enjoy it. I mean, if you're gonna have a meal, you want to enjoy the meal, right? So we want to enjoy the word of God. Everybody say amen.

SPEAKER_02 11:51

Amen.

SPEAKER_00 11:52

All right, so beginning Acts chapter 12, and I'll start reading at verse 1, and I will stop at verse 12. Now, about that time Herod the king stretched out his hand to harass some from the church. Then he killed James, the brother of John, with the sword. And because he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to seize Peter also. Now it was during the days of unleavened bread. So when he had arrested him, he put him in prison and delivered him to four square, I'm in a wrong translation. I'm I'm in the New King James. That's what I've been reading at home. All right, so we're gonna have to tolerate that today, folks. All right, so when he had arrested him, he put him in prison and delivered him to four squads of soldiers to keep him, intending to bring him before the people after Passover. Peter was therefore kept in prison. But constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church. And when Herod was about to bring him out, that night Peter was sleeping, bound with two chains between two soldiers, and the guards before the door were keeping the prison. Now, behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison. And he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, Arise quickly. And his chains fell off his hands. And the angel said to him, Gird yourself, tie on your sandals, and so he did. And he said to him, Put on your garment and follow me. So he went out and followed him, and did not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. When they were past the first and second guard post, they came to the iron gate that leads to the city, which opened to them of its own accord. And they went down one street, and immediately the angel departed from him. And when Peter had come to himself, he said, Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent his angel and has delivered me from the hand of Herod and from all the expectation of the Jewish people. So, when he had considered this, he came to the house of Mary, the mother of John, whose surname was Mark, where many were gathered together praying. So now we're gonna go back and we're gonna read in a few verses at a time, and I'm gonna read the first three verses, and I'll give you a little running commentary. Now, about that time, Herod the king stretched out his hand to harass some from the church. Then he killed James, the brother of John, with the sword, and because he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to seize Peter also. Now, it was during the days of unleavened bread.

Herod’s Politics Behind Persecution

SPEAKER_00 15:30

So now this account tells us what happened immediately after the beginning of a very successful soul-winning campaign in Antioch of Sydia, the Sydia being a portion of the Roman Empire, Antioch being a city there, and which is today modern-day Turkey. Now, because the persecution, of the persecution that had ramped up in Jerusalem and Judea, the Jews were scattered everywhere. And Barnabas and Saul had delivered the pledged relief to Jerusalem. That was relief that was made because when the famine of Agabas had been prophesied, that prophecy came to pass, and they had decided this prophecy comes to pass, we need to take up this offering and help the brethren in Jerusalem, and so they did that. And this is during that time. During this time, Jewish believers continued to spread the gospel wherever they want. They went. However, they were still witnessing only to Jews. You need to hang on to that. Because we read back in Acts chapter 10, where there was so many people in the home of Cornelius, so many Gentiles that received the gospel that instead of saying there was 20, 30, 40, 60, because Cornelius was a man of renown, a centurion, and wealthy, we don't know what kind of dwelling he lived in. But there was so large a crowd that instead of numbering, Luke just said there were many. His friends, his family, his servants. There were many. But here, just what weeks, months maybe afterwards, I didn't look up the timeline. That might be something you want to do. But not long after that, they're still witnessing only two Jews. Remember, Peter had been called on the carpet in Jerusalem and had to give account of himself, why he was in the home of Gentiles, eating with them and worshiping with them, etc. And they understood, oh, God has granted unto the Gentiles repentance unto salvation. And here we are, past that. We're two chapters down the road, and they are still witnessing only to Jews in Antioch. Barnabas and Saul evidently hadn't got the message yet. So also during this time, and in this environment, Herod the king determined it would be to his advantage to continue to persecute the disciples, at least some of the key players were leaders in the church. It was because of the Maccabean revolt, and if if I remember correctly, it's another thing you might want to do your history on. They revolted against the Seleucids and got the large port of Judea back and conquered Edom. And they told the Edomites, you will either accept the law of Moses, or we're going to displace you too. So it was for political reasons that what the New Testament calls Idemeans, which are Edomites, they became Jews. And it was to Herod's advantage then to use his wealth to turn the temple in Jerusalem into the most ornate, beautiful building anyone had ever seen. Because it curried him favor with the Jews. And then somehow he curried favor with the Romans and kept his position as king. But if he was at odds with the Jews all the time, that would put him at odds with the Romans politically. So he was always trying to placate them. And when you read about the Herodians, those are the Jews who got behind King Herod. And now here is another king from the Herod dynasty who's still practicing the same political strategy. I'm going to keep the high priest and the Sanhedrin liken me. So what I'm going to do, I'm going to ramp up this persecution, but it's going to be targeted. And what does he do? So he, King Herod, had the apostle James, and you can read about James and his brother, Mark chapter 3. These are the sons of thunder, James and John, Mark chapter 3. They had he had that James, the Apostle James, executed with the sword, and this action was well received, of course, by Jewish leadership. And we're talking about the Levitical priesthood, including the Jewish Sanhedrin. We're talking about the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the scribes, all of those who did not want the truth of Jesus to ever be known. Remember, many of the Sanhedrin and much of the Levitical priesthood and the high priest inner circle knew that Jesus really rose from the dead, and they refused to acknowledge it, and they actually loved and lived the lie that he had been stolen away by his disciples. That doesn't change as you read through the book of Acts. It covers about 60 or 70 years of history. That doesn't change. No matter how many witnesses show up, yes, we know Jesus rose. From the debt. Once you give yourself to a lie, it can come to the place where it owns you. Is that way with any sin? Once you give yourself to sin and you surrender to sin, it owns you. This is extra. You're not going to have to give me an offering for this. You read about that in the book of Romans, where you know a lot of people attach that to all the sins of sexual perversion. But it's to any sin that you surrender yourself to. You can become of a reprobate mind that is no longer able to tell the difference between right and wrong. No longer having a knowledge of God, conscience being seared. This is where we're at with Herod. This is a living picture of what Paul wrote to the Roman church. This is a living picture because all of the high priest and his group are still alive, many of them. And they're pushing this lie. And they're killing disciples, followers of the way, who are called Christians first in Antioch. They're killing them and murdering them because they believe a lie. And it's having vicious consequences in their lives. So King Herod executed the apostle James with the sword. And of course, the Levitical priesthood, including the Sanhedrin and all of their ilk, Pharisees, etc. They all like that. And because this occurred during the Feast of Unleavened Bread, he was put in prison because that's the same time as Passover. And the Romans, every year at Passover, what did Pilate said they did? They, in order to curry favor with the Jews, they let one of the Jewish prisoners go. And they were going to let Barabbas go, right? But instead the crowd said, or they were going to let Jesus go. Pilate was instead the crowd said, give us Barabbas. Well, this is the same culture. And so that gives you an explanation why Peter wasn't killed with the sword immediately. Because he was taken during the days of unleavened bread or during the time period of Passover. Passover and unleavened bread, as far as time periods, are interchangeable. Now, a time frame concurrent with the Feast of Passover and the sheaf of first fruits. All those happened in the same time frame, all three feast. Now, so it seems then this was politically calculated, a politically calculated move by Herod to curry even more favor with Jewish leaders. Can you imagine what would have come down from Rome if they found out that Herod was losing his grip and Jews were not only rebelling against Herod, but rebelling against Roman authority? How quickly would that have been squashed? And what would have happened to Herod? His life would have been over. If they didn't kill him, they would have castigated him, banished him. So, you know, this was a politically calculated move at the right time to curry this favor and to keep the Jews in good communication with Herod. Remember, he didn't like John the Baptist too much. This probably not the same Herod, but might be. He didn't care for John the Baptist because John said to him, You know that's your brother's wife. You know that, right? You know, King Herod, you a low-down, dirty, rotten adulterer. And he might have said it in love, but it still cost him his head. Sometimes it costs you, even when you preach the truth in love.

unknown 26:34

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 26:36

Sometimes it still brings a consequence. So the Jewish leaders are still united in their hatred and persecution of the disciples of Jesus, and the timing of Herod is indeed very telling.

Why Peter Gets Maximum Security

SPEAKER_00 26:52

All right, so now I'm going to read verse four and five. Okay. So when he had addressed him, when Herod had addressed the Apostle Peter, he put him in prison and delivered him to four squads of soldiers to keep him, intending to bring him before the people after Passover. Remember what we talked about in the timing. Verse 5. Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church. So Herod then also arrested Peter. And if it went so well executing the Apostle James, killing the Apostle Peter could only mean bonus points with the priesthood in the Sanhedrin. A good politician never misses an opportunity to endear themselves to any of their financial benefactors. In this case, the priesthood may not have put money in the pocket of Herod, perhaps they did, but we did know by continuing to get along with them. Rome looks at him like you're still doing a good job in your position. We're 100% with you. You got your own soldiers, you got our soldiers, so you Idomians or Edoms, you're in good favor with us, everything is good. Now, after the arrest of Peter, the next move was to put him in the most secure section of the prison. What Christian? What persecuted follower of the way, what persecuted believer do we read about in the book of Acts whoever turned on his persecutors like Samson on the Philistines?

unknown 29:06

Stephen and Philip.

SPEAKER_00 29:07

Really? Did they beat up the Roman soldiers? No, they didn't. Did they beat up the Jewish people? Did they defeat? No. They were wise as serpents and harmless as doves. So why are you putting them in the deepest most part of the? Because he realizes the Jews are an emotional people. And if they lose it, there's riots to quell. So he's put in the most secure part of the prison. And you see, the ministries of Stephen and Philip the Evangelist were still known to be accompanied by many powerful miracles. So for a moment, let's turn back to Acts chapter six. And this portion I'll read from the King James Bible. Acts chapter six, and we're going to read verses seven through ten. And the word of God increased, and the number of disciples multiplied in Jerusalem, a place Herod was very familiar with. Multiplied in Jerusalem. Let me get back here by focus on the place. And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people. Well, what did Mark say in Mark chapter 16? As he was closing out the gospel, he wrote that Jesus said, These signs shall follow them that believe. Well, they're following Stephen. Not just the apostles. Stephen's not one of the apostles. Philip the evangelist is not one of the apostles. So we're reading here, there arose certain of the synagogue, which is called the synagogue of the Libertines and the Cyrenians and the Alexandrians, and of them of Cilicia and of Asia, disputing with Stephen. And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spoke, and his death caused a big uproar because they drug him out by the city and a whole big crowd. They went crazy and they stoned him. Stoned him to death. Now, what about Philip? Let us not overlook the reputations of the apostle Peter and Philip. What about Philip? Peter and John in Acts 3. This guy at the gate called Beautiful was over 40 years old. And he was healed? He was a well-known individual, and it caused quite an uproar. And Peter preached to thousands that day? Right? He's the guy that called and said, Oh, come over here, Dorcas died. We need you to lay hands on her. He's becoming known. What about the fact that Ananias and Sapphira fell over dead when he was talking to them? Do we suppose that Herod was ignorant of all this? Of what happened in Samaria in Acts chapter 8? When they believed Philip concerning the preaching of the gospel and the name of Jesus, how many demons were cast out, how many deliverances there was, how many miracles there was, what a revival, or what a huge evangelistic campaign happened in Samaria. You think Herod, who was always going to be having to mine his P's and Q's for the Romans' sake to keep his position, you think that he didn't know about these things? I think, I mean, it's just my opinion, this is why he goes into the innermost part of the prison. Now, there's, do you think he was unaware of the growing reputation of Barnabas and Saul of Tarsus? Remember, Saul of Tarsus eventually made it to Jerusalem, and Barnabas introduced him to the apostles, and he went in and out with the apostles preaching, and his ministry was so powerful it happened again. Jews who could not refute him wanted to kill him. So the apostles said, homeboy, you need to go home to Tarsus and cool your jets for a while. Because you're too important to the ministry to end up being stoned. We got to keep you alive. They saw that much about Saul of Tarsus. After all he did, determine, Herod did determine to target two of the apostles for persecution. Two of the apostles ultimately for execution. So then he was taken by four, the King James, the old King James says Quarturians of soldiers. That means four scot four squads of four. That translates into four squads of four soldiers each when Peter was arrested. Sixteen soldiers, one guy. I'm telling you, none of the disciples ever put on an act like Samson and carried away the city gates or tied the tails of foxes together and set everything on fire. Nor whooped a thousand Philistines with a jawbone. Yet they send sixteen soldiers and put him in the innermost part of the prison. So whatever Herod is, stupid, is not fitting the description. Alright, so now I'm gonna read verses five, six, and seven and eight. I'm gonna read five through eight. Okay. Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church. And when Herod was about to bring him out that night, Peter was sleeping, bound with two chains between two soldiers and the guards before the door were keeping the prison. Now, behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison. And he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, Arise quickly. And his chains fell off of his hands. Then the angel said to him, Gird yourself and tie on your sandals. So he did. And he said to him, Put on your garment and follow me. All right.

Constant Prayer And Public Testimony

SPEAKER_00 36:40

So it becomes known that Peter is being kept in the high security area of the prison. Now I don't know how Luke found this out, if it was public knowledge or if it was made known to him directly by the Apostle Peter, but evidently everyone knows that's where he's gone. And the response of the church of the believers was to hit the streets and rail and rant against Herod's government and burn police chariots and burn down businesses and harass people that were trying to go to work or get home from work. Listen, I say that because those of us who live in the USA, freedom of speech is a big deal for us. And freedom of speech is what makes us talk about we have the right to protest. But there is no right to riot. And if you want to go out and protest something here in the USA, freedom of speech is your right, knock yourself out, carry your sign. But if you're gonna start burning down things and cussing at people and spitting in their faces and having fist fights and aggravating police, don't tell them you're a Christian. Because that's not a testimony for Christ.

unknown 38:05

Amen.

SPEAKER_00 38:07

You have every right if you don't, and thank the Lord for our Constitution. You have every right to carry your sign if you want to and to talk all about what you don't like in this government, but the Bible doesn't give you the right to cuss and fuss and fight and destroy. Let us not be named among that. If we're out there, we got to be witnessing to those people. And myself, I've never gone to a riot to try to be a witness. But I bet you there's a Christian somewhere who heard that calling and was unafraid and stepped out into the midst of that. I would just say you need to be following the leading of the Holy Ghost if you thrust yourself into that environment. So absolutely not. There was none of that by the Christians. None of that. I mean, if you don't like the president in office, I don't care which one it is. God doesn't give us the right to cuss him. We don't have to like him. But I don't want to be cussing someone and then someday have the opportunity to witness to them because they won't listen to me. Remember how you present yourself in public. And who you're talking to. I learned that early in my ministry by putting my foot so far down my throat, I nearly got an athlete's tonsils. You can't. I don't care how much you want to go off on somebody, you gotta be careful. It doesn't mean that you weren't provoked, it doesn't mean that you know you aren't justified in saying to them, you can't treat me this way. Yeah, it does mean that you have to protect your testimony for Christ because what if the next day they're needing Jesus and you're the one that's there? And they have tuned you out. So have your opinions, but never let your personal opinions override your need to preserve your testimony for Christ. Now, verse 6, and Herod was about to bring him out that night.

An Angel Leads Peter Out

SPEAKER_00 41:00

Peter was sleeping bound with two chains between two soldiers, and the guards before the door were keeping the prison. The night that Peter was arrested, Herod was going to confront him and examine him, perhaps have him charged and sentenced, because as soon as Passover was done, guess what? But while Peter was asleep in the prison, see, I think I'm a little bit like Peter. Because if we got a tornado coming, Mama says, get in the closet, get some, get some pillows, get your pertin papers, get in because you don't want to be awake or asleep if a tornado comes. I told her, yes, I do. If a tornado is his house, I don't want to be awake. I'm going to sleep. Lord help me, I'm going to sleep. You think Peter wanted to sit up there and meditate and contemplate all about how he was going to die?

unknown 42:01

No.

SPEAKER_00 42:02

He needed to rest in the Lord. He needed to think about something else, or else he couldn't sleep. So he was sleeping between two soldiers, and the chains quite possibly were connected not only to the wall, but maybe to the soldiers. So he was possibly chained to the guards. And there were at least two more guards at the door of his cell, or if he was in a ward at the ward, because the scripture says the guards, the keepers, plural. And the guards before the door were keeping the prison. So there had to be more than one. There's at least two. Depending on how they handled their maximum security of the day. Maybe there was a squad of four. We don't know. We just know there was more than one. Now the angel, verse 7, gets Peter. Now, behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him and a light shone in the prison, and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, Arise quickly. Don't waste no time, son. And his chains fell off his hand. He didn't. Nobody unlocked the key. Nobody. Loose the shackles. They fell off. The chains fell off his hands. So into the prison in Peter's very cell, an angel appears. I don't know if he jabbed Peter in the side with his hand or a heavenly staff. It just says he touched him and said, Hey, get up. But the angel raised him to his feet and he said, Arise up quickly. There was an urgency in what was happening. I don't know if the angel was on a time schedule, but he needed Peter to respond right now. So it wasn't like us waking up our kids to go to school. Get up, boy. So the angel instructs Peter put on your sandals. Peter complies. The angel further instructs him to gather his garment or his outer clothes. So he and follow me. So Peter is now dressed to travel, but he's inside the prison. But the angel has made him get dressed to travel. And he tells him, You follow me. Verse 9 and 10. So he went out and followed him and did not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. Nine. As Peter is following the angel, he does not understand exactly what is happening. He does not begin to believe this is reality. This is a real angel. He is really walking me out of this prison. He thinks it's a vision that comes to him while he's sleeping. So we can say he thinks it's a dream. He doesn't want to see Herod. So it makes sense that he thinks it's a dream. And when they were past the first and second guard post, they came to the iron gate that leads to the city, which opened to them of its own accord. And they went out and went down one street. And immediately the angel departed from him. Wow. After Peter followed the angel, they passed two wards. That is two sections of the prison separated by doors. And I'm just imagining with two guards at each door, at least, because the other door had guards on it. So there were at least two guards at each door. You remember we read that in verse 6? So now Peter and the angel passed through the iron gate. Wow. They were careful to say that wasn't just an ordinary gate, it was an iron gate. And it exited into the city. It's the last real barrier. Like if you were passing through the gates outside of San Quentin. The iron gate or door opened on its own. It just swung open. In other words, neither Peter nor the angel touched it. The angel did not give a verbal command. Nobody said, open sesame. It just opened. It opened like a modern-day automatic door opens when you enter a store or a business. Peter still thinks he's dreaming. He still thinks he's indivision. I wonder how he rationalized some things in his dream life. Just in the nick of time. But he thinks it's only a dream. God had let Peter, had delivered Peter from the persecutions of both King and the Herod and the Jewish leadership. He passed all the guards. They all slept through his angelic escape. That's the hand of the Lord, isn't it? A deep sleep came upon Abraham. And in a vision he saw. Only Peter saw. Only Peter saw the great light. Only Peter saw and heard the angel. Verse 12.

Answered Prayer At Mary’s House

SPEAKER_00 48:47

So when he had considered this, he came to the house of Mary, the mother of John, whose surname was Mark, where many were gathered together praying. Can you imagine for just a moment? I wonder was Peter thinking about Herod himself, the Sanhedrin, Caiaphas, and all the other members of the high priest family. Because if they had their way, just after Passover, he'd have lost his head too. But Peter gathers his wits and he heads to the home of a disciple by the name of Mary. She must have been some disciple because he knew her by name. She's not listed among the apostles. But Luke wants everyone to know this is a disciple of the Lord. Suddenly Peter realizes he's awake and carries himself to this house. This was not a dream, this was real. I'm at the house of Mary. I know this disciple. She's the mother of John Mark, who many scholars believe is the nephew of the apostle Peter and the cousin of Barnabas. So she was a well-known disciple. But I wonder how she made her mark. Did she make her mark because of her son John Mark? Because of her brother Peter or her cousin Barnabas? It doesn't say that, just says she is a disciple. We don't know how she made her mark. Listen to me. You can make a mark in the kingdom of God that's never made public to anybody, but Jesus knows all about it. Isn't that what you want? Whether or not you ever gain a reputation in this world is of little consequence if Jesus doesn't look at you and say, I know you. I'm proud of you. I cherish you. Peter gathers his wits, gets to the home of this disciple Mary, and he discovers there a group of believers. What are they doing? They're gathered together praying for his deliverance. He gets delivered. And what's the first thing God lets him see? Once he has his wits about him, once he can recognize everything that has gone on, God leads him to the house of a disciple. And when he gets there, there's a super duper mojo diddly whopper prayer meeting going on. They're having an apostolic fit, as far as I'm concerned. They are reigning on the throne of heaven and rattling the gates of hell. And Peter is standing at the door thinking, it works. Here I am. This is what happened. These people were praying for me, and now I'm here. So I think when he knocked on the door, you know, you're probably not old enough to understand what I'm gonna say here. So you might want to YouTube it. Open the door, Richard. Open the door, Richard.

unknown 52:33

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 52:34

Richard! Open that door.

unknown 52:37

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 52:38

I got to come in.

unknown 52:39

Gotta come in.

SPEAKER_00 52:40

And here he is, banging on the door. But there wasn't no Richard there, but we'll find out in our next lesson.

SPEAKER_03 52:46

That's right.

SPEAKER_00 52:47

Who was? So thank you for partaking with us and for spending your time. I hope you're enjoying this simple presentation of the scripture. And as long as you're listening to me, it's going to be simple. I consider myself a simple man who simply loves Jesus. And I don't know how to do things any other way. I caught myself this morning singing. Songs maybe you don't know.

unknown 53:22

You know.

SPEAKER_00 53:24

On the top of Mount Zion is a city, and the earth with glory it does fill. I shall look on its beauty in the morning when I reach that city on the hill. Y'all know that? Oh that city, I don't hear you on Mount Zion. The pilgrim, yet I love the still, and I'm I lead the edges when I reach that city on the hill. Hallelujah. I'm going. Y'all can stay if you want to, but not me. Stick them on side, pass them on by. I'm gonna catch the gospel train.

SPEAKER_02 54:20

We're ready to go.

SPEAKER_00 54:22

We're ready to go.

SPEAKER_02 54:23

He knows and I and Audie and I having this conversation of the day. Doesn't it just feel like you're just a little homesick?

SPEAKER_00 54:33

Don't you see the bridal light shine? Yeah, I mean, just it's just about home time. Hallelujah. Y'all be careful. I'm about to have an apostolic fit. Well, let you we need we need we need to carry on with the podcast because yeah, I'm ready for this.

SPEAKER_02 54:53

That's good stuff. I love it. I love it. Man, what a great, what a great story. And and you know, we we can use that in our daily lives. So easy to understand. Doesn't matter what the enemy brings. God can show up any way he wants to and deliver you out of it any way he wants to. If an angel needs to come, he still does that. I mean, you know, we can't limit God to, you know, just if everything's in line and I'm doing everything right. No, he can show up in the middle of whatever you're going through and bring you out of it just that quick, right? Things can turn around just that quick. Well, thank y'all for being with us today. We're excited. We can be homesick and still be excited, right? We're supposed to, right?

SPEAKER_00 55:41

So everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody's laying down on the train track.

SPEAKER_02 55:45

Yeah, I want to be running over by the train, but I don't mind jumping on the train. Yeah, so thank y'all so much. We're gonna end our our lesson right now with our slogan to go show some. Show some give mercy and go BGST. Hey STU

How To Connect And Support

SPEAKER_02 56:10

family. If you've enjoyed this podcast today, would you please like, follow, and share our podcast link? We would love to hear your feedback and your podcast topic suggestions. To do that, simply go to our website at www.m3mi.org, scroll to the board tab, and select contact us. So if a seed has been a blessing to you, you can also go to our website and select so a seed. There are several ways that you can give, whether it's film location, or if there's an interest to send a check on the order. All your gifts are kind of selected. And we thank you so much for submitting your seed with us. I want you to remember this. This person is said that a person is giving you their time. They're giving you their most precious gift because they can never ever get it back. Thank you for spending this day with me. We love you. We'll see you soon.