Atos 12
Ray Stedman · Citado em PreceptAustin
Atos 12
Stedman says that but "is always a crisis word. It indicates a change in direction." It behooves the diligent student to develop the discipline to pause and ponder "hinge words" like "but" for in so doing in dependence on the Spirit, He may open the "door" of our understanding to aspects of the text we would have never grasped had we "rushed" over the word "but." (See Term of Contrast) John Phillips on this but - That "but" spelled Herod's doom. The "buts" of the Bible are remarkable and well worth noting. They usually denote a change." (See Exploring Acts: An Expository Commentary - Page 225) The Church had no hope but all prayer! They were likely familiar with the Words of God in Psalm 50:15 "Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me.” Prayer for him was being made fervently by the church to God - Being made (lemma = ginomai = to cause to be, come into being, "gen"-erate) is present tense indicating persistent, unceasing prayer for Peter (cf were praying in Acts 12:12+). "Prisons are no match for prayers" (Constable) It is notable that Luke makes no mention of fervent prayer for James, but since Scripture is silent it is difficult to understand why there was no mention. In English fervent means ardent, intensely passionate; boiling, burning, or glowing; exhibiting or marked by great intensity of feeling; zealous; having or displaying a passionate intensity. The etymology of the word fervent helps paint a picture of this prayer meeting - Fervent is from Old French fervent "fervent, ardent" (12c.), from Latin ferventem (nominative fervens) "boiling, hot, glowing," figuratively "violent, impetuous, furious," present participle of fervere "to boil, glow," from PIE root *bhreu- "to boil, bubble, effervesce, burn." The figurative sense of "impassioned" is first attested c. 1400. (Online Etymology Dictionary) David
Atos 12
Stedman comments - let us never forget what James (not this James, but Jesus' brother, who wrote The Epistle of James) says: "You have not because you ask not" (James 4:2). You see, in his wisdom God has designed that his people shall participate in what he does. Though he did set all the apostles free without any prayer, as recorded in Chapter 5, and could have done so with James, nevertheless he is impressing upon his people here that when danger threatens the program of God, or the people of God, it is a call to prayer. God will hear that prayer and answer it and set people free, when he would not have done so otherwise. This is the great lesson of this chapter to the church. We are not to take the events of our day for granted, as though there were nothing we could do about them. Prayer becomes a mighty, powerful thrust on the part of the people of God, to change events. That, above all else, is what this message is shouting at us. Basically, prayer is the most natural and normal response of a heart that is dependent upon God. If you are really counting upon God to do something, then you will pray about it. You will trust him; you will communicate with him. If you are not counting on him, you will not pray. If you are really counting on something else, or on someone else -- if you think that by your own clever maneuvering you can get out of a situation, or if you are trusting other human beings to come through -- you will not pray. Or if you do, your prayer is but a ritual, an empty form, a perfunctory utterance that means nothing. The basic motive of prayer is a sense of dependence. If you really think that God, and God alone, can work, and that there are elements of a situation in which only he can change things -- then you pray. This is what happened to this early church. When they realized that James had been put to death, and that this vicious attack of the enemy could be successful, it suddenly crystallized in their minds that they had a part to play in God's program. They were to go to God in earnest prayer that Peter might be delivered. And God set him free in a wonderful way. (Acts 12:1-25 When Prison Doors Open) A. B. Simpson - Prayer is the link that connects us with God. It is the bridge that spans every gulf and bears us over every abyss of danger or of need. How significant is this picture of the New Testament church: Peter in prison, the Jews triumphant, Herod supreme, the arena of martyrdom awaiting the dawning of the morning. “But prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.” And what is the sequel? The prison open, the apostle free, the Jews baffled, the wicked king divinely smitten, and the Word of God rolling on in greater victory. Do we know the power of our supernatural weapon? Do we dare to use it with the authority of a faith that commands as well as asks? God grant us holy audacity and divine confidence. He is not wanting great men, but He is wanting men that will dare to prove the greatness of their God. Hiebert on intercessory prayer (in Working With God Through Prayer comments on Jesus' call to pray for laborers Mt 9:38 “Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.”) - 1 The words reveal the inducement for intercessory prayer. “Pray ye therefore”—because of the vastness of the harvest and the scarcity of the laborers. A vital apprehension of these two facts inevitably leads to a heartfelt concern that finds expression in earnest intercession. As long as our hearts remain cold and indifferent to these conditions, we will remain prayerless. A major reason for the lack of intercessory prayer is the prevailing lack of a compelling realization of the lostness of the unsaved. 2 When seen in their context, these words reveal the primacy of intercessory prayer in Christian service. Jesus points to intercessory prayer as the resource available to meet the desperate need for workers. Following this call for prayer, the Lord Jesus carefully instructed, empowered, and sent forth the Twelve. But before they were ready to be sent as His messengers, they needed to be trained in the school of prayer. His order is first prayer, then service; nay rather, prayer is the first and primary form of service. It is essential that we retain this order of prayer followed by service. This order was vital in the thought of our Lord, for in connection with His sending out the seventy, we again have the same order (Luke 10:1–3). Likewise the apostles observed this order in the early church (Acts 6:4). With our modern emphasis on Christian service, we are in danger of leading young believers to launch out into active service before they have learned to know the place and importance of prayer in the Lord’s work. We need to urge all believers to engage in Christian service, but such service is often ineffectual because we have neglected to emphasize the primacy of prayer in a life of Christian service. Ryle urgently pleads, “Never, never may we forget that if we would do good to the world, our first duty is to pray!” When prayer is given first place in our lives, our service will not thereby be minimized or neglected, but it will rather be made truly effective. 3. Intercessory prayer is to be directed to “the Lord of the harvest.” The Lord is the owner of the harvest and He is concerned about it. He uses men to do the harvesting, but the work is His. The worker must submit to the sovereignty of God in the selection of the laborers and their appointment to their appropriate sphere of service. He must send forth and direct the work of the harvesters if it is to be fruitful for God. Self-appointed workers in self-selected fields with self-chosen methods and self-determined aims do more harm than good. Jesus did not ask the disciples to go out and find the needed laborers, but He did ask them to pray that the Lord of the harvest would send forth the needed workers. 4. The request to be made is that God will “send forth labourers.” The great need for workers must elicit the specific prayer request that God will provide the workers. The word used in the original is very expressive, “that he may thrust forth laborers.” It is the same term rendered “put forth” in Matthew 9:25 and “cast out” in verses 33–34. Broadus observes that the term “always implies urgency, haste, constraint,” while the aorist tense used here means “that the laborers should be sent out promptly, pushed into their work.” Violence is not implied here, but the term denotes the divine compulsion upon human lives that makes them willing to leave the comforts of home and go into the darkness of heathendom with the message of salvation. Only the power of God can push out the needed workers into the harvest field. James H. McConkey gives an illustration from the life of P. Cameron Scott, founder of the African Inland Mission, of this power of God in thrusting forth a worker. For several years this young man drifted along upon the listless tide of a shallow Christian life, seemingly without a thought of God’s claim upon him. Then there came a time when the Holy Spirit began to work mightily in his heart to induce him to surrender his life. Again and again the Spirit moved and troubled him with the words of the text “Ye are not your own … for ye are bought with a price” (1 Cor. 6:19–20). He could not get away from those words; they so troubled his resisting heart that in desperation he sought to erase the text from his Bible, but that did not help. Finally he yielded himself to the call of the Spirit, and his life of surrender to God left untold blessings in its train. This work of thrusting forth laborers into the harvest must not be limited to the calling of ministers and missionaries. God has a place for every member of His Church in the reaping of the whitened fields. God likewise takes lay members of His Church, engaged in the common tasks of life, and “sets them on fire” for Him, mightily using them in the bringing in of the harvest. Every believer, humbly faithful as a witness for God in his daily life, can have a share in the gathering of the sheaves for the Lord. 5 The words of our Lord indicate the duty of intercessory prayer. “Pray ye therefore” (Luke 10:2+) is a command from our Lord Himself and carries the same binding obligation of any other command. God’s people are under solemn obligation to pray for the needed workers. How often this need for workers is publicly discussed and lamented; committees are appointed to investigate and report; yet how little believing prayer there is for the needed workers. The Church must grasp—and practice—the solemn truth that her Lord holds her responsible to pray for the needed laborers. A chapter out of the history of the early Moravian church offers a clear testimony to the power of intercessory prayer in meeting the needs for laborers. In 1727 at Herrnhut there was begun a continuing prayer vigil which went on for one hundred years. It was known as the ‘Hourly Intercession,’ and it meant that by relays of brethren and sisters prayer without ceasing was made to God for all the work and wants of His Church. In this case it kindled a burning desire to make Christ’s salvation known to the heathen. It led to the beginning of modern foreign missions. From that one small village community more than one hundred missionaries went out in twenty-five years. In view of the fact that our Master has commanded such an intercessory prayer ministry and that history demonstrates the results of faithful obedience to the command, how tragic that believers as a whole have not more fully entered into this ministry. One of the major sins of the Christian Church today is its prayerlessness. 6 The words of our Lord in the original also convey the thought of urgency in intercessory prayer. The command “Pray ye” in the aorist tense has in it a sense of urgency, setting forth a duty that must be obeyed at once. A realization of the desperate need for such prayer will create an urgency in our praying. Effective prayer arises out of a burden for a need to be met, be that need our own or that of others. Whenever this consciousness of a pressing need is lacking, prayer tends to become formal and powerless. Prayer arises spontaneously from a burdened heart. Whenever the Holy Spirit places in our hearts the urge to pray, how important it is that we obey! Such Spirit-prompted prayer is in accordance with the will of God. To quench such a call to prayer will have an adverse impact upon our own spiritual life. Watchman Nee (be a Berean with his writings) testifies: If you do not pray, you will feel suffocated within as if there is something left undone. In the event you still do not pray, you will feel even more weighed down. Finally, if you do not pray at all, the spirit of prayer as well as the burden of prayer will be so dulled that it will be difficult for you to regain such feeling and to pray the prayer according to God’s will afterwards. COMMENT - Watchman Nee was not totally unorthodox, neither was he perfectly orthodox in every area. He was a genuine believer who sought to serve Christ faithfully, but his writings should be read with discernment and compared carefully with Scripture. In the words of G. K. Chesterton, true Christianity requires “external vigilance” (See original quote) — the constant watchfulness that guards truth from distortion (Orthodoxy, 1908). As the Lausanne night watchman symbolizes, our spiritual safety depends on vigilance (see Tabletalk Magazine, “The Night Watchman,” 2024). GotQuestions.org notes that Nee’s teachings on sanctification and the “deeper life” sometimes border on perfectionism and can be unclear or overly mystical. He occasionally emphasized personal revelation and spiritual experience in ways that could lead readers to place subjective experience above the objective truth of Scripture. This does not mean he denied essential Christian doctrines such as the Trinity, the deity of Christ, or salvation by grace through faith, but it does mean that some of his interpretations should be approached with discernment. 7 These words also contain an intimation of the marvelous privilege of prayer. We are asked to pray for workers in order that God may meet the need by sending out the needed laborers. The eternal God could send forth workers without our prayers, but He has chosen to relate His working with our asking. In furthering the work of His kingdom, God desires not to work independently but to have His people cooperate with Him. He works to communicate His will to His people and then delights to answer their prayer for its fulfillment. He has thus provided for each of His children the glorious opportunity of working with Him in the fulfillment of His purposes. Each may have a share in the work of gathering in the harvest through the hidden ministry of intercession. “Prayer is indeed a power on which the ingathering of the harvest and the coming of the kingdom do in very truth depend.” In view of the explicit command of our Lord to pray for laborers and the realization that God assuredly works in response to such prayers, we must humbly confess that we have not adequately entered into this glorious privilege of working by prayer. Acknowledging and confessing our sin, let us resolve to be obedient to this urgent call to pray for the needed laborers to gather in the whitened harvest for our Lord and Saviour. May we too hear in our hearts the call of the Spirit and say with the poet: A call to prayer! I cannot sleep! A midnight vigil I must keep! For God doth call; I hear Him speak: “To prayer! To prayer! (I but repeat) To prayer! To prayer! Prevailing prayer!” The need of such is everywhere; It covers earth—it fills the air— This urgent need of urgent prayer! To bended knee! To bended knee! God’s call to you—God’s call to me; Because what is, and what’s to be Shall reach throughout eternity. Like Christ our Lord—like unto Him In whom was found no guile—no sin, Who “prayed all night.” And we His kin Should pray—yes pray, like unto Him. O friends, I say—again I say, This truth has gripped my heart this day: The Need of Prayer! Let come what may, We will prevail! Oh, “Watch and pray”! Awake! Awake! Ye saints awake! Stand in the breach for Jesus’ sake— Our God the powers of hell shall break! —Author Unknown Hymn Story: The Hymn “Sweet Hour of Prayer” first appeared in “The New York Observer” on September 13, 1845 and was accompanied by a note written by Rev. Thomas Salmon, a British Preacher, who had immigrated to America. The note accompanying the Hymn was as follows: “At Coleshill, Warwickshire, England, I became acquainted with W. W Walford, the blind preacher, a man of obscure birth and connections and no education, but of strong mind and most retentive memory. In the pulpit he never failed to select a lesson well adapted to his subject, giving chapter and verse with unerring precision and scarcely ever misplacing a word in his repetition of the Psalms, every part of the New Testament, the prophecies, and some of the histories, so as to have the reputation of “knowing the whole Bible by heart.” He actually sat in the chimney corner, employing his mind in composing a sermon or two for Sabbath delivery... On one occasion, paying him a visit, he repeated two or three pieces he had composed, and having no friend at home to commit them to paper, he had laid them up in the storehouse within. “How will this do?” asked he, as he repeated the following lines...?” I rapidly copied the lines with my pencil as he uttered them, and sent them for insertion in the Observer. This hymn is attributed to William W. Walford, but nothing else is known about him. From the words of this hymn we can gather that he was a man of prayer. The second stanza says, “Sweet hour of prayer, sweet hour of prayer, Thy wings shall my petition bear to Him whose truth and faithfulness engage the waiting soul to bless; and since He bids me seek His face, believe His word, and trust His grace, I’ll cast on Him my every care, and wait for Thee, sweet hour of prayer.” This hymn story appears in “Then Sings My Soul” book 2 written by Robert J. Morgan. Robert J. Morgan gives some challenging questions to the church that we must consider. He wrote, “If an hour spent with the Lord is so sweet, why do we race through our day prayerless, then squeeze all our requests into a two-minute segment at bedtime? If prayer is so powerful, why do we neglect it so consistently? Jack Andrews asks "How important is prayer to you? How often do you practice praying? Do you talk more about praying than you actually pray? FACTS: The early church was used by God to reach their world for Jesus. They saw the power of God save souls, rescue His children, release those bound up by Satan, 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? Acts 3:1 says, “Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour.” Living Beyond The Odds By David C. McCasland Constant prayer was offered to God for [Peter] by the church. —Acts 12:5 Many of us make daily decisions based on the odds. If there’s a 20 percent chance of rain, we may ignore it. If there’s a 90 percent chance, we’ll take an umbrella. The greater the odds, the more our behavior is affected because we want to choose wisely and be successful. Acts 12:1-6 describes a situation in which Peter’s odds of survival were very low. He was in prison, “bound with two chains between two soldiers” while others guarded the door (Acts 12:6). Herod had already executed James, one of Jesus’ closest followers, and he had the same fate in mind for Peter (Acts 12:1-3). A gambler would not have put any money on Peter getting out of this alive. Yet God’s plan for Peter included a miraculous deliverance that even those who were interceding for him found hard to believe (Acts 12:13-16). They were astonished when he showed up at their prayer meeting. God can operate outside the odds because He is all-powerful. Nothing is too hard for Him. The One who loves us and gave Himself for us is in charge of our lives. In ordinary circumstances and impossible situations, God can reveal His power. Whether we are showered with success or sustained in sorrow, He is with us. God is always in control behind the scenes. Acts 12:1-19 The Only Way To Help By Dave Branon Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church. —Acts 12:5 I looked at my watch. To my dismay, it was 1:45 in the afternoon. I had promised my daughter Lisa, who was playing the piano in a competition for college scholarships at 1:30, that I would pray for her. I got busy, though, and forgot all about it. By 1:45 I knew she had already finished. I sat at my desk with a feeling of lingering emptiness. I felt as if I had failed her. I knew that the only possible way I could have assisted Lisa during her competition was to ask God to calm her and help her recall the music she had practiced so long and hard to master. As I contemplated this situation, I was reminded of how important prayer is as a link with those we cannot reach. By talking to the Lord about a friend or loved one’s needs, we have a unique opportunity to make a difference in their lives— even though we can’t be with them in person. What an amazing concept! No greater help and care is given To others in their need Than when we bear them up in prayer And for them intercede. —DJD When you can’t be there, you can help through prayer. Acts 12:1-16 You Can Always Pray By Dave Branon I called on the Lord in distress; the Lord answered me. —Psalm 118:5 The young mother called out to the missionary, “Come quick! My baby is going to die.” Gale Fields was in Irian Jaya helping her husband Phil translate the Bible into Orya, a tribal language. But they also provided medical help whenever possible. Gale looked at the malaria-stricken child and realized she didn’t have the right medicine to help the infant. “I’m sorry,” she told the mother, “I don’t have any medicine for babies this small.” Gale paused, then said, “I could pray for her though.” “Yes, anything to help my baby,” answered the mother. Gale prayed for the baby and then went home feeling helpless. After a little while, she again heard the mother cry out, “Gale, come quick and see my baby!” Expecting the worst, Gale went to the baby’s side. This time, though, she noticed improvement. The dangerous fever was gone. Later, Gale would say, “No wonder the Orya Christians learned to pray. They know God answers.” Forgive us, Lord, when we're surprised By answers to our prayer; Increase our faith and teach us how To trust Your loving care. —Sper The most powerful position on earth is kneeling before the Lord of the universe. UNBELIEVING PRAYER … when they … saw him [Peter], they were astonished. Acts 12:16 When we pray, let us be confident that God "is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think" (Eph. 3: 20). God answers prayer; shouldst thou complain? "Be not afraid, thou canst not ask in vain. He only waits thy faith in Him to prove, Doubt not His power e'en mountains to remove! —Anon. Have faith to believe that where prayer focuses, power falls! Acts 12:6 On the very night when Herod was about to bring him forward, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and guards in front of the door were watching over the prison KJV Acts 12:6 And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison. On the very night Genesis 22:14; Deuteronomy 32:26; 1 Samuel 23:26,27; Psalms 3:5,6; 4:8; Isaiah 26:3,4; Philippians 4:6,7; Hebrews 13:6 bound with two chains Acts 21:33; 28:20; Jeremiah 40:4; Ephesians 6:20; *marg:; 2 Timothy 1:16 and the Acts 5:23; Matthew 28:4 AN ANSWER TO FERVENT PRAYER On the very night - This would have been on the 8th and final day of the Passover Festival, the very evening prior to Peter's almost certain execution most likely the very next day! God is never late! God's timing is always perfect. He answered the prayers of the saints in His timing, when the situation looked most dire! Jack Arnold comments that "God waited until the last moment to intervene. God delayed to teach the saints the lesson of persevering prayer and to teach Peter to rest in the Lord. We must never mistake a delay in answered prayer for a denial of our prayer." G. Campbell