THE PRAYING CHURCH

TEST:  Acts 12:1-25

Psalm 30:5 tells us that "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the
morning."  Sometimes the church may go through a night of testing their faith in
God; but when the saints of God pray, victory will be seen in the morning. 

I.   Opposition From  the Wicked (vv. 1-4)

     The Herod in these verses is Agrippa I, a nephew of Herod Antipas who
     beheaded John  the Baptist.  He is the grandson of Herod the Great, the
     king who killed baby boys at the of the birth of Jesus.  This Herod had
     James beheaded and, because it delighted the Jews, he intended to kill
     Peter.

II.       Assistance Through Prayer (v. 5)
     
          After the establishment of the early church, Stephen had been stoned and
          James had been beheaded, and it looked as if Peter would be the next
          martyr.   The faith of the early church might have been tested, but it was
          firm.

III.      Victory Through Prayer (vv. 6-17)

          A.        Deliverance From Prison (vv. 6-12)
          
                    Prayer changes things that we cannot change.  

          B.        Result of Prayer (vv. 13-17)
          
                    Praying people on their knees agonizing before God were stronger
                    than Herod's prison.  Prayer still avails against the forces of evil. 

IV.       Defeat of the Wicked (vv. 18-24)

           Shortly afterwards, Herod felt the hand of God's wrath.  All Herod owned,
           God had given to him, but he never  gave God thanks or praise.  His
           horrible death shows the result of a wicked person who dares to take the
           place of God.

V.        The Conclusion of It All (v. 25)

           Through the power of prayer, we can be assured that great results will
           follow.  When sinners see the mighty works of God as a result of prayer,
           they will become believers.  We may not be bodily imprisoned, but Satan is
           still alive and has imprisoned the minds of  many people today.  However,
           Jesus Christ is still the same today as He was when the early church prayer
           for Peter.  The church should never get so prosperous that it forgets the
           power of prayer.  This old cliche still has revelance today:  A prayerless
           church is a powerless church.

Dr. Joseph E. Davis
professor@frontier.gulf.net