7/4/2021 - Battle Ready - Acts 12

Over the course of history, human beings have tried to rival God. The first sin we see in the Bible occurs in Genesis 3, when Adam and Eve think they could become like God, disobey Him and eat the forbidden fruit. In Genesis 11, the people of the earth band together to build a tower that could reach the heavens. Their pride and arrogance led to a desire to be seen as gods. The Biblical story does not get any better when it comes to man's pursuit to rival God. In the end, every great ruler and every great nation falls to the hand of the one true God. History repeats itself as today, nations, politicians, and even celebrities, take their shots at trying to rival God. From early 2000’s Kanye West, to communist dictators, everyone has tried and failed at rivaling the one true King of the world and the only God. 

This is good news not only for us today, but for the church in Acts 12. The church here is facing a really dark time. Having just mourned the loss of James, the son of Zebedee, they now get news that Peter has been arrested and sentenced to death. In that moment, the church teaches us a valuable lesson. Faithful prayers prepare and engage our hearts for battle. While the church is up all night praying for Peter, an angel of the Lord appears and breaks Peter out of jail. Even Herod's gate opens on its own accord for Peter to leave unharmed. The gates of hell, nor Herod’s gate, can prevail against God’s church.

Acts makes it clear that we are to join God in his mission of spreading the Gospel. The mission is clear, but that does not make the battle any easier. For many of us, the last year took us out of the battle and out of living on mission for God. This week, whether you’ve been out of the battle or fighting on the front lines, we will all be challenged to take the next step towards taking back ground for the Gospel. We are getting ‘Battle Ready’. We do all this with confidence, knowing that no person and no situation is too great for our God!