He would do this after Easter, meta to pascha--after the passover, certainly so it ought to be read, for it is the same word that is always so rendered; and to insinuate the introducing of a gospel-feast, instead of the passover, when we have nothing in the New Testament of such a thing, is to mingle Judaism with our Christianity. Mary the mother of John was aunt to Barnabas (Colossians 4:10).If Paul and Barnabas were not in her house at the time (which there is no evidence that they were), it is likely that all the particulars of Let him that will, repair to the second to the Galatians. But this was not enough for God. ( Acts 12:3 ). There followed also such signs, or outward powers; but the Holy Ghost was given Himself, according to the Lord's word the promise of the Father, a promise which, as all know, was in the first instance assured to those who were already believers, and which was made good to them because they were believers, not to make them so. The previous gift of the Spirit without the intervention of any human hand was the most effectual stopper on the mouths of the brethren of the circumcision who were ever prone to object, and would surely have forbidden water, if God had not undeniably given them the unspeakable gift of the Spirit. "In the opening chapters of the Acts of the Apostles, the Christian dispensation is seen in actual operation; for that with the descent of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost that dispensation properly commences will probably be admitted by all parties. The Spread of the Gospel in Judaea and Samaria (Acts 8-12), C. The Spread of the Gospel to the Uttermost Part of the earth (Acts 13-28), How did the Gospel? When he saw that this gave pleasure to the Jews he went to arrest Peter too. He slew James, as, when any sedition is raised, the heads and captains go first to the pot, (750) that the common riff-raft may by their punishment be terrified. The expansive power of Christianity called it to break forth on all sides; and speedily the original congregation, or in modern language the mother church, of each city gave birth to other societies of Christians in the surrounding neighbourhood. However, in answer to the prayers of the Jerusalem church, Peter miraculously escaped (6-11). He was the grandson of Herod the Great who was the Herod at the time of the birth of Jesus. Copyright 2023 ec Estudio Integral. Nevertheless, the Lord suffered him whom he had furnished with constancy to be put to death, that by death he might get the victory as a strong and invincible champion. Finally, when the angel left and Peter was standing on the street, he said, "Hey, it wasn't a dream. Web1. The believers prayed for guidance in making decisions (Acts 1:1526), 2. Chapter 15 he'll speak up and again tell how God had led him to the Gentiles, but Peter passes on from the picture. Historical: Records the historical spread of the Gospel (Acts 1:2). And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost." 3 And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. These gifts, at least such as were of an extraordinary sort, were the outward signs of that gift in early days; and it was of great importance that there should be a decisive palpable testimony to it. He stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church,Acts 12:1; Acts 12:1. [Note: Bock, Acts, p. As the Christian Jews became increasingly offensive to their racial brethren (cf. With a gesture of his hand he bade them be silent and he told them the whole story of how the Lord had brought him out of prison. ", Even here the intimation is sufficiently plain that the Gentiles were in the foreground of the work designed for Saul of Tarsus. But why would God permit it? Such was the man to whom God was about to send the gospel by Peter. It was at the feast of the passover, when their celebrating the memorial of their typical deliverance should have led them to the acceptance of their spiritual deliverance; instead of this, they, under pretence of zeal for the law, were most violently fighting against it, and, in the days of unleavened bread, were most soured and embittered with the old leaven of malice and wickedness. The death of Stephen, therefore, has in various points of view a great significance. Ha szeretntek, ott vagyok, de ha nem, akkor szrevehetetlenl teszem a dolgom. "In proportion to the apparent simplicity of the question, would be his surprise to hear it affirmed that he is mistaken, and that, in addressing a Christian society as a congregation of Christians, St. Paul merely regards it as a society of men professing the same faith, and participating outwardly in the same sacraments (it being immaterial to the idea whether they possess saving faith or not); a society invested with spiritual privileges, but not necessarily realizing those privileges, and that, consequently, we must lower the import of the terms, 'saints' and 'faithful in Christ Jesus,' to signify outwardly dedicated to God, and professing with the lips the doctrines of Christianity . And he said, Who art thou, Lord?" Which shows that he was planning to put Peter to death. 1. And he commanded us to preach unto the people." Note, Blood to the blood-thirsty does but make them more so, and the way of persecution, as of other sins, is downhill; when men are in it, they cannot easily stop themselves; when they are in they find they must on. It was one concurrent evidence. He was guarded by four quaternions of soldiers. Back in Jerusalem the church was experiencing much difficulty. It was not that Peter did not know the same, we are all aware how blessedly he confessed Him to be (not Messiah only, but) the Son of the living God while Jesus was here below. Herod accepted the praise as if he was God, and was punished for it (20-23). Preaching. It was their responsibility now as ever to accept the gracious offer of God. "Saul arose and was baptized, and when he had received meat he was strengthened, and remained with the disciples for some time.". It was not only right, but recorded of God that we might see and profit by it. Oh why should any confessor of Christ why should any child of God shrink from rendering godly satisfaction to those that seek it? 4 And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people. But it was not merely one who departed to be with the Lord, which was far better; it was by the act of the Jews in the infuriate spirit of persecution. IMPRISONMENT AND DELIVERANCE ( Acts 12:1-11 ), 12:1-11 About this time Herod the king began to take hostile action to inflict injury on certain men of the Church. That monarch had succeeded in putting together the whole domain of his grandfather Herod the Great, and had also been given the title of king by Claudius. It was a action that you would take in order that you might have greater freedom of movement. (cf. As the Jews watched the gates to kill him, the disciples took him by night and let him down the wall in a basket. It was of the greatest importance that unity should be kept up practically, not merely that there should be proclaimed the truth that there is unity, but that there should be the maintenance of it in practice. Pray about the needs others How then could so fatal an error have been committed? The voice that said, "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?" The church, not merely in a city but in a province or country, is intelligible enough to man; but it soon became more difficult to see its unity in various and differing provinces. The following extract from the late Dr. Carson's Letters in reply to Dr. John Brown's Vindication of Presbyterianism will show how far an able and excellent man went astray in defending Congregationalism through not knowing that his argument was based, not on God's word, but on man's corruption of it. . Matthew 18:19,20 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven, Many were gathered together praying.--The facts of the case show that the meeting was held at night, possibly to avoid persecution, or, it may be, as the sequel of the evening gathering to "break bread.". "Then had the church rest throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria." Therefore, I think that the apostle and the son of Alpheus were all one, whom the Jews threw down headlong from the top of the temple, whose death was so highly Commended for his singular praise of holiness. So says the Spirit to Philip, "Go near and join thyself to this chariot." And you say, "Well, Jesus was tried during the Feast of Passover." They probably believed that God would reestablish The Twelve in the resurrestion. We are given a striking prefiguration of the evil king that will be found in the latter day; he that will reign over the Jews under the shadow and support of the Gentiles as Herod was, and not less but more than his prototype bent on the murder of the innocents, and with his heart full of evil for others who will be rescued by the goodness of the Lord. James was the second Christian martyr whom Luke identified (cf. It's all set. A szikrz napsts, sznesbe ltztetett termszet romantikus hangulat eredmnyez, ami kprzatoss varzsolhatja az eskvd is, azonban nem rt nhny krdst feltenned magadnak, vlasztott helysznnel kapcsolatban. He could not deny the might that proved itself without effort superior to anything he had ever wielded. Now go back to verse Acts 12:5 where it says, "But prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for Peter." Apologetic: Writes a defense of persecuted Christianity (Acts 13:6-12). This is the only apostles death that the New Testament recorded. "Who art thou, Lord?" "Whosoever believeth on him shall receive remission of sins." so gross was his darkness even as to the general point of the chapter. And they said, "Yes, Lord, we are able." 4. The gospel goes forth elsewhere; it is in no way bound to Jerusalem. It was not to be done by mere systematic rule of a human pattern. 407.]. Here I would be glad to know how this can be interpreted upon any other principle than that church in the single number was solely appropriated to a single congregation, when applied to an assembly of Christ's disciples. Acts 4:23 And being let go, they went to their own company, and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said unto them. Archclaus, being accused of cruelty, was banished by Augustus to Vienna in Gaul, and Judea was reduced to a province, and united with Syria. Peter was the one then, not Paul, that announced the gospel to Cornelius, who by the Holy Ghost received it, and was not merely safe but saved. They were praying. And he did not know that what was happening through the angel was real but thought that he was seeing a vision, They went through the first and the second guard and they came to the iron door that led into the city and it opened to them of its own accord. He had been educated at Rome, but he deliberately cultivated the good graces of the Jewish people by meticulously keeping the Law and all Jewish observances. 12 rakor kezdtnk egy kis kreatv fotval. And he said unto him, Put your garment on, and follow me. He felt that they were conspiring against them and so he murdered them both.There was a saying during the time of Herod the Great that it was safer to be his pig than his son. Ananias, wholly unprepared for the call of such an enemy of the gospel, slow of heart to believe all, expostulates, as it were, with the Saviour. This is the second difficulty which it is conceived lies in the way of our interpreting the apostle's language literally. So far from it, as we shall find by and by inActs 10:1-48; Acts 10:1-48, the Holy Ghost was given while he was yet speaking, before they were so much as baptized. A soul that now looks to Jesus ought to rest without question on redemption; but we must remember that at this time Jesus was not yet publicly preached to the Gentiles not yet freely and fully proclaimed according to the riches of grace. But the testimony of miracles is apt to act upon the flesh. And these people depended upon Palestine for their food supplies, and so they were pretty much a vassal to Palestine at this time. The Spread of the Gospel in Jerusalem (Acts 1-7), B. The angel had to do with providential circumstances, but the Spirit with that which directly deals with spiritual need and blessing. Whether this was the ease among the Jews scripture does not say; but that there were persons who had this responsible place among them, as among the Gentile churches afterwards, we see clearly. Supplicate, worship. - And were praying for praying, A.V. There were Gentiles who truly looked to the Lord, and not to self or man; who had been taught of Him to look for a coming Saviour, though they quite rightly connected that Saviour with Israel; for such was the burden of the promise. If Jesus was Jehovah, what then had his religion been? Men may spurn our appeals, reject our message, oppose our arguments, despise our personsbut they are helpless against our prayers. (J. Sidlow Baxter). That one name, through faith in it, what could it not accomplish? Ha klnlegesre s egyedire vgysz, ltogass el az oldalamra. Where. Lord, help me to think about some real answers toprayerI have had. He imprisoned Peter, of whom he had heard most, as making the greatest figure among the apostles and whom therefore he would be proud of the honour of taking off. To vex - To injure, to do evil to - kakosai. Lord give me the spirit of humility to say SORRY when I am wrong,23:1-5. The character of James life and teaching can be seen in the letter in the New Testament that bears his name (James 1:1). . EXCELENTE OPORTUNIDAD DEPARTAMENTO CNTRICO EN COSQUIN, OPORTUNIDAD CHALET VILLA MIRADOR DEL LAGO. He killed James, John's brother, with the sword. What in our Lord's discourses is a matter of anticipation or prophecy, here appears as a matter of fact. This is all quite right. Not that one would deny that a mighty work was then wrought in Cornelius. The facts were notorious; but of this we may be sure, that never had they been put together before the mind of the Ethiopian as then, never connected with the living Word and His grace. "Herod the king" was Herod Agrippa I whom the Roman emperor Gaius appointed king over Palestine in A.D. 37. What a revolution this word caused in that mighty heart! When he had seized Peter, he put him under arrest. With their friend on the throne, the Jewish hierarchy decided to exterminate Christianity; and there was no reason why they could not have succeeded, except for the intervention of the Father in heaven. They're all inside praying, "Oh God, help Peter! Well, it's hard to run in a robe. But if the church were distrustful, the Lord was not unmindful, and knew how to give courage to the heart of His servant. The time for the call of the Gentiles strictly was not yet come, though the way is being prepared. The King James translators just translated this word Easter because it does signify that same time of the year. Thus we find the utmost simplicity and quietness. "Repent, therefore, of this thy wickedness, and pray God if, perhaps, the thought of thy heart may be forgiven thee; for I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity." From pros and euchomai; to pray to God, i.e. With this view He Himself instituted certain external badges of Christian profession, to come into use when they should be needed, and took measures to qualify a small and select company of believers, by attaching them constantly to His person while His earthly ministry lasted, and giving them a formal commission with extraordinary powers, when He left the world, to preside over the affairs and direct the organisation of Christian societies. Now at this point we are introduced to James, who became one of the leaders in the early church, who was a half brother to Jesus. The profound moral work of God proceeded in that converted heart. Of this we heard nothing in the divine history of the day of Pentecost; and I think that scripture is abundantly plain that there could have been nothing of the kind then and there. The Encyclopedia Britannica has this regarding Herod's death: It is ironic that the Jews who had, in the elevation of Herod Agrippa I, achieved for themselves tolerance and accommodation, should at the same time have refused so adamantly to extend the same to Christians; and that God's thwarting of their campaign against the body of Christ, by the summary execution of Herod, also by that same event removed the one man who could have preserved their own toleration by Rome. Finally, and in few words (for I do not intend to say more on Acts 12:1-25 tonight), we have the completing of this second part of our narrative in this chapter. arise and bring an end to the plaques on the land as a result of these evil acts in Jesus name. "It was known throughout all Joppa, and many believed on the Lord." ", Let me tell you something. He made an appearance to his half brother and after that point his half brother James and His half brother Jude became pillars in the early church. On the night before Herod was going to bring him before the people, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound by two chains; and guards kept continuous watch before the door. If you don't have faith, God's not going to answer your prayers. He wished to gain fresh influence, not to lose his old: why not, by this new method, if possible, turn things to his own account? No notion is more at variance with the spirit of apostolic Christianity than that of societies of Christians existing in the same neighbourhood, but not in communion with each other, and not under 'common government'" (pp. The angel said to him, "Gird yourself and put on your sandals." But it was a thoroughly illegal trial. One of his wives, Miriam, had a son, Aristopollis that was murdered by Herod the Great, as was Miriam. They requested one day that they be granted to sit one at the right hand and the other at the left hand of Jesus when He was in His kingdom. After his death, the word of God prospers. Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Word and the truths that it contains. Precautions could go no further. Two soldiers were chained to him and two watched the doors. 3. the power of the Spirit to this end is lost sight of.] They'll find out I'm here], he declared unto them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And so it has been completely excavated around there and partially restored, and it is a very interesting sight and an interesting study in Roman architecture and it gives us a little bit of the culture.Now according to Josephus, it was into this theater, which is an outdoor theater that Herod came, according to Josephus, with this fabulous robe made of silver cloth. Now according to their law, during the times of the Feast of Passover, they could not have any trial, and so he determined to bring him forth at the end of the Feast of Passover. 2. From oikos; properly, residence, but usually an abode; by implication, a family. They refused utterly the Holy Ghost's testimony to the Son of man glorified in heaven, and slew or scattered the witnesses, Who then was specially used as the instrument of the free action of the Holy Ghost elsewhere, without plan, without thought of man, and apparently the simple result of circumstances, but in truth God's hand directing all? He ruled Judea for three years, A.D. 41-44 [Note: Josephus, Antiquities of . Then said they, It must be his angel ( Acts 12:13-15 ). But she constantly affirmed that it was true. A fotzsban az emberbrzolst tekintem a legnagyobb kihvsnak.Fontosnak tartom a folyamatos nkpzst, hogy megismerjem a legjabb trendeket s irnyzatokat, igyekszem mindig napraksz jdonsgokkal szolglni. Looked at another way, this section confirms Israels rejection of her Messiah. This contrariety doth cause me to expound it of the Gentiles." Philip acts at once, with alacrity hears the eunuch read the prophet Isaiah, and puts the question whether he understood what was read. He was a thoroughly bad ruler and was deposed and banished. But they said unto her, [You're crazy.] And God has, in the meantime, a work for me to do, and until I have accomplished that work that God has in mind for me to do, God's going to preserve me and keep me until that day. ( Acts 12:1) Herod harasses the church. Unlike the law, it addresses all; there is no narrowness in a rejected heavenly Christ. Then they said, "Well, it must be his angel. He did this because he saw it pleased the Jews. I refer to this just to show how far scripture is from countenancing the cramped ideas of men, and that the only way of truth is to believe all the word of God, searching out the special principle of God by which He instructs us in the different characters of His action.
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