3-26-20 Today in the Word

Enter In: Gates and Doors in Scripture
GOD OPENS PRISON DOORS 
Thursday, March 26, 2020 | Acts 12:1–18
The Jewish leaders were so jealous of Jesus’ disciples that they arrested them and threw them in prison (Acts 5:17, 18). “But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out” (v. 19). Imagine the captain of the guard’s surprise when, in the morning, the prison cell was empty and the disciples were standing in the temple and teaching. “They never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah” (v. 42).
God has the power to open prison doors, literally and figuratively. Just as locked doors were no barrier to the risen Christ, they were no barrier to His followers. This didn’t mean Christian prisoners were always freed, as in Acts 5. The apostle Paul, for example, was imprisoned two separate times.
But today’s passage does narrate another miraculous release. Herod found that persecuting the new sect that called Jesus the Messiah and Son of God was a popular thing to do (vv. 1–3). He killed James, the brother of John, and put Peter in prison. Peter was shackled directly to two soldiers, with two more standing guard outside. Nonetheless, an angel easily rescued him (v. 7). His chains fell off, and the iron gate of Antonia Fortress, the military base where he was being held, “opened for them by itself” (v. 10).
Peter assumed this was all a vision, but when he realized he was actually free he went straight to a local house church. Though they were praying for him, they hadn’t looked for such an immediate answer. Imagine their surprise when he appeared at the door (v. 14)!
APPLY THE WORD
Are you waiting on the Lord today? Remember that God holds the power to free you physically, emotionally, and spiritually. When Paul and Silas were in jail in Philippi (Acts 16:16–34) they sang hymns while they waited, showing faith. What a great example to imitate!
PRAY WITH US
Today’s devotional gives us an opportunity to remember in prayerToday in the Word’s prison ministry. This devotional goes to inmates in hundreds of prisons across the country, and we pray that the Lord will open many hearts to His Word.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

9-16-23 Santa Staleness

Santa Staleness :: By Edwin Tan Published on: December 24, 2022 by RR10 Category:General Articles My one and only trip to Israel had more than a profound effect on my present-day psyche. It might have been three decades ago, but there is more than a lingering aftertaste. It happened smack in the last fortnight of the year. Surprisingly absent were the familiar sights and sounds of the Christmas most people are accustomed to. Hardly any Christmas decorations in downtown Tel Aviv, if not any of the shopping thoroughfares across the Holy Land. Hanukah was a breath of fresh air – not anything resembling a Christmas carol most people grew up with did surface. The Christmas Eve service in a small Protestant church not far away from Jerusalem’s Old City was awesome; songs that truly celebrated the virgin birth of our Lord, which though seemingly unheard of, were a welcome inspiration to many a soul. There was even one sung in Arabic! So it began, my overt disdain for the secular Christmas t...
Read more

9-25-23 The Farm Chronicles: One Christmas

The Farm Chronicles: One Christmas :: By Bill Wilson Published on: December 24, 2022 by RR10 Category:Bill Wilson, General Articles There are a lot of terrible things going on right now in the world. But we are at the time of the year when we, as Christians, celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. We can choose to be impacted by the world around us in its dimly lit arena, or we can choose to let our light so shine. I choose the latter. I want to tell you a little about the Christmas that I had growing up on our family farm in Ohio. I was blessed to be born into a horse and cattle farm that has been in our family for some 200 years. And Christmas, especially Christmas Eve, was a wonderful time for our family. December 24 was my Dad’s birthday. And my Dad was well-loved by his neighbors and friends, so we had a lot going on Christmas Eve. I remember one special Christmas Eve. I must have been about four years old. The night was falling, and the wind and snow were whipping across the barny...
Read more

9-15-23 Miracles 2

Miracles 2 :: By Jim Towers Published on: December 21, 2022 by RR10 Category:General Articles This story is a continuation of the exciting things God continues doing in my life. I was supposed to have died a while back, and sometimes I feel as though I may do so soon. But since I’m ready to meet my maker, I have no fear of death. In fact, my evangelistic zeal has only increased, especially as I see the fast approaching of the “Tribulation period” mentioned in the book of Revelation. Insofar as my acting career is concerned, I just finished filming a soliloquy featuring Melchior, one of the three Magi who followed the star to Christ lying in the manger, and am preparing to portray a Jewish Priest on stage. Like I said, God is working overtime in my life, and I will be appearing on stage singing Broadway show tunes sometime in March, so I have a lot of rehearsing to do. In the meantime, I will be signing Christmas carols acapella at a park here in Naples. Since it is a spontaneous th...
Read more