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Word from Scotland
by Sandy Shaw
Acts 12. King Herod is preparing to kill Peter, but it is futile to attempt to oppose the work of Jesus Christ, and Jesus has much for Peter yet to do. All this is going on and Peter is sleeping in a Jerusalem jail.
An angel of The Lord appears and the light of God is shining in that prison.
The angel touches Peter, awakens him, and says, "Quick - get up" - and the chains fell off Peter's wrists. "Dress yourself. Put on your shoes. Follow me." How is that for giving commands! The gates and doors open. Chains and gates are no problem to our God.
Peter just couldn't take in everything that was happening, and when he was outside - safely away from the prison - the angel left him - and he realised that the Lord had delivered him out of the clutches of Herod.
This is where it becomes a little amusing, but so revealing too.
Peter goes to Mary's house, John Mark's mother. Many had gathered there for prayer. Peter knocks at the door, and a young servant girl named Rhoda leaves the Prayer Meeting and goes to the door. "Who is there?" "It's me, Peter."
And rather than open the door, she ran in and told them that Peter was at the door.
Verse 15. Look at how they reacted - "You're daft - out of your mind - it can't be - it must be his angel." They could believe in angels more than they could believe that Peter was at the door.
Sometimes you have got to keep on knocking! Peter did. He kept on knocking. This time they opened the door, and when they saw it was Peter, they could hardly believe their eyes.
Peter told them to be quiet and he described and explained how the Lord had brought him out of prison. Then he said - Now go and tell all this to James - probably the James who was the brother of Jesus - and tell all the other brothers. The Prayer Meeting wasn't just in one home. Everyone would not squeeze into one home. Various homes would have been used for prayer.
Do you use your home for prayer? If not, would you be willing to open up your home for people to come together and pray together? And, of course make sure that you are using your home for personal prayer - are you?
Alexander 'Sandy' Shaw is pastor of Nairn Christian Fellowship in Nairn, Scotland. Nairn is 17 miles east of Inverness - on the Moray Firth Coast - not far from the Loch Ness Monster!
Gifted as a Biblical teacher, Sandy is firmly committed to making sure that his teachings are firmly grounded in the Word.
Sandy has a weekly radio talk which can be heard via the Internet on Saturday at 11:40am, New Orleans time, at wsho.com.
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