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Word from Scotland
by Sandy Shaw
In Acts 12, we read of James being killed by Herod and Peter being arrested and imprisoned in Jerusalem. When we come close to Jesus, this is part of the deal. This is in the small print of which we are not always aware when we come to faith in Jesus Christ, but there is a Cross to carry, and sometimes it becomes exceedingly heavy. Some will love you - some will hate you.
The first wave of persecution was against the whole Church, and one positive consequence was that it got the Church on the move. But now the leaders are being molested and persecuted with the intention of killing them.
This wave of persecution gets the Church praying. That night when Peter was in prison, the Church met in various homes and prayed to God for Peter.
They were in earnest. Prayer is serious business. There was a crisis, so they hold a night vigil of prayer.
Humanly speaking, it appeared a total disaster. In one sense it looks like total failure. If Peter is killed, then who next? Will our Living God intervene?
Remember, it is Passover - a time of remembering how God had acted in the past setting two and a half million people free from Egypt. It is a Feast - a Festival - a time of celebration - and someone must have emerged as leader. Someone must have had the insight and the courage to call the whole Church to prayer.
The presence of Jesus Christ - the power of the Holy Spirit - a famine coming - persecution is a present reality - death and the threat of death for the leadership.
Things were not easy in Jerusalem. It did not look good, but someone called the Church in Jerusalem to pray.
Would you have the insight and courage to call the Church to prayer? Or if someone else calls the Church to prayer for a specific purpose would you be determined to be present, and willingly and enthusiastically participate?
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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