## "But the Word"

## Acts 12:18-24

“But the word of God grew and multiplied.” (Acts 12:24)

That is a definition and description of the New Testament Church. That's what the Lord expects of His church whether it be A.D. 34 or 1996. Every church should see the Word of God growing and multiplying. That is:

- The Word should be growing and multiplying in the hearts of the members of the church.
- The Word should be growing and multiplying as it is preached from the pulpit and then taken by the people to others in the community.
- The Word should be growing and multiplying as it is lived in the community
- The Word should be growing and multiplying as it is shared with the lost and then those who are saved are taught to share the Word with someone else.
- Through the ministry of the church the Word should be growing and multiplying on the mission fields of the world.

We need to follow this New Testament example. But I think the important thing to notice is the ATMOSPHERE in which God's Word grows.

I. An Atmosphere of Persecution. v1-4

A. Verse 1 of this chapter says that about this time "Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church."

1. This was Herod Agrippa who was a very wicked man, but who was quite skillful in the handling of the Jews.

2. Because the Jewish leaders hated the new Jesus movement, Herod killed James, one of the leading apostles of Jesus.

3. When he saw how much this pleased the Jews, he proceeded to take Peter, another of the inner three of the apostles of Jesus.

a. This was done during the Jewish Passover celebration in Jerusalem to gain the favor of all the Jews of Palestine who were in Jerusalem for this occasion.

b. His intention was that at the height of the Passover celebration he would bring Peter forth to the people to be condemned and executed.

c. He wanted to keep those Jewish leaders on his side and this was one of the ways that could be accomplished.

d. Therefore, he was ruthless in his persecution of the believers.

4. So this was a dark hour for the church.

B. But it is in those dark hours that the gospel of Christ shines the brightest.

1. And in the church it is when believers get to the point of desperation and they know that they are totally dependent on God that God begins to work in power.

2. In the local church when the devil is working the hardest to disrupt and confuse is when you know God is about to do a wonderful work in the midst of the believers.

3. So in those times when the devil is working his hardest, if we will just keep our eyes on Jesus and keep depending on God, we will see the victory come.

4. The victory is just around the corner if we will not get distracted and take our eyes off the Lord.

C. It is in a time of individual tribulation that the Word of God will grow in your heart and the Word of God will grow in your neighborhood through your witness of faith.

1. Jesus warned us that times of tribulation will come.

2. He said:

“These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

“Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.” (Mat 5:11-12)

3. It is in these times of persecution and personal tribulation that our witness can shine the brightest.

4. It is in these times that God's Word can grow the greatest, and the rewards for faithfulness are the surest.

II. An Atmosphere of Prayer. v5-17

“Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.” (Acts 12:5)

“But the word of God grew and multiplied.” (Acts 12:24)

A. The persecution drove the church to its knees.

1. As a result of prayer the forces of heaven were summoned to come to the aid of Simon Peter.

2. As a result of the power of God being experienced, the Word of God grew and multiplied.

3. Folks, we do not have to wait for persecution or tribulation to drive us to our knees.

B. Prayer doesn't have to be a last resort, it can, and should be, be a first reaction to every situation we ever face.

1. When problems come we talk, and figure, and consult, and plan this strategy or that to try to solve the problem.

2. Then when we run into a dead end and nothing seems to work we get desperate and decide to pray.

3. I'm convinced that we could save ourselves a lot of heartache if we would pray as a first response rather than a last resort.

4. The enemy can work havoc in the church and in our lives if he can keep us from prayer.

C. Let's covenant to pray before we make our plans, before we come to our decisions, and before the problems come.

1. Certainly we will pray in the midst of the problems.

2. But let's wait until the problems come to get on our knees and pray that the Word of God will grow and multiply.

III. An Atmosphere of Perplexity. v18-19

“Now as soon as it was day, there was no small stir among the soldiers, what was become of Peter.” (Acts 12:18)

A. Note Peter's situation.

1. He was put in prison, delivered to 16 soldiers who were assigned to do nothing, but guard Simon Peter.

2. He was in the inner prison in the third ward.

3. Even when he slept he was chained to two guards.

4. I think maybe Herod wanted to be sure that nothing would happen to Peter until the great Feast Day and then he would bring Peter out, have him condemned and execute him.

B. But the church was in prayer for Peter.

1. God sent out the forces of heaven to come to Peter's aid.

2. You can imagine then that there was NO SMALL STIR among the soldiers about what was become of Peter.

3. Here is the picture of perplexity.

4. The soldiers were perplexed, Herod was perplexed, and the whole heathen world was perplexed.

5. The question of the day was: WHERE COULD HE HAVE GONE? WHAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED TO HIM?

6. There was no explanation for this.

C. What we have in view here is the supernatural and the miraculous power of God at work.

1. We must not operate in the realm of the explainable.

2. If our church ministry, budget, program, and effectiveness can be explained in human terms we are no different than any other club or business in our city.

3. Even if we operate with efficiency we are no different than any other efficient operation.

4. Our lives must be unexplainable.

5. The power of our ministry is meant to cause perplexity to the unbelieving world.

6. We are to always be a mystery to those who do not know Christ.

7. The world can criticize us, certainly, but explain us? NEVER!

“For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.” (1 Cor 1:18)

“For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.” (1 Cor 1:21) [9]

D. The world will never understand...

1. The power of prayer.

2. The peace which passeth all under- standing which is in the heart of the believer.

3. How God can take a lost sinner and make him a new creation in Christ Jesus.

4. I can't explain it either, but if you have put your faith in Christ this morning, you know it is true!

E. One distinctive of our ministry which makes this church separate and apart from any other institution is that there is no explaining it.

1. The Bible is our constitution.

2. The Father is our resource.

3. The Holy Spirit is our power.

4. Jesus Christ is our goal.

5. We are to be salt and light to a dark and tasteless world.

6. The unseen things are the real things to us.

IV. An Atmosphere of Discipline. v20-24

A. God is still on the Throne!

1. At times it may appear that the wicked seem to prosper and succeed while the godly face persecution.

2. However, we are reminded that there is a God in Heaven, and He is still active in the affairs of men.

3. It isn't over until God says it is over.

B. God dealt with Herod.

1. In his earthly glory Herod accepted the praise of the people.

2. They said, "It is the voice of a god and not a man."

3. God determined that it had gone too far and sent the Angel of the Lord to smite him.

C. The result.

1. Herod died.

2. The Word of God multiplied.

It is vital for the Word of God to grow in the lives of each believer, in this local church, in this community, and around the world. That growth is progressive: individual = church = community = world. Is the Word of God growing in your life? Do you know Christ as Savior? Come today.