Carter Conlon from the historic Times Square Church in New York City.
Isn't it amazing how you can be praying constantly for somebody and yet not believe when they show up at the door? Knock, knock. Who's there? Peter. Peter who?
Welcome. We're glad you can join us for this week's edition of A Call to the Nation with Carter Conlon. Today, Carter takes us to Acts Chapter 12. Here, we learn King Herod has arrested some that belong to the church. And after arresting Peter, he puts him in prison with 32 soldiers assigned to watch over him. And as Peter was bound and chained between two soldiers, the church was in constant prayer for him.
What happened next was miraculously amazing. Here's Carter with Knock, Knock. Who's there? Peter. Acts Chapter 12, verse 4. This is about the Apostle Peter. So when he, that being Herod, of course, had arrested him, he put him in prison and delivered him to four squads of soldiers to keep him. So that's about 32 soldiers intending to bring him before the people after Passover.
Now, this is a very, very distressful time because Herod, the scripture says in the beginning of Chapter 12, had already killed James, the brother of John, with the sword. So this was no idle imprisonment or idle threat. Peter was therefore kept in prison.
Acts 12 to 5. But constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church. So here's a man who's imprisoned. He's in probably one of the more secure prisons of that time. There are 32 soldiers assigned to keep him there. He's in change.
The situation looks totally hopeless. But nevertheless, constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church. And when Herod was about to bring him out, that night Peter was sleeping, bound with two chains between two soldiers, and the guards before the door were keeping the prison. Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him and a light shone in the prison. And he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, arise quickly. And his chains fell off his hands. Then the angel said to him, gird yourself and tie on your sandals. So he did. And he said to him, put on your garment, your outer coat, and follow me. So he went out and followed him and did not know what was done by the angel was real.
But he thought he was seeing a vision. When they were past the first and the second guard post, now you can just picture the guards just staring into space. They had been by the presence of God. I don't know how to just literally, or they didn't see them go by. I don't know how it happened, but they're probably just frozen in time by the power and the presence of God.
They came to the iron gate that leads to the city, which opened to them of its own accord. They went out and went down the street, and immediately the angel departed from him. Now when Peter had come to himself, he said, now I know for certain that the Lord has sent his angel and has delivered me from the hand of Herod and from all the expectation of the Jewish people. So when he had considered this, he came to the house of Mary, the mother of John, whose surname was Mark, where many were gathered together praying.
That's really important. They're gathered. What were they doing? Constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church. So here they are in a prayer meeting, praying no doubt for Peter. And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a girl named Rhoda came to answer.
When she recognized Peter's voice because of her gladness, she did not open the gate, but ran in and announced that Peter stood before the gate. And they said to her, you are beside yourself. You're mad. You've lost it, in other words. Can't possibly be him.
Isn't it amazing how you can be praying constantly for somebody and yet not believe when they show up at the door? Knock, knock. Who's there? Peter. Peter who?
Let's read that again. When she recognized Peter's voice because of her gladness, she didn't open the gate, but ran in and announced that Peter stood before the gate. But they said to her, you're beside yourself.
Yet she kept insisting that it was so. So they said, it is his angel. Isn't it amazing they were willing to believe that an angel had come, but not Peter, or a messenger, in other words. Peter has sent us a messenger. Now Peter continued knocking.
And when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 verse 17, the Apostle Paul tells us to pray without ceasing. In other words, don't give up. Don't ever stop praying because God will answer, though the answer may not come in the way that we imagined it would. I want to look at this in the context of praying for loved ones who are presently captivated.
Everybody here most likely knows somebody in your family or in close proximity to you that you feel, or maybe others feel, or maybe others feel, is just hopelessly captivated. Just as Peter was in prison. A prison of addiction, a prison of drugs, a prison of certain behavior types, a prison of some kind of self-image, or some kind of constant behavior that is not conducive to Christ and Christian living. And you've been praying, and you've been maybe praying for a long time for this particular person. Verses 4 and 5, it says constant prayer in verse 5 was offered to God by the church for him. Now when we're praying for what looks to be an impossible or even hopeless situation, we have to fight through some things.
Each one of us has to. There will be things come against your mind to try to convince you that even though we are praying that our prayers are not going to be answered. And the first thing that we have to press through is the limitations of our faith. You know the devil will try to tell us that you don't have enough faith to pray. In in Mark chapter 9 verses 23 to 25, I'll just I'll go there quickly for time's sake, there was a man whose child was captivated as he saw it by darkness.
A spirit would convulse him and it would throw him into the fire and into the water to destroy him. And I think of of this generation that are being thrown into the fire of unbridled passions. It seems to be everywhere.
In the news I think just yesterday there's a group of teenagers went into a local restaurant in somewhere and just destroyed the place for no particular reason. There's an inner passion, there's an unbridled passion going on in the heart of this generation that's throwing them into the fire as it is and into the water. And we think of the water as a confusion. That so many are being baptized into now into this world as it is. We saw the waters of Christ and how it brings about a newness of life. But there's also a water of confusion from gender confusion to confusion about the reality of God, the purpose of life, etc.
Even confusions about what is right and and what is wrong. And this father came and said if to Jesus if you can do anything have compassion on us and help us. And I think of all the people in America that must be praying that prayer. All the people that are saying God if you can do something please have compassion on our young people. On those that are being indoctrinated as early as kindergarten now by immorality.
God you have to help us if you can do something. Then Jesus said to him if you can believe all things are possible to him who believes. And immediately the father the child cried out with tears, Lord I believe help my unbelief.
This is this is our cry. God the father said to Jesus I believe as much as I can believe. My faith probably has a boundary line or a limit. We can all say that but God if you require something more than I'm able to give you God help me to get beyond the line.
It was it was an honest cry from an honest father and I want to suggest it was all that was required. Jesus set that child free because there was an honest man praying. You know it's it's interesting in Matthew chapter 17 Jesus said if you have faith as a mustard seed you can say to this mountain move from here to there and it will move and nothing will be impossible for you. It's it's interesting that he didn't say you have to have a mountain of faith to move a mountain. He said you have to have a mustard seed of faith to move a mountain. A mustard seed is one of the smallest seeds known to humankind and and Jesus wasn't saying you have to have this mountain of faith but you have to have an honest belief in God and you have to acknowledge that that we have limits but God's mercy is unlimited. Hallelujah. I thank God for that.
It's it's a revelation that should get you and I shouting. It's not about our faith it's about the mercy of God. We bring what we have to God.
Like when I went to that altar in that church I brought what I had to God which was absolutely nothing but God took the little seed that I had in my heart that if you can use nothing you can use my life and sent me all over the world with it and I've lived to see thousands and tens of thousands come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. So I understand this principle that we have a little bit of faith but God has a mountain of mercy and when we bring the little bit we we have to God we can fight through so don't let the devil's accusation about you not having enough faith stop you from praying. Don't let the devil come and say your son your daughter your brother your sister your mom your dad are still in prison because you don't have enough faith. Don't fall for that lie.
Don't fall into that trap. Pray without ceasing. Pray believing that God's a God of power. That the God who sent his son to a cross didn't send him there to withhold victory from us when we ask him for it. So we have to pray for so we have to fight through the limitations of our own perception of our own faith and yet the second thing we have to fight through is the unlimited boundaries of our own imagination.
It's kind of ironic. So our faith has limits but our imagination doesn't. No one that night was expecting Peter to come to the prayer meeting. I mean I gotta laugh.
Nobody. Everybody's praying but nobody expects him to show up. Don't you just love that? I think some in their praying for Peter possibly imagined a speedy trial with a not guilty verdict. You know when we when we pray and ask God to do something we often kind of create a way for God to do it. We want to give him a hand in our prayers and in our minds and we don't want to set ourselves up for disappointment so we give God look if you do it this way it's gotta be easy for you to do that and so they in their minds they're praying now when Peter stands before the judge give him the words to speak and put mercy in the judge's heart and have the judge apologize for arresting him and let him go and and let him come to us and tell us how how he was given words from heaven and the judge was merciful and let him go and and I could just see people praying like that. I can see others in the prayer meeting imagining Peter being given a a standing a brilliant standing defense like Stephen. The ability to stand up and preach a sermon like he's never preached in his whole life and then be put to a quick death because isn't that the ultimate deliverance that's how we justify unbelief. You know that Peter's going to give this brilliant defense and just like Stephen they're going to kill him run him through the sword a rather painless quick death and victory is won by all.
Isn't this awesome? And then suddenly you see when they were praying what was actually happening I can virtually guarantee that nobody was aware of what was actually going on. So here they are with the frailty of their little faith and the minds exploding trying to tell God how this is all going to play out and while they're doing all this Peter's sleeping bound with two chains between two soldiers and the guards are out keeping the door of the prison suddenly an angel appears.
I can virtually guarantee you nobody saw that in their prayer meeting. Suddenly an angel is standing in the prison and a light starts shining. You know when we're praying for our loved ones we don't we don't picture God actually coming into the room and suddenly a light suddenly darkness begins to dissipate suddenly suddenly the person in captivity begins to see maybe what kind of a surrounding they're in begins to see there is a door there is a way out that something begins to happen. And the angel of the Lord stood by him and a light shone in the prison and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up saying arise quickly and his chains fell off his hands. The angel said to him gird yourself in other words put your clothes on tie your sandals and so he did and he said put on your garment or your outer coat and follow me. You know sometimes listen to me somebody online that's in a prison sometimes it's no more complicated than that the voice of God comes to you and says just get up from where you're lying down get dressed put on your shoes there's no great revelation the angel didn't stand there and quote Isaiah 53. He didn't quote a scripture he just it was so practical that's why he thought it was a vision you imagine we pray and we we want this if an angel is going to come surely there's going to be a prophecy with it or something like that or trumpets or something not just get up it says he hit him on the side like this he hit him the angel hit him on the side and said get up and when he got up his chains fell off so it starts there we've come to you from this prayer meeting as a messenger into your prison into your situation somebody online and we're just telling you get up from where you are sometimes there's no more complicated than that we've been praying for you and now the word comes get up so that's your choice Peter could have laid down no I'm I'm comfortable here I really enjoy this it's warm here I love these chains on my hands you know some people that would be maybe their natural response but Peter just listened to the voice and he got up and he says in the and when he got up the chains fell off his hands those the weights the things that kept his inbound the things that kept him in a place maybe he didn't want to be then the angel said dress yourself put on your shoes put on your outer coat and so he went out and followed him and didn't realize what was being done by the angel and he thought he was seeing a vision could this be true and I know I know there's somebody online and you're thinking those very words right now could this be true could it really be that simple could a messenger really come into my prison and just tell me get up and get dressed I'm taking you somewhere and when they went to the iron gate that leads out of the city it opened to them of its own accord and they went out and went down the street and immediately the angel departed you know the word of God says when God opens the door no one can close it you start obeying God you start getting up and moving towards God and he's going to make a way for you I promise you he's going to make a way out of your captivity and he's going to take you on a journey now when Peter came to himself he said I know for certain the Lord has sent his angel and delivered me from the hand of Herod and the expectation of the Jewish people when he considered this he came to the house of Mary the mother of John whose surname was Mark and they were gathered together praying my message is don't be surprised by who shows up at your prayer meetings in the days to come don't be surprised who knocks on the door you know there's some people you're part of this prayer meeting and if people knew you were online listening to this they'd fall down dead they wouldn't ever believe you'd be here you didn't believe you'd ever be listening you even wondered why am I even listening to this thing and suddenly and suddenly you feel like coming into your room you feel like maybe I can get up maybe I can get out maybe I can have a new life maybe there is a way for me maybe God is going to take me somewhere and do something with my life that's going to change my very future and so I love this scripture it says Peter knocked at the door and a girl came called Rhoda came to answer and she recognized his voice she didn't open the gate but ran in and announced that Peter stood before the gate and I this is a prayer meeting they said you're you're mad you're beside yourself you're mad imagine that some of your pray like you were you're praying imagine if somebody ran to you and said your brother's in the lobby and you turn say you're nuts not my brother would never be here they would never come to no I'm kidding I'm not kidding you told me he's your brother and he's in the lobby my brother is a drug addict my brother is imprisoned my brother could never get up my brother used to curse the name of Christ well I'm telling you your brother is in the lobby it's exactly what happened now of course not with Peter was not a blasphemer but this is exactly what they had to face and she ran in and announced that they said you're beside yourself but she kept insisting isn't it interesting that where Jesus says unless you become like a little child you can't understand the kingdom of God you're left locked out of the way God works she kept insisting it is him so they said it's his angel so they compromised okay it can't be him so it must be a messenger he sent to tell us about what's happening in the prison what date the trial is and what's going to be happening and she kept saying no it's him it's actually Peter so when they opened the door and saw him they were astonished and I'm telling you for anybody who can hear me we're going to be stunned at who's going to come to the house of God in the future you're going to be stunned at who's going to knock at your door people look yes amen people you never believed you're praying for you're praying for a wayward generation you're praying for teenagers in your town and then suddenly there's a knock at your door and there's five teenagers standing that said we heard there was a prayer meeting here can we come in and can we pray with you and don't be surprised when it begins to happen when it's not just your family members but people of the family of God that start coming to places of prayer this is this is starting to happen now folks it's not it's not coming 10 years down the road it's here now if you can hear it there's the footsteps are already coming down the hallway to where you are to where you're praying you're gonna you're gonna find suddenly you get a phone call from a brother or sister that's that's maybe been a mocker of God that you have served or you never you pray so long that you just don't believe they're ever going to get out of captivity and then suddenly you get a you get a call on the telephone there and they're telling you I've I've I've been reconsidering I've been reconsidering what my life is and and I'm thinking about the God that you serve and I'm wondering if I could come and maybe be part of the meeting that you're part of or go to your church you didn't expect to be here you didn't expect to be in this meeting you certainly didn't expect to hear this word and you didn't expect to be free before the night is over well I hate to disappoint you but you're going to be free before the night is over because the Lord has come to you because Jesus Christ is offering you freedom Jesus Christ stood in a temple one day and he said the spirit of the Lord is upon me because I've been anointed to bring the gospel to the poor that means those that have no strength no resource to get out of their poverty I've been sent to give sight to the blind those who can't see remember first thing that happened in that cell is light came into that cell I've been sent to open prison doors to those that are held captive I've been sent to heal those whose hearts are so broken they don't think they're ever going to recover and he closed the book and he said this day the scripture is fulfilled in your ears not tomorrow not next year not next month today God has come to you today you can be free today you can get up today you can get out today you could go to a prayer meeting today I love the fact that after Peter was delivered from the prison he goes to a prayer meeting praise God now they had a hard time letting him in but eventually when they opened the door I'm sure he started to pray and give give thanks and rejoice and testify about how God answered their prayers when they kept on praying they didn't give up they didn't quit they didn't give in they didn't get discouraged because their prayers seemingly were lacking in faith as they saw it they kept on praying they kept on knocking they kept on asking isn't that what the scripture says you seek you find you keep on knocking it's going to be open to you you ask and you're going to receive when we ask according to the will of God and is it not the will of God that people should be set free is it not the will of God that people who are are are irreparably captivated by darkness should not be released and brought into the life and light of Jesus Christ I believe that with all of my heart and I believe that's what Jesus Christ is offering you online and you say why because we've been praying for you we've been praying without ceasing I pray with a group of men and some women in the mornings usually four days a week from six to seven o'clock in the morning and for about 12 years we've been praying for you every day God send a spiritual awakening to this nation God set the captives free and that's you and we prayed without ceasing even more fervently actually in the last little while and here you are I can feel it and I'm standing beside you as an angel saying hey get up just get up put on your clothes put on your shoes put on your overcoat we're going to a prayer meeting and there's no power of hell that can stop it there's no devil there's nothing that can stop it so you get down you just knock on that door you might not be church you might not be familiar with it and people might even have a hard time believing that God brought you there but you can tell him yeah I was I was online at I was online at a prayer meeting and God came into my room told me to get up put on my shoes get dressed put on my coat the gate opened and here I am by the mercy of God I want to encourage you to do this one thing just pray this simple prayer with me Lord Jesus Christ I give my life to you that's how you get up that's the beginning you know just sit on the edge of your couch or your chair or your bed or whatever it is or maybe go to your knees or maybe stand up and just say Jesus I give you my life I may not understand it all but I hear you calling me and you're offering me freedom and you're offering me an opportunity to to find a future not just here in time but forever that only you could give me you died for me and you paid the price for all of the things that have become part of my life that shouldn't have been there I thank you that you paid the price for the wrong I have done and you're stretching out your hands to me and you're offering me eternal life I'd be a fool to turn it down so God I choose not to be a fool any longer I open my heart and I open my hands and I open my life and I ask you to come in and be my Savior would you pray that right now with me those that are online I'll lead you in the prayer here it goes dear Jesus I give you my life I give you my future I even give you my mistakes of the past and in return you promise to give me forgiveness and freedom and a new life and so Lord where you lead me now I will follow you in Jesus name amen the message today has been brought to you by Carter Conlon from Times Square Church for more information log on to tsc.nyc that's tsc.nyc plan to be with us next week for A Call to the Nation with Carter Conlon
