The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, and majestic in his radiant splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Acts 12:1,
“It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them.”
There are a variety of reasons why members of the Kingdom of Heaven may endure difficulty or suffering in this life. Living in a lost and fallen world that continues to struggle under its Creator’s judgment is cause for difficulty or suffering for all mankind, whether they are God’s children or not.
Some in the church suffer because of poor choices they might make, stumbling in sin, etc., as we reap what we sow.
Others suffer for some purpose of God, as did the blind man who was born blind, not because of his own sin or the sin of his parents. Jesus told his disciples he was born blind that God’s work might be displayed in his life, as he healed him miraculously to demonstrate his compassion and authenticate the message of the coming Kingdom of God, John 9:1-12.
Others have been called by God to martyrdom as a testimony of their commitment to God, revealing what true faith looks like, “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered”, Romans 8:36.
There is possibly another cause for suffering that we see on display here as we read of King Herod’s treatment of the church when he had the apostle James put to death, the first apostle martyred. His brother speaks of it in 1 John 3:12-13, “Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother's were righteous. Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you.”
There may have been political reasons why Herod took the action he did against the church, but I have to think he was also fueled by this dynamic we read of in the account of Cain’s murder of Abel in Genesis 4.
There are those of us who have thrown our lot in with the Kingdom of Heaven and joined God in his tent. On the other hand, there are those who, for whatever reason (Jesus, in his conversation with Nicodemus in John 3 spoke of those who refuse to come into the light because their evil deeds would be exposed), have rejected God’s offer, remain outside of God’s tent and live in hostility toward those of us who are within.
How is it that God allowed the early church to suffer? The church willingly participated in God’s agenda, working together with him to carry out his purposes. In this way the church very effectively communicated the greatness and glory of God as One who was worthy to suffer for.
After all, wasn’t God the one who harbored a love of unworthy mankind that prompted him to send his Son to suffer in mankind's place?
There are a variety of reasons why members of the Kingdom of Heaven may endure difficulty or suffering in this life. Living in a lost and fallen world that continues to struggle under its Creator’s judgment is cause for difficulty or suffering for all mankind, whether they are God’s children or not.
Some in the church suffer because of poor choices they might make, stumbling in sin, etc., as we reap what we sow.
Others suffer for some purpose of God, as did the blind man who was born blind, not because of his own sin or the sin of his parents. Jesus told his disciples he was born blind that God’s work might be displayed in his life, as he healed him miraculously to demonstrate his compassion and authenticate the message of the coming Kingdom of God, John 9:1-12.
Others have been called by God to martyrdom as a testimony of their commitment to God, revealing what true faith looks like, “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered”, Romans 8:36.
There is possibly another cause for suffering that we see on display here as we read of King Herod’s treatment of the church when he had the apostle James put to death, the first apostle martyred. His brother speaks of it in 1 John 3:12-13, “Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother's were righteous. Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you.”
There may have been political reasons why Herod took the action he did against the church, but I have to think he was also fueled by this dynamic we read of in the account of Cain’s murder of Abel in Genesis 4.
There are those of us who have thrown our lot in with the Kingdom of Heaven and joined God in his tent. On the other hand, there are those who, for whatever reason (Jesus, in his conversation with Nicodemus in John 3 spoke of those who refuse to come into the light because their evil deeds would be exposed), have rejected God’s offer, remain outside of God’s tent and live in hostility toward those of us who are within.
How is it that God allowed the early church to suffer? The church willingly participated in God’s agenda, working together with him to carry out his purposes. In this way the church very effectively communicated the greatness and glory of God as One who was worthy to suffer for.
After all, wasn’t God the one who harbored a love of unworthy mankind that prompted him to send his Son to suffer in mankind's place?
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
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