So on a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat on his throne and gave an oration to them. And the people kept shouting, "The voice of a god and not of a man!" Then immediately an angel of the Lord struck him, because he did not give glory to God. And he was eaten by worms and died. But the word of God grew and multiplied. (vs21-24)
The word of God can't be stopped, not by famine, unbelief, or persecution. Many think that God is subject to man and powerless, as if He can't get us His unadulterated word, as if we must hold the bible in suspicion because man has touched it. But, God is able to keep His word in spite of human failures, opposition, and every force opposing it. He says, “But the word of the Lord grew and multiplied”. He got food to His church (Acts 11:27-30), delivered Peter from prison (Acts 12:1-19), and He killed the man who'd stop His cause (Acts 12:20-24). Nothing shall ever slow down the progress of the gospel.
An angel brought Peter out of prison, even though he had little faith, thinking it was a vision rather than reality. We read, “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; and so he did. And he said to him, Put on your garment and follow me. So he went out and followed him, and did not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision” (vs7-9). The Almighty can save us, even though the Church has much unbelief mingled in our prayers. We read “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. But they said to her, You are beside yourself! Yet she kept insisting that it was so. So they said, It is his angel” (vs13-15). God doesn't let our unbelief or circumstances stop Him, but He saves by faith, even the tiniest of faith.
You and I don't have to be perfect, don't have to live up to the standard, before we can be saved. He says, “He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life” (1 John 5:12). He saves us as SINNERS who know our unworthiness in ourselves, but we trust in the perfections of the Son - that He obeyed God, God raised Him from the dead, and God will hear and help us, weak as we are, for His sake. He says, “For the Scripture says, Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame” (Rom 10:11). It is not the greatness of the one who believes; it is the GREATNESS of the One whom we believe.
There was a famine, and you'd think that the church may go out of business, but she won't. Scripture says, “And in these days prophets came from Jerusalem to Antioch. Then one of them, named Agabus, stood up and showed by the Spirit that there was going to be a great famine throughout all the world, which also happened in the days of Claudius Caesar. Then the disciples, each according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brethren dwelling in Judea” (Acts 11:27-29). God gave His people the word ahead of time, and His church banded together to help the cause of Christ God's way. We are not extinct because we actually love and help each other, supporting the cause of Christ, because faith produces works that keep us going (1 John 3:18).
We are not killed by persecution. Churches may struggle, believers may even die for the faith, but the gospel continues, even though the hatred is strong against us. It doesn't matter. Paul said, “Remember that Jesus Christ, of the seed of David, was raised from the dead according to my gospel, for which I suffer trouble as an evildoer, even to the point of chains; but the word of God is not chained” (2 Tim 2:8-9). God is STRONGER than the strongest and opposition only exists to glorify God and show His might. He is able to save us miraculously, and our most powerful foes are only breathing as He gives them breadth. At any moment He chooses, He will turn the tables, and the persecutor will have no power, and the persecuted will escape their hands.
Don't fret about God's word and gospel; it is going forth, even now, powerfully. Let us labor with God, not using His promises as excuses to sin, but grabbing hold of them for strength to obey.
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