Episode 106: The Outcome of Earnest Prayer

In the name of the glorious Trinity, Father and Son and Holy

Spirit, forever Amen. Glory be to the everlasting

mercies which sent you to us, O Christ, the light of the world

and the life of all. Give us wisdom by your law and

enlighten our impulses by Your knowledge.

Sanctify our souls by Your truth, and grant that we may be

obedient to Your words and may fulfil Your commandments at

every hour. O You who enlightens the

rational with the knowledge of Your greatness, do enlight, O my

Lord, our thoughts, that we may meditate upon Your holy and

divine Scriptures at all times. O Lord of all, Father and Son

and Holy Spirit, forever. Amen.

Amongst many instances in the Holy Scriptures where answers

are given to prayers and we see the power of prayer 1 is in Acts

Acts 12 · chapter mention

chapter 12, which we've been reading as a series.

Now we know it begins with the beheading of John and then Saint

Peter Simon, the rock being thrown in the dungeon in the

prison. And we read and we discussed

that the church continued in earnest prayer.

And when we were discussing prayer, we mentioned that we're

going to now see the fruit of that prayer and the outcome of

the prayer as we continue to read.

So let's continue, beloved. And now it's going to be

overlapping from last the program, but we're going to go

back to verse 6 and hopefully to verses 19.

So that's Acts chapter 12, verses 6 to 19.

Acts 12:6–19

And on the very night before the morning that he was to be

delivered, that Simon was to be delivered, delivered up while

Simon Peter was sleeping between two soldiers bound with two

chains, and others were guarding the doors of the prison,

remember 16 chains. The Angel of the Lord stood over

him, over Simon, and a light shone in all the prison.

And the Angel touched him on the side and woke him and said to

him, Rise up quickly. And the chains fell off from his

hands. The power of prayer.

And the Angel said to him, Bind your girdle and put on your

sandals. Be prepared, there's more work

to be done, more service. And so he did.

And again he said to him, put on your robe and follow me.

And he went out and followed the Angel, not knowing that what was

done by the Angel was true, but thought he saw a vision.

When they had passed the 1st and the second guard, they came to

the iron gate, and it opened them, I'm sorry, opened to them

of its own accord. So the gate opened, and when

they had gone, Aden had passed one steal.

The Angel departed from him. So after they've gone out of the

gates, the Angel leaves him. And when Simon Peter came to

himself, he said, now I surely know that the Lord has sent the

Angel and has delivered me out of the hand of Herod the king.

And from all that the Jews were conspiring against me.

Remember when John's head was beheaded, when John was

beheaded, the Jews like that, the Jews that were not faithful,

they was still Jews, not Christians, not faithful.

They liked it and then Herod saw that oh, this please them.

Then he captures Simon. There's another outcome of

prayer that the Jews were also belittled and ridiculed because

of what the Angel has done here. And when he understood, he went

to the House of Mary, the mother of John, whose surname was Mark,

so that we're talking about John Mark the the evangelist, because

many brethren were gathered there praying.

When he knocked at the door of the courtyard, a little girl

named Rhoda came out to answer. And when she recognized Simon's

voice, because of her joy, she did not open the door to him,

but ran back and said, Behold, Simon Peter stands at the gate

of the courtyard. They said to her, You are crazy

here. It says excited, but the word is

crazy. She dunted, but she argued that

it was so. Then they said, perhaps it's his

Angel. But Simon Pitta continued

knocking at the door, and they went out and saw him, and were

astonished, but he motioned to them with his hand to keep quiet

like. Then he entered and related to

them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison.

And he said, Tell these things to James and to our brother

brethren. And he went out and departed for

another place. Now when it was morning, there

was great tumult among the soldiers as to what had become

of Simon Peter. When Herod had sought him and

could not find him, he sentenced the guards and commanded that

they should be put to death. That was his trade.

And Simon Peter left Judea and stayed in Caesarea.

So we see Simon being bound, being guarded in a prison, and

Herod is ready to execute. Basically, this is the night

before that he was going to wake up and execute Simon Peter.

Now, we don't know what in what way, but we, you know, we

believe it would have been the same trend to behead Simon as

well. So not knowing, putting

ourselves again in Simon's position, I wonder what he was

going through. Totally resigned to the will of

God, as we as we discussed in other in our other program,

totally resigned to the will of God and maybe praying and

preparing himself to see his Lord.

But God had other plans, beloved.

There were prayers being offered to God that he would be relieved

and released and God, so he's the prayers and the prayers we

know were according to God's perfect plan, perfect will and

perfect timing. Because at times we offer

prayers and they are not answered as we wish.

They are not answered the way we want.

They are not answered at the time and the the date and the,

the, the, the manner we want. But God has that, and at times

the answer, we've always mentioned this is could be a no.

That is an answer. But today we read that the

answer to the prayers of the church, earnest prayers, earnest

prayers, was that yes, it benefits my will.

This is in my plan. And I will now show you that the

effect of your prayers have pleased me, and I will show you

my wonder. He sends an Angel and the Angel

wakes him up. He pierces him in his side and

says get up, up, you're going to leave.

This is not an escape. This is not an escape.

This is God's wonder for the release of Simon from prison.

So he tells him to get up, take everything, gird yourself,

prepare yourself. Now, let me ask you a question.

When there is a prison break, I think there was a film called

Prison Break, right? Yeah.

Prison break. Yeah.

Do you see the inmates packing up everything?

Oh, this is my grandmother's picture or this is the picture

of my dog. And, you know, making a little,

you know, packing up the suitcase and being ready and

putting on the the clothes and put on the tie.

I'm going to leave now. No, it's an escape.

You just run. You run for your life, but the

Angel doesn't tell him run for your life.

He says no, stand up, prepare yourself.

Again, this is not you're not escaping.

God is allowing you to be released.

God is releasing you. We cannot escape from our

problems, beloved. We shouldn't try to escape from

our pain, suffering, misery at times our sorrow, our

persecution. We shouldn't as Christians,

because our lives are in the perfect hands of our Lord Jesus

Christ if we have committed them.

We should await the day of the release from God by God.

Now, if the release is to blink your eye and see yourself in the

presence of the Lord in the Kingdom of heaven or in

paradise, praise be to his name. If the release is from the pain

and suffering, praise be to his name.

This is not a release. This is not an escape.

This is a release, beloved. And he leaves.

The soldiers are still asleep. He brings him to the gate and

Simon is still thinking. This must be a vision.

Yes, of course, of course. Let's not be too hard on the

apostles. You know, sometimes we point the

finger. Oh, the doubt doubting, Thomas.

I don't like that term strictly personally speaking.

I don't like the term the doubting Thomas.

No, no, no. If Thomas hadn't doubted, if

Thomas didn't question you and I would not have that

confirmation, you would not or you and I would not have this

confirmation that the Lord is resurrected and he is Lord, He

is God because that's what Thomas proclaims.

My Lord and my God, let's not be too harsh on the apostles. 2024

years have gone. We still struggle accepting and

believing the truth that Jesus is God.

Praise be to his name, Jesus is resurrected.

Science and and the skeptics are still trying to find the the

bones of Jesus Christ. Keep searching bro, keep

searching, keep searching. Christ is resurrected, so let's

not be too harsh on the disciples or the apostles.

Yes, it was a great thing. And and you know, maybe

sometimes when we read of the angels, we think of those little

children in the nude fondling themselves.

I'm sorry to use the language. That's how they're being

predicted. That's how they have been shown.

But that's not an Angel. An Angel is a being, a spiritual

being with six huge wings. With two they cover their faces,

with two they cover their bodies and went.

With two they they blow wind. So this is a huge Angel telling

him to go. And the light, the whole prison

was illuminated and no one was waking up except Simon.

So sometimes beloved, yes, sometimes we don't understand.

We think it's surreal. We question even is this God?

Are you telling me that this is God?

Well, you know, I don't know. It's OK.

You don't have to work it out. Don't try to work it out.

Just as you do not try to escape from your pain and misery and

wait for God's release. Don't try to work it out

yourself because we get it wrong.

If not ten out of 10/9 out of 10 times we get it wrong.

Wait for God to reveal what is plan is what is wonder is when

they had come to the gate that was taken out to the courtyard.

Then Simon realizes that this was an Angel and the Lord sent

the Angel for me and the Angel had departed.

So he comes to the house. Now a little oral tradition,

beloved, which is not wrong. Oral tradition is not a rude and

dirty thing. No, no, no.

Oral tradition is what the Holy Apostolic Universal Church has

practiced its faith through, including the Holy Scriptures.

In oral tradition, there is a understanding that both Mary

Mark and Rhoda. Mary was the wife of Simon, Mark

was his son, and Rhoda was his daughter.

Now, yes, we test everything to the Holy Scriptures, even the

old tradition. We're going to test it now and

see that these are not what exactly the scriptures are

saying, just as just as the scriptures do not specifically

say that, or in the scriptures, Jesus does not specifically

claim that I am God. 3 words, not just I am.

I know that, I know that, but I am God.

But we know that through the Scriptures.

Jesus is God, praise and glory be to his name.

Through the scriptures. We see that this oral tradition

is going a little hand in hand with the Scriptures, Mauricio,

that the church father writes after discipleship, the apostles

were prevented from marriage, not were demanded or commanded

to divorce. No, no, no, Marriage is sacred.

Marriage is sacred. I won't go further, I'll contain

myself. That they were prevented from

marriage and from worldly care. That's what Mauri Shudad writes.

Yes, and I mean, let me read some scriptures.

Matthew 1927. Look at what Simon asks.

Jesus, behold, we have left everything and we have come

after you. What then will happen to us?

What does it mean by everything? Fishing, yes.

Boat, yes. House, possibly everything,

including that relationship that we had with our immediate family

as well. We have left everything.

So when Mauri Shudad writes that after they were called to

discipleship and being apostles, they were prevented from

marriage because they had to take care of the church, their

bridegroom. This also goes hand in hand with

what Jesus commands in Luke chapter 14 verse 26.

Luke 14:26

Whoever comes to me and does not set apart, not hate, set apart

his father and his mother and his brother and his sister and

his wife and his children and even himself.

He cannot be my disciple, not friend or brother or child of

God. Disciple discipleship,

apostleship requires total commitment, beloved.

Hence today the prelates of the church do not marry because they

have been betrothed to the church.

Look at what Saint Paul writes in One Corinthians 95.

And the fathers here too say possibly Paul may have been

married. There's nothing wrong with being

married. Yes, I know, Saint Paul says, I

wish that everyone would be like me.

Maybe he's talking about this. Let's have a read.

And why is it illegal for us to travel with a wife as other

apostles and as the brothers of our Lord and as Simon Possibly

Saint Paul was also married, but he gave up all of that and

followed Jesus Christ. Now, whether they were or they

weren't doesn't change the, the, the wonder of God.

But hey, why don't we learn it as it was?

Why don't we at least have a knowledge of what it was, the

truth, and not just something plucked out of the air or what I

think, how I believe, what I feel.

I'm not concerned about what you feel.

You shouldn't be concerned about what I feel, what I believe, how

I see it. No, no, we see it through the

Scriptures and the frame of the church.

So let's go back to Simon. Simon returns home.

Why? Well, he returned home to tell

of God's wonder for him, just as Jesus commanded that young man

who is demon possessed. He wanted to follow Jesus

Christ. He said no, Go and tell your

family, your friends. Go and tell everyone what the

Lord has done to you. Go and tell those who are in the

faith. Go and encourage those who are

in the faith. That's why he, he, he, he

gestures with his hand. Don't say anything.

I have something to tell you. We're going to talk about that.

Jesus commands in Luke 12. Three, Everything that you will

say in darkness shall be heard in the light, and whatever you

whispered in the ear, in an inner chamber, in a room will be

preached on the rooftops. One of the most fruitful and

beneficial thing we can do when God works wonders in our lives

for His glory in any way, shape or form is to tell it to others

within the faith in humility. In humility.

Verse 14, Simon returns and his voice is only heard.

And Rhoda, accepting that she may have been his daughter, was

so excited, beloved to the effect that she doesn't even

open the door. It's like when someone important

is coming or someone that you haven't seen for so long.

And after 1520, thirty years, you know the story, the story of

the Assyrian people's lives being distant and taken away

from parents, from brothers after 30s.

You know, sometimes you see these videos on, on social media

waiting for my sister, haven't seen her for 30 years, for 30

years, right? So, so they, they start

attending or they, they, they appear and then you see them

through the window and then they're at the door and you're

saying, Oh my God, she's here, She's here.

And then your mom will say, oh, your friend, we'll open the

door, go and open the door. It's so joyous.

You see, God's work. The answer to prayers is so

joyous. Beloved, you know when we when

God answers our prayers, at times how we've asked and at

times according to His perfect dual timing and manner, a we

must be ecstatic. We must be overjoyed when God

doesn't answer our prayers the way we want and when God's

answer is a no, that must bring joy to our hearts.

Why? Because God has actually

acknowledged me, God has actually heard me for him to

say, for example, no or not like this, not right now.

And she went to bear good news. She also went and this would be

to prepare, to prepare these people, beloved, you know, isn't

it amazing that the bearers of good news in the Scriptures in

this instance and another instance are female?

Right, a female God loves male and female, beloved.

All right, Mary Magdalene John 20, who told of the resurrection

and Rhoda here tells of it's Simon, it's him, it's him.

Now you may say, well, why didn't she say it's Dad?

Well, because because of the apostleship that Simon was

brought, called to and assigned to, the whole family was

affected, Beloved. The whole family had to adhere

to that calling. Verses 15 and 16, we read that

when she tells them it's Simon's voice.

I know you know that's my dad's voice.

I know my dad's voice, right? It's Simon's voice.

They thought she was crazy. They said that you're crazy.

Well, in this world, that's how people who love the Lord God and

His Son Jesus the Christ and submit to His Holy Spirit are

perceived as crazy. But that's OK.

We will be crazy for God. We will receive any title, any

ridicule, any misnomers for our Lord Jesus Christ.

You know why Simon told us. Beloved, listen to this for us

to be littled, to go down, to be humbled, for Christ to be

exalted. If I'm going to be called crazy,

stupid, non realistic, and my Lord is going to be glorified,

praise be to his name. I'll take it any day, beloved,

because in Two Corinthians chapter 5, verses 13 to 14,

Saint Paul writes for if we have lost our mind, it is for God.

If we are of sound mind, it is for you.

For the love of Christ controls us.

Whatever we go through, whatever we receive, we receive for God.

So they called her crazy. She didn't come back.

And you know, started arguing. No, no, no, don't call me crazy.

No, no, she said, I know, I know.

It's Simon's voice. Because there was going to be an

amazing news that Simon was going to give any, you know, the

scriptures tell us that he told them about what happened.

Saint John Chrysostom writes, even if people think we are mad,

everything is for the glory of God, Amen.

Everything for the glory. Do everything for the glory of

God, even persecution. Because remember 1 Corinthians

127. It is the weak, it is the

foolish, and I'll keep going. It is the crazy.

It is those, those who are seen to be out of their minds that

God uses to ridicule those who think they are something, but

they are not. So he told them about his Angel.

See that Angel was sent for Simon.

And who is that Angel, beloved? Yes, guardian Angel.

We all have guardian angels. Yes, there is a guardian Angel.

And people can give a lot of testimonies about how they've

been experienced. Something like seeing someone

and then turn around and that person was not there.

Well, that could be your Angel. St.

Paul says, you know, some have entertained angels without them

knowing. This would have been Simon's

guardian Angel. He just gestures in silence.

But look at what he says. No vain glory.

He didn't go telling, though. He didn't go knock on the door.

Let me tell you what God did for me.

Let me tell you what God has done for me.

Many people have experiences. They claim they've had visions

and they want to tell the world and I want to, you know,

sometimes it's in pride as well. We got to be careful.

Satan can use that. You know, the way you measure a

person's experience with Christ, the way you can measure whether

that vision, that experience is true, is when you see a life

change in that person. When the person's life has

changed and the person is witnessing to you and telling

you that that person has an experience with with Jesus

Christ and the life has changed and you can experience it and

you can witness it. You can see it, then that is

genuine because you cannot see Jesus Christ and continue to

live a life of debauchery, immorality.

You cannot praise God and say God bless when you have no

relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

That's only service, beloved and he wasn't after Vainglory.

He says go and tell James and the brothers because they need

to be also encouraged. We can encourage each other too.

Let's encourage one another. You know, sometimes testimonies,

there has been some powerful testimonies.

I have to mention my brother Shasha Shane, Deacon Shane in

Australia. He has an amazing testimony of

what he went through before he came to the Lord.

And he, he presented the testimony in 2000, 1006, I think

2006 youth conference, I think it was in Chicago.

No, 2008, maybe 2010. Yeah.

And he brought people to tears and he received a standing

ovation for the glory of God. Yes, some people have amazing

testimonies. Don't hold those testimonies.

Don't hold them. It's not for you.

It's for the glory of God and he wanted to tell everyone.

Verse 19, we read of the poor soldiers and there's a question

there. Why would God do this?

Like it's always, why would God, you know, people don't believe

in God because why would God do this?

Why would God? Well, no, no, you got to look

into it a little. You got to study it a little

bit. Do you think that they were

executed because of Simon? Was it Simon's fault?

No, it wasn't. No.

Why did Herod execute the soldiers?

Well, like grandfather, like grandson?

It was possibly because he felt that he was mocked.

Remember his grandfather, he felt that he was mocked by the

wise men in Matthew 216 when he asked to find the king so that

he would go and also worship him.

No, no, no, that was a that was a lie.

He wanted to get to the king because he felt threatened.

What another king, he wanted to destroy, he want to execute, he

want to kill Jesus totally opposite to Christ when he was

being mocked, totally opposite to Christ's reaction.

Matthew 2731. And when they had mocked him,

they stripped him of the robe and clothed him in the garments

and led him to be crucified. They mocked him and what was

what came out of Jesus, Jesus mouth?

Father, forgive them for they do not know what they're doing.

These were his words hanging on the cross, beloved.

So back to Herod. It was because of his, this

would be hero we can call because he felt mocked.

And that's why he then executed the soldiers.

He searched the scripture. Say that he's searched.

He asked. He examined what happened.

They saw the chains. He saw the chains.

Now, if they had undone the chains, beloved, why would they

do that? Because they knew they were

going to be persecuted and executed.

They saw that the chains had been gone.

His sandals were gone, His garment was gone as well.

Why would the would the the soldiers have concealed all of

this? Why would they not try to defend

themselves by lying? They didn't.

They didn't say anything. So it was because of his

wickedness. It wasn't because God sent an

Angel to release Simon from evil and they also received evil.

No, it was because of Herod's wickedness.

So before we ask, where is God, Why God?

No, no, no, we must ask why people, why men are so distant

from God to the point that they will commit any evil, any

wickedness, without even thinking twice, to the point of

killing people. So this became clear, beloved,

that these men died because of the wickedness of Herod.

At the same time we saw the wonder of God.

See in one scenario through 1 circumstance in life, God can

work many different scenarios. God will bring many different

wonders beloved, only if we like Simon Rest.

Remember he was in the in in not in the hospital.

He was in the prison. He slept this that he knew that

is is is probably going to be persecuted.

This was this is what he was thinking, but it didn't he

didn't fret. I purse, I'm persecuted.

Great, I'll be with the Lord Jesus told me beforehand.

This is what's going to happen to me if God then releases me.

Praise and glory be to his name. So let's be that, Simon,

beloved, in any circumstance, in life, any circumstance, remember

our lives are in the hand of God if we have submitted them.

Some people take them away from God, yes, they do what they want

to do That's fine, that's free will.

That's the love of God again. But when we have submitted to

God, rest assured and wait. God will work many wonders

through what you are going for, His glory and for the salvation

of souls. Praise and glory be to His name,

now and at all times and forever.

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