My Kind Of Plan
Acts 12:24
24 But the word of God grew and multiplied.
Acts twelve, verse twenty-four in the King James Version says, But the word of God grew and multiplied. Leading up to that, Herod Agrippa I's been cracking down hard on the early church. In chapter twelve, he kills James, John's brother, with a sword, which thrills the Jewish leaders who hated Christians. Then he arrests Peter, likely to keep the momentum, planning to kill him after Passover. Peter's in prison, chained between two soldiers, with guards watching every move—tight security. The church prays nonstop for him. Miraculously, an angel appears, the chains fall off, and Peter walks out past sleeping guards and open gates, thinking it's a vision. He escapes to a safe house where believers are shocked to see him alive. Meanwhile, Herod executes the guards for failing, then heads to Caesarea. There, he's hailed as a god, accepts the praise, and God strikes him dead for blasphemy—worms eat him up. That's when the gospel starts spreading faster, no longer crushed under persecution.
Praise God! Praise Him because He has a plan. God wants us all to be a part of this growing and multiplying of His Word. That means first we must know the Word. When we know the Word, people notice, because we live the Word. You can pretty well be sure that one of God’s plans for us is to spread the Word, and we spread the Word with our actions when we treat others with kindness. So let’s be part of this plan. Read and spread the Word. All the time!