Unlock Your Life
Message Moments & Highlights
When Peter was imprisoned, the church didn’t panic — they prayed. That moment of heartfelt, united prayer became the turning point. It wasn’t a rescue plan or a strategy; it was faith in action. Prayer changes everything.
Sometimes God doesn’t show us the whole path — just enough light for the next step. Like a torch in the dark, His guidance comes one moment at a time. Trust that each small step in faith is leading you where you need to go.
Sometimes breakthrough doesn’t look the way we imagined it. But when we choose to believe — even when it doesn’t make sense — we find that God’s version of the story is far more beautiful than the one we were holding onto. Trust His plan; it’s always better.
Unlock Your Life
Life often presents us with situations that feel completely locked up - relationships that seem beyond repair, financial struggles that won't budge, health issues that persist, or dreams that feel impossible to reach. The story of Peter's miraculous prison escape in Acts 12 reveals three essential keys that can unlock breakthrough in our own seemingly impossible circumstances.
The first key is prayer that moves heaven. When Peter was imprisoned with double chains, sixteen guards, and massive iron gates, the church didn't panic - they prayed earnestly. This wasn't casual prayer but desperate, full-hearted crying out to God. Prayer doesn't just move heaven; it aligns our hearts with God and brings peace even in the storm. The second key involves taking the next step God shows us, even when it seems ordinary or small. Peter had to put on his clothes, sandals, and cloak before following the angel. We don't need the whole map - just enough light to take the next faithful step. Obedience in small things often opens the biggest doors.
The third key is believing and expecting God to move even when it doesn't make sense. When Peter knocked at the door after his escape, a servant girl named Rhoda immediately believed and expected the miracle, while others thought she was crazy. Breakthrough often comes in unexpected ways - through a phone call, conversation, or door that opens just a crack. We must act on our faith and expect God to break through, even when the solution looks different than what we imagined. The same God who opened Peter's prison still has power today and wants breakthrough in our lives as well.
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Unlock Your Life: Three Keys to Breakthrough
Have you ever felt like there's a door in your life that just won't open? Maybe it's a relationship that feels stuck, an opportunity that seems out of reach, or a sense of peace that remains elusive. The harder you push in your own strength, the more locked everything feels.
In Acts 12, we find Peter in what appears to be an impossible situation - literally locked in prison with double chains, sixteen guards, and massive iron gates. Yet God opened every single barrier. The same God who freed Peter from that prison cell is the same God who can unlock whatever feels trapped in your life today.
What Does It Mean to Be Truly Locked Up?
Peter wasn't just in any ordinary jail. He was heavily guarded by four squads of four soldiers each - that's sixteen guards total. He was bound with double chains and locked behind huge iron gates that required multiple people to open. This wasn't because Peter was dangerous, but because of the powerful message he carried.
Sometimes we face situations that feel just as locked up. Financial struggles that won't budge. Health issues that persist despite our best efforts. Relationships that seem beyond repair. Dreams that feel impossible to reach.
Key 1: Pray Until Heaven Moves
The turning point in Peter's story wasn't a rescue plan or an army plotting a jailbreak. It was prayer. Acts 12:5 tells us: "So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him."
The church didn't panic when the situation looked dire. They prayed. But this wasn't casual, polite prayer. The Greek word used here is "ektanos," which means to stretch out - like someone reaching with everything they've got. This was desperate, full-hearted crying out to God.
Why Prayer Is Your Most Powerful Key
When everything feels locked up in our lives, we usually reach for the "panic key" first. We spiral, worry, and talk to everyone except God. But panic doesn't unlock anything - it just wears us out.
Prayer, however, is different. Prayer doesn't just move heaven; it aligns our hearts with God. When the church reached for prayer instead of panic, heaven began to move and chains began to fall.
Finding Peace in the Storm
Here's something remarkable about Peter's story: he was so at peace that he fell into a deep sleep the night before his trial. Most of us can't sleep well before a dentist appointment, but Peter was on death row and sleeping soundly. Why? Because his life was anchored in prayer and trust in God.
Key 2: Take the Next Step God Shows You
When the angel appeared and Peter's chains fell off, you might expect God to just teleport him to freedom. Instead, the angel said something surprisingly ordinary: "Put on your clothes and sandals. Wrap your cloak around you and follow me."
Really? That's the plan? It seems so simple, so ordinary. But God leads us out of tight places one step at a time.
You Don't Need the Whole Map
Peter had no idea where he was going. He thought it was all a vision and was still half-asleep, yet he followed anyway. You don't need a spotlight showing the entire pathway - you just need enough light to take the next step.
When you're facing something locked up, ask God: "What's my next faithful step?" It might be as simple as making a phone call, offering an apology, trying again, or forgiving again.
Obedience Opens Gates
Peter obeyed in little steps, and when he reached the biggest obstacle - the iron gate - it swung open by itself. He didn't push it or touch it. The gate just opened. Some doors won't open for you until you walk right up to them, having taken all the small steps of obedience to get there.
God often unlocks breakthrough on the other side of your obedience.
Key 3: Believe Even When It Doesn't Make Sense
When Peter finally stood in the streets of freedom, his brain was still catching up to the miracle. It didn't make sense that the breakthrough was actually real and happening.
He ran to the house where the church had been praying and knocked at the door. A servant girl named Rhoda heard his voice and, without hesitation, believed before she saw. She was so excited she ran back inside shouting, "Peter's at the door!"
Expecting vs. Just Hoping
The others responded, "You're out of your mind. It must be his angel." Here's the difference: they were praying, but they weren't actually expecting God to come through. Rhoda was the hero because she believed and expected the miracle to happen.
When you pray, you need to expect that God is going to move in your situation. You need to believe that He is bigger than your circumstances.
Breakthrough Comes in Unexpected Ways
Breakthrough often comes in ways we don't expect - a phone call, a conversation, a door that opens just a crack. You have to act on that small thread of faith you have. When breakthrough looks different than what you were expecting, don't just pray - act on it, believe it, and expect God to break through.
A Personal Story of Breakthrough
After 14 years of infertility treatments and heartbreak, doctors told a couple they would never have children. The statistics for adoption were discouraging - only 12 babies per year are adopted under 12 months old in Victoria, Australia, and the process typically takes four years.
But after just four months of applying, they received an unexpected call. They were chosen to be parents of a 10-week-old baby boy. It didn't happen the way they thought it would, but it was even greater than they could have imagined.
Throughout those 14 years, they kept being obedient, kept expecting God to make a way where there was no way, kept seeking Him and taking every step He showed them. They believed He would come through, even when it didn't make sense.
What's Locked Up in Your Life?
Maybe it's your finances, your health, a relationship that feels impossible, or a dream you've been praying for. Maybe it's peace, purpose, freedom, or future plans for your life.
The same God who opened Peter's prison, the same God who rolled the stone away from Jesus' tomb, is still moving today. He still has power today. That same power lives in you, and He wants breakthrough in your life as well.
Life Application
This week, identify one area of your life that feels "locked up." Instead of reaching for the panic key, commit to earnest prayer about this situation. Ask God to show you the next faithful step you need to take, even if it seems small or ordinary. Then take that step in obedience, believing that God will open the right doors at the right time.
Remember: you don't need the whole map planned out. You just need to trust God and keep walking with Him, one step at a time.
Questions for Reflection:
When life feels locked up, which key do I typically reach for first - panic or prayer?
What is the next faithful step God is showing me in my current situation?
Am I just hoping for breakthrough, or am I actually expecting God to move?
How can I position myself to recognize breakthrough even when it comes in unexpected ways?
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A discussion guide for the sermon can be found here.
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All right, let's go to Acts 12, verses 4 to 10.
The whole front row is just in giggles at the moment. Get it together, people. After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Everyone doing their math, that's 16. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover.
So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him the night before Herod was to bring him to trial. Trial. Peter was sleeping between two soldiers bound with two chains, and sentry stood guard at the entrance. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared and the light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up.
Quick, get up, he said, and the chains fell off Peter's wrists. A little bit of historical content here this morning. By the time we reach Acts 20, the early church was growing, but so was the opposition. King Herod Agrippa I, a political leader, was trying to gain favor with the Jewish people, and he launches a violent campaign against the Christians. He executes James, one of Jesus closest disciples, and sees the crowd's approval.
He then arrests Peter next, intending to make a public example of him. After Passover, Peter is heavily guarded by 16 soldiers, double chains, and locked up behind huge, big iron gates that took multiple people to open them. And not because Peter's dangerous, but because of the message that he carried. The church's young. It's under threat and it's grieving the loss of a beloved leader.
Hope seems fragile, but God is not done. In the darkest moments, while Peter is locked away, the church begins to pray and heaven begins to move. Are you excited this morning? Have you ever had a door in your life that just wouldn't open? And I don't mean a metaphorical door, I mean like an actual door.
Like, have you ever locked yourself out of your house? Yes. Put your hand up if you locked yourself out of the house. Whoa. Okay.
We've all done that. Good on you. We're all normal. Okay.
I locked myself out a few years ago. The problem was, it was a stinking hot day. I locked myself out, and I had just done the grocery store shopping, and like a superhero, I had gained all the groceries out of my boot, and I'd done it all in one try. You know when you put all the bags on your arms and you're like, I'm just doing one trip with this. That's it.
So I'd done that. I got to the front door, went to grab my key and went, I don't have my key. So I jiggled the door and it wouldn't open. I'm like, you've got to be joking me. I am super organized, people.
How have I been so crazy and forgotten my key? So what did I do? I put all the groceries on the front deck in the stinking hot heat. And then I went around all the house and I tried every single window and every single lock. And you've all done this too, right?
You've tried to climb in the toilet window or something? Yeah. And so in the end, because I'm sure I had to drag the wheelie bin over to the laundry window, climb on top of it, and then try and open that wing. And then the bin toppled over and I fell down with it, right? And so I went back to the front door and I'm like, seriously, all my belongings, all the things I own are on the other side of this door, and I can't get in because I don't have the right key.
And I'm sure the neighbors thought this was hilarious. If they were watching, they were like, either this lady's burglaring that house or she's just like, locked herself out. And it would have been very funny, but I didn't have the right key, so I couldn't get in. And some of us have doors like that in our life too, don't we? Metaphorical doors.
A locked relationship, a locked opportunity, a locked sense of peace. And the harder we jiggle, the more we push in our own strength, the tighter it feels. And Peter felt like this in Acts 12, but he was literally in a prison prison, locked up with double chains on his wrist with lots of guards and a big iron gate. And yet God opened it.
Here is the good news for you. The same God that opened that locked gate in that prison cell is the same God that can open up whatever is locked in your life today. Too excited this morning. Today I've titled my message unlock your life. And I want to look at three key keys that lead to breakthrough in our lives.
God's been speaking all about breakthrough and being close to him this morning. So my first point this morning is pray until heaven moves. Acts 12:5 7 says. So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him. The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers bound with two chains.
And sentries stood guard at the end entrance. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. Quick, get up, he said. And the chains fell off Peter's wrist.
Now let's zoom in on what's actually happening here. Peter's not just in jail, he's double locked up with chains. He's got lots and lots of guards around him and he's got the huge, big iron gates. He's awaiting trial for something that's likely to lead to execution. From a human point of view, this doesn't look good, does it?
No, it doesn't look like there is any way out. But then we read this little verse in verse five. So Peter was kept in prison but the church was earnestly praying to God for him. Right here is the turning point for this whole story. It's not a rescue point plan.
It's not an army plotting a jailbreak. It's prayer. The church didn't panic, even though the situation was dire. They prayed. And they didn't just pray like, oh, yes, I pray that Peter would be released from heaven and that.
And then it was done. They earnestly prayed. They prayed deep, heartfelt prayers. They earnestly prayed. The original Greek word here, here is ektanos.
It means to stretch out, like somebody reaching with everything they've got. Who's seen the new Fantastic Four movie? Do you guys not go to the movies? I asked the Saturday night service too, and they didn't know what that was. In the new Fantastic Four movie, one of the guys has a superpower of stretching.
And there's a scene where he is trying to. To save his baby son's life. And he stretches so wide to try and beat this thing that's after them. You are waiting for him to snap in half, but he stretches and he reaches so wide because he believes in the value of what he's trying to save. And that's what this church was doing.
They were earnestly praying. It wasn't a polite prayer. This was a desperate, full hearted cry to God. Now let me show you something. Pastor Narelle, does somebody else want to volunteer?
No. Rel, come up here.
Pastor Narrel, you know I love object lessons, right? I don't have any water today. I'm not going to wet anyone. All right, can you hold this for me and show everybody what it is? What's that?
It's a lock, right? Can you lock that for me right now? Can you get somebody else up to pull that Steve Funkey jump up here for a second?
All right, can you just come over to the camera? That's it. All right, can you show everyone on the camera what it is? It's a big lock. Now, if you pull it, it's locked.
All right? It's locked. Thank you for that. It's locked, but you can't get it open. It's not a magical lock, right?
I can't open it. Nobody else can open it, right? Okay, you can give it back to Narelle. Thank you so much. I really appreciate your help.
Okay, now, when everything feels locked up in our life, what do we usually do? We panic, don't we? We panic when things are locked up in our life. I was panicking when I had all the groceries in the Heat and run around trying to unlock door. We reach for the panic key.
We spiral. We worry. We talk to everyone except to God. So this, today represents our panic key. It's the first thing we do, isn't it?
It's big, but can you just try and unlock that lock with that key, please? No. It's a Ray Woodhouse key.
Really? You sure? Can you jiggle around or twist it or spend a little bit more time and energy on it? It's not going to to work.
Spoiler alert. The panic key doesn't work. But I have in my other hand another key. Thank you. I'll trade you this little key.
This little key is called the prayer key. Can you try this in the lock, please?
Oh, wow.
Look at that. All right, church. The prayer key worked, right? Thank you, Narelle. That was fantastic.
That's right. The prayer key worked because when the church. Church reached for prayer, it unlocked heaven, and things began to move. Sometimes the first thing doesn't feel very active when we reach for the panic key. It feels like we're doing something, but you're actually just stretching things out in a bad, negative way.
The first step to breakthrough can feel like the least active. But prayer is the most powerful key you can hold. Prayer doesn't just start to move heaven. It also aligns our heart with God. Prayer is the most powerful key you can have.
Now I want to show you something funny in this story. Did you know that the Bible has humor in it?
Some of you did not know that. Do you know that you were created with a sense of humor? Where do you think that comes from? From? All right, let's have a look at this.
Peter is so relaxed during this chaos. He's on death row, but he's so relaxed, he's gone to sleep. I don't mean that little afternoon nap where you suddenly just go to sleep and have a quick wake up. I mean a deep sleep. He's drooling on the rock pillow sleep.
The angel. Angel literally had to strike him to wake him up. Look at that in that scripture. That's amazing. It's like men when they just fall asleep anywhere.
Most of us don't sleep well when we have a dentist appointment the next day. Right. Or when we have an important meeting. But Peter is on death row, and he's having a deep sleep in the middle of this prison cell. And do you know what?
Why? Because he's got peace in God. He's got peace in the one who created him. His life is anchored in prayer and trust and A deep belief in the bones of who he is that God has got him, even when everything feels like it's locked down. And then an angel shows up and, you know, even the light coming in the room didn't wake him up.
He still had to be struck. And the chains literally fall off Peter's wrist. There was no noise, there was no struggle, there was no crowbar, and there was no rescue team. Just prayer and the miraculous power of God breaking through a locked situation. So here's the question for you today.
When life feels locked up, which key do you reach for? Is it the panic key or the prayer key? One will wear you out and one will wake up heaven. That's pretty cool, isn't it? Look at the word.
All right, point two, let's take the next step God shows you. Point two, the next step God shows you. Acts 12, 8, 10 says. Then the angel said to him, put on your clothes and sandals. And Peter did so.
Wrap your cloak around you and follow me, the angel told told him. Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening. He thought he was seeing a vision. They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went through it.
When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him. So Peter's chains have fallen and off. A huge miracle has happened. But let's not forget, he's still in the prison. There are still guards at the door, and there's still these huge iron gates with no clear exit pathway.
Now, if I was Peter, this is about the time where I'd be going. Okay, God, can you send an angel and can you just teleport me out of this prison cell into freedom? I bet a whole lot of you are thinking that too. Beam me up. But no, instead the angel says, get dressed, put your sandals on, wrap your cloak around you, and let's go.
And you go. Really? That's the plan? That just seems so ordinary. I really just want to be teleported out of here.
That would have been so much more magical. Sometimes we want the big dramatic, don't we? We want the prison to palace freedom. We want to leap it out. But God says, first get up, then follow me, then walk past the first guard.
Now the second guard, God leads us out of tight places, one step at a time. He had already started the miracle. The chains had fallen off. But now Peter had to move. He had to walk it out.
We have to Walk it out church. When you're facing something lost up, ask God, what's my next faithful step? It might be as simple as making a phone call. It might be as simple as making an apology to someone. It might be as simple as trying again, applying again, or forgiving again, or giving it to God again.
Now remember that Peter has no idea where he's going. In verse nine it says he thought it was all a vision and he was half asleep, a bit dazed, still trying to figure it out. And yet he follows anyway.
I've got a torch here, another little object lesson. And my parents live in a granny flat at the back of my place. Now, when it's dark at nighttime, you think you know your property well. But I stepped out to go to their place the other night and I got about 5 meters and I thought, I know it, I can see there's enough enlightened stars. But I stepped out and by step five I went, nope, gotta go back to the house.
It's too dark, I can't see where I'm going.
So I went back inside and I grabbed the torch and I could see. We just dim the lights for a second. You know, when it's shining in your face, it's really bright. When you shine on the floor, it's not so much. The torch gave me enough light to take the next step and the next step and the next step to where I needed to go.
Thank you, Jen. The lights can come back up. You don't need a big spotlight or a full pathway to go to where you think you need to go. You just need to take the next step in God. You just need to trust Him.
You don't need the whole map planned out. You need to keep walking with him. Him. Be obedient and step into what he's asking you to step into. You've got to action it.
We look at little children when they start to walk. They just take one or two steps at a time before they get it. And then they start running, right? You need to take the next step, just like Peter did. He just had to take the next step and the next step.
And verse 10 says that when Peter finally gets to the iron gate gate, it swings open by itself. He didn't push it, he didn't touch it. The angel didn't touch it, it just opened. Peter obeyed in little steps. And when he reached the biggest obstacle, God opened the gate.
Some doors won't open for you until you walk right up to them, having taken the little steps to get there. You know, if Peter had a way to for the big golden spotlight to show the whole pathway. He might have missed the whole miracle in total.
So maybe you're somewhere between the chains falling off and the gate opening. I just want to encourage you this morning. Keep walking, keep trusting, keep taking the next step. Ask God to show you what is my next step. God is not a God of confusion.
Confusion. We think that he is, but he's not. He gives you clarity. Sometimes we don't like what he's telling us. If he's showing you the next step, be obedient and take it.
Because God often unlocks the breakthrough on the other side of your obedience.
My final point today, I'm going to ask the band today to come up and we're going to have some ministry time today. My final point is believe even when it doesn't make sense. Verse 11 says, Then Peter came to himself and said, now I know without a doubt that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from Herod's clutches and from everything the Jewish people were hoping would happen. When this had dawned on him, he went to the house where many people had gathered and were preaching, praying. Peter knocked at the outer entrance and a servant named Rhoda came to answer the door.
When she recognized Peter's voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and explained, there's something in that people. You got to open the door when God's knocking. Peter is at the door. She exclaimed. You're out of your mind.
They told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said it must be his angel. But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. Peter was literally standing in the streets of freedom and his brain was still catching up to the miracle that had happened. It was still buffering, thinking it was a vision or a dream.
It didn't make sense to him that the breakthrough was actually real and happening and his mind couldn't immediately grasp it. So he ran to the house. Once the clarity came, he ran to the house where the church had been praying. He knocked at the door and wrote her a servant girl. She heard his voice and without hesitation, she believed before she saw.
She believed. She expected the miracle to happen. She was so excited, she ran back inside shouting, peter's at the door. And the others, however, said, you're out of your mind, mind. It must be his angel.
The others were praying, but they weren't actually expecting God to come through. When you believe, you've got to expect that God's going to come through and break through in your situation. You got to believe. Rhoda is the hero of this point. She was a servant girl, an ordinary person, just like you or I.
And she believed before she saw. She recognized the breakthrough, even when it didn't look what they thought it was going to look like.
We need to pray. Prayer prepares the miracle just like the church did in praying for Peter. We need to obey and position yourself in the right place and take the right step that God is showing you. And you need to believe in what God is going to do. You need to believe that God is going to move in your situation, that he is bigger than your circumstances.
Breakthrough often comes in ways that we don't expect. A phone call, a conversation, a door that opens one hinge or just a little bit at a time. You have to act on that small thread of faith that you have. You've got to turn that handle. You've got to answer the knock and say, yes, Lord, even when your mind hasn't caught up to what's going on.
And when the breakthrough looks different than what you were expecting, don't just pray church. Act on it. Believe it, and expect God to break through.
Some of you know my story. You've learned today that I grew up in this church since the beginning. I met my husband before this church was even planted. His family came over, too, and planted this church. The senior pastors of this church.
So we were childhood sweethearts. We grew up together. We grew up in the church, and we did what we thought, everything was right. We got married in the year 2000, and we've been married for nearly 26 years.
When we'd been married about a year, we started to try and have a family. And it didn't happen the way that we thought it would. We thought because we'd done everything right and that we'd grown up in the church and we loved God and we knew God. That would have just happened, right? But it didn't.
We went through 14 years of infertility treatment, of heartbreak, of medical decisions, of closed doors, of bad, awful things that led to the worst hopelessness I'd ever felt in my life. Life.
The doctors had actually named us the Krutoff syndrome because they had never seen anything like it either. They talked to doctors all the way over in New York to try and find a solution for us. And in the end, they said to us, you can keep trying, you can keep doing this, but it's never going to happen.
After 14 years, we applied to adopt adoption in Australia or even across the world is very, very difficult. It's very expensive. If you go across the world and do it and it can take you up to four years. In Victoria, the statistics are so low that only 12 babies a year are adopted under the age of 12 months.
But we know when God holds the key. Statistics don't stand a chance, right? And after just four months, in the most unexpected way, at the very beginning of a year, we saw our social worker was ringing just to check in and say Happy New Year. She rang with the news that Daniel and I had been chosen to be the parents of a 10 week old baby boy.
I want to pop that photo up. That is our very first family photo. After 14 years we were given, not through Daniel or I, not through doctors or science, but chosen by God. We were given a little baby boy against all the odds in the world, our locked up situation, and had breakthrough because of what God did and him alone. It didn't happen the way that we thought it was going to, but it was even greater than I ever could have imagined.
My boy is here today. He's about to turn 12 years old in two weeks. God is still doing miracles through him. His little cheeky ways, his joy that he brings us every, every day. His miracle reminder that God chose him for us.
And he is more like us. That poor kid, he's more like us than any DNA strand could have possibly done. And it's already reached out and touched the lives of his birth mother. And she's now looking to go to church and everything too. You see, you don't know the impact that God's going to do through your structure.
But what we need to remember church is that Daniel and I kept being obedient. We kept expecting for God to make a way where there was no way. We kept seeking him, we kept praying to Him. We kept taking every act that he showed us, every step that he showed us. And we believed that he would come through.
But there was still a sense of doom and gloomy and hopelessness and pain that we carried around an emptiness that our miracle hadn't yet come. But we kept coming to church. We kept seeing him, we kept reading our word, we kept praying together.
Sometimes breakthrough doesn't look like the picture you painted. But when you choose to believe, even when it doesn't make sense, you discover that God's version of the story is far more beautiful than the one you were holding, holding onto.
So what's locked up in your life today? Maybe it's your finances, maybe it's Your health. Maybe it's a relationship that feels impossible. Maybe it's a dream you've been praying for or somebody you've been praying for and you feel like it's never going to come. Maybe it's peace, purpose or freedom or the future, future plans for your life.
Acts 12 shows us pray until heaven moves. Take the next step that God shows you and believe even when it doesn't make sense. Expect God to move because he is bigger and greater and the same God who opened the prison, opened Peter's prison, who bought me William, who changed my life in ways that we could never imagine. The same God that rolled the stone away, the same God that brought Jesus back from the dead for us, for every single one of you, is still moving today. He still is powerful today.
That same power lives in every single one of us and he wants to have breakthrough in your life as well. He's still opening doors.
Church. We are headed into one of the most exciting times I've ever seen in this church. Church. And I've literally seen them all. God wants to do greater and bigger things.
We've got vision Sunday next week, expansion and growth. There are people walking into this church every single day looking for purpose, for hope, for restoration.
And we want you to be a part of it, believing for amazing things. But I also know that when you're living in, in that season of darkness, that season of hopelessness, it's really hard to jump on board and get excited about a vision when you're struggling to carry what you've got, that weight that's on you, that sense of hopelessness. So this morning we're going to open the altar. I don't know what your situation is, but I know God is speaking. Like I said, Fua touched on it.
Jenny spoke on it, clearly spoke on it. I'm not a morning person, people. If I could come to the 10:30 service, I would.
But the burden of this message has sat heavy with me all week. It got me up at 4:30 this morning. If I got bags under my eyes, yeah, I'm tired. But I'm carrying the burden of this message because I know so many of you, you have walked in here this morning with pain, with situations that God wants to see shift and move and break through in your life this morning, maybe today you feel stuck and you feel like that door won't open or you feel like there's chains binding you up. Somebody here has got chains of anxiety wrapped around them and God wants to loosen this morning he wants to break them open.
This morning, somebody has been given a bad diagnosis, a medical diagnosis this morning. God wants to break through and shift that in your life too. He's going to use you as an example for not just here in church and the people around you, but for the medical teams as well. God freed Peter from that prison in a way only he could. And he's still moving.
The altar is a place that alters you. So I'm going to invite you to come this morning. We're going to sing. Why don't you stand with me this morning? Don't close off your hearts, people.
This morning, if you need prayer this morning, we want you to walk out of here different than the way you came in. It might be taking the action step to the altar. It might be saying a prayer again. It might be surrendering or aligning your heart with God this morning. But stand in worship this morning.
Believe for more church. We are believing for more. Expect a miracle this morning. Let's sing.
In the mighty name of Jesus I pray Calling on the power of heaven I proclaim every weapon transformed again Must pray in the mighty name of Jesus in the mighty name of Jesus I know all the power of fear and every key to every victory I hope in the mighty name of Jesus in the mighty name of Jesus I pray Calling on the power of heaven Some of you are standing out there this morning and whatever situation you're facing, you almost given up. You've given up on God being able to move in your life. And some of you have got lies spoken over that. You think you are not good enough to get your miracle. God wants to break that thought and that label over your life this morning.
God is for everyone. He's bigger than our circumstances. He's greater than the things that we are facing. And he's asking you just be fear. Don't have fear of what he's trying to do.
You've got nothing to lose in God this morning, come to the altar. Come and give it back to him. Let us pray with you. You know, they say they've done studies where forests who are suffering from drought, the ones closest to the water, can now pass through the water along their root system into the trees that are deep in the forest that can't access the water. We here at Connect Christian Church, we are community, we are family.
We believe in lifting each other and raising each other up. That's why we open the altar. That's why we invite you in. It's a safe place to come and be prayed for together. Let's sing.
I Will not fear, I will not fear when the enemy comes near on the door frame of my life it's the blood of Jesus Christ. I will not fear.
There's an army of angels here. I'm protected on all sides by the soul blood of Jesus Christ. I will not fear. I will not fear when the enemy comes near on the door frame of my life it's the blood of Jesus Christ. How will I fear?
How will I feel? There's none of angels here. I'm protecting all by the blood of Jesus Christ.
In the mighty name of Jesus, I pray. Calling on the power of heaven I proclaim Every weapon formed against me must break in the mighty name of Jesus.
I just encourage you, if you're just needing one last prompt to come this morning. Morning. To the altar to receive the keys. He's given us these keys. We get to step forward and accept them.
If you're waiting for a breakthrough, there's still time this morning to come forward. God can meet you wherever you're at. Right? But we know that there is power when we actually take agency over our own experience with Jesus and we actually take a step of faith. And that takes bravery.
I really know that. But please come forward. I really encourage you. Come forward.
Jesus wants to minister to you this morning.
He has the answers. He has the keys. Come on.
You are holy.
Holy.
How you Lord God Almighty.
What is the lamb? What is the lamb? You are holy.
Holy Are you Lord now? Oh, my.
What is the name?
What is the name? You are holy.
Holy Are you Lord God? Oh, my.
What is the Lamb? Let's just declare it this morning. What is the lamb? You are holy Holy Are you Lord God almighty? Worthy is the Lamb?
Worthy is the Lamb Worthy is the lamb.
You are holy.
Holy.
How you love God Almighty.
Ra.
The team are going to continue to pray. Isn't that the truth?
There's something that Katrina. Something about Pastor Katrina is all these years, she didn't give up.
She stayed true to herself, to her calling. She didn't buckle under pressure. She didn't make excuses. Excuses. She stayed the course even within her challenges.
She gets nervous up here. She's not a public speaker.
She'll tell you story after story. And I want to encourage you, church, head into this season to step out in faith. Step out in faith. I mean, praying for people down here and hearing their stories and that. It's all breakout.
It's all stepping out in faith, stepping out in faith. There's only so much I can sit in church and enjoy the music. There's only so much of that you can do but if you don't step out in faith and in action and in action not by words and in action to say here hear me Lord I have I'm here and Isaiah says send me I want to encourage you that leading into this season and this vision and expansion 26 for the location but more important for you and your life God has a purpose he has a plan but you got to believe it for yourself amen so let's pray and we'll finish up Father we thank you for the word thank you for your presence thank you for the opportunity thank you for for your people thank you Lord that we get to serve you that we get to honor and honor you on and off platform Heavenly father so I pray that you would guide your people this week leading into next week heavenly father that you would have your way and all as people say amen thank you church join us next week Pastor Adrian thanks guys
Related Bible Verses
Acts 12:4–10 (NIV)
After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover. So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him. The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance. Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell.
He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. “Quick, get up!” he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists. Then the angel said to him, “Put on your clothes and sandals.” And Peter did so. “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me,” the angel told him. Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision. They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city.
It opened for them by itself, and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him.
Click to read on Bible.com (NIV)
Acts 12:11–16 (NIV)
Then Peter came to himself and said, “Now I know without a doubt that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from Herod’s clutches and from everything the Jewish people were hoping would happen.” When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying. Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer the door.
When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, “Peter is at the door!” “You’re out of your mind,” they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, “It must be his angel.” But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished.
Click to read on Bible.com (NIV)