Welcome to a year in the Bible with Daily Grace.

My name is Kristen and my name is Katie.

And we want to spend a few minutes a day with you walking through the New Testament, one chapter at a time.

This year we will fix our gaze upon Christ so that we may know him, not only with our minds, but with our hearts.

Together we will learn that who Jesus is changes everything.

Hello and welcome back to a year in the Bible with Daily Grace. My name is Katie, and it is my joy to be

reading through the New Testament with you. As always, we are following along with the Behold

Studies from the Daily Grace Co or the free reading plan linked in the show notes.

Right now we are in the book of Acts and today we are studying Acts 12.

Yesterday at the end of Acts 11 we read that the church in Antioch was generously providing food

for a coming famine in Judea. Today Luke takes us us back to Judea, to Jerusalem. It's unclear whether

the famine is already happening or if this account is before the famine. But one thing we do know

is that the church in Jerusalem is experiencing difficult times. Buckle up, friends, this chapter is

full of irony and action. We will be reminded of the power of prayer

and the sovereignty of God over all of his creation. Persecution is ramping up in Jerusalem by

the hand of King Herod Agrippa. He is a Jewish king who we see violently attacks the early

church, likely to get political sympathy

from religious leaders. And unfortunately, his violent attacks kill James, one of Jesus'

disciples. You may remember him as John's brother, one of the sons of thunder. James' death

is the only recorded martyrdom of one of the original 12 disciples in

scripture, though we do gain more details of martyrdom of other disciples in church history.

But James was not the only one who was victim to Herod. Peter is also arrested.

...