The Graveyard Shift

June 4, 2026
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Message Listening Guide

Guiding Idea: From the outside, it can feel like the church is losing. Numbers, influence and respect are all down. We’re a small group of people in a culture moving the opposite direction.

Acts 12:1-5 — When All Feels Lost

Herod Agrippa (Herod the Great’s grandson) is at the height of his power: backed by Rome and celebrated by the religious authorities. He executes James, then he arrests Peter. The church responds not with a rescue plan, but with prayer. From the outside, this looks like the movement is being dismantled one leader at a time.

Acts 12:6-19 — Somebody Let Peter In

Peter is chained between two soldiers the night before his execution. An angel shows up and helps Peter miraculously escape. He shows up at a prayer meeting where the church that has been praying fervently for his release can't believe it's actually him. Even the church underestimated what God was doing.

Acts 12:20-24 — The Wrong Obituary

Herod accepts the crowd's worship as a god. An angel strikes him down and he dies. Luke's summary of the whole chapter is not about Herod or Peter. It's one sentence: "But the word of God continued to grow and spread."

The Point: History is the graveyard of everyone who tried to bury the gospel.

Application:


  • Pray: Pray specifically this week that the good news about Jesus spreads — in your conversations, in our community, and in spite of every obstacle.

  • Reframe: Don’t use your current circumstances to evaluate God's effectiveness. Use history instead.