“But the Word of God increased and multiplied.”
-Acts 12:24
That is an awesome statement at the end of this chapter. At the very beginning of this chapter, you have James and Peter, both in prison for proclaiming the gospel. James is beheaded, and then Peter is throughout the chapter, actually delivered from prison, in a miraculous picture … In response to the church praying, it’s awesome. Then at the end of all of that, we see Herod lose his life. Herod, who was being praised as a god, is struck down by God. The last statement we see in the chapter right before you transition into Chapter 13 is, “The Word of God increased and multiplied,” so get the picture.
Acts 12:24 Reminds Us Our Confidence is in God
Here you have God’s people facing all kinds of threats, persecution, imprisonment, even death, for proclaiming the gospel. In the end, the commentary on the whole picture is, “The Word of God increased and multiplied,” and that’s really the story of the Book of Acts, and it’s the story of every age and every generation of the church. The reality is, that people come and people go. Servants of Christ, followers of Christ, people who are preaching the gospel, they come and they go, but in the end, one thing remains, the Word of God, from generation, to generation, to generation.
Our confidence is not in people or circumstances, but in God’s unchanging and powerful Word.
It’s our responsibility then. This is the part we have been given to play in our generation, to make sure we pass the Word on faithfully, to those who come after us, that as a result of our lives, even in our death, the Word of God increases and multiplies. I would just encourage you today, one, to hold on to the Word of God. It is constant. People come, people go. Things come, things go, and the Word of God remains. The Word of God remains forever.
This Verse Leads Us to Proclaim His Word
Not only hold onto that Word, and hold fast to it, but proclaim it. This is what’s going to matter for eternity, whether or not people hear this Word, and believe this Word, their eternity is dependent on hearing and believing this Word, so may the Word of God increase and multiply through our lives. Let’s pray accordingly.
Oh God, we pray that the fruit of our lives, the result of our lives, would be to increase the multiplication of your Word. We pray today, God, we pray today for opportunities to share your Word with other people, to encourage followers of Christ with your Word. Help us to speak in our conversations. God, help us to speak that which matters for eternity, that which is going to last for eternity. Help us to speak your Word.
Acts 12:24 Gives Us a Sensitivity to God’s Spirit
Deliver us from just surface talk, that misses out on the truth, and the power that’s found in talking about your Word. May your Word spread through us today in our conversations with followers of Christ, and the church, and then, oh God, may your Word increase and multiply through us, in other people’s lives today who don’t know your Word, who have not come to believe your Word. We pray that you would open up opportunities today, for us to speak the gospel to other people, and that you would open our hearts to believe the gospel.
God, we pray for that today. Give us a sensitivity to your spirit, and the opportunities we will have to share the gospel today. Help us to be bold, we pray, in sharing the gospel. We pray that you would draw people to yourself through the proclamation of your Word. God, may that be the commentary of our lives, just as it was with Peter and James. May the fruit of our lives, when it’s all said and done, and we don’t have breath left, may it be said that the Word of God increased and multiplied through them. We praise you, God, for the constancy of your Word. We trust in it, we rest in it, and we pray that you help us to proclaim it today. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
David Platt serves as a Lead Pastor for McLean Bible Church. He is also the Founder and Chairman of Radical, an organization that helps people follow Jesus and make him known in their neighborhood and all nations.
David received his B.A. from the University of Georgia and M.Div., Th.M., and Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Some of his published works include Radical, Radical Together, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, and Don’t Hold Back.
He lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area with his wife and children.
