From Dream to Reality-Acts 12:1-9

In the beginning of this passage we see that Herod arrested Peter because it pleased the Jews. He kept Peter in prison and was surrendered by four squads of eight soldiers each. At night, he slept bound with two chains between two soldiers and the rest were there to guard the prison.
But Peter wasn't alone in his confinement. The church was in constant prayer of petition for him to God.

Listen what happened the night before Herod planned to bring him before the Jews to kill him.
“Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying “Arise quickly!” And his chains fell of his hands. Then the angel said to him, “Gird yourself and tie on your sandals”; and so he did. And he said to him, “Put on your garment and follow me.” So he went out and followed him, and did not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision.”

Taken in its historical context, this is simply a miraculous narrative. Without changing the meaning of the passage we can make some parallels. Let's go over the cast. We have The Jews, Herod, Peter, the soldiers, and the church.

The Jews can represent the multitude of religious people. Herod is the leader of the Jews, the soldiers are religious people you know, the church is the active, living body of Christ that we are supposed to be, the angel represents God, and imagine that you are Peter.

OK. We have the cast of characters, now let's see the back story. The prequel to this saga is simple; Herod killed John, who was also a disciple of Christ. This move was popular and Herod seized on the opportunity to be the cool kid so he planned to do the same with Peter.
We have a cast, characters, and a back story, now here comes the plot. Are you ready?
Do you know anyone who is holding your dream captive? I have seen people in many churches sit in the sanctuary and never lift a finger outside of it for the name of Christ. Why? Because they have not been released to do it! Ephesians 4:11-12 talks about “the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ...” The word equipping means complete furnishing and implies an enabling.

As church leaders we must enable our congregations, our friends, and our small groups. We cannot let our position dictate how we react to people. We can only react in two ways; God's way and the fleshly way. God's way is to liberate the priesthood of all believers that the Bible talks about from the clergy/laity relationship.

The fleshly way is herd people. This is a hallmark of church sayings like “the pastor and his flock.” How sad that the pastor is given the title of shepherd. Paul made it clear that we do not follow a man, but Christ when he said, “Follow me as I follow Christ.” That is not to say that there is no need for pastors, but it does highlight the inequality of spiritual recognition in Christianity.

Let's get specific about the story now. Herod is the leader that says, “You can't do that because you're not qualified.” Whenever someone says that you can't do something because you don't have a title, they are binding you with chains of limitation that you were simply not meant to be in. These people are soldiers that are following the orders and thought patterns of religion. Thankfully, the last time I checked, all the promises in the Bible were for all believers!

Finally, we are like Peter. God is striking us to wake us up. He wants to turn our dreams into a reality. Why does He want us to do that? Because if we are truly seeking Him, then the dreams we have are God given. Peter's disposition is somewhat puzzling to me. He had to be struck to wake up and he still thought it was a dream until after they had passed through the prison gates.
Why is this strange? Because the next day he was going to be martyred! Even so, he slept peacefully knowing that it was not Herod or any other religious person that held the keys to his future, it was God. This is a true picture of meekness; knowing that God is in control.
Everything above must fit into the context of scripture. There are many safeguards that churches have in place to protect people from being led astray and hurt. My intention is not to attack clergy or lay leaders, but to attack a faulty way of thinking that permeates modern Christendom. This thinking elevates the clergy above the laity and improperly puts the focus on figureheads instead of the entire body.

We are the bride of Christ and we are continually being cleansed through the work of sanctification. Since all of us are of the body our value is the same to the bridegroom. Although some of us may stand in front of thousands and testify to God's goodness at a crusade, most of us will simply live “normal” lives as we traipse from job, to errand, to home. The responsibility is the same; we must at all times be aware of the one we represent, bringing Him glory through all we do.

Please do not come away from this feeling validated that you disobeyed authority. Come away from this knowing that the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead dwells inside all of us. The Holy Spirit guides and directs us, the Bible says, “...the Lord directs his (our) steps.”

Study Points.
Acts 12:1-9
Hebrews 10:24-26
Ephesians 4:12
Matthew 6:25-34 (Notice the context)
II Corinthians 10, especially verses 7-11