Unstoppable Church 18 | When Kingdoms Collide | Acts 12

Pastor Bart Blair opens by sharing how losing his son to suicide in 2021 opened his eyes to the reality of spiritual warfare, moving him from under-spiritualizing to recognizing the genuine battle between good and evil in our world. Teaching from Acts 12, he examines how King Herod Agrippa attacked the early church by executing James and imprisoning Peter during Passover, intending to make a public spectacle of Peter's execution. However, the church's response wasn't political activism or human strategy—they prayed fervently together.

The turning point comes with the simple word "but" in Acts 12:5: "Peter was kept in prison, but the church was praying fervently to God for him." This fervent prayer (the Greek word "ektenos" meaning stretched out, intense, unceasing) led to an angelic rescue that freed Peter from maximum security—16 guards, chains, and locked gates. Meanwhile, Herod, who had positioned himself as a God, was struck down and eaten by worms, while "the word of God spread and multiplied." Pastor Blair emphasizes that the enemy's playbook remains unchanged: attack leaders, create division, and distract from the gospel mission, but our response must be the same as the early church—unified, fervent prayer focused on the main thing: the gospel.