Acts 12

Now, there still exists problems outside of the church and outside of the Jewish community. King Herod got violent–he killed James, and when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he also imprisoned Peter.

Then, an angel of the Lord rescues Peter from prison, which causes huge relief for the disciples but causes Herod to execute all the guards.

Finally, the people were angry with Herod for not giving glory to God, and an angel of the Lord struck Herod down.

Suffering

A Christian's fate is to suffer. Whether it's at the hand of the religious authority (the Jews) or the government (Herod), there will always be persecution so long as we live in the world.

But the suffering is not meaningless–for if others persecute us in Christ's name, we will receive great rewards in heaven.

Endurance

It's difficult to endure trials and tribulations. That's why they're called that. We need to have faith that God has our backs at all times, even if it doesn't seem that way.

Thanking God after He blesses us is called gratitude; believing that God will bless us before it happens is called faith.