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Acts 12:1-11
It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. When he saw that this met with approval among the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Festival of Unleavened Bread. After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover. So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him. The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance. Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. “Quick, get up!” he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists. Then the angel said to him, “Put on your clothes and sandals.” And Peter did so. “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me,” the angel told him. Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision. They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him. Then Peter came to himself and said, “Now I know without a doubt that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from Herod’s clutches and from everything the Jewish people were hoping would happen.”
Additional Scripture References: Philippians 4:4-7, Acts 12:21-23, Luke 3:4-5
It goes without saying that life is full of highs and lows. If we aren’t careful, navigating challenges can leave us feeling like life is unfair. But in the middle of the chaos is always a silver lining — just because our circumstances might be bad doesn’t mean God is not good. Every challenge is an opportunity to walk by faith and not by sight.
Sin left the world broken, but God’s grace creates a way out
Why do bad things happen to good people? Put simply, sometimes life just doesn’t make sense.
Think of Peter’s situation. At this moment in scripture, he’s chained in a prison cell surrounded by guards shortly after his friend was put to death. This isn’t the outcome anyone would expect for someone committed to preaching the Gospel. A mature church flips the scenario — instead of hating when bad things happen to good people, we can love when good people happen to bad things. No matter the situation, God works for the good of those who love Him.
When our circumstances don’t make sense, we should respond in a way that doesn’t make sense either. For example, look at Peter sitting in prison — in an overwhelmingly bad situation, we see the church praying and Peter sleeping. Out of nowhere, an angel appeared, Peter’s chains broke, and he left the prison at the angel’s command. Instead of choosing worry or fear, our response should be to pray, rest, and take action as God leads us. We are meant to walk by faith, choosing the path that doesn’t make sense.
The posture of maturity is humility. Prayer and rest position us to get low, shifting our eyes away from our circumstances and toward Jesus. It’s getting up from the low place to take action that makes us strong. Following God is often unexplainable, leading us down the road less traveled. It might not make sense to the world, but God is always pleased by our faith.
Spend time this week reflecting. In what areas of your life is God calling you to take a step of faith? Write it down and share it with a friend.
If someone in your Crew needs care, we want to come alongside you. Our Care Response Team is designed to equip you to walk with people in different seasons of their life.Our team is committed to celebrating life’s best moments with you and offering support through its hardest ones.We would love to come around you for the following life events:
+ Marriages
+ Births
+ Deaths
+ Hospitalizations/Illness
Please submit a request at vouschurch.com/requestcare
Saying yes to Jesus marks a brand new beginning. Baptism is your next step. It's how you go public with your faith and celebrate the new life God has given you. The past is behind you, and a fresh future is ahead. This is your moment. We are having baptisms this Sunday, July 27th, across all of our locations, and on the beach.
To sign up for baptisms, please click here.
This back-to-school season, we have the opportunity to show up for our city in a meaningful way. On Saturday, August 2, we’re hosting a Back to School Bash at the Samuel K. Johnson Youth Center, located inside Charles Hadley Park. It’s a chance to serve local families by distributing backpacks filled with school supplies and making sure every student feels seen, supported, and ready to start the year with confidence.
Donate - Fill backpacks for families in need for the school year. You can purchase supplies locally and bring to a VOUS Location or donate online.
Serve - Help host our annual Back To School Bash for families in our community — distribute backpacks, check-in guests, and serve our city during a morning of fun and games.
When: Saturday, August 2nd
Where: Samuel K. Johnson Youth Center
Address: 4900 NW 12th Ave, Miami, FL 33127
Team Rally: 10:20AM
Starting Sunday, August 3rd, we will be moving to brand new service times at all of our locations!
VOUS SoMi
10:00AM / 12:00PM / 6PM
VOUS City
10:00AM / 12:00PM / 6PM
VOUS Miami Gardens
8:30AM / 10:00AM / 12:00PM
VOUS Design District
8:30AM / 10:00AM / 12:00PM
The countdown is on! If you're ready to take your next step in ministry, leadership, or higher education, now is the time to apply. VOUS College application deadline is July 31st for both our degree-seeking and leadership programs. Don’t miss your chance to be part of a life-changing semester. Start your journey at vouscollege.com/apply.
VOUS SoMi
8:45AM / 10:30AM / 12:30PM / 6PM
VOUS City
10:30AM / 12:30PM / 6PM
VOUS Miami Gardens
8:45AM / 10:30AM / 12:30PM
VOUS Design District
10:30AM / 12:30PM
Church Online
10:30AM / 12:30PM / 5PM Español
Growth Track
After every service or join online at vouschurch.com/growthtrack
