Miracle Of Deliverance
By Senior Pastor Bill Rains | March 23, 2025
In Acts 5:17-25, we read: “Then the high priest rose up… filled with indignation… put them in the common prison. But the angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors… said, Go, stand and speak…” On March 23, 2025, Senior Pastor Bill Rains preached “A Miracle Of Deliverance,” fifth in a series on Acts’ miracles. Amid salvations and baptisms, three lessons unfold: the Sadducees’ futile anger, an angel’s unseen rescue, and God’s command to act.
The Anger of the Sadducees
As apostles performed unrepeated miracles, authenticating the gospel, many embraced Christianity—angering the Sadducees. These temple authorities, denying angels, resurrection, and miracles (Acts 23:8), saw their influence wane. “Filled with indignation” (v. 17), they jailed the “unlearned” apostles, enraged by accusations of crucifying Christ. Pastor Rains notes their religion—empty, life-devoid—offered no hope beyond the grave. Unlike their sadness, Jesus provides eternal life, drawing multitudes from false systems to true salvation.
The Angel of the Lord
Locked in prison, the apostles experienced a miracle: “The angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors” (v. 19), unseen by guards. Doors shut, keepers unaware, God’s mysterious, undeniable power freed them. Rains ties this to stillness—Psalm 46:10, “Be still, and know that I am God”—noting trials often quiet us to hear God. Like Saul, paused to receive God’s word (1 Samuel 9), we must shut out the world in still moments to experience His miraculous touch.
The Action God Commands
Freed, the apostles heard: “Go, stand and speak… all the words of this life” (v. 20). God’s miracles aren’t for forgetting—they propel us into service. Back in the temple, they preached boldly. Rains shares Somaya and Chase’s public stands for Christ, urging us to “go” (Matthew 28:19), “stand” unashamed, and “speak” the gospel. A boy’s simple John 3:16 transformed a mocker, proving little knowledge, boldly shared, changes lives. God’s deliverance equips us to help others find Him.
