country of Germany. I was in the military. I was in what they called the communications battalion. The Lord had sent a missionary to that base that we were based in. A friend of mine invited me to come to church. That's how most people come to church, a friend just invites them. The crazy thing about it, my friend wasn't even saved. He was married to a pastor's daughter, but he was just kind of living on the fringe of everything. But God saved me and he winded up saving that other young guy that invited me to church and Brother Jim got saved over there as well. And we've been together for many, many years now. But it is good to be here tonight. We're going to be looking tonight at Acts chapter number 12. I'm going to read a few scriptures here. We're going to look at a young lady tonight in the scripture by the name of Rhoda. a young lady by the name of Rhoda. She's not a very well-known person in the Bible. You don't hear a whole lot of messages about her, but the Lord gave me some things about her sometime back. I hope that we can relate them to you and be a blessing to you. Acts chapter number 12, we'll begin reading in verse number one to get a little bit of context. The Bible said, About that time, Herod, the king, stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church. And he killed James, the brother of John, with a sword. And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. Then were the days of unlaven bread." These are the early days of the church. And as you can see here, everything was not just peachy keen, as they would say. They're not going real well. I mean, people are dying for their faith. Persecution has set in. And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison and delivered him to four quarter nines of soldiers to keep him, intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people. Peter, therefore, was kept in prison. But prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him. And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers bound with two chains. And the keepers before the door kept the prison. And behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him. And a light shined in the prison, and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands. And the angel said unto him, Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals. And so he did. And he saith unto him, Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me. And he went out, and followed him, and wist not that it was true, which was done by the angel, but thought he saw a vision. When they were past the first and second ward, they came unto the iron gate that leadeth unto the city, which opened to them of his own accord, and they went out and passed on through one street, and forthwith the angel departed from him. And when Peter was come to himself, he said, Now I know of a surety that the Lord hath sent his angel and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all expectation of the people of the Jews. When he had considered the thing, he came to the house of Mary, the mother of John, whose surname was Mark, where many were gathered together. As Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a damsel came to hearken named Rhoda. This will be our text. When she knew Peter's voice, she opened not the gate for gladness, but ran in and told how Peter stood before the gate. And they said unto her, thou art mad. But she constantly affirmed that it was even so. Then said they, it is his angel. But Peter continued knocking, and when they had opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. And we'll stop reading there. Peter has just been delivered from prison by an unnamed angel. This has been a miraculous thing. I've done a lot of preaching in different prisons over the years, and I don't know of any prisoner that wouldn't like to have this experience, that they would be delivered from it. He's come out from the prison now. He's come out of the city proper. It seems like in verse number 10 that they had went out of town. And when he does this, he comes to a particular house. And this house is the house of Mary, it says in verse number 12. Mary, she has a son, as it talks about here. His name is John Mark. But there's no mention of a husband. It's just Mary's house. I assume that he has passed away. I don't know that, but it just seems like he's not there. She noticed this in verse number 12. She has a house big enough to have many gather in for prayer meeting. I'm trying to go somewhere with this, so I hope you'll hang in with me here. This house is big enough to have a prayer meeting. Now I want us to consider for just a few minutes the times that they're living in. This is a time of persecution. I would say that for her to have a prayer meeting at her house in a time of persecution, this is a devout Christian woman. She is serious about her Christianity. This really could cost her everything she has to have this prayer meeting. Her son, John Mark, is a Christian as well. He leaves with Barnabas and Saul at the end of the chapter. And he also goes with them on their first missionary journey in Acts chapter number 13. So this is a Christian home. She's opening her home to a prayer meeting. Her son is following in her footsteps, if you will, in her Christianity. But also in this house of Mary, we find a young unmarried girl, her name is Rhoda. It calls her a damsel. That means she's young. She's unmarried. She's not of marrying age. I'm going to assume somewhere around 12 or 14, maybe a little older. Let's notice her name for just a moment. And we're going to try to go somewhere with Rhoda, but I'm just trying to lay a little foundation. Her name is Rhoda. That's an unusual name, isn't it? Rhoda. We don't hear that name really. But her name means a rose. That's what it means. Rhoda means rose. I was telling Brother B.J. and his family about my little girl, Elizabeth. She is nine years old now, and she is our ray of sunshine, if you will, in our home. She says things that are just really crazy sometimes. It makes us laugh, and we were in our little living room area, and we were just all talking one evening, and she just chimed in. She said, when I get married and I have a little girl, I'm gonna name her Rhoda. Where did that come from? She had heard us preach about that months before, maybe, but I mean, just out of the blue. And we all laughed, and I said, well, what other name are you gonna get to go with Rhoda? This is a hard name to, Rhoda what? And she said, Rhoda Rose. I was like, this girl's smarter than you think. But this is what her name means. Her name is Rhoda. Just as a side note, the flower business in Israel today, and this is probably before the war broke out, but they sell $200 million of flowers every year now. That's prophecy being fulfilled. When you read your Bible, you'll find that. Now, we don't know of her parents who their names were or who named her this. But no doubt when they named her, they would have thought that she was of great beauty as a rose. There's two places in your Bible, I'm not going to take the time tonight to turn there, that you will find the word rose, and that is in the book of Song of Solomon, chapter 2 and verse 1, and Isaiah chapter 35 and verse 1. It's said that in the part of Israel that is called Sharon, that is in the coastal plains between Joppa, which is at Tel Aviv area, and then up to Haifa, which is up towards the north, that is where the rose of Sharon you'll find. But not only did her parents find her as a beautiful rose, but I believe that we can see here in Acts chapter number 12 that her character shows her as a rose. Grace has beautified her with a Christian beauty and fragrance. I'm going to be honest with you. There's nothing more beautiful than a Christian lady. Amen. I believe that with all my heart. A Christian lady. She has a countenance about her. She has a beauty that is almost unexplainable. Not only has she been born and called a rose, if you will, but now she's a Christian. You say, how do you know she's a Christian? Well, let's notice some things about her. How do we know this of her? Let's notice where we find her in the scriptures here. Not only is this Mary's house, but we find Rhoda at the prayer meeting. She's just a young girl, but she's at the prayer meeting too. Again, this is times of persecution. This could cost her life. These Romans that are in charge and these Jews that are in charge of the religion of today, they care nothing for her age or her beauty. They would do away with her in a moment. But we find her at the prayer meeting. Her faith means more to her than her life, is what I'm trying to say. Her faith means more to her than anything. She's assembled with God's people, not just to hear preaching, but to pray. I think that says a lot about her Christian character. I used to have a Sunday school teacher when I was a young boy, or really a teenager by then. I wasn't saved at the time, but he would teach Sunday school, and it seemed like every week he would say this saying, and I've never forgot it, because there's truth in it. He says, tell me who you run with, and I will tell you your life story. There is a lot of truth to that, isn't there? The people you run with, that's going to tell a lot about who you really are. If we're looking at Rhoda tonight, look at the people she's with. She's at the prayer meeting. She's willing to give her life to be with these people. She's not ashamed of being a Christian. She's at the prayer meeting just as a A side note as well, praying in the book of Acts, Brother BJ said y'all just finished up the book of Acts here recently. You'll find praying in Acts chapter 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 20, 21, and 28. There's a whole lot of praying going on in the book of Acts. How do we know this of Rhoda, her beauty as a Christian? We find her, the place where we find her in the scripture, that's one thing how we know, is because she is at the prayer meeting. She is with God's people when they came together. I'm not going to try to beat a drum tonight, so to speak, but as a Christian, there's some very important things you need to have in your life. And one of those important things is assembling with God's people when it comes time to meet together. It is of the utmost importance. You need it. I remember we broke down one time. We were just a young family. I had one son. He's 30 today. And he wasn't about a year old, maybe not even a year old at that time. And we were driving down through South Carolina. We were on what they call the interstate. And my transmission just went out. I mean, we're on the side of the road, can't go anywhere. And so we finally got back to somewhere and we called a wrecker service to get us off the road. I didn't have enough money to get us home. We were hours and hours away from home. And so when this wrecker service came to pick us up, We began to talk, just small talk, and he found out I was a Christian, and I began to speak to him about the Lord a little bit, and he just stopped me, and he said, I know, I know. He said, I used to be in church, and I just let him talk, and something had happened at this church that he belonged to, and he got hurt, and that does happen. He got hurt and he quit going to church. And then he said, don't give me the verse. He knew all the verses. Forsake not the assembling of yourselves together as the manner of some is. And all this time, I mean, he was just quoting me verses. And I was just trying to listen, you know. And I made this statement to him. And I said, sir, I said, I understand you've been hurt. I said, but do you realize today that It may not be so much what you can get out of the church. There may be somebody in that church that needs you. And when you don't get there, whether you like it or not, people begin to question and say, what's wrong? What's happened to them? It brings doubt into their life. It's so important to assemble yourself together with God's people. Rhoda, we can learn from her life that it is part of her beauty, a part of her character. Not only that, do we see where she is in Scripture, but we find also what we find her doing while she is there. I want to notice this. What is she doing? She is minding the door. You say, well, that ain't nothing. It's bigger than you think. What is she doing? She's serving the Lord in the way that she can. It may not seem like much, but minding the door. Remember, this is persecution time. She's the one at the door. She's the one that can sound the alarm. Hey, they're coming. We better go. This is an important job she has. In the book of Psalms chapter 84, you don't have to turn there, but I'll turn there as quickly as I can. Psalms 84 and verse number 10. The Bible said, For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than to dwell in the tents of wickedness. This is a psalm that most likely David would have written. He said this, I'd rather be a doorkeeper in the house of the Lord. He's the king. She's tending the door. In the Old Testament, you find the doorkeeper is a position of trust. I don't know if she'd been told to do so, asked to do so, or she just volunteered to do it. Whatever the case might be, she has taken up service in the church. taking up service. You say, Preacher, I don't think it means that much, sweeping a floor or cleaning a bathroom or setting up this or doing that. You might be surprised what it means. Amen? You might be very surprised what just little things mean to God. I noticed her gladness. In verse number 14, it says this, and when she knew Peter's voice, she opened not the gate for gladness. She was happy about all this. Now, I know this has to do with Peter coming. What have they been praying for anyway? It seems like to me by the context that we read in the scripture, It said in verse five, Peter therefore was kept in prison, but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him. So what were the church praying about at this prayer meeting? They're praying about Peter. They're praying that Peter would get out of jail. I find it real funny. He's standing at the door and they don't even believe it. God has answered their prayer. You're crazy, Rhoda. You're mad. I don't fault them too terribly, man. We're that way, too. She's so happy about this, she forgets to open the door. Isn't that crazy? I mean, she's so happy about Peter being at the door, she runs away from the door. He's still standing there knocking. But as they say to her that she is mad, she constantly affirms that it's true. She's persistent as she tells them about who is there. I want to notice one other thing here in verse number 14. I want to notice what she knows. The Bible said, and when she knew, Peter's voice. Now, think about this for just a moment with me. She knows the preacher's voice. Remember, it's dark outside. She really can't see. She's not opened the door yet to find out who it really is. But he knocks on the door, and when she asks, she hears Peter's voice, and she knows that it's Peter. How would she know that? I think it's easily understood. She's heard that voice before. It could have been that the very voice that she heard at the door was the very voice that preached the gospel the day she got saved. She knew the preacher's voice. Now I don't try to lift up preachers very much. I am one. I know what I'm made of. I'm flesh and bone just like anybody else. But I heard this statement years ago and I believe it to be true. Every creature needs a preacher. We were down at the mumbles yesterday looking across the bay back towards Swansea and my heart began to be burdened. Do they have a preacher? Does Swansea have a preacher? No doubt Rhoda had sat and heard him preach and teach many times before. She seems here in this passage to love her preacher. I mean, she's happy about him being here. This is an answer to prayer. This is our preacher. This is the man that has told her the truth. This is a man who is wonder against sin. This is a man who no doubt has prayed for her personally. I believe Peter has treated her, just as Paul said in 1 Timothy chapter 5 and verse 2, as a sister with all purity. He's not tried to take advantage of her. He has loved her like a sister, like he should do. You get a preacher that will love you because you're a soul and because you're a person whom God loves. You better hang on to that one. Amen. This little damsel, this girl, her name is Rhoda. And just like a flower, as quickly as she comes into the scripture, She fades right back out of it. And just as a flower does in a field, you'll see it there. Man, it's beautiful. We have around where I live, there's these flowers that come up this time of year. They're not roses, but some people call them hurricane lilies or spider lilies. And they're an odd-looking flower. But it's like yesterday they weren't there. Today they're this tall and bloomed completely out. And just a few days they're gone. And it seems like Rhoda is just that way in the scripture. She's come and now she's gone. We never hear about her again. I sit and meditate on scripture and I'm thinking of this young lady, Rhoda. Did she ever marry? Was she martyred? What happened to her? We just don't know. But she did leave a short testimony. as the rose comes and blooms and then goes away. So she's come into scripture and gone again. But she's left something for us to know. And God puts her in his Bible. And to me, this is a marvelous thing that the God of all heaven that created everything that you and I see, He writes it in his eternal word about this young lady named Rhoda. He puts it in there for everybody to read and to know about her. Not a lot, but there's something. God has given her something. She's served a purpose. She's bloomed. We see her beauty. We smell the fragrance of a beautiful Christian damsel. She serves her purpose. She brings beauty and glory, I believe, to the early church. I believe God notices the smallest things, don't you? Can I say this? He knows that you're here tonight. He knows. He knows what's in your heart. He knows everything about you. And if God were to record in a book, and He is recording, you're not going to get in this book, but the Bible does teach us that there's books in heaven. and that our works are being recorded. I want to ask you a question. This is application time of the message at the end. What is God going to record about you? What will he notice about your life? What is he going to write down? could be said about you. We could ask ourselves the same or say the same statements that we said about Rhoda, where you were. I know you're not in Jerusalem, you're not in this Bible, but we are in Cardiff, right? I hadn't known where I'm at since I've been here. But he knows where Cardiff is, and he knows you're here tonight. What would he record about you? What would he write down? Where you were. Now, of course, you're here tonight. What are you doing? What are you doing? God is interested not only on where you are, but what you're doing. He's interested in what I'm doing. He's interested in what you're doing. You don't have to be the preacher for God to be interested in you. Rhoda here is just a little girl. But God is interested in this little girl and he records about her in her life. What you're doing. What do you know? Do you know the preacher's voice? I'm sure you know Brother B.J.' 's voice. I hope he doesn't get locked up and you have to pray him out. Amen. When God puts a preacher in your life, especially a pastor, he likens that pastor as a shepherd. You need to know his voice. You need to listen to that voice. You need to be able to know that's who that is. He's speaking to me the Word of God, the truth. This is the way that I need to go. Amen? Peter's not infallible. I'm not infallible. Brother B.J.' 's not infallible, but God puts us in a place. He puts people in our lives to help us. And when he gives you a pastor that loves and cares about you, oh, you better cherish that. Because not very many people have that. Amen. Not very many people have it. So what does he know that you know? What would he record about you tonight? I'm going to finish a little bit early. But I'm just trying to consider Rhoda tonight, what she came into this life to do. We don't have any idea what happens to her later on. I've often thought about John Mark and he came back from the mission field, right? He went on the first journey with Paul and Paul was not happy about him leaving. He leaves and he comes back My imagination runs wild sometimes. I'm wondering, did he like Rhoda? Did he come back to talk to Rhoda? That kind of stuff happens, doesn't it? I don't know what happened to Rhoda, but I'm glad God put her in this book. That we can learn a little bit of her life. and that we can take what little bit of something we can do. I'll never be nothing great. I'll never be nothing big. But boy, if God will just let me do a little something here and there and just serve him, what I can do. I'm not, I don't have a lot of talent, don't have a whole lot of, you can already tell I'm not a great orator. But if God just let me do a little something here and there, I want to do something for him, don't you? Let's all, we're going to stop there and I'm going to finish early here. Let's bow for prayer for just a moment.