When Kingdoms Collide
Fighting Spiritual Warfare as a Church
The audio of this teaching is available on Spotify.
Message 18 | The Unstoppable Church Series | Acts 12
How the Early Church Battled Spiritual Opposition Through Corporate Prayer
In this powerful message from Acts 12, we explore how the first-century church faced intense spiritual warfare and what their response teaches us about fighting spiritual battles today. When King Herod attacked the church, killed James, and imprisoned Peter, the believers didn't fight back with human weapons—they prayed. Their story shows us that when the church prays together, kingdoms collide and evil is defeated.
What is Spiritual Warfare in the Bible?
Spiritual warfare is the ongoing battle between God's kingdom and the forces of darkness. Ephesians 6:12 reminds us: "Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against evil, spiritual forces in the heavens."
Many Christians underestimate the reality of spiritual warfare until they experience it firsthand. The enemy—Satan—uses the same tactics today that he used 2,000 years ago:
Attacking church leaders
Creating division within the church
Distracting believers with secondary issues
Making the mission feel impossible
Using politics and culture wars to shift focus from the gospel
The good news? Jesus promised: "I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:18).
How Did the Early Church Fight Spiritual Battles?
Acts 12: A Case Study in Spiritual Warfare
When King Herod Agrippa I launched a violent attack on the early church:
The Attack:
James (one of Jesus' original twelve disciples) was executed with a sword
Peter was arrested and placed under maximum security with 16 guards
Herod planned a public execution during Passover to please the Jewish religious leaders
From a human perspective, the church was losing
The Church's Response: "So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was praying fervently to God for him" (Acts 12:5).
One word changes everything: BUT.
James is dead, BUT the church was praying
Peter is in prison, BUT the church was praying
Herod has power, BUT the church was praying
The enemy is attacking, BUT the church was praying
Notice What They DIDN'T Do:
They didn't organize a protest
They didn't start a political campaign
They didn't fight Herod with human weapons
They didn't get distracted by the politics of the moment
They prayed. Fervently. Together.
The Greek word for "fervently" is ektenos—meaning stretched out, intense, unceasing. This wasn't casual prayer. This was war-room intercession.
What Does Fervent Prayer Look Like?
Prayer as Spiritual Warfare
When the early church prayed fervently for Peter:
They prayed corporately - Many believers gathered at Mary's house (Acts 12:12)
They prayed persistently - They were still praying in the middle of the night when Peter knocked on the door
They prayed with desperation - Not polite "bless us" prayers, but on-their-knees, all-night intercession
The result? Heaven invaded earth. An angel appeared in Peter's prison cell, chains fell off, gates opened by themselves, and Peter walked free while 16 guards slept through the supernatural jailbreak.
The Final Score: James: dead. Peter: rescued. Herod: judged by God. Church: GREW.
"But the word of God spread and multiplied" (Acts 12:24).
Why is Corporate Prayer Important for Churches?
The Power of Praying Together
Matthew 18:19-20 - "If two of you on earth agree about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them."
Corporate prayer demonstrates:
Unity - We're fighting the same battle with the same mission
Faith - We believe God hears and answers
Dependence on God - We can't do this alone
Your personal prayer life is a key indicator of how dependent you really are on God. When we fail to pray, we signal to God: "I got this. I don't need you." But when we invest time in prayer—individually and corporately—we communicate that we want and need God involved in everything we do.
How Can I Fight Spiritual Battles Through Prayer?
Three Practical Ways to Wage Spiritual Warfare
1. Fight Together - Pray Corporately
Don't just pray alone. Join with other believers in unified, corporate prayer. The early church understood that there's power in praying together.
Action Step: Join a prayer gathering, prayer walk, or prayer meeting at your church. Commit to praying WITH other believers, not just FOR them.
2. Fight With Intensity - Pray Fervently
Not casual prayers. Not brief, polite prayers. War-room intercession that recognizes we're communicating with the most powerful Person in the universe.
Action Step: Take the 10-Day Prayer Challenge - commit to 10 minutes of focused, fervent prayer each day for 10 days. Identify your biggest spiritual battles and bring them to God with intensity.
3. Stay Focused - Pray With Purpose
The church didn't fight Herod with politics. They stayed focused on the mission: the gospel. When the enemy attacks, he wants to distract us with culture wars, division, and secondary issues.
Action Step: When tempted to engage in online arguments, political debates, or cultural battles, STOP and ask: "Is this helping someone find life in Jesus?" If not, pray instead.
What is the Main Thing the Church Should Focus On?
The Gospel is the Main Thing
The enemy's primary strategy is distraction—getting believers focused on secondary and tertiary things that matter, but don't matter most. He wants to pull us away from our core purpose:
Our ultimate calling as disciples of Jesus is to be catalysts for the gospel—helping people find their way back to God, helping people find life in Jesus.
What is the Gospel?
The gospel is the good news that although we've all been permeated by sin—doing, saying, and thinking things we shouldn't—God loved us so much that He sent His Son Jesus to die on the cross to pay the penalty for our sin. Those who believe in Him and receive Him as Savior are adopted into God's family. Our sin is forgiven—past, present, and future. We have the right to be called children of God. Then we spend every day allowing the Holy Spirit to transform us to be more like Jesus.
How Do We Recognize Spiritual Warfare Today?
The Enemy's Playbook Hasn't Changed
The same tactics Satan used against the early church, he uses today:
Division - Our country has never been more divided. The enemy uses BOTH sides of political/cultural debates to distract the church from the gospel
Attacking Leaders - Church leaders face spiritual attacks on their health, marriages, families, and finances
Creating Fear - Making the mission feel impossible to accomplish
Distraction - Getting us fighting culture wars instead of making disciples
The Reality: We live in a fallen world facing real spiritual opposition. Some challenges are demonic. Some are just the result of living in a broken world. Either way, our greatest weapon is prayer.
Why Does Prayer Work Against Spiritual Forces?
You Can't Fight Spiritual Battles With Physical Weapons
Ephesians 6:12 makes it clear: "Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against... spiritual forces of evil."
You can't defeat spiritual enemies with:
Better arguments
Political activism
Social media battles
Human strategies and programs
You need spiritual weapons. And the primary spiritual weapon God has given us is prayer.
When we pray:
Heaven responds to earth
Chains fall off
Gates open supernaturally
The impossible becomes possible
Kingdoms collide and God's kingdom wins
What About When God Doesn't Answer Prayer the Way We Want?
Trusting God's Sovereignty in Spiritual Warfare
In Acts 12:
James was executed - One verse. No dramatic rescue. Just murdered.
Peter was miraculously rescued - Angel, chains falling, supernatural prison break.
Both outcomes were part of God's plan. Both brought Him glory. Both advanced the church.
The Lesson: Peter was at peace the night before his scheduled execution because he trusted God's sovereignty. He knew there would be one of two outcomes:
He'd be executed and be face-to-face with Jesus
The Lord would free him and he'd get back to work
Either way, Peter was good with it.
Sometimes God doesn't answer our prayers the way we want or need Him to. But we can trust that He's sovereign, He's good, and His purposes will prevail.
How Can Our Church Plant Fight Spiritual Warfare?
Applying Acts 12 to Church Planting
At Bear Creek Community Church, we're preparing to launch in September 2026. We need to grow from 20 to 60 people. We're facing:
Health crises among our people
Family struggles
Financial challenges
Cultural resistance to the gospel
An enemy who doesn't want this church to succeed
We could try to solve this with better marketing, better systems, better strategy.
Or we could do what the early church did: PRAY.
We're choosing prayer. We're launching:
Weekly corporate prayer gatherings focused on our church plant mission
Prayer walks through our community (March 14th)
Because we believe when the church prays, kingdoms collide and evil is defeated.
Key Takeaways: Fighting Spiritual Warfare Through Prayer
The enemy is real - Spiritual warfare isn't theoretical; it's happening all around us
Prayer is our weapon - Not arguments, not activism, not human strategies—PRAYER
Corporate prayer matters - There's power when the church prays together in unity
Pray fervently - Intense, persistent, war-room intercession, not casual prayers
Stay focused on the gospel - Don't get distracted by secondary battles
God's kingdom wins - Jesus promised the gates of hell won't prevail against His church
What Should I Do Next?
Join the Fight:
Take the 10-Day Prayer Challenge - 10 minutes a day for 10 days
Pray corporately - Join a prayer gathering at your church
Pray fervently - Identify your biggest spiritual battle and bring it to God with intensity
Stay focused - Ask before engaging online: "Is this helping someone find life in Jesus?"
Remember: When the church prays, kingdoms collide and evil is defeated.
The early church faced an impossible situation—a murdered apostle, an imprisoned leader, a powerful enemy, maximum security, scheduled execution.
They prayed.
Heaven moved. Chains fell. Gates opened. The enemy was judged. The church grew.
What will happen when we pray?
About This Sermon
This message is part of the Unstoppable Church series, an expository journey through the Book of Acts exploring what the early church can teach us about following Jesus today. Each sermon answers the question: What can we learn from the early church and apply to our lives today to continue the movement of Jesus going forward?
Want to continue your faith journey? Visit us at www.bc3.church to connect with our community, find more sermons, and take your next step in following Jesus.