In case we forget about King Herod, he has James the brother of John killed with a sword. This gets him a positive reaction from the established religious leaders, so he arrests Peter too. Herod holds him in jail during the holiday of the Unleavened Bread while the believers desperately pray. 

Despite four squads of soldiers guarding him, an angel comes and lets Peter out in the middle of the night. He makes his way to the house where the believers are hiding with Mary the mother of John Mark. He knocks at the gate and a girl named Rhoda answers, but is too afraid to open the door. She asks, who is it? He says it’s Peter, so she excitedly goes and tells everyone. They don’t believe her at first, but on her insistence finally let him in. 

Meanwhile, King Herod is angry at the people of Tyre and Sidon, and they beg him not to punish them because they are dependent on his lands for food. He gets dressed up in his robes and gives a speech and they all chant that he is “Not a man, but a god.” Instead of correcting them, he revels in their praise, so God strikes him down dead.

More people get saved, and Saul and Barnabas return from their mission trip and join up with John Mark.

My takeaways from this section are: 1. Believe in the power and effectiveness of prayer. 2. Listen to young women, they’re not making up stories. 3. It’s more important to do the right thing instead of the popular thing. 4. Don’t let flattery go to your head.