使徒行傳 第2章 中英摘要

  使徒行傳第2章,應該要跟創世記第11章一起配合來讀,因為在創世記11章,講到人類因著驕傲、不順服,造了巴別塔想通天,為要傳揚自己的名;所以神就將他們的口音語言變亂,又使他們分散在全地,這時人只得停工。而在使徒行傳2章,神因著人的謙卑順服,聖靈便做恢復、合一的工作,賜下口才讓門徒說起別國的話來,這時門徒們所說的各地方言,都是彼此可以明白的。

  彼得雖然曾經軟弱三次不認主,但就在五旬節被聖靈充滿時,彼得站起來為主見證,引用先知約珥的話,講到神的旨意叫耶穌道成肉身,被釘十字架;也說到大衛在聖經中,所預言的基督從死裡復活。有些基督徒以為,聖靈充滿就是會哭、會倒、會說方言….其實聖靈充滿,是讓我們的靈被開啟,我們的生命被改變,我們可以有勇氣,去面對之前不敢面對的人,我們可以有能力,去做之前做不到的事,我們可以有堅持來事奉神,並剛強的為主作見證。若是我們倒完、哭完,回家後依然故我,生命沒有任何改變,生活沒有一點見證,這就不是被聖靈所充滿的結果。

  十字架是代表咒詛、死亡,耶穌是無罪的,卻為我們的罪被釘十字架。耶穌是基督,不是因為祂被釘了十字架,耶穌是基督,在於祂被釘十架後的復活,這復活證明祂是無罪的,祂是基督,是神的兒子。常有人以為背十字架就是屬靈,就可以得獎賞;弟兄姊妹,光背十字架是沒價值的,耶穌說,要背起自己的十字架來「跟從主」,所以我們不單是背起十字架,我們還需要「跟從主」。我們也不需要苦哈哈、咬著牙的背十架,因為只要我們願意跟隨主,祂必給我們恩典來背十架,因為主說祂的擔子是輕省的,祂的軛是容易的。

  弟兄姊妹們,你跟隨主的目的是什麼呢?是要升官發財?是要神的祝福?神是賜福的神,祂樂於祝福我們,但是我們要知道:得祝福是我們跟隨主的「結果」,而不是我們跟隨主的「目的」,若是我們把跟隨主的結果,當成我們跟隨主的目的,讓我們悔改吧!

葉長老 風美小組信息 / 高雄 錦泰 摘錄回應

Acts 2

  Acts 2 should be read along with Genesis 11. In Genesis 11, people built the tower of Babel out of pride and disobedience; people wanted to reach the heaven and make a name for themselves. As a result, God confused their language and scattered them all over the world; so they had no choice but to stop their work. While in Acts 2, because people’s humbleness and obedience, the Holy Spirit restored and reunified them. God enabled them to speak in other tongues, and they could still understand each other.

  Although Peter once denied Jesus for three times, he raised his voice and addressed the crowd when he was filled with the Holy Spirit in the day of Pentecost. He cited the prophecy spoken by prophet Joel, spoke of God’s will for Jesus to become flesh and be crucified. He also mentioned David’s prophecy about the resurrection of the Christ. Some Christians think that to be filled with the Holy Spirit is all about crying, falling backward, and speaking in tongues. As the matter of fact, to be filled with the Holy Spirit is about our soul being opened and our lives being changed. We can now have the courage to face those we once dared not to face, and we now have the power to do what we once could not do. We can now persist in our service to God, and to testify for Him with courage and wisdom. If we remain unchanged after lying there, crying, and if we still live our old lives that do not glorify God, we have not truly experienced the work of the Holy Spirit

  Cross represents curse and death. Jesus is sinless, yet He was crucified for our sins. Jesus is the Christ, not because He was crucified, but because He resurrected. The resurrection proves that He is sinless, that He is the Christ, and that He is the Son of God. People often think that simply taking up a cross equals to spiritual and should be rewarded. My dear brothers and sisters, merely carrying a cross means nothing! Jesus said that we should take up our cross and “follow Him.” So, we should not only carry our cross, but also follow God. Moreover, we don’t need to be burdened, because if we are willing to follow God, He will bestow His grace upon us; because Jesus told us “my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:30)

  Brothers and sisters, what are your purposes for following God? To be promoted? To be wealthy? To be blessed? God is more than willing and happy to bless us, but we should keep in mind that blessings are the “results” of our following God, not the purpose. If we wrongly consider the result of following God as the purpose, let us repent!

Message by Elder Yeh / Summary and response by Jim Lin