使徒行傳 第14章 中英摘要

  上一章我們看到保羅和巴拿巴在彼西底的安提阿,放膽傳講神的道,有人歡喜的領受,也有人拒絕甚至把他們趕出境外。於是他們到以哥念,進猶太會堂繼續傳講神的道,因著他們所傳的道,信的人很多,然而也有不信的猶太人聳動外邦人,逼迫他們,但是他們依舊倚靠主放膽講道,主就藉著他們的手施行神蹟奇事,來證明祂的恩道;之後城裡的眾人就分了黨,有附從猶太人的,有附從使徒的。

  傳揚神的道會受逼迫、被排斥,但只要我們放膽去講,神蹟奇事就會隨著我們來證明神的道,神的話一出,光明與黑暗、信與不信,都會清楚顯出。真理會讓人感到沉重,因為神的真理與人的天性,是背道而馳的,但是真理會釋放我們,使我們得著自由,讓我們不再被世界所轄制。所以我們讀經要和生活連結,要去思想聖經裡的話,跟我們的生活及個人有什麼關係,這樣讀經才會讀的活,才會有味道。不要再說聖經很難、看不懂…. 神不會給我們看不懂的東西,這是在為撒旦作廣告,撒旦巴不得神的兒女都不讀經,因為神的話是我們對付仇敵的利器,當主耶穌在抵擋撒旦試探時,祂用的全都是神的話。

  我們的神是積極的神,所以我們也要有積極的態度來讀經,來接受神的話語。讀經能讓我們更正確的認識神,若是不讀經,則容易憑感覺在揣摩神、愛神;感性的愛是無法持久的,感性需要理性的支撐,才能有平衡健康的發展;若光是靠感覺,今天一切順利,就覺得神很愛我,明天遇到困難,可能就覺得神不愛我,就會懷疑、埋怨、離開主。

  保羅和巴拿巴在路司得醫治了一個生來瘸腿的人,當地不信主的外邦人驚訝之餘,竟然把他們當神,準備要向他們獻祭,保羅和巴拿巴告訴他們:「諸君,為甚麼做這事呢?我們也是人,性情和你們一樣。我們傳福音給你們,是叫你們離棄這些虛妄,歸向那創造天、地、海,和其中萬物的永生神….」保羅在攔阻眾人向他們獻祭時,仍然抓住機會,充滿智慧的向眾人傳講這位創造天地萬物,獨一的真神。保羅善於使用任何的環境,將它成為佈道大會,這是因為保羅視耶穌基督為至寶,他將傳揚福音,成為他一生中最重要的使命。

  你人生中最大的事是什麼呢?名望、學識、健康還是財富?縱使這些你都有了,但卻仍舊在罪中被綑綁,那你的一生終究要走向滅亡,毫無價值。唯有相信耶穌,讓祂的寶血來潔淨救贖我們,那我們人生中最大的事,才算是獲得解決。接下來我們每天都要喜樂的為主而活,因為人生中最大的事,神已經藉著祂的獨生愛子耶穌基督,為我們完成了!

葉長老 風美小組信息 / 高雄 錦泰 摘錄回應

sunset-229335_1280-1000

Acts 14

  In the previous chapter, we see that Paul and Barnabas spread the words of God courageously in Pisidian Antioch. Some people received the words happily, but some people rejected them and cast Paul and Barnabas out. After that, they traveled to Iconium, and continued to preach the words of God in Jewish synagogue. Because of the gospel, many people believed in Jesus Christ. However, there are also those who didn’t believe in Jesus, and they stirred up the other Gentiles and persecuted Paul and Barnabas. Yet, both of them, relying on God’s power, kept spreading the gospel with courage. God perform signs and wonders through them in order to confirm the message of His grace. Later, the people of the city were divided; some sided with the Jews, others with the apostles.

  We may be oppressed or rejected when we try to spread the words of God, but if we pluck up our courage, miracles will follow us and prove for us the grace of God. Once the word of God is out, light/darkness, and believers/nonbelievers, will be revealed. Truth may be heavy for us, because our human nature is against God’s Truth. Nevertheless, the Truth will release us and set us free from the control of this world. Therefore, our lives must be connected to the teachings in the Bible; we need to think about how God’s words are related to our daily lives. Only in this way can our Bible-reading be relevant and influential to our lives. Bible-reading, then, will become meaningful and interesting. Stop saying that the Bible is hard to understand; it is Satan’s trick. It is exactly Satan’s wish that all God’s children stop reading the Bible. Remember that when Jesus resisted Satan’s temptation, all He used were God’s words. The Holy Bible is our best weapon to fight the enemy!

  God will not give us words we cannot understand. Our God is positive, so we need to hold a positive attitude in receiving God’s words too. Reading the Bible can provide us with accurate understandings of God. If we do not read the Bible, it is as if we are just imagining what God is like through our feelings. The love basing on feelings do not last; Love requires the support of reason as well in order to reach a balanced development. If we depend too much on our feelings, we may think that God loves us just because we have a really good day today; if we encounter difficulties tomorrow, we may think that God doesn’t love us anymore, and we may start to complain, to doubt, and to turn away from God.

  Paul and Barnabas healed a man who was lame from birth in Lystra. The Gentiles there are shocked, and they thought Paul and Barnabas were gods; the Gentiles even wanted to offer sacrifices to them. Yet Paul and Barnabas said to the people, “Friends, why are you doing this? We too are only human, like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything in them.” While stopping people from offering sacrifices to them, Paul seized the chance, very wisely, to tell people about the only true God who created all things. Paul was very good at using every opportunity to preach the gospel, and this was because Paul viewed Jesus Christ as precious. Paul considered spreading the gospel the most important mission in his life.

  What are the most important things in your life? Fame? Education? Health? Wealth? Even if you have all those things, your life is still worthless, and you are still doomed, if you are still bond by sins. Only through believing in Jesus, and be saved and purified by His precious blood, can we acquire the most important thing in our lives. After we are saved, we can live the rest of our lives for God in joy, because God has already accomplished the most important thing in life for us through His son, Jesus Christ.

Message by Elder Yeh / Summary and response by Jim Lin