GRACE BIBLE FELLOWSHIP | 恩道堂

Scripture Reading        : Acts 19:8-20

Theme                            : The Power of the Word

1. The proclamation of the Word. Paul proclaimed the Gospel at Ephesus, and soon the Gospel spread throughout Asia Minor (modern day Turkey). Recall that the Holy Spirit forbid Paul from going to Asia in Acts 17:6, but directed him to Macedonia instead. It was a matter of when (timing), rather than not.

2. The proof of the Word. God authenticated Paul’s message and ministry with accompanying signs and miracles. When the Sons of Sceva wanted to duplicate the miracles, they failed, despite using Jesus’ (and Paul’s) name, because they were not genuine believers.

3. The power of the Word. God’s Word, the Gospel, “continued to increase and prevail mightily.” There were many people in Ephesus who practiced magic arts, or sorcery, evident from the huge amount of money that the magic books were worth. Because of the power of the Word of God that prevailed in their hearts, the people who repented willingly parted with their former lives, even though there was huge financial loss.

Praying the Scripture

1. Many people complain that “God did not answer my prayer”. By that, they actually mean that God did not give them what they want. God always answers prayers, and in summary, it is either “Yes”, “No”, or “Wait”. Paul was forbidden to go to Asia earlier, but was directed there later to preach. God did not change His mind – it was a matter of timing. Pray that as we patiently wait upon God to direct us, we will be faithful to obey His clear command to proclaim the Gospel.

2. The episode of the Sons of Sceva shows that “in Jesus’ name” is not a magical formula that will result in miracles. Pray that we will be genuine followers of Christ, who obey His Word, rather than false believers who use His name in vain.

3. Pray that we are willing to give up our sins, even if it means financial loss, for the sake of the Gospel.

Scripture Reading        : Acts 18:1-18

Theme                            : Press On for God

1. Provision of God. Silas and Timothy were still in Berea when Paul went to Athens (Acts 17:15), later re-joining Paul at Corinth. Before Silas and Timothy joined Paul, he worked as a tentmaker to support himself, preaching only on the Sabbath. When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, they brought along financial support, so that Paul could be devoted “exclusively to preaching”. God provided Paul’s needs through the gift of other believers.

2. Proselytizing for God. When the Jews opposed Paul, he turned to the Gentiles and devoted himself to preach to them for a year and a half. Many Gentiles became believers as the result of Paul’s preaching. It is possible that Paul was afraid and discouraged by the opposition, which was why God spoke to him in a vision to encourage him to continue preaching to the Gentiles.

3. Protection of God. Even though the Jews “made a united attack on Paul”, God used the proconsul to protect Paul. Gallio wisely ruled that this was not a matter against Roman law, and threw the case out. The Jews vented their anger at Sosthenes, who later became a Christian (1 Cor. 1:1), but no harm was made to Paul.

Praying the Scripture

1. We should be willing to part with our physical possessions so that we can gain eternal rewards in heaven. Pray that we will give of our resources generously, so that our pastor can be devoted “exclusively to preaching” in order to build up believers in the church (including ourselves).

2. Even Paul was afraid and discouraged at times. Let us pray that we will trust in God and not be afraid to preach the Gospel to people around us.

3. If we obey His Word, we can be assured that Jesus Christ will be with us till the end of the age (Matt. 28:19-20). Praise and thank God for keeping His promises.

Scripture Reading        : Acts 17:16-34

Theme                            : God-Centered Gospel

1. Godless man-made gospel. Athens was the cultural centre of Greece, home to famous philosophers such as Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. The author of Acts noted that the Athenians spent all their time talking about and listening to new ideas (17:21). The Athenians were very religious, but they did not know the true Gospel. They worshipped all kinds of idols created by themselves (17:6), even creating an altar “to an unknown god”, just in case they left out any god who might become angry with them.

2. God-centred Gospel preaching. Paul made known to them the one and only true God by preaching the Gospel to them. Paul did not just try to add another god to the pantheon of gods the Athenians were already worshipping. He denounced the idols as “image made by human design and skill” (17:29), and declared to them the need for repentance and the coming judgment.

3. God-centred Gospel living. Sincerity is not sufficient to please God. The Athenians were very sincere in their worship, even building an altar to an unknown god. However, Paul declared that this was “ignorance” which God overlooked. The important thing when one hears the Gospel is to repent. True repentance means turning away from sin and turning towards God, and it will be followed by a life of godliness.

 
Praying the Scripture

1. W. Tozer wrote, “Wrong ideas about God are not only the fountain from which the polluted waters of idolatry flow; they are themselves idolatrous. The idolater simply imagines things about God and acts as if they were true.” Worship, no matter how sincere, is idolatry as long as we are not clear on who is the God of the Bible. Pray that we will not be worshipping “an unknown god”, but strive to know Him by reading the Bible.

2. Some people think that they can add Jesus to their pantheon of gods. But according to Paul and the God-centered Gospel that he preached, there is only ONE God. Pray that we too will preach such a Gospel, and be ready to tell unbelievers the truth.

3. Pray that if we have genuinely repented from our sins, we will live godly lives that is “worthy of the Gospel of Christ” (Philippians 1:27), because God will “judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed.” (Acts 17:31)

经文：使徒行传17:16-34

主题：以神为本的福音

Scripture Reading        : Acts 17:1-15

Theme                            : Expository Preaching & Expository Listening

1. Expository preaching of the Word. Paul preached from the Old Testament to the Jews, and explained to them what the Old Testament meant regarding the suffering, death and resurrection of Christ. Expository preaching is not a new concept in recent church history. It was done in the Old Testament (Nehemiah 8:8), by Jesus in the synagogues, and also by Paul. However, preaching God’s Word clearly and accurately does not guarantee a positive response from the hearers. In fact, the Bible tells us that many people would not want to hear sound teaching (2 Tim 4:3-4). The Jews did not respond positively to Paul’s message, but stirred up a riot instead.

2. Expository listening of the Word. The Jews in Berea were “more noble than those in Thessalonica”. It is the preacher’s responsibility to preach expositorily, but the hearer’s are also responsible to hear expositorily. The Bereans “received the Word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” The hearer’s responsibility is to have a teachable heart, so that he will hear God’s Word eagerly, having a genuine desire to want to know God’s Word. But he should not blindly accept whatever the preacher says – the hearer has the responsibility to study the rest of Scripture to ensure that what he heard does not contradict the rest of the Bible, and to obey the Word of God.

Praying the Scripture

1. God does not require the preacher to produce results by the number of people who likes to hear him preach. The requirement of God is that the preacher be faithful to preach His Word clearly and accurately, seeking to please God rather than humans. The Old Testament prophets (e.g. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel) were not popular amongst the people because they preached about God’s impending judgment, which the Jews did not like to hear. Paul was faithful not to change the content of the Gospel simply because the people did not like it. Pray that our pastor and elders will also faithfully preach God’s Word accurately and clearly.

2. The world judges the effectiveness of the sermons by the size of the congregation. Many so-called Christians even blame the preacher for the failure of the hearers to obey God’s Word. But it is the responsibility of the hearer, not the preacher, to be teachable and obey the Word of God. Let us pray that we will “receive the Word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.”

经文：使徒行传17:1-15

主题：释经讲道与释经听道

Scripture Reading        : Acts 16:6-40

Theme                            : Mission Report

The human author of the Book of Acts was Luke. Up to this point, the narrative is in the third person pronoun (e.g. he, they), but from 16:10 onwards, Luke used the first person pronoun “we”, indicating that he joined Paul, Silas and Timothy in this journey.

1. Mission’s Observations. From Troas to Neapolis, the journey was by sea, with a night stop at Samothrace to avoid the perils of sailing in the dark. Philippi is an inland city 10 miles (16 km) from the port city of Neapolis. There was no synagogue in Philippi, likely due to a small number of Jewish men (at least 10 Jewish men were required to form a synagogue), so some Jewish women (including Lydia) gathered to pray.

2. Mission’s Obstacles. The slave girl was demon-possessed, and the demon recognized and proclaimed Paul as someone sent by God. Paul, the true servant of God, did not need the testimony of a demon, and so he cast the demon out. The owners of the slave girl lost their money-spinning tool, and they stirred up the city and beat Paul and Silas and imprisoned them.

3. Mission’s Objective. Because of the imprisonment, the Philippian jailer and his family were dramatically converted. Philippi was a Roman colony, which meant that Paul and Silas enjoyed protection from the Empire of Rome (16:37), so the local magistrates had to publicly apologize to Paul, or risked being removed from office by Rome. After being freed, Paul and Silas visited Lydia and encouraged the brothers. Paul’s objective was always to preach the Gospel to unbelievers and build up the believers.

Praying the Scripture

1. Lydia’s conversion is yet another illustration of God’s election and sovereignty over one’s salvation. Let us thank God for opening our hearts to pay attention to what is written in the Bible, like He did with Lydia.

2. Having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia, Paul was directed to Macedonia by a vision. However, God did not promise that as long as one obeys Him, the journey will be smooth and without hindrance. God did promise that He will be with His elect (Matthew 28:19-20). Let us pray that we will be faithful to obey God’s Word, like Paul, and depend on His strength to overcome difficulties.

3. In everything that Paul did, he was single-mindedly focused on preaching the Gospel and encouraging believers. Even when he was in prison, he was “praying and singing hymns to God” together with Silas. Pray that we will devote ourselves to serve God and His eternal purposes (e.g. share the Gospel, serve in church, encourage other believers.)

经文：使徒行传16:6-40

主题：宣教报告

使徒行传的人类作者是路加。直至这里，其叙述是以第三人称概括的（如他、他们），但从16:10起，路加使用了第一人称“我们”，表示他在这一个宣教旅程中加入了保罗、西拉和提摩太。

Scripture Reading        : Acts 15:36-41

Theme                            : Dispute in the Church

This passage about the dispute between Paul and Barnabas has caused no small dispute amongst Bible commentators! Unlike some views that neither Paul nor Barnabas was wrong (it was simply a matter of preference), it is more likely that Paul was right based on the following reasons:

1. Barnabas was John Mark’s cousin. Colossians 4:10 shows us that Barnabas and Mark were cousins. Barnabas could have given Mark preferential treatment.

2. Barnabas went home to Cyprus. Barnabas did not simply part ways with Paul and went elsewhere to minister – he actually went home (Acts 4:36).

3. Barnabas was not sent by the church (Paul was). Barnabas went home with Mark, but Paul was “commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord” (Acts 15:39).

4. Barnabas was no longer mentioned in the rest of the Book of Acts. From 15:41 till the end of the book, the narrative was on the ministry of Paul.

5. Barnabas should obey Paul, the Apostle. Paul was specifically chosen by God to be the Apostle to the gentiles (Acts 13:47), and Barnabas should have submitted to Paul’s leadership.

Praying the Scripture

1. There are some people who wants to serve in certain areas of ministry, but the leaders of the church and the congregation do not see the giftedness in them, and they end up leaving the church in anger. Pray that we will serve humbly and allow the church to recognize our giftedness.

2. Pray that we will be willing to serve God even if it means moving out of our comfort-zone, like Paul.

3. Pray that we will be submissive to the leaders of the church, whom God has appointed to give an account for our souls (Hebrews 13:17).

经文：使徒行传15:36-41

主题：教会的纷争

保罗与巴拿巴在这段经文所起的争执也在圣经解经家中引起了不少争论！有些人认为保罗与巴拿巴都没有错（这仅是个人的选择），但我们从下列几点能断定保罗较为有理：

Scripture Reading        : Acts 15:36 – 16:10

Theme                            : Mission Strategy

1. The right purpose. Paul had wanted to return to the places they had been to in order to encourage the believers there. He did not leave them alone after they believed the Gospel, because it is important for believers to be equipped (Eph. 4:11-16).

2. The right personnel. Silas was well-suited to be Paul’s partner in ministry because he was a Jew (he could access the synagogues), and a Roman citizen (Acts 16:37) like Paul (protected by Roman law). Timothy was chosen to join them because he was well-known to be a faithful believer.

3. The right preparation. Paul circumcised Timothy not because it was required for salvation, but because he was a half-Jew (his mother was a Jew). Circumcision would grant him full access to the synagogue, and Paul did that as long as it did not affect the Gospel message (1 Cor. 9:19-23).

4. The right persuasion. Paul delivered the decision of the Council of Jerusalem to the churches, so that they knew clearly that circumcision (works) was not required for salvation, and they must be set apart from the world and not stumble fellow believers.

5. The right prompting. Paul’s objective was to obey God to preach the Gospel, and the Holy Spirit directed him by forbidding him to go to Asia Minor (modern Turkey), and led him to Macedonia instead.

Praying the Scripture

1. Pray that we will serve God with the right purpose in our hearts – by edifying other believers in what we do.

2. Paul was willing to do whatever it takes to preach the Gospel, as long as the message of the Gospel was not compromised (1 Cor. 9:19-23). Pray that we will follow Paul’s example, and not only preach the Gospel when it is convenient for us.

3. There are many people who claim to want to know God’s will, when they clearly disobey God’s Word in many areas of their lives. Some are not serving God actively in the local church, yet claim that they want to do big things for God. Paul was not like that at all. Pray that we will first serve actively in the local church, and may the Holy Spirit guide us to do even more things for God’s eternal kingdom and glory.

经文：使徒行传15:36 – 16:10

主题：宣教策略

Scripture Reading        : Acts 15:1-35

Theme                            : The Council of Jerusalem

1. The serious difficulty. The men who came down from Judea were Jews who were Judaizers (those who taught that salvation is achieved by obeying the Old Testament Law e.g. circumcision). These Jews came from Jerusalem, but were false believers, because they taught a different gospel that was not endorsed by the Apostles (15:24).

2. The serious debate. Paul and Barnabas debated with the Judaizers, Paul was a Pharisee who kept the Law to the best of his ability, but would later come to full understanding that salvation is by faith alone in Christ. He was the best person to debate with the Judaizers. Nevertheless, a delegation was sent to the church in Jerusalem to verify with the Apostles regarding this matter.

3. The serious decision. The leaders of the church in Jerusalem gathered and discussed the matter and came to the decision that salvation is by faith alone is Jesus (15:11), firmly rebutting those who taught otherwise. Throughout the history of the church, church leaders have met to debate and settle on doctrinal issues, using the Bible as the authority. At this point in the Book of Acts, however, the Bible was not yet complete and the Apostles were the ones who had authority from God to decide on such issues. The things to be avoided were things polluted by idols, sexual immorality, animals that were strangled and blood. The first two were closely related to idolatry, while the latter two had to do with stumbling Jewish believers.

Praying the Scripture

1. The difficulty of salvation by works or by faith alone arose in those days, and would persist throughout history until today, when some churches still teach that Christians must obey the law (e.g. keeping the Sabbath, but on Sunday). Pray that we will fully recognize our spiritual poverty, that we cannot do anything to please God and earn our salvation.

2. Pray that we will read and know the Bible well, so that we can guard ourselves and the church against false teachings, because the church is “a pillar and buttress of the truth” (1 Tim. 3:15).                                                 

3. Even though Christians do not need to obey the Old Testament law, we are actually “under the law of Christ” (1 Cor. 9:21). Pray that we will not abuse our Christian liberty, but will set ourselves apart from the world and not do anything that might stumble other believers.

经文：使徒行传15:1-35

主题：耶路撒冷的公会

Scripture Reading        : Acts 14:1-28

Theme                            : Lessons from Paul’s First Missionary Journey

1. Faithful preaching. As Paul and Barnabas went from city to city, they “continued to preach the Gospel”, even though there were people who wanted “to mistreat them and to stone them”. They did not change the message to please the hearers, but preached the true Gospel that challenges sinners to repent.

2. Fearing the one and only God. At Lystra, Paul told the people to turn to the one and only “living God” who made everything. It is because Paul feared the one and only God, not man, that he could preach the Gospel faithfully even though his life was under threat.

3. Persevering in suffering. When the Jews eventually did stone Paul at Lystra, to the extent that they thought he was dead and dragged him out of the city, he simply went to another city (Derbe) and continued to preach the Gospel.

4. Pastoring with love. Paul also came back to Lystra to preach again, even though he almost died here. This was certainly out of love for the Christians in Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, because they needed encouragement as they went “through many tribulations”.

Praying the Scripture

1. Pray for the pulpit ministry of our church, that the pastor will faithfully preach the Word of God, even though the audience may not like to hear the truth.

2. The congregation can turn to the pastor for counselling, but the pastor has nobody to turn to for counselling. Pray that the pastor of our church will fear the one and only God, and not fear man.

3. Thank God that we are in a country where there is no real persecution and suffering, like those in the Book of Acts. Also thank God that He gave us a pastor who loves Him, His Word, and His church.

经文：使徒行传14:1-28

主题：从保罗首次宣教行程所得教训

Scripture Reading        : Acts 13:44-52

Theme                            : The Hostility toward the Gospel

1. Receiving the message. Many people gathered to hear Paul preach, but just like the Parable of the Sower, the same message was heard but there were different responses. It is important to note that v48 clearly indicates that God is sovereign in the salvation of sinners; only those whom God has “appointed to eternal life believed.” Those who received the message responded in joy and glorified the Word of God, a mark of true salvation.

2. Rejecting the message. Many Jews who heard the same message rejected the Gospel. Whenever Paul entered a city, he would always enter the synagogue to preach the Gospel to the Jews first. As the Jews constantly rejected the Gospel, Paul declared that they would be “turning to the Gentiles”. From this point onwards, Paul focused on preaching the Gospel to the Gentiles.

3. Rejecting the messengers. Even when the Jews heard that the message that was first proclaimed to them would now be proclaimed to the Gentiles, they did not repent. Not only did they reject the message, they also rejected the messengers and “stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas”.

Praying the Scripture

1. If we are truly those who are “appointed to eternal life”, we would receive the Word of God gladly and respond in joy and thanksgiving. Pray that we will have the marks of a true believer, especially in rejoicing and thanksgiving to God.

2. Pray that we will not hear the Word of God (e.g. on Sundays) and reject it.

3. Rejecting God’s messengers is the same as rejecting God, since the messengers represent Him. In our context, God’s messengers are the pastors and elders of the local church who teach us the Word of God. Pray that we will not reject the messengers of God, and that we will submit to our leaders (Hebrews 13:17).

经文：使徒行传13:44-52

主题：对福音的敌意

用经文祷告