GRACE BIBLE FELLOWSHIP | 恩道堂

Scripture Reading        : Acts 13:13-43

Theme                             : Preaching Jesus Christ

1. Jesus is the promised Messiah. The Jews practised what was known as the “freedom of the synagogue”, a Jewish custom that permitted recognized visiting teachers to preach in the synagogue, using the Old Testament, by invitation of the synagogue leaders (v15). Paul, beginning from the Exodus from Egypt, proved that Jesus is the Messiah that was promised, a descendant of King David.

2. Jesus is the prophesied Messiah. Quoting from the Old Testament, Paul showed further that Jesus is not only the Messiah who is a descendant of David – Jesus is also the Son of God, the Holy One, according to Old Testament prophecy.

3. Jesus is the proclaimed Messiah. Jesus did not come to earth and lived a perfect life silently, died silently, and save sinners silently. He preached publicly the message of repentance, died a public death on the cross, and commanded His followers to proclaim Him to sinners. Paul was obeying the command and preached that “through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed” (v38).

Praying the Scripture

1. Acts 4:12 – “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Jesus is the Messiah according to God’s promise, and God does not have a Plan B. Let us thank God for showing the way clearly, so that sinners are not left to find the way on their own.

2. The Jews knew that the promised Messiah would be a descendant of David, but they failed to understand the Old Testament prophesies that He will be the Son of God. Let us thank God for sending His beloved Son, who is perfectly sinless, and not any man. Only because of His holiness (He is the Holy One) is He able to take away our sins.

3. Romans 10:14, 17 – “And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? … So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” Pray that we will be faithful to proclaim Jesus as the only God and Savior of all mankind.

经文：使徒行传13:13-43

主题：传耶稣基督

Scripture Reading        : Acts 13:1-12

Theme                            : The Beginning of Missions

Acts 1-12 focused on the preaching and ministry of Peter. From Acts 13 to the rest of the book, the narrative focused on Paul.

1. Missionaries commissioned. There were still prophets at this time of the Book of Acts (also see 11:27-28), and they received direct revelation from the Holy Spirit that Saul (a.k.a. Paul) and Barnabas were to be sent to do the work that God intended. With the cessation of the temporary gifts, especially after the canon of the New Testament was completed, the role of prophets also ceased.

2. Missionaries challenged. There was a false-prophet who sought to mislead the governor (proconsul) and the false-prophet opposed Paul and Barnabas.

3. Missionaries championed. But the purpose of God cannot be thwarted and His Word cannot be stopped. With the authority given him by the Holy Spirit (God), Paul made the false-prophet blind, and the proconsul believed in the Gospel.

Praying the Scripture

1. There are no more prophets today, as in those who foretell the future. With the completion of the Bible, Christians have the entire counsel of God (2 Tim 3:16-17). Instead of praying for God to give direct revelation, Christians should read God’s Word to know God’s will. God’s will is for all believers to preach the Gospel (Matthew 28:19-20), so, instead of waiting for an audible voice from God that we are to become missionaries, let us begin by sharing the Gospel with people whom we meet daily. Pray that we will be faithful in little things, so that we can be faithful in bigger things.

2. Pray that we will not hinder the Gospel by our actions and words.

3. The role of miracles was to authenticate the Apostles’ message. Today, there is no more gift of miracles (though God can still grant miracles, according to His will, but not through the hands of a miracle healer). Pray that we will live holy and righteous lives, so that the Gospel message we preach will be effectively displayed through our lives.

经文：使徒行传13:1-12

主题：宣教的开端

使徒行传首十二章经文专注的是彼得的教导与事工。从13章起，保罗则是焦点人物。

Scripture Reading        : Acts 12:1-25

Theme                            : The Unstoppable God

1. The purpose of God cannot be thwarted. James was the first Apostle who was martyred (Stephen was the first Christian martyr). It is God’s will that James was martyred but He sent His angel to rescue Peter from prison. God wanted Peter to continue proclaiming the Gospel amongst the Jews. Whatever is in God’s will definitely come to pass.

2. The glory of God cannot be robbed. When Herod was praised by the people as a god, he did not give the true God the glory that He alone deserves, and God judged Herod immediately and he was eaten by worms and died. God will eventually judge the whole world, because unbelievers are all guilty of the same sin as Herod.

3. The Word of God cannot be stopped. Even though persecution of the church had begun (Stephen was killed by mob-action) and was getting more serious (James was killed by the king), the Gospel continued to spread. The people who were scattered due to the persecution preached the Gospel wherever they went (Acts 11:19). Now, the stage was changing from Peter to Paul, who would eventually bring the Gospel to the Gentiles.

Praying the Scripture

1. God’s specific will is different for different people. Stephen and James (along with many others) were martyred, but Peter and Paul would continue to suffer on this earth while preaching the Word of God to unbelievers. Let us pray that we will submit to God’s will and accept the purposes that He has intended for us.

2. Whatever achievements we might attain in the world are all granted by God. Pray that we will give glory to God in what we say and do, so that unbelievers around us will also see our good works and give glory to God (Matthew 5:16).

3. The Word of God cannot be stopped. We will either move together with it, or be left behind by it. Thank God that because He is unstoppable, the Gospel eventually came to us. Pray that we too will preach the Gospel to people we meet.

经文：使徒行传12:1-25

主题：锐不可当的神

Scripture Reading        : Acts 11:1-30

Theme                            : The Beginning of the Gentile Church

1. The vision of the Gentile church. When Peter was accused of associating with Gentiles, Peter recounted his vision to the church in Jerusalem, proving to them that the Gospel is also meant for the Gentiles. Peter’s recount here (which was not mentioned in Acts 10) clearly shows that Cornelius was not saved before he heard the Gospel. Because of God’s mercy and grace, God sent Peter to preach the Gospel to Cornelius that he might be saved (11:14).

2. The conformation of the Gentile church. The best testimony that the Gospel has also come to the Gentiles is the coming of the Holy Spirit to the Gentiles. Through the coming of the Holy Spirit, the Gentiles are now brought into the common salvation through Jesus Christ, together with the Jews. This is the “mystery of the church” (Ephesians 3:1-6).

3. The strengthening of the Gentile church. The church in Jerusalem sent Barnabas to Antioch, where he encouraged the believers to be steadfast. Barnabas also found Saul, who returned to Tarsus after leaving Jerusalem when the Jews plotted to kill him (Acts 9:26-30). Together, Saul (Paul) and Barnabas taught the believers and strengthened the church.

4. The testimony of the Gentile church. Antioch was a major pagan metropolis and was the centre of major trade routes, making it a prosperous city. Persecution of the Gentile church had not started yet, but the church in Jerusalem was already facing persecution (Acts 8:1). When news came to the church in Antioch that there will be a famine throughout the world, including Jerusalem, the church in Antioch sent relief to the church in Jerusalem.

Praying the Scripture

1. Without the Gospel message, no one can be saved. Gentiles who may sincerely seek for God (like Cornelius) would do so in vain, unless they hear the Gospel. Let us thank God for giving us the Gospel, and pray that we will boldly share the Gospel with others.

2. The purpose of the church is not only to evangelize, but also to equip the saints. Paul and Barnabas did that when they taught the church in Antioch for 1 year. Pray for our elders and pastors, that they will faithfully feed the sheep by teaching them the Word of God.

3. We must not be inward looking as a church, but be willing to help other true churches of Jesus Christ who may be in need. Let us pray that we will be generous in giving our resources to the local church to help other Christians.

经文：使徒行传11:1-30

主题：外邦教会的开端

Scripture Reading        : Acts 9:32 – 10:48

Theme                            : The Vision of the Gentile Church

1. Peter was the apostle of Christ. Just before Peter was given the vision of the Gentile church, the Book of Acts records Peter healing the sick and resurrecting the dead. This firmly establishes the true apostleship of Peter, so that what follows would be authenticated. Also, the stay with Simon the tanner set the stage for the upcoming events, because tanners were regarded as unclean and shunned because they handled the skins of dead animals (Lev. 11:39).

2. Peter saw a vision from God. After God gave a vision to Cornelius, a centurion (a Roman officer in-charge of 100 soldiers) and a Gentile, God also gave Peter a vision of unclean animals, which Peter was to eat in his vision. The Jews had regarded Gentiles as unclean and unworthy of God’s salvation. The purpose of the vision is to show Peter that the Gospel was also meant for the Gentiles and not for Jews only.

3. Peter preached the Gospel. When Peter was brought into the house of Cornelius, his relatives and close friends had gathered, and Peter, who understood the vision he had been given, preached the Gospel to the gathering of Gentiles. Note that Peter did not go through the Old Testament history, like he did when he preached to the Jews, but he went straight into declaring that Jesus Christ who was crucified is now resurrected and is the Judge of all mankind.

4. Peter baptized the gentiles. The coming of the Holy Spirit to the Gentiles showed clearly that salvation has also come to them. The gift of tongues was meant to proof at that point that God has also accepted the Gentiles. This is not a teaching that all believers will receive the gift of tongues (1 Cor. 12:10).

Praying the Scripture

1. It was the true Apostles who brought the Gospel to the Gentiles, testified by the Holy Spirit and recorded in the Word of God. We can be sure that the Gospel message we believed in is the first-hand account of the original followers of Jesus. Let us thank God that what we received is not hear-say, but the truth.

2. Let us thank God that He had mercy on the Gentiles (including us) just as He had with the Jews, so that we too might hear the Gospel and be saved.

3. There is no other way to be saved except through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Peter did not pronounced Cornelius saved, but he preached the Gospel to them. Pray that we will grab every opportunity that is available to preach the Gospel, because souls will perish without the Gospel.

经文：使徒行传9:32 – 10:48

主题：对外邦教会的异象

Scripture Reading        : Acts 9:1-31

Theme                            : The Transformed Life

The Book of Acts continues the narrative with the conversion of Saul (who used his Roman name, Paul, after his conversion). Recall that the main theme of the entire book is in Acts 1:8, that the Gospel will spread “in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” The conversion of Saul led to the eventual spread of the Gospel to Europe.

1. Paul believes in Jesus Christ. While Saul was on his way to Damascus, with the intention of arresting Christians, Jesus appeared to him in a blinding light. Saul was sincerely following what he thought was pleasing to God, by persecuting Christians who were preaching what he thought was contrary to Old Testament teaching. But sincerity alone is not sufficient to please God.

2. Paul being baptized into Jesus Christ. After Ananias healed Saul, he also baptized Saul, which signified that Saul was now part of the church of Jesus Christ. Paul would later pen the words in Romans 6:3 – “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?”

3. Paul begins to preach Jesus Christ. Saul began on his journey to Damascus to persecute Christians, but ended up in Damascus preaching about the resurrected Christ, the Son of God. If there is anyone who knew that Christians would be persecuted for their faith, it would have been Saul, since he was present at the stoning of Stephen, and his previous goal was to ensure that those who professed Christ would be imprisoned. Yet he was not ashamed of his conversion, but boldly proclaimed it.

Praying the Scripture

1. Saul had a dramatic conversion experience, but with greater revelation comes greater responsibilities and temptation. Paul later wrote in 2 Corinthians 12:7 “So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited.” Paul was given such experiences because Jesus planned “how much he must suffer for the sake of my name” (Acts 9:16). Today, when Charismatics pray for dramatic experiences, they only want the experience, and not the sufferings that come later. Instead of wanting dramatic experiences for ourselves, let us thank God for dramatically converting Saul, so that Saul could bring the Gospel to us, who are also Gentiles.

2. When Paul understood the Gospel, repented and believed, he was baptized immediately. Pray that genuine believers in our church who are not baptized yet will obey the Bible and be baptized.

3. Paul was not afraid of “losing face” and he was not ashamed of the Gospel. Pray that we too will not fear embarrassment or persecution, but preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to people around us.

经文：使徒行传9:1-31

主题：转变了的生命

使徒行传继续叙述扫罗归主的过程（他信主后使用他的罗马名字保罗）。我们回顾使徒行传整卷书的主题是在1:8，即福音将传至“耶路撒冷、犹太全地和撒马利亚，直到地极”。因着扫罗信主，福音逐渐传到了欧洲。

Scripture Reading        : Acts 8:26-40

Theme                            : Do You Understand What You Are Reading?

This passage records the episode of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch, who was a high ranking official (v27). The conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch marked the beginning of the spread of the Gospel to Africa. We can learn the following lessons from this passage.

1. What is the theme or topic of this passage? Philip asked the eunuch if he understood what he was reading. The eunuch’s reply shows that every passage of the Bible has its intended meaning (intended by the Holy Spirit, who is the author). Without proper guidance, many wrong interpretations will arise, which is the error of post-modernists.

2. What is the context of this passage? The eunuch also understood that in order to understand the passage, he needed to know the context – who was Isaiah writing about?

3. What is the support of the theme of this passage? Philip used the passage of Scripture the eunuch was reading and showed from the context that the theme is the Gospel of Jesus giving His life as the substitutionary atonement.

4. What lesson can we learn from this passage? The eunuch also demonstrated that he did not just acquire additional knowledge that did not affect his life. He immediately responded to the Gospel message with obedience, and requested to be baptized.

 
Praying the Scripture

1. Pray that we will be humble and teachable like the Ethiopian eunuch, who acknowledged his ignorance and submitted to Philip’s teaching.

2. There is only one intended meaning of the words in the Bible. Pray that we will truly embrace this truth, and strive, as followers of Christ, to understand His Word, so that we will not be led astray by postmodernist’s error that there are many different interpretations that are all correct.

3. After he understood the passage, the Ethiopian eunuch responded in immediate obedience. Pray that we will not harden our hearts to the Word of God, but we will submit to its authority, and show it through our actions.

经文：使徒行传8:26-40

主题：你是否明白自己所读的经文？

这段经文叙述腓利与担任宫廷要职的埃塞俄比亚太监（8:27）讲解福音的经过。这位太监的悔改极可能是福音扩展到非洲的开端。我们从这段经文学习到下列几点：

Scripture Reading        : Acts 8:1-25

Theme                            : True or False Believers

1. True believers. The death of Stephen marked the beginning of “great persecution against the church in Jerusalem”. Saul, who became the Apostle Paul, was first mentioned here. He was still an unbeliever and he persecuted the church. Because of the persecution, the true believers were scattered and they preached the Gospel wherever they went. In particular, the passage contrasts two characters, Philip and Simon. Philip was a true believer who was empowered by the Holy Spirit to perform mighty works. A true believer, like Philip, proclaims Christ (8:5). When true believers bring the Gospel to unbelievers, they bring true joy to those who repents (8:8).

2. False believers. Simon was a false believer who proclaimed his own greatness before he professed faith (8:9), and he continued to seek his own greatness after he heard the Gospel (8:18-19). False believers attract attention to themselves, misleading people with lies that causes destruction of souls (8:11). Peter’s rebuke of Simon (8:20-23) clearly showed that Simon was an unbeliever, even though he professed to be one (8:13). Simon was not interested in the salvation of his own soul, but wanted the same power that he saw the Apostles possessed.

Praying the Scripture

1. Times of persecution will review true believers from false believers, since those who profess faith in Jesus stand to gain nothing except persecution. Pray that if we are persecuted for our faith, we may stand strong and continues to preach the Gospel.

2. Pray that we will not want to attract attention to ourselves, but direct the attention to Jesus by proclaiming the Gospel like Philip.

3. Many professing believers are phonies, who are trying to benefit themselves in one way or another (usually in monetary gain – 1 Tim 6:5 “depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain.”) Pray that we will have the discernment to identify false believers and not be attracted to them. If we had been like Simon, may we heed Peter’s warning and pray that God will forgive us.

经文：使徒行传8:1-25

主题：真伪信徒

Scripture Reading        : Acts 6:8-7:60

Theme                            : The First Christian Martyr

1. Accusation of Stephen. Stephen was doing mighty works among the people when the Jews disputed with him. They were not able to withstand his wisdom, and had to bring false charges against him. Stephen’s face was “like the face of an angel” (Acts 6:15), meaning that it was calm and composed, because Stephen clearly knew that the message he was speaking was given by God, not invented by man. This was not a supernatural phenomenon wrongly assumed in some circles.

2. Apologia of Stephen. When questioned by the high priest, Stephen launched into a long discourse, beginning with the calling of Abraham, the ancestor of all the Jews, until the coming of the Savior, before rebuking them for crucifying the promised Messiah.

3. Annihilation of Stephen. The Jews who heard Stephen proclaim the Gospel to them failed to repent, unlike those who heard Peter, who also rebuked the audience for crucifying their Savior (Acts 2:37). The Jews did not have the authority to carry out capital punishment, because they were under Roman rule (that is why they cannot kill Jesus with their own authority, but instigated Pilate to crucify Him). Therefore, when they dragged Stephen out of the city to stone him, it was a mob action. Stephen, however, did not hold it against them, and exemplified the same grace and love showed by the Lord Jesus when He was crucified.

Praying the Scripture

1. Pray that we will be good testimonies as we live as Christians amongst the people, so that no one can bring any legitimate charges against us.

2. 1 Peter 3:15 “but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect.” Let us pray that we will not be afraid to share the Gospel even if the situation seems adverse.

3. 1 Peter 2:20, 23 “For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God… When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.” Stephen remained faithful and died for his faith. Let us pray that we will be willing to suffer for the sake of the Gospel, even unto death.

经文：使徒行传6:8-7:60

主题：基督教的首位殉道者

Scripture Reading        : Acts 6:1-7

Theme                            : The Management of the Church

1. The issue facing the church. The Hellenist were Greek speaking Jews who lived outside Palestine after the Babylonian exile (known as the “Diaspora”). The Hellenists adopted Greek culture, leading Palestinian Jews (the Hebrews) to view them with suspicion. Because of this tension, the Hellenists believed that their widows were not given an adequate distribution of food by the church.

2. The instruction to the church. The Apostles’ first priority was in “preaching the Word of God”, rather than the daily administration of the church. The Apostles instructed the church to choose godly men who would be appointed to take care of the physical needs of the Hellenistic widows. The word translated “serve” is the Greek word “diakone”, from which the office of deacon was later derived. However, at this time, it was not a permanent establishment of the office of deacon. Note that the authority to appoint these men rested in the Apostles (v3).

3. The implementation of the church. The church submitted to the Apostles’ instructions, and they chose godly men whom they set before the Apostles for their appointment. All seven chosen men had Greek names, indicating that they belonged to the Hellenists. This was done out of love and to maintain unity, since the issue was the neglect of the Hellenistic widows. Because the church was united and submitted to the authority of the Apostles, they could be devoted to preaching the Word of God, resulting in great spiritual growth of the church (v7).

Praying the Scripture

1. Galatians 3:28 “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” May we pray that our church will be united and looking after one another’s needs without discrimination.                                                           

2. Let us pray for our church, that there will be godly men who will assist the elders in administrative matters, so that the elders can be devoted “to prayer and to the ministry of the Word.”

3. Pray that our church will be united and the congregation submit to the elders. In this way, every individual believer in the church can grow spiritually, and the church on the whole can also grow, when the elders can be devoted to preaching the Word of God.

经文：使徒行传6:1-7

主题：教会的管理