GRACE BIBLE FELLOWSHIP | 恩道堂

Scripture Reading        : Acts 5:12-42

Theme                            : God’s Strategy for Church Growth

1. Purity of the church. After the death of Ananias and Sapphira, “none of the rest”, or unbelievers, dared to join the church, for fear of divine judgment. But at the same time, the church grew because God added genuine believers in great numbers.

2. Power of the truth. The Apostles were empowered by the Holy Spirit and performed great miracles. The purpose of miracles was to authenticate the Gospel message preached by the Apostles, and not to produce faith in unbelievers, since those who did not believe did not dare to join the church (v13).

3. Persecution of the church. At this stage, persecution of the church was beginning, and the Apostles were imprisoned for preaching the Gospel. Historically, persecution of the church only strengthened it, because God used persecution to maintain the purity of the church.

4. Priority in obedience. The night before, they were miraculously rescued from prison by an angel, who told them that they must go into the temple to preach. Even though the Apostles risked further imprisonment and persecution, they obeyed God rather than men.

5. Preaching of Jesus Christ. Gamaliel was the most noted rabbi (teacher) of his time, and his most famous student was Saul (who became Paul, the Apostle). After heeding his counsel, the council (the Sanhedrin) had the Apostles beaten and commanded them not to preach the Gospel. But the Apostles rejoiced over the persecution and “did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.”

 
Praying the Scripture

1. Today, many churches focus on man-centred, seeker-friendly methods of church growth, and end up attracting multitudes of unbelievers to the church. This is in stark contrast to the purity of the church in Acts, where only genuine believers joined the church. Let us pray that our church will be pure and will focus on preaching the Bible faithfully, rather than be concerned with numerical numbers. Also pray that God will add genuine believers to our church.

2. The gift of performing miracles has ceased, even during the Apostles’ time (2 Cor. 12:12; 1 Tim. 5:23 – Paul did not heal Timothy). The purpose of the miracles was to authenticate the Apostle’s message, and we have it written in the Bible today. Pray that we will be devoted to the teachings of the Bible, rather than be distracted by the demand for miracles.

3. Sometimes, believers pray that God will remove the persecution that they are facing. However, God is sovereign and He can use any situation in our lives for our good (Rom. 8:28). We ought to pray that God give us the strength to obey Him and persevere during persecution. 1 Corinthians 10:13 “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”

4. Even an unbeliever like Gamaliel provided wise counsel that methods that were not according to God’s strategy would eventually fade away. Let us pray that we will not be tempted to pursue church growth methods that are not in accordance to God’s Word. Pray that we will preach the true Gospel only, even though people do not like to hear it or even if we are persecuted for it. Pray that we will be joyful even when persecuted for the sake of the Gospel.

经文：使徒行传5:12-42

主题：神对教会增长的策略

Scripture Reading        : Acts 4:32 – 5:11

Theme                            : The Purity of the Church

1. Solidarity of the church. The first church in Jerusalem, under the teaching of the Apostles, was one where true unity was seen. No one thought of “any of the things that belonged to him was his own” and they “had everything in common”. The rich sold their belongings and brought the proceeds to the Apostles, who distributed to those who were in need. The people trusted the leaders of the church to distribute the offerings as the leaders deemed fit.

2. Sincerity of the church. When a sinner clearly understood the vastness of the debt he had been forgiven, he would have a genuine love for the Lord and share the blessings that God has given him. The church at this time was filled with genuine believers, since those who did not truly believe in Jesus risked the disapproval of the Jewish leaders (persecution had not started yet) and those who were rich had nothing to gain, and were in a sense losing their earthly wealth.

3. Sanction of the church. It is not a command to all Christians that they must sell everything and give to the needy in order to follow Christ, or it will simply become a legalistic requirement. When Ananias and Sapphira (tried to) lie to God, they were punished with death and suffered the detriment of their sin. 1 Samuel 15:22 “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.” Those who give sincerely from their hearts, even little, will be pleasing to God, while those who do not give sincerely, even if they give much, do not please God.

Praying the Scripture

1. The first church was exemplary in her unity. Let us pray that our church will also be united, where “no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own”, and that we will share generously with those who are in need.

2. God wants us to be sincere in our giving. Let us pray for sincere hearts as we give generously to the church. The believers brought their offerings to the Apostles, who distributed to the poor. Therefore, we should also pray that we will learn to trust the church leaders, whom God has appointed, to manage the offerings in a god-honoring way.

3. Pray that we will not boast in our giving nor seek the approval of man when we give.

经文：使徒行传4:32-5:11

主题：教会的纯洁

Scripture Reading        : Acts 4:1-31

Theme                            : How to Face Persecution

1. Be ready to submit to authority. When Peter and John were arrested, they did not put up a struggle. This was a changed Peter, unlike the same Peter who drew his sword and struck off the ear of a man who came to arrest Jesus (John 18:10). Genuine believers should be ready to submit to authority, even if it was imprisonment.

2. Be ready to submit to the Spirit. When they were questioned, Peter was “filled with the Holy Spirit” as he answered the Jewish leaders. At this point in time, the New Testament was not completed yet, so the Holy Spirit guided Peter’s speech, in fulfilment of Luke 12:11-12.

3. Be ready to give glory to God. Peter did not boast in his own ability to heal the lame, but gave the glory to God instead. Again, this was a changed Peter, unlike the one who denied Christ three times after His arrest.

4. Be ready to share the Gospel. Peter seized the opportunity to preach the Gospel to those who were present. Peter would later write in 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”, and Peter exemplified this instruction in Acts 4.

5. Be ready to obey at all costs. Christians are called to submit to authority, as long as it does not violate the Word of God. However, when the Jewish leaders charged and threatened the Apostles to not share the Gospel, they chose to obey God instead, even if it meant persecution.

Praying the Scripture

1. It is God’s will for Christians to submit to authorities (Rom. 13:1-7), as long as it does not violate the Word of God. Let us pray that we will be submissive to the authorities (e.g. the government). Pray also that when the authorities want us to disobey God’s Word, we will be bold to choose to obey God’s Word at all costs.

2. When Peter spoke, the New Testament was not completed yet. Today, to be filled with the Spirit means to be filled with the Word of God. Believers now are to be filled with the Word of God (Eph. 5:18; Col. 3:16), which is the only source of truth and guidance for our righteous living (2 Tim. 3:16-17). Pray that we will be diligent to study the Word of God, so that the Holy Spirit can use it to guide us in our lives.

3. Peter preached the Gospel to the Jewish leaders when they questioned him. Pray that we will seize every opportunity to give glory to God and share the Gospel with people around us, including our superiors.

经文：使徒行传4:1-31

主题：如何面对逼迫

Scripture Reading        : Acts 3:1-26

Theme                            : The Lesson of Repentance

1. The prelude of repentance. Beggars considered the temple to be the best place to ask for alms (charitable donations), because pious Jews who came to worship at the temple would want to earn their salvation by doing good works to the poor. The beggar who was lame from birth was hoping to get money from Peter and John, but Peter healed him of his physical defect instead, thus setting the foundation for the preaching of repentance. This healing is another instance where faith of the person is not required, as the beggar did not even asked to be healed.

2. The preaching of repentance. Peter immediately took the opportunity to give glory to God for the healing, and preached the Gospel of Jesus to the crowd. Once again, Peter did not make the Gospel message into a crowd-pleaser, but he rebuked the Jews for killing the Messiah and wanted a murderer to be released. Peter blatantly pointed out the people’s sin, and commanded them to repent.

3. The product of repentance. Genuine repentance means that one will turn away from wickedness (3:26) and “turn again” (3:19) towards God. If a sinner simply regrets what he had done (like Judas), but do not turn to God for forgiveness, that is not true repentance. The result of true repentance would be God’s blessing, and the sinner’s “sins may be blotted out”. This means that God will declare the sinner as righteous, because of Jesus’ death and resurrection.

 
Praying the Scripture

1. The purpose of miracles is to authenticate the messenger and the Gospel message, and it can be clearly seen in this passage that Peter did not heal the lame without preaching the Gospel. First of all, we should thank God that He authenticated the Gospel message by granting miracles to accompany the Apostles’ preaching. We should also pray that God will strengthen our faith to believe the Gospel message without witnessing miracles today.

2. Peter did not take any merit for healing the lame, but immediately gave glory to God, and he also took the opportunity to preach the Gospel. Pray that we will be humble and give glory to God for any achievement, and pray for boldness to use such opportunities to preach the Gospel to the people around us.

3. Pray that unbelievers, especially our love ones, who hear the Gospel will repent and turn from their wickedness, and “turn again” to God, so that their sins may be blotted out.

经文：使徒行传3:1-26

主题：悔改的教训

Scripture Reading        : Acts 2:42-47

Theme                            : The Model of an Ideal Church

1. The characteristics of church growth. The church in Jerusalem was a godly church that had a healthy fear of God (“awe”). Also, it was a caring church, because the believers sold their belongings to help those who were in need. It was also a church where there was unity (“had all things in common”). There was also joy (“glad and generous hearts”) within the believers.

2. The strategy of church growth. The first church in Jerusalem gives us the godly strategy of church growth. First, the church devoted themselves to the Apostles’ teachings (i.e. the Bible). Second, they were devoted to fellowship. A church is not a building, but a gathering of believers. A church where there is fellowship (in the truth of the Apostles’ teachings) is a true church of God. Third, they obeyed Jesus’ command and were devoted to the breaking of bread (they celebrated the Lord’s Supper to remember His death and resurrection). Last but not least, they were devoted to prayer. They did not depend on their own strength to achieve anything, but depended on God through prayer.

3. The result of church growth. When the church followed the proper strategy (as above), which is according to God’s will, it finds favour with God, and He will bless the church with numerical growth. It is of utmost importance to please Jesus, who is the head of the church (Eph. 5:23), rather than to please man. When the church pleases God, the result is that it will find favour with man (by first finding favour with God!).

 
Praying the Scripture

1. The Jerusalem church was a caring church where the believers loved one another and met together every day! 1 John 4:20 – “he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.” The condition of many believers today is even worse, because they only come to church on Sundays, so they cannot love their brother because they also do not see their brother! Let us pray that we will first be committed to meeting regularly and often, and pray that we will love one another in the church. Also pray that we will have joy, especially when we meet together.

2. The biblical strategy of church growth is to first be devoted to the teachings of the Bible. Love without truth is hypocrisy. Only by knowing and obeying the truth can the church truly grow spiritually. Let us pray that our church will continue to be devoted to the teachings of the Bible.

3. The church in Jerusalem did not try to please man and change the gospel message in order to have more numbers. When the church found favour with God, He blessed the church with numerical growth. Let us pray that we will please God rather than man, and pray that God will “add to our number day by day those who were being saved.”

经文：使徒行传2:42-47

主题：理想教会的模式

Scripture Reading        : Acts 2:1-41

Theme                            : The Age of the Messiah

1. The event. “Pentecost” means “fiftieth” and refers to the Festival of Weeks (Ex. 34:22-23) or Harvest (Lev. 23:16). It was celebrated 50 days after the Passover. Jesus died on the cross on the Day of the Passover, and three days later, He was resurrected. Then He appeared to the Apostles for “forty days” (Acts 1:3), and ascended into heaven. About 1 week later, during Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came and filled the Apostles and the 120 disciples, and they began speaking in tongues. These tongues are clearly known, human languages, because the Jews who were present understood the languages, and there was a list of these languages that were heard (Acts 2:9).

2. The explanation. Peter explained to those who were present the significance of the event, which marks the beginning of the age of the Messiah. He quoted Joel 2:28-32, and used it to show that Pentecost was a pre-fulfilment of the day of the Lord (the ultimate fulfilment will be during the millennial kingdom). Arguing that God has proven that Jesus is the Messiah by signs and wonders, Peter rebuked the Jews who were present for nailing their Messiah to the cross.

3. The effect. After the powerful Gospel message by Peter, the Jews who were present were “cut to the heart”, showing grief and remorse that they had crucified their Messiah. Many immediately repented and about three thousand people believed in Jesus on that day.

 
Praying the Scripture

1. Many Charismatic churches today claim that there is a special kind of tongues which is the language used in heaven between God and His angels. This is a human invention and not taught in the Bible. There is no mention of such angelic language in the Bible, and all the passages where tongues are mentioned indicated that the people understood the languages. Further, when Jesus taught His disciples to pray (Matt. 6:5-14), He did not teach them to pray in unknown tongues! Let us pray that we will not be led astray by novel and unbiblical teachings, but understand what it means to be filled with the Holy Spirit (which is to be filled with the Word of God – Eph. 5:18; Col. 3:16).

2. There are a lot of proofs that Jesus is the Son of God, the promised Messiah (Savior). Let us pray that our faith in Jesus will be strong and not waiver.

3. Peter did not preach a man-centered gospel, in order to please the listeners. He preached the true Gospel according to the Bible, and rebuked his audience for rejecting and killing their Messiah. However, because God opened their eyes, three thousand people believed and were baptized. Let us pray that we will be bold and faithful to preach the true Gospel, and not try to change it to make it more acceptable to sinners.

经文：使徒行传2:1-41

主题：弥赛亚的世代

Scripture Reading        : Acts 1:12-26

Theme                            : What to do while waiting for the Lord

1. United in obedience. The Apostles returned to Jerusalem, just as the Lord commanded, to wait for the coming of the promised Holy Spirit. They did not wander off or engaged in their old trade of fishing, as they did before Jesus’ ascension into heaven (John 21:3).

2. United in prayer. The Apostles prayed, “in one accord”, together with Jesus’ family (His mother, Mary, and His brothers). Jesus’ brothers (James, Joses, Judas, and Simon – Mark 6:3) did not believe in Jesus before His death (John 7:5), but they soon became believers after witnessing His death and resurrection. Even though they were just new believers, they were united in prayer together with the Apostles.

3. United in doing God’s will. There is no reason to see Acts 1:18 as a contradiction with Matthew 27:5 (Judas hung himself). The simple explanation is that Judas hung himself on a tree which overlooked a cliff, and the rope or branch broke and his body “burst open” when it fell down the cliff. Peter was the leader of the Apostles, and he quoted from Psalm 69:25 and Psalm 109:8 as the fulfilment of prophecy, so as to choose another Apostle to replace Judas. The Apostles cast lots, which was an Old Testament way of determining God’s will, because the Holy Spirit had not come yet. After the coming of the Holy Spirit, the practice of casting lots became unnecessary. Also note that a true Apostle must be an eyewitness of Jesus’ resurrection.

 
Praying the Scripture

1. There are many Christians who claim to want to know God’s will about which career to choose, whom to marry, etc., but openly disobey the clear teachings of Scripture. It is the Christian’s responsibility to obey the clear teachings of Scripture, rather than to try to discern the secret will of God (Deut. 29:29). Let us pray that we will obey the Lord’s commands that are clearly reviewed in Scripture (e.g. love one another, giving thanks, submit to authorities, etc.) as we wait for His return.

2. Christians who do not pray are depending on their own strength to fight the spiritual battle. Also, the Apostles and the believers were praying together (physically) and “with one accord”. Let us pray that many more believers will be committed to coming for church prayer meetings, so that we can pray together and with one accord.

3. The Apostles were obeying the OT to select someone to replace Judas, rather than their own wisdom or special revelation. The Bible makes clear the qualifications of a true Apostle. Paul was later appointed a true Apostle because Jesus appeared to him. Because of this, there are no true Apostles today. Those claiming to be Apostles today are false teachers who are misleading many. God’s will is clearly reviewed to us in the Bible. We can only know God’s will if we study our bibles carefully. Let us pray that we will be diligent to study God’s Word in order to know His will, and be united in doing God’s will.

经文：使徒行传1:12-26

主题：等候主时当做的事

Scripture Reading        : Acts 1:1-11

Theme                            : The Hope of Christianity

1. Our hope is based on Jesus’ teaching. The Book of Acts is a continuation of the Gospel of Luke, which records Jesus’ life and teaching. Jesus chose the Apostles, who taught the things that they heard from Jesus, with the help of the Holy Spirit, who also inspired them to write down these things in the Bible. The Bible that is in our hands today (accurate translations based on the original manuscripts) is the first hand account of the Apostles, and our hope is built on the teachings of Scripture, which is the teaching of Jesus.

2. Our hope is based on Jesus’ resurrection. After Jesus was resurrected, He “presented Himself alive to them… by many proofs”. The Apostle Paul later wrote that “if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.” (1 Cor. 15:14) Jesus’ resurrection shows that He has victory over sin and death, and those who hope in Him will one day be resurrected to eternal glory with Him in heaven. There is no Christianity without the resurrected Christ.

3. Our hope is based on Jesus’ kingdom. The Apostles asked Jesus if He was going to “restore the kingdom to Israel”. There will come a time when Jesus will rule the world together with the saints. However, His kingdom on earth has already begun spiritually in the hearts of man. At this stage of God’s kingdom, the responsibility of Christians is to be Jesus’ witnesses “to the end of the earth.” It is because of the hope in Jesus’ eternal kingdom that we continue to be witnesses for Him, to spread the Gospel. When Jesus comes again from heaven, “in the same way” that He was taken up, He will establish His kingdom on earth and rule with His saints.

 
Praying the Scripture

1. Many people claim to believe in Jesus but they do not read the Bible. This is what the Apostle Paul described as “another Jesus” (2 Cor. 11:4), who is not the Jesus of the Bible. True Christianity must be based on God’s Word (the Bible). Let us pray that we will be diligent to study Jesus’ teaching that has been recorded for us in the Bible, so that we will know the true Jesus, the Son of God.

2. The Apostle Paul also wrote, “If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.” (1 Cor. 15:19) Our hope is in the resurrected Christ, and His promise of eternal life for those who repent from their sins and believe in Him. Let us pray that we will fix our eyes on eternity and heavenly riches, rather than believe in Jesus for earthly benefits such as health and wealth.

3. Jesus said that it is not for us “to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by His own authority.” (Acts 1:7) Rather, we should fulfil our responsibility now, which is to be witnesses for Jesus as He establishes His kingdom in the hearts of man. Pray that we will live holy and sanctified lives, in order to be good witnesses, and also pray that we will be bold in proclaiming the Gospel to people around us.

经文：使徒行传1:1-11

主题：基督徒的盼望

Scripture Reading        : Luke 1:1-4, 24:44-49; Acts 1:1-8

Theme                            : Introduction to Luke-Acts

Luke, the physician (Colossians 4:14), is the author of both the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts. In both books, Luke begins by addressing a certain “Theophilus”, and Luke’s use of the title “most excellent” (Luke 1:3) suggests that Theophilus was a high ranking Roman official. In Acts 1:1, Luke writes about “the first book”, which refers to the Gospel of Luke. Therefore, Luke-Acts are to be taken as a two volume work by the author (Luke).

The Gospel of Luke is meant to narrate the life and teaching of Jesus. At the end of the Gospel of Luke (24:44-49), Jesus commanded the disciples to proclaim to all the nations about “repentance and forgiveness of sins… beginning from Jerusalem” (24:47). Jesus also told the disciples to “stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high” (24:49). This refers to “the promise of the Father” (Acts 1:4), which is the Holy Spirit.

The Book of Acts begins by continuing from where the Gospel of Luke ends. The author recaps from the end of Luke, and reminds the readers that Jesus died, rose again, appeared to many people with proofs, and ascended into heaven. Luke also mentions again the instruction of Jesus to the disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the coming of the Holy Spirit, who will empower them to proclaim the gospel “in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:8) Geographically, starting with Jerusalem as the centre where it all began, the gospel spread to the south (Judea) and north (Samaria), and continues to spread to “the end of the earth”. The entire Book of Acts shows how Acts 1:8 is fulfilled, even to our very day and age.

 
Praying the Scripture

1. The two volume work of Luke-Acts is not only meant for Theophilus. Rather, it is dedicated to him like the modern-day dedication at the beginning of a book. Let us pray that we will not read the Word of God just like a story book that has no impact on our lives. Pray that we will read the Bible carefully and learn the truths and obey the commands.

2. Let us thank God for His mercy and grace upon the Gentiles (non-Jews, including us), because He also granted salvation to us by the proclamation of the gospel to the end of the earth.

3. Some people dream of doing big things for God, to become a missionary to bring the gospel to the remotest jungle, but they do not even share the gospel with people around them. “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches?” (Luke 16:10-11) As we read the Book of Acts, let us pray that we will obey the command to proclaim the gospel to all the nations, beginning with people around us in our daily lives, because “one who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much.”

经文：路加福音1:1-4, 24:44-49；使徒行传1:1-8

主题：路加福音和使徒行传的介绍

路加医生（西4:14）是路加福音和使徒行传的作者。路加在两本书卷的开头中都包括了对一位“提阿非罗”的称呼；使用“大人”（路1:3）之词也意味着提阿非罗是一位罗马高官。在使徒行传1:1中，路加提到了“前书”，即指路加福音。因此，路加福音和使徒行传实际上是路加的两部创作。

路加福音的目的是要复述耶稣的生活和教导。在福音书的结尾（24:44-49），耶稣吩咐众门徒要向万国“传悔改、赦罪的道，从耶路撒冷起”（24:47）。耶稣也告诉门徒要“在城里等候，直到你们领受从上头来的能力”（24:49）。这指的就是“父所应许的”（使1:4），即圣灵。

使徒行传的开头就是从路加福音的结尾接续的。作者从路加福音的结尾开始复述，提醒读者耶稣已经死而复活，又带着证据向多人显现，并升天了。路加也再次提到耶稣对门徒的指示，叫他们要在耶路撒冷等候圣灵的降临，因为圣灵会赐予力量使他们能“在耶路撒冷、犹太全地和撒马利亚，直到地极”（使1:8）传福音。从地理位置来看，耶路撒冷是福音萌芽的起点和中心；福音接着会向南部（犹太）和北部（撒玛利亚）传，持续延至“地极”。使徒行传整本书卷就是在说明1:8是如何应验的，直至今日。

 
用经文祷告